LoyaltyLobby

In our Compensation Clinic, we have another Lufthansa case this week that originated during the last wave of Lufthansa pilot strikes in mid-April, when my flight from Munich to Helsinki was canceled. Readers are encouraged to send us questions, comments, or opinions by email, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. We’ll cover them here several times a week. During strikes of airline personnel, the carrier is generally liable for compensation payments and passenger protections under EC261/2004, and w

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a case about Best Rate Guarantee issues at the Kempinski hotel in Malta. The Kempinski brand is affiliated with the GHA. Have a mishap, a loyalty story, or something else travel-related to share? Please send it to us at john@loyaltylobby.com for a possible feature. You can access GHA’s page for the Kempinski Malta here Reader’s Comment: We’re looking for a 3 night stay on Malta and were keen to book the Kempinski on Gozo. As a GHA Titanium member, I hoped to

Best Western has now launched a version of its global promotion also for stays in Italy and Malta between May 11 and September 7, 2026. Best Western Rewards members earn 1,000 bonus points per night without any limit. You can access and register for this offer on Best Western’s website here. READ MORE: Best Western Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers Note that, unlike many of the other current Best Western Rewards offers, there is no limit on the number of points you can earn under this one

Ernst & Young, usually referred to just as EY, is one of the largest consulting firms that many businesses utilize. EY in Canada released a “Points of Attack: Uncovering Cyber Threats and Fraud in Loyalty Systems” report that turned out to be full of AI slop, fake references, and footnotes. The report references studies that don’t exist. Here’s an excerpt from the Financial Times: The researchers showed the report relied on erroneous or inconsistent data to make its case that loyalty

Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) this month saw the Almanac Hotels joining the program, and there is now a bonus D$ offer for stays between May 15 and December 31, 2026. GHA Discovery members can earn double D$ for stays during the promo period if booked from May 15 to August 15. You can access this offer on GHA’s website here. Double Discovery Dollars: GHA promotions always double the elite bonus as well. You earn D$ based on your room rate before taxes and fees. Silver: 4% base + 4% bonus = 8% tot

Chase and Southwest Airlines have opened another points-to-points (miles) conversion bonus of 30%, valid through June 5, 2026 allowing for transfers with a generous bonus. Under this campaign, Ultimate Rewards to Rapid Rewards conversions are bonused with 30% during the promotional period. You can access Chase here and Southwest here for further details of this promotion. Both partners have run this campaign before, but 30% is rather generous compared to previous ones, which hovered around 25%

Hyatt has launched its second buy points offer for 2026, allowing members to purchase them at 20% bonus through July 27. Members can buy up to 55,000 points every calendar year, sometimes doubling to 110,000 before any possible bonuses. Hyatt offers opportunities throughout the year to purchase points. You can access this offer and check your bonus or discount on Hyatt’s website here. READ MORE: World of Hyatt Bonus Points & Rate Offers World of Hyatt points sales usually offer a maximum 4

Thai Airways has an award ticket promotion for Royal Orchid Plus members traveling between Bangkok and Amsterdam in July 2026. ROS members can get 50% of the miles back by the end of August if they book in June. You can access this offer on Thais website here. Round-trip flights between Bangkok and Amsterdam Miles required for award ticket redemption 50% Miles Back* Economy Class 85,000 42,500 Royal Silk Class 180,000 90,000 * Or 21,250 miles per one-way flight in Economy Class and 45

GHA and Pan Pacific Group have launched a multi stay bonus for stays between May 18 and December 30, 2026. GHA Discovery members can earn up to D$150 bonus after four stays during the promo period that are booked after registering for this offer from May 18 to November 30. You can access and register for this offer on GHA’s website here. Note that the eligible stays must be at least two nights each and be at separate properties. Eligible Brands: Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts PARKROYAL COLLECTI

Qatar Airways yesterday updated the list of destinations it plans to serve from June 16, 2026, bringing the total to more than 160. The airline will restart service to Helsinki and Tokyo Haneda from July 15, and will launch Bogota on July 22 and to Caracas from July 26. You can access Qatar’s page for Travel Updates here. Qatar’s Flexible Rebooking Policy Is In Place For Tickets Issued On Or Before May 15: Qatar Airways Extends Free Changes For Tickets Issued By May 15, 2026 Destinations

Singapore Airlines’ monthly Spontaneous Escapes allow KrisFlyer members to redeem miles for Business, Premium Economy, and Economy seats at a 30% discount. They have updated the list of Spontaneous Escapes available for travel between June 1 – 30, 2026, which now also includes Scoot flights, and they are available for booking through May 31. You can access Singapore Airlines Spontaneous Escapes here. Singapore Airlines Spontaneous Escapes for travel June 1 – 30, 2026: South East Asia

Another serious misconduct of Chinese travelers happened at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport this week, where a traveler got frustrated with the electronic gate at immigration as it didn’t accept his passport. He then flew into a rage and kicked the gate several times until the first door broke and gave way, causing several hundred thousand baht in damage, as the gate is now unusable pending expensive repairs. This action obviously resulted in his immediate arrest; after all, it happ

Airlines affected by the Iran War have offered tier extensions, status fast-tracks, bonus elite-qualifying miles/tier points, and lowered tier qualification requirements. Qatar Airways has now updated its Privilege Club tier extension policy, effective from June 1, 2026, making things murkier. You can access Qatar Airways here. Qatar Airways has offered to extend everyone’s tier by 3 months if yours is set to expire between February 28 and May 31, 2026, and by 12 months if you have reached 90%

Accor has now launched a bonus points opportunity to go with the Ennismore sale that we wrote about yesterday. ALL Accor members can earn 3X or 4X points for a stay that is booked using the ESCAPE DAYS rate plan by June 17 or July 31, depending on the location. You can access and register for this offer on Accor’s website here. READ MORE: ALL Accor Rate & Bonus Points Offers Note that this offer is only valid for ONE STAY of 2 to 14 days, except in Europe, where it is capped at 7 days. You

Etihad has now launched its first Global Sale since the start of the Iran War. The airline offers up to 30% discount on the economy and business class base fares if booked by May 14 for travel through October 2026. You can access this offer on Etihad’s website here. Remember that Etihad lowered the qualification requirements by 25% through March 2027: Etihad Guest Lowers Qualification & Requalification Criteria By 25% Until March 31, 2027 Conclusion I had looked at the various Etihad desti

IHG has now enabled Points.com’s Multiply Your Points module, which many hotel and airline companies already use, such as Marriott and BA. Multiply Your Points allows you to multiply recently earned points at variable boost levels and discounts, which in IHG’s case are up to 12X and 35%. You can buy (or boost) up to 200,000 points using this method in a calendar year. You can access IHG’s page for buying points here and IHG here. READ MORE: IHG One Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers Note tha

Iberia has brought back its usual Gift Card sale, but this time only in USD, through May 10, 2026. Iberia gift cards can be used to purchase flights on the company’s website and are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. You can access this offer on Iberia’s website here (USD), here (GBP), and here (EUR). Here are the gift card options in USD: One gift card can have a maximum value of $3,000. When purchasing a card valued at $500 or more, you can receive a maximum discount of 10%. Terms:

Best Western has now launched its Summer 2026 promotion also for stays in India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka from May 11 to September 7. Best Western Rewards members can earn 1,000 bonus points for each night consumed during the offer period, for up to 20 nights and 20,000 points. You must also register. You can access this offer on Best Western’s website here. READ MORE: Best Western Rewards Rate & Bonus Points Offers Conclusion Best Western has now launched variations of this offer for mos

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a question about the ALL Accor member late check-out benefit, which, per the T&Cs, is not guaranteed but is based on availability. If late checkout is, however, available for cash, shouldn’t it be available based on status as well? Have a mishap, a loyalty story, or something else travel-related to share? Please send it to us at john@loyaltylobby.com for a possible feature. You can access Novotel Perth Langley’s website here. READ MORE: ALL Accor Rate & Bon

A German holidaymaker had enough of the nuisance that is the typical morning ritual of European tourists, placing towels on sun chairs by the pool in order to reserve a spot and successfully sued the tour operator. This customer booked an expensive travel package to Kos Island in Greece and the situation at the pool each morning was so ridiculous that it was impossible to find a spot at the pool at any given day due to the chair hogs. Subsequently the annoyed traveler filed a lawsuit in German