Hurry as the best travel deal of the year ends in the next few days

The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is one of the best travel deals of the year. The pass lets you bring a companion with you on any Southwest flight for free (plus the cost of taxes and fees that are as low as $6 one-way). Normally you have to earn 135,000 qualifying points or fly 100 Southwest flights to earn a Companion Pass. However, for the next few days if you sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Plus Credit Card you get a FREE Southwest Companion Pass plus 30,000 bonus points after you spend $4000 on your new credit card within the first three months.  This credit card has an annual fee of only $69. So basically, sign up for the card and pay the annual $69 fee and you can have a FREE companion pass from now until February 2025. Lets say you take 6 trips a year with your spouse and the average ticket is $400 RT. This means you save $2400 a year. WOW! That’s an amazing deal. CLICK HERE to read more. CLICK HERE to hear more. 

American Airlines is making it more difficult to earn frequent flyer miles – We recently learned that AA will be changing the channels by which travelers earn frequent flyer miles. Starting May 1, 2024 AA says they will be limiting the channels that a traveler can book to earn their AAdvantage award miles. Basically they are trying to encourage more and more people to book directly on their website or through an approved agency channel. Executive Travel has maintained an approved channel status with AA for 37 year so we anticipate we will continue in that roll. It will be interesting to see how this new program rolls out. Whenever the new rules come out we will be sure to let you know ASAP. CLICK HERE to hear Paul and I discuss more.

Just as we expected American Airlines is also increasing their baggage fees – On the same day AA announced changes to their AAdvantage program, they also announced the fees for a passenger’s first checked bag is being raised from $30 for the first bag and $40 for the second bag to $35 if you pay in advance online or $40 at the airport. We anticipated that AA would increase baggage fees when they dropped the $200 rebooking fee during COVID. They need the cash. Expect higher and higher fees from AA as they try to replace the billions of dollars lost from no longer charging a $200 change fee. CLICK HERE to hear more.

Las Vegas is rolling out the red carpet for dogs that visit Glitter Gulch – I was amazed to see all the things resorts in Las Vegas are doing to welcome dogs with their pet-friendly amenities. Caesars Palace is going all in by providing in-room food mats, pee pads, waste bags, treats and doggy dishes. They also have maps of dog walking routes and grooming and veterinary care. Rooms with these pet-stay amenities are not surprisingly being charged between $25 and $100 a night for this service. To read more about all the options to take Fido to Glitter Gulch CLICK HERE.  CLICK HERE to hear more.

Is travel to Europe going to slow down this year? – Don’t bet on it. The major airlines have dramatically increase the number of seats flying from the USA to Europe this summer. New planes. More seats. New destinations. They are going all in on Europe. Now that we have survived the tsunami wave of pent up demand post-COVID I was expecting things would moderate a little and all the extra seats flying to Europe would bring about empty seats and lower airfares. Well, the airlines are telling us they continue to see strong bookings to Europe this year and they anticipate airfares and revenue will remain strong for them in 2024. What does this mean for you? Basically, if you are planning to fly to Europe this year you better book now to lock in airfares before the planes fill up and prices go higher. CLICK HERE for more.

Women of the Midwest – Travel Solo Together! – If you haven’t already watched the Women of the Midwest podcast, please do! Women-only small-group travel is the absolute hottest travel trend. Come as you are, be yourself, and don’t depend on others to travel. Join a group of maximum 20 like-minded women, pick your bucket-list destination, and enjoy the camaraderie and sisterhood created during a tour. We can even assist with finding a roommate. CLICK HERE to watch the podcast. Call or email our friendly group department today at 888.549.1186 / GroupDepartment@executivetravel.com to learn more!

Check out our Weekly Travel Alert Podcast – Did you know our Weekly Travel Alert Video Podcast is available on YouTube plus all your favorite podcast stations, Spotify, Google Podcast, Apple Podcast ? Each week we are adding new and upgraded features. Please jump on board. CLICK HERE to see the Weekly Travel Alert podcast that is hot off the presses.