Steals & Deals for 2014 WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE DEALS I've written about travel bargains as long as I've written about business travel, which dates back to (yikes!) 1983. Nobody pays their way onto these pages. I post deals solely for the benefit of members based on my perception of what is a great price, a terrific value or a unique opportunity. Unless otherwise stated, you should be able to book these deals online, at any travel agency or directly from the listed travel supplier. And please do not suspend your inbred skepticism. Don’t blame me if these deals are sold out when you try to book at these prices, but do let me know if you think that we're being scammed. It's important to expose the fakers and phonies. -- Joe Brancatelli DECEMBER 24, 2014 Air New Zealand is discounting heavily on premium-class South Seas flights in 2015. Next year begins with some disappointing hotel promotions. A cornucopia of miles and points available on car rentals. A convoluted (but valuable) sale from Fairmont hotels. DECEMBER 18, 2014 Hainan Airlines offers startlingly low (coach) fares to Beijing. EVA Air deals on premium economy. More cheap business-class fights to Paris. Beer tours and boutique hotels in San Francisco. DECEMBER 4, 2014 Gigantic business class and coach deals on India flights. Buying hotel gift cards at 10 percent off. Air New Zealand's premium economy sale. A fast (cheap) 50,000 American AAdvantage points. Rome in depth at a discount. NOVEMBER 26, 2014 Trump Hotels is offering 30 percent off suites around the world all winter if you book this weekend. Air Berlin offers coach fares to Europe as low as $500 roundtrip from three U.S. gateways. Accor offers 40 percent off hotels all winter at 2,200 hotels worldwide if you book this weekend. Choice Hotels offers double points if you use your app. NOVEMBER 20, 2014 Delta is selling cheap domestic upgrades for 90 days. Cathay Pacific puts on a premium-class holiday sale to Hong Kong and other Asian cities. Accor offers 40 percent off and free breakfast at 2,200 hotels. Avis offers quadruple AAdvantage miles through February. NOVEMBER 13, 2014 Never got a Rhodes Scholarship? Now you can study at Oxford for a week in the summer. LOT surprises with a last-minute business-class sale for Christmas and New Year's travel. The cheapest way to get American AAdvantage miles ahead of its merger with US Airways Dividend Miles. NOVEMBER 6, 2014 Emirates slashes the price of business-class seats to India. Alitalia weighs in with a business-class deal for Thanksgiving and Christmas/New Year travel. LaCompagnie is giving away the seats on New York-Paris again. Really wan hotel promotions from Hilton, Carlson and Wyndham. OCTOBER 23, 2014 SAS offers remarkably cheap premium-class holiday fares. LAN offers deep-discount business class to South America from Miami. Accor's worldwide hotel sale. Paris is once again the temporary home of the low-priced transatlantic premium-class ticket. And still another shot at the South Pacific in business class really cheap. OCTOBER 16, 2014 EVA Air discounts on premium economy to Taipei from the United States and Canada. LOT Polish offers deeply discounted coach to Eastern Europe--and a stunning price to Tel Aviv. Milan is back as the place to find cheap transatlantic fares to Europe. OCTOBER 2, 2014 OpenSkies and Swiss have last-minute business-class sales to Europe for Thanksgiving. Hainan Airlines cuts the price of business-class to Beijing. US Airways has one more big sale on miles purchases. Avis offers quadruple AAdvantage miles for rentals. SEPTEMBER 25, 2014 Enterprise offers car rentals as low as $9.99 a day during fall, winter and spring weekends. Many Oneworld carriers offer huge bonuses for premium-class travel to Europe. United and Air Canada post bonuses for flights to London. Air New Zealand once again offers $2,000 business-class roundtrips to the sun in the Cook Islands. SEPTEMBER 18, 2014 Finnair posts a big sale on business-class travel to Russia. Accor offers a third night free at many European hotels. Air New Zealand offers one more shot at a great bargain to the South Pacific. Another chance for Hilton HHonors Gold status for just $95. SEPTEMBER 11, 2014 How to get a 10-15 percent discount on flights to China. Amtrak offers double points for two months. Points promotions from Starwood Preferred Guest and Club Carlson. A big, long-term bonus from Air Canada if you book in advance. SEPTEMBER 4, 2014 Paris is now the world capital of cheap premium-class travel. At least temporarily. US Airways is selling miles cheap again. IHG Rewards has a rich, if convoluted and mass-customized, fall promotion. How to save as much as $400 roundtrip on upcoming British Airways flights. AUGUST 28, 2014 EVA Airways offers premium-economy deals from New York/Kennedy and Los Angeles. Avis offers as many as 5,000 American AAdvantage points for car rentals. And more. AUGUST 21, 2014 National brings back OneTwoFREE, the best, richest and easiest car-rental promotion in history. Accor launches a global sale and knocks as much as 50 percent off room rates worldwide. And more. AUGUST 14, 2014 LAN is once again dishing up big business-class deals to South America. A truly lame promotion from Marriott Rewards. Cathay Pacific has a premium-economy sale to the Maldives. Heathrow Express is offering some Avios points for BA and Iberia flyers. La Compagnie extends the purchase-by date for its ridiculously low business-class fares to Paris. AUGUST 7, 2014 Emirates and Hyatt offer up big discounts for flights to and hotels in India. LOT Polish mounts a winter sale in all classes to Europe--plus a great deal to Tel Aviv. Chase offers a big bonus to take a United credit card. A hotel and music package for the Detroit Jazz Festival later this month. JULY 31, 2014 SAS offers one more shot at premium-class travel to Europe. Selected Marriott hotels are offering 1,000 United MileagePlus miles per stay. Kimpton offers 20 percent off and bonus points for summer stays. If you're willing to take le risque, there are (again) some great deals on Le Compagnie to Paris. JULY 24, 2014 Hyatt knocks 50 percent off rates at its new all-inclusive property in Jamaica. Chase is offering 70,000 points to take a Marriott Reward credit card. A Hilton HHonors promotion so weird that one-third of Hilton Family hotels won't play along. JULY 17, 2014 American Express is offering a 50,000-point acquisition bonus for taking Business Gold, its most lucrative card for travelers. JetBlue and Delta woo Caribbean and Latin American flyers with bonuses for fall travel. JULY 10, 2014 SAS gives us one last shot at a summer premium-class sale to Europe. Cathay Pacific offers a one-month sale in first class to three Asia cities. American offers big bonuses on its Asia routes. Virgin America revives the sign-up and first-flight bonus if you join its frequent flyer program. JULY 3, 2014 Hyatt launches a flash sale on its Asia hotels this summer. JetBlue and Dunkin' Donuts tie coffee to a 20 percent flight discount. Starwood Preferred Guest offers an even bigger bonus for transfers to American and US Airways. And EVA Air discounts on transpacific premium economy from New York, Los Angeles and Toronto. JUNE 26, 2014 Lufthansa and SAS offer last-minute premium-class discounts to Europe in August. LAN is back with some South American business-class bargains. The Hilton summer sale it didn't want Americans to know about. Hainan Airlines offers deep discounts on its new Boston-Beijing flights. JUNE 19, 2014 Avis offers a 5,000-mile bonus in American AAdvantage. Cathay Pacific knocks 10 percent of premium-economy fares to China. Accor cuts 40 percent off rates this summer worldwide. Marriott offers 15 off multi-night stays in eight cities this summer. And many more. JUNE 12, 2014 Cathay Pacific offers a great business-class sale for summer travel in Asia. Lufthansa mounts a last minute business-class sale to Europe. Omni will give you elite status for just one stay this summer. Marriott hotels in downtown Chicago offer a $50-a-night incentive this summer. JUNE 5, 2014 British Airways posts a nearly secret first-class summer sale to London. Starwood and Hilton improve their credit cards. Lufthansa and the Star Alliance's big coach sale to India. And some great bargains revived: It's now $2,200 in business class to the Cook Islands. EVA offers premium-economy discounts to Asia from LAX and JFK. And LAN has deep-discount business-class fares to South America. MAY 29, 2014 Air Canada offers a global travel pass for business-class flights. Is it a good deal? Eve Airways offers premium-economy deals to Asia from Los Angeles and San Francisco. And more. MAY 22, 2014 Asiana cuts the price of flying business class to Asia. Lufthansa offers introductory discounts on premium economy. LAN offers low prices on South American business class. LOT posts low coach fares to Eastern Europe for fall/winter travel. Air New Zealand revives a sub-$2000 business class offer to the Cook Islands. And more. MAY 15, 2014 Emirates Airline mounts a modest business-class sale from selected U.S. gateways. Best Western offers a free night after three stays. A really cheap high-season package to Tahiti. A $500 inducement to visit the Ritz-Carlton Amelia Island midweek this summer. Big AAdvantage mileage bonuses for high-fare flights to Europe this summer from Oneworld carriers. And more. MAY 8, 2014 Cathay Pacific cuts business-class fares to Hong Kong, Shanghai and Beijing. A third night free at the new Vienna Park Hyatt. Marriott's promotion offers double points for summer stays--unless you get offered something else. US Airways joins American with a promotion on new routes from New York. MAY 1, 2014 Air New Zealand has posted an amazing sub-$2,000 roundtrip business-class fare to a Pacific Island paradise this summer. LAN, the major Latin American carrier, unleashes some great business-class fares to South America. American Airlines and National Car Rental team up for a big AAdvantage bonus for rentals. APRIL 24, 2014 Aer Lingus posts its summer business-class deals. Lufthansa's summer business-class deals aren't deep, but they will get you all over Europe. Even Hilton hotels don't think much of Hilton HHonors' latest points promotion. Alaska Airlines and Emirates team up to offer double miles and 5-10 percent flight discounts. APRIL 17, 2014 United Airlines discounts business class on its new nonstops to Sichuan. Starwood is first out with a new points promotion. How to get the $395 Chase United Club card free for a year. How to get Hilton Gold status cheap. Avis offers big bonuses for American AAdvantage. Swiss and Virgin Atlantic offer summer business-class deals. Hyatt hotels in Charlotte offer big bonuses. APRIL 10, 2014 SAS offers the best bargains to Europe in the premium classes this summer. Washington Marriotts offer weekend, um, deductions. Accor posts a bevy of private sales. East is East and West and West and the fare sales meet in India. Best Western will give you $50 back after two stays. APRIL 3, 2014 The Star Alliance finally unveils its summer business-class sale to Europe. LAN revives its South American business-class sale. Lufthansa offers up a compelling first-class sale this summer. Hertz and Enterprise post bonus-points offers. MARCH 27, 2014 Milan has become the new London for cheap coach fares to Europe. The least-expensive way to get to Tel Aviv? Believe it or not, via Helsinki. Lufthansa posts a fare sale to India. Alaska offers bonuses for flying to London...on British Airways. MARCH 20, 2014 Alitalia posts its summer business-class sale to Italy. American Airlines offers bonus miles on new routes from LaGuardia. Accor promotes a three-for-two sale worldwide. Amtrak awarding bonus points for theater purchases nationwide. MARCH 13, 2014 Cathay Pacific cuts some prices to China. Air France deals on premium-economy fares to Paris. A bigger bonus to take an Amex Platinum Card. Double points on Amtrak trips for two months. Bonus miles for Hilton stays in Latin America. And more. MARCH 6, 2014 Car-rental firms post their "drive-out" rates from Arizona and Florida. Air France cuts the price of premium-economy for spring travel. Lufthansa offers a last-minute sale on business class to Europe. Marriott hotels in Arizona offer spring training packages--complete with peanuts and Cracker Jack. FEBRUARY 27, 2014 LAN offers some notable business-class deals around South America. The airlines offer some cheap coach seats on transcontinental flights in the next few weeks. JetBlue is selling seats on its new Boston-Detroit route at lower rates than its advertised introductory fares. FEBRUARY 20, 2014 Cathay Pacific cuts the price of premium-economy travel to Asia. LOT Polish offers low coach fares from Chicago to cities beyond Warsaw. A luxury package (with tickets) for the French Open tennis tournament this spring. Amtrak extends its Northeast Corridor winter promotion. FEBRUARY 13, 2014 SAS rolls out its summer premium-class sale to Europe. Cathay Pacific knocks 10 percent off premium-economy class flights on its new Newark-Hong Kong nonstop. Quintuple points on your next Accor stay. FEBRUARY 6, 2014 If you're waiting for a summer business-class sale to plan a trip to Europe, act now because the fares are out. Always wanted to be the only guest at a hotel? Ritz-Carlton's Lake Tahoe will let you buy the place out. Miles and points promotions from Hertz, Delta and Wyndham. A tour of Omaha Beach in Normandy to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. And more. JANUARY 30, 2014 A huge bargain in coach and business class on flights to Tokyo. Citi is offering 100,000 bonus AAdvantage miles to take its credit card that includes Admirals Club access. Emirates cuts the cost of business-class flying to Asia, Africa and the Middle East. Starwood offers 40 percent off the second night at some hotels. JANUARY 23, 2014 The airlines have quietly dumped their Easter and Passover business-class fares to Europe into the market. Downton Abbey now has its own location tour. Avis offers 9,000 Club Carlson points for rentals. Hilton has a points promotion for weekend stays. JANUARY 16, 2014 American and US Airways offer 50 percent mileage bonuses if you fly the other one's metal. Hilton's "Any Weekend Anywhere" isn't--but there are some good deals. JetBlue offers double elite-qualifying miles through February. Hyatt knocks 30 percent off the daily rate at its Asia-Pacific hotels. JANUARY 9, 2014 Hilton Family hotels in Chicago slash rates and bundle in the perks in the cold. Amtrak offers free rides this summer. Accor knocks as much as 50 percent off rates. Club Carlson's winter promotion offers free nights after three stays. Thrifty offers 1,000 MileagePlus miles per rental. These columns originally appeared at JoeSentMe.com. Copyright © 1993-2014 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.