The latest in Travel news for week ending Aug 17, 2024

Here are the most recent updates in the travel industry:

Frontier Airlines is now offering free bags for cardholders

Frontier Airlines now offering free bags for cardholders. Starting Thursday, you now get two free checked bags on all Frontier Airlines-operated flights when you pay with your Frontier Airlines World Mastercard. (Note: This benefit will apply to future bookings with the card but not to previously booked travel.)

Qatar Airways Privilege Club devalues American Airlines and Alaska Airlines award flights

Qatar Airways Privilege Club devalues American Airlines and Alaska Airlines award flights. Although the airline made no announcement that it was changing the chart it uses for American Airlines and Alaska Airlines awards, flight searches reveal that the redemption rates for short-haul American and Alaska routes have indeed gone up. The cost of these flights in Avios has increased by up to 64%, with the shortest routes seeing the most dramatic price hikes.

The good news is that awards for longer-haul flights on American and Alaska, as well as redemption requirements for JetBlue flights, appear to be unaffected.

Delta Airlines rollout of free WiFi on international flights

In July, Delta started offering complimentary WiFi to SkyMiles loyalty members on Viasat-equipped flights between the U.S. and both Paris and Nice in France. The availability of this service on more international flights will be gradually expanded.

Delta is set to introduce the service on flights to and from the U.K., Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, and Italy in August. In September, more European countries will be included, such as Iceland, Ireland, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Greece, Portugal, Sweden, and Switzerland. Although service to Israel is currently suspended, it will be included in September.

In October, complimentary WiFi will be provided on flights connecting the United States with South American countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, followed by Hawaii. By January 2025, WiFi will also be available on flights to and from Nigeria, Ghana, and Senegal, with plans to extend the service to South Africa and transpacific flights (Asia, Australia, and New Zealand) by the middle to end of 2025.

Sarasota beachfront hotel St. Regis with waterfront restaurants opened last Friday.

The St. Regis beachfront hotel in Sarasota, which offers waterfront restaurants, officially opened last Friday. Guests can now choose from a selection of rooms, enjoy five waterfront restaurants and bars, and indulge in a spa with various signature treatments and Gulf-front views, all before the resort's official opening scheduled for late September. The project's total construction value exceeds $331.2 million. Situated on the Sarasota County side of Longboat Key, this luxury hotel is the largest development on the island in half a century. As part of the St. Regis Hotels & Resorts chain owned by Marriott International, it is promoted as one of the most luxurious beachfront resorts in the country.

Guests can enjoy a beachfront retreat covering 18 acres and 800 feet of exclusive beach. The resort, with 168 rooms, boasts various pools and cabanas, a 21,320-square-foot St. Regis Spa facing the Gulf, a meandering water feature, and an encounter with marine life in a saltwater lagoon, home to stingrays, tortoises, and tropical fish. The standard room rate is $1,200.

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