Navigating the ever-more-complicated travel-reward cardsphere, frequent-flier programs, and Hawaiian stopovers, with help from 23 airline hackers.
Buying a plane ticket has never been easier — or more complicated. Online travel agencies claim to offer the greatest fares; fare aggregators claim to offer the greatest selection of online travel agencies. Low-cost carriers promise to fly you to the moon for a pittance — but, oh, you want to check a bag and pick a seat too? That’ll be $100 extra. The legacy airlines want you to be loyal and book direct, but they’re constantly shifting the goalposts on miles hounds. Miles hounds, in turn, take to deep-dive hobbyist forums like FlyerTalk to rap in Klingon about their juiciest travel hacks. It’s all so dizzyingly complex you would be forgiven for wanting to punch your monitor every time you search for a flight. And that’s just the ticket purchase. As the recent United debacle illustrates, you can sift through hundreds of options, find a flight, book a ticket, board a plane, and still get dragged off, nose broken and glasses askew. This is not a dignified era in which to be an airline passenger, and the in-flight caste system is more acute than ever. But it’s not completely hopeless. We asked 23 airline experts to help us make sense of the contradictions: Is there really a best day to book? Are points more valuable than miles? What’s the best travel-reward credit card? And why does it seem like everyone and their broke cousin is flying business class except us? The experts did not agree on everything — some, for instance, still see the value in using online travel agencies like Expedia, while most others pooh-pooh them — although a deep love of Alaska Airlines was nearly unanimous.
Deal Hunters: Follow These Nerds
Why struggle through a torrent of airline promos when so many experts already make it their business to sniff out the best deals?
Secret Flying
Denne historien er fra May 15–28, 2017-utgaven av New York magazine.
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Denne historien er fra May 15–28, 2017-utgaven av New York magazine.
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A Wonk in Full- Ezra Klein, glowed-up and post-coup, was almost a celebrity at the convention.
Ezra Klein, glowed-up and post-coup, was almost a celebrity at the convention. Ezra Klein, who is known to keep his passions in check, did not have the right credentials to get into the arena. The Secret Service didn't recognize the New York Times' star "Opinion" writer and podcaster, but eventually he was able to figure out how to get in to where he belonged. This was, after all, as much his convention as any journalist's, since its high-energy optimism turned on the fact that President Joe Biden was no longer leading the ticket and, starting early this year, Klein had led the coup drumbeat.
The Afterlife of Donald Trump - The presidential hopeful contemplates his campaign, his formidable new opponent, and the miracle of his continued existence.
Donald Trump raised his right hand and grabbed hold of it. He bent it backward and forward. I asked if I could take a closer look. These days, the former president and current triple threat-convicted felon, Republican presidential nominee, and recent survivor of an assassination attempt-comes from a place of yes. He waved me over to where he sat on this August afternoon, in a low-to-the-ground chair upholstered in cream brocade fabric in the grand living room at Mar-a-Lago.
Danzy Senna Can't Stop Thinking in Black and White
Her latest novel holds diminishing returns.
Live, Laugh, Love
Dick jokes meet sentimentality in a wily Sandler-Safdie collab.
Tim Burton Is Great Again
A long-awaited sequel revels in gore and nostalgia.
In the Shack With Robert Caro
The Power Broker is turning 50. The final LBJ book is almostwell, he won't say exactly, but he's trying for 900 words a day.
24 Comedians You Should Know RIGHT NOW
THE COMEDY industry is undergoing a metamorphosis in 2024. Name-brand venues like the Second City and UCB are opening or reopening in New York, beloved local spots are being bought out by megacorporations, and streaming-service-helmed comedy festivals are usurping the old-fashioned ones. Post-WGA strike, TV-development execs are growing green-light-shy, Hulu is entering the stand-up fray, and YouTube specials are becoming just as worthy of watching as Netflix specials, if not more so.
Leading Lady
Anna Sawai could take home the Emmy for her performance in Shogun. But she's keeping her cool.
RESTAURANT REVIEW: Le Même Veau
The Frenchette crew has taken over the 87-year-old restaurant, and the snails are as garlicky and the duck as pink as ever.
DESIGN HUNTING: A LOFT WITH A HIGHER PURPOSE
Ali Richmond, co-founder of the nonprofit Fashion for All Foundation, has lived in this Brooklyn loft for almost 20 years with his archive of designer clothing.