Steals & Deals for 2016 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 22, 2016 Major carriers offering deep, deep discounts on coach and business class travel to India. Air Canada offers free stopovers and free hotel nights in Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver. Marriott and Starwood unleash their first joint points promotion. Lufthansa once again slashes the price of premium economy. DECEMBER 15, 2016 You want sun? You want jazz? A jazz cruise next month offers copious amounts of both. Smaller hotel chains offer bigger bargains for the slower winter travel months. Singapore Airlines adds premium economy to its Houston-Manchester run and cuts the fare, too. DECEMBER 8, 2016 A 15 percent discount on travel supplies just for JoeSentMe members. Hainan cuts the cost of coach and business class travel to China. Lufthansa slashes premium economy fares. And more offers. DECEMBER 1, 2016 Yes, Virginia, there are some Christmas business class deals to Europe. Asiana deals on business class to Seoul and onward to Asia. Best Western will give you $10 for every stay in the next two months. Air France slashes the price of premium economy flights. NOVEMBER 17, 2016 Cathay Pacific cuts the price of transpacific travel below $700 roundtrip. Singapore Airlines discounts its newish premium economy cabin. American will give you two free Uber pickups at the airport. Alitalia has $400 roundtrip fares to Italy. TAP Air Portugal will fly you around Europe for around $500 and give you a free Lisbon stopover, too. Finnair slashes the price of flights to Nordic and Eastern Europe. NOVEMBER 10, 2016 If you never got to be a Rhodes Scholar, you still can have the Oxford Experience this summer. Delta is selling cheap(er) upgrades through the end of the year. Fairmont offers up to 30 percent off room rates for multiple-night stays. Hilton will throw you 5,000 points if you do a few things. NOVEMBER 3, 2016 TAP Air Portugal is offering JoeSentMe members 20 percent off any business class fare through August 30, but you only have a week to buy. Double points or double elite-qualifying nights from Club Carlson. British Airways extends its $400 AARP discount through January. KLM slashes Africa fares (in coach). And more. OCTOBER 27, 2016 Last chance for a fabulous deal on Aer Lingus to European capitals. La Compagnie offers two business class seats to Paris for $2,600. American and Qantas offer big bonuses for flights down under. Air New Zealand cuts premium economy below $2,000 roundtrip. OCTOBER 13, 2016 Air New Zealand and LOT Polish post last-minute premium class holiday sales. Qatar Airways tweaks Delta in Atlanta with low business class prices to Asia. Hyatt Hotels offers a points bonus for Las Vegas stays. Accor Hotels offers 30 percent off worldwide and free breakfast. Air Canada offers a seven-day Toronto stopover with many fares. And more. SEPTEMBER 29, 2016 Delta Air Lines cuts business class prices to Asia for Christmas and New Year. Hyatt and Chase will give you an effective 10 percent discount. British Airways extends a deal to offer as much as $400 off all fares. TAP Air Portugal offers free 3-night stopovers in Lisbon with Europe tickets. SEPTEMBER 22, 2016 Lufthansa shreds premium economy prices for departures during a two-week window next month. Hertz offers up to 4,000 Aeroplan points for short rentals. Air New Zealand offers bargains in premium economy to the South Pacific. Drive a car into warm-weather destinations for as little as $10 a day. SEPTEMBER 15, 2016 Aer Lingus offers a $1,999 business-class fare to Europe just for JoeSentMe members. Visa and Hilton offer free nights and lavish perks for select bookings. United Airlines cuts the price of domestic first class tickets--we think. Hyatt offers a 500-point bonus for booking via the app. Amtrak offers double points for fall train travel. LAN and TAM offer deep business class discounts to South America. Choice revives its limited free-night offer. SEPTEMBER 8, 2016 Last-minute discounts on two small-group tours of Italy. Manhattans at a desert resort--and why it makes sense. Whatever happened to those great holiday business class deals to Europe? And more. SEPTEMBER 1, 2016 Four chains--Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott and Starwood--roll out their fall points promotions. Some are familiar with new names. Some have old names and new ideas. Enterprise revives the $10-a-day weekend car rental. Paris is suddenly just $1,400 roundtrip in business class. Air New Zealand cuts premium economy fares. And more. AUGUST 25, 2016 National Car Rental revives OneTwoFree, the rich and wonderful promotion that offers a free day after two rentals. Chase rolls out another credit card with a 100,000-point acquisition bonus. Air New Zealand and Lufthansa slash the price of premium economy seats this fall. Delta Air Lines offers deep discounts on business class to Beijing and Shanghai. Avis offers up to 5,000 AAdvantage miles for rentals. AUGUST 18, 2016 Delta SkyMiles has a "sale" that cuts business class awards to Europe as low as 107,000 miles. Coach fares to Europe plummet this fall. Coach fares to Asia plunge, too. AUGUST 11, 2016 Chase unveils one ring--er, hotel credit card--to rule them all. EVA Air and Air New Zealand discount their premium economy cabins. Accor offers as much as 40 percent off on room rates if you prepay. Virgin America offers a 999-point bonus before it disappears. AUGUST 4, 2016 La Compagnie is back with great fall prices on business class flights to London and Paris. Cathay Pacific's fast sale on business class to Asia. Points promotions from Starwood and Carlson. Amtrak's Labor Day Acela sale. Another slew of cheap coach fares to Europe. JULY 28, 2016 Expect your candidate to lose come November? Now there are cruises that will help you get over it. Marriott and Chase offer an 80,000-point acquisition bonus. British Airways has reinstated the original AARP discounts for travel. Avis offers a modest AAdvantage bonus for rentals. JULY 21, 2016 Can you really pay just $1,600 roundtrip to fly to Hong Kong? Sorta. Qantas mounts a coach and premium economy sale to Australia. LOT Polish offers legitimately "crazy" prices to Europe. KLM has slashed the price of flying to Africa. Starwood is dealing on hotels in Hawaii and French Polynesia. Air New Zealand has a premium economy sale. JULY 14, 2016 JetBlue slashes the price of transcontinental flying in coach and business class. British Airways improves its AARP discount. Hyatt is rebating points used to claim hotel awards. Virgin America is offering bonus points before it disappears. JULY 1, 2016 American Airlines and British Airways offer twofer pricing on business class flights to London. Major carriers slash coach prices to Europe to levels not seen in years. JetBlue really wants to steal Virgin America's customers. Air New Zealand discounts premium economy class across the Pacific. JUNE 23, 2016 Two hotel chains cut the price of staying in Paris this summer. Airlines slash the price of flying (coach) to Asia. United Airlines reduced the price of coach awards to Europe by 25 percent. The Loews Hotel in San Francisco has climbed on the Giants bandwagon with a baseball, breakfast and room package. JUNE 16, 2016 Deep discounts on business class flights to London and Paris--and twofers, too. A big acquisition bonus for a perfect companion credit card. A global summer sale (and free breakfast) from Accor. Air New Zealand revives that crazy cheap sale to the South Pacific. JUNE 9, 2016 Paris when it's Orly: Air France cuts coach tickets below $500 roundtrip. Korean Air offers $300 off business class tickets to Asia--unless you're going to Korea. Two banks up acquisition bonuses on their airline credit cards. Three stays at Red Roof will get you a free night. MAY 26, 2016 LOT Polish discounts all three classes for Europe travel this fall and winter. Air France has a deep first class fare sale for summer flights. Get Chase's best acquisition bonus on a card you should already have in your wallet. A 40 percent off sale on second nights at several Starwood brands. SAS slashes coach fares for summer and fall travel. And many more. MAY 19, 2016 Faced with a surging supply of new properties, hotel chains begin reviving systemwide sales. Cathay Pacific discounts premium economy flights to Asia. The Oneworld Alliance offers huge bonuses on flights to Europe this summer. Best Western's familiar summer promotion. Avis offers bonus AAdvantage miles for rentals. And many more. MAY 12, 2016 How to drive a Tesla, put on the Ritz, get an ocean view and breakfast in Half Moon Bay. A slew of really cheap flights to Asia--I mean really cheap--if you're willing to fly coach. Air France offers hefty discounts in premium economy. And many more. MAY 5, 2016 Asiana offers deep business class discounts via Seoul. LaCompagnie is back with uber-cheap business class sale prices to London and Paris. TAP Air Portugal really wants you to join its frequent flyer program. Deep coach discounts deep in the heart of Texas to the Land Down Under. IHG Reward has hefty points bonuses for stays in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. APRIL 28, 2016 Seasonal points promotions from Starwood, Carlson and Hilton. Air France offers discounted premium economy fares to Paris and beyond. Marriott offers a third night free at many of its Paris hotels. And many more. APRIL 14, 2016 A clutch of great bargains to Asia from Cathay Pacific, Hainan, Delta and Singapore Air--but only in coach and only from the West Coast. A great deal to Milan from Alitalia--but only in coach and only from New York. Hyatt discounts hotels for Memorial Day weekend, but you have to pay in advance and maybe the deal isn't worth it. That's just how some weeks are, folks. APRIL 7, 2016 Cathay Pacific slashes the cost of summer travel in premium economy class. LaCompagnie cuts business class fares below $1,400 roundtrip when two people travel together. Alaska Airlines offers double miles for flying BA's Seattle-London flights. And Air New Zealand is back with $2,000 business class fares to the South Pacific. MARCH 24, 2016 American Express quietly offers double points on certain purchases and a $50 statement credit from GroundLink, a deal that stacks with the JoeSentMe discount. Meridiana, a little-known Italian carrier, offers uber-cheap coach and business class fares on nonstops to Naples and Sicily. Hyatt returns to the promo arena with an opportunity to earn 75,000 bonus points. MARCH 17, 2016 Earn a free night when you stay three nights at Starwood's latest marketing partner. Air France offers great deals on premium economy if you buy now and fly (much) later. Double points from Amtrak. A big acquisition bonus from Amex. An Avis-American Airlines bonus miles promotion. And much more. MARCH 10, 2016 Cathay Pacific cuts premium economy fares below $1,900 roundtrip. Starwood offers 15 percent off suites and 3,000 SPG points. LaCompagnie offers $1,600 business class fares to Europe. Hertz and United offer as many as 2,750 miles per rental day. JetBlue's new credit card offers 30,000 points for minimal spend. Singapore Airlines posts introductory $999 premium economy fares to Frankfurt. Finnair is almost literally giving away coach tickets to Russia. And much more. MARCH 3, 2016 How to get a year-long view of business class prices to Europe. Accor offers a "three-night weekend" sale worldwide. EVA Air discounts premium economy to Europe from its Houston gateway. Your current member-only discounts. And much more. FEBRUARY 25, 2016 Car-rental firms post "drive out" bargains for Florida and Arizona as low as $8 a day. Sub-$2,000 roundtrip summer business class seats plus free stopovers. KLM mounts another fabulous discount sale for coach travel to Africa. And more. FEBRUARY 18, 2016 Just $1,600 roundtrip for business class to Paris? C'est Magnifique! Marriott hotels in Arizona mount a promotion for Cactus League spring-training games. Finnair is selling flights to Russia for a song. And more. FEBRUARY 11, 2016 Cathay Pacific offers roundtrip tickets to Hong Kong for less than $650. American Airlines is promoting Uber with discounts and triple-miles offers. The exclusive JoeSentMe deal with Aer Lingus makes an inexpensive European getaway feasible for Easter. A huge bonus for taking the Chase Marriott Rewards card. Free upgrades on the Heathrow Express for Star Alliance Gold members. FEBRUARY 4, 2016 American AAdvantage and Delta SkyMiles have dueling mileage promotions for Australia travel. The Star Alliance carriers mount a wan business class sale for Easter travel to Europe. Best Western is offering cold, hard cash if you book with them in the first quarter. JANUARY 28, 2016 Business class flights to London and Paris drop to $1,500 roundtrip. Asiana slashes business class fares to Seoul and onward to Asia. Budapest is suddenly the hot spot for coach discounts in Europe. Marriott is offering a third night free at many of its Paris hotels this winter. JANUARY 21, 2016 Surprising discounts from Singapore Air (in business class) and Cathay Pacific (in coach). Amtrak slashes Montreal fares on weekends below $100 roundtrip. An easy Club Carlson promotion. Virgin Atlantic offers double points. JANUARY 14, 2016 Other airlines have largely abandoned deeply discounted Europe summer business class sales. But a carrier that never really played, LOT Polish, is now offering terrific deals via its fast, compact Warsaw hub. You'll fly Dreamliners and pay less than $2,000 roundtrip to its European destinations. Meanwhile, EVA offers sub-$1,500 roundtrip premium economy flights to Asia. SuperShuttle offers 10 percent off airport runs this winter. How to tour Downton Abbey now that the show is ending. KLM offers incredibly cheap flights to Africa in coach. JANUARY 7, 2016 LaCompagnie cuts two-fers in business class to London and Paris to as low as $2,500 roundtrip for two flyers. Hainan offers eye-popping fares in coach and business class on its new nonstop from Los Angeles to Changsha, Hunan. Amtrak will give you free train rides this summer if you ride in the Northeast Corridor now. A global room sale from Accor. Avis offers a modest American AAdvantage bonus. These columns originally appeared at JoeSentMe.com. Copyright © 1993-2016 by Joe Brancatelli. All rights reserved.