San Francisco Chronicle: Travel

JetSuiteX transports travelers from three Bay Area airports to Burbank and to Las Vegas at reasonable (but not cheap) fares but with service that's a cut above that of the major airlines.

Earlier today, United Airlines, the official airline of Team USA, sent 16 Olympic athletes, including members of the US freestyle ski team, to the Olympic Winter Games from San Francisco International Airport.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

The latest airlines to join PreCheck are Air France, Brussels Airlines, KLM, Philippine Airlines and World Atlantic (a charter carrier that operates under the name Caribbean Sun).

Best Western Hotels & Resorts – which has 4,200 properties across 11 brands in more than 100 countries – is offering a "Fast Pass to Gold" elite status promotion for its Best Western Rewards program.

In December I flew on Turkish Airlines from San Francisco to Budapest via Istanbul in business class on a Boeing 777-300ER and a Boeing 737-800. It's the second time I've flown Turkish in the last few years and I'm still in awe of its service in business class, which includes sumptuous candle-lit dinners served by onboard chefs, a big, open and social cabin, fresh flowers, oversized lavatories and prompt service provided by a young staff that's eager to please.

Delta, American and United once again all have interline cooperation pacts between them, and that makes like easier for passengers, especially when they are confronted with irregular operations ("IROPS" in airline-speak) like a sudden flight cancellation.

The American Airlines Advantage program gets a lot of flak about the lack of availability of award space on its flights, but often the best use of Advantage miles is on its partner airlines.More | Talk | Read It Later | Share

Taking the train instead of a plane might not be much of an option in most of the U.S., but it's hugely popular in Europe – and often almost as fast or even faster than flying.

The outlook is bright for travelers hoping to snag deals on flights to Europe this year, but there are clouds on the horizon. That's because the US dollar is weakening across the pond which will make the region a lot more expensive for Americans in 2018.

If you book a "Polaris business class" ticket on United, it's still much more likely that you'll get the old seat than the new one. But you will get the new Polaris service and soft product such as the Bloody Mary bar and blankets/pillows from Saks Fifth Avenue.United says that the remainder of its long-haul fleet should be outfitted with the new seat by "early 2021" - three years from now.