UNITED AIRLINES NEWS & BONUSES
NEW! (FROM BESTFARES.COM): 13 Bonus Offers From United Airlines Mileage Plus

Earn Double Miles on:
-Through 12/18/99.  New routes to St. Thomas from Chicago and from Dulles. call 1-800-645-4502 ( code 35)
-Through 1/31/00.  Between Miami and Lima. You must register online. (MPN H69)
-Through 3/31/00.  Between  Dulles and Boston or  LaGuardia.  call 1-800-447-6772 (code 12)

United Airlines will resume its daily Hong Kong-Singapore service beginning February 16. It will replace the airline's current Hong Kong-Bangkok flights, though United will continue to offer daily Bangkok service to the United States via Tokyo.

United and Hilton have worked together to offer you a fantastic bonus. From now until 5/31/00, fly United and earn both United Mileage Plus miles and Hilton HHonors points. One point for each air mile. You must be a member of both plans to participate. To register for this promotion, call 800-930-3098. No hotel stays required, only available to US residents.

MOVIE LISTINGS FOR DECEMBER
North America: December 1-15                      Hawaii and Alaska: December 16-31
Eastbound:   Inspector Gadget                Westbound: Mickey Blue Eyes

North America: December 16-31                      Hawaii and Alaska: December 1-15
Eastbound: I’ll be Home for Christmas    Westbound:  Gift of Love

AIRPORT MAP OF THE WEEK
London Heathrow International Airport

AIR NEWZEALANDSALE!
$888 Roundtrip Fare Los Angeles to Auckland, Sydney, Melbourne, OR Brisbane (One of the above cities) Applicable for travel commencing February 1- April 16, 2000. Stopovers available in Tahiti for $150 or Auckland for $100 additional. Tickets must be issued on/before December 24, 1999.  In addition, ticketing is required with 72 hours of reservations, whichever is earlier. For more information call 800 262-2468 or visit us online at http://www.airnz.com

TIP OF THE WEEK   by Chris McGinnis:  CHOOSING THE BEST LUGGAGE
Business travelers should never sacrifice strength and durability for price. Look for bags with heavy-duty stitching and zippers, metal buckles, and padded handles or shoulder straps. If you can afford leather, buy it. Otherwise, look for heavy-duty "ballistic" nylon, or nylon and leather combinations. Color? When in doubt, opt for blackãit doesn't show scuffs and always looks good. However, black bags are more difficult to identify on the luggage carousel. Make yours unique by tying on a bright piece of yarn or dabbing on a spot of bright paint.

Many business travelers are now opting for soft briefcases rather than the traditional hard-sided attaches. Laptops fit more comfortably into the top-opening, soft-sided models, and they stow more easily on the plane. In choosing a soft-sided case, look for full-grain leather as opposed to less expensive leather grains--the investment will pay off in durability and appearance. (More luggage tips next week!).
 

• Torin Cathedral and the Holy Shroud Chapel in Torino, Italy.
• Glasgow City Council's Web Camera
• Central Nave inside the Cathedral in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
• View of the holiday tree in front of the train station, Lorraine in the great city of Metz, France.

WEBSITE OF THE WEEK  http://www.fodors.com/focus/
How to Take Travel Pictures Like a Pro
With the assistance of author and photographer Jeff Wignall, Fodor's has put together an invaluable guide to shooting great travel pictures: Nearly 100 easy-to-follow tips, with accompanying photos, covering every aspect of travel photography.
 

FROMMER'S BUDGET TRAVEL
Celebrate New Year's Eve With the Scandinavians: A Sale From SAS Makes It Possible

LIFEMINDERS.COM
Y2K TRAVEL: WHERE NOT TO GO
Country by country breakdown of Y2K transportation troubles
Survive Y2K travel
How will the rest of the world celebrate the New Year?
 

ONETRAVEL.COM
FLY XMAS DAY - SAVE MONEY & EARN THAT ELITE LEVEL: Do you need to get home for the holidays? Think about flying on Christmas day - December 25th. Most of the major carriers will sell Christmas day at a special rate. Furthermore, If you are just a few thousand miles short of that elite status, consider Bob Jones' "three hop specials." In other words, fly the little airport to hub to little airport and back route. The least miles you will earn is 3,000 base miles and the most you can earn (for hops of less than 500 miles) is 4,500 miles! Add bonus miles for on-line booking, kiosk check in and thru hub travel and you can wind up with 6,000 miles or more. Happy Holidays!

POSITIVESPACE.COM

• TRAVELERS CHECKS - Island-hopping in Pacific about to become
• Thousands of Australian bars to close New Year's Eve
• KLM Says Only Two Aircraft Flying on New Year's Eve
• Travel Alert  If you're heading to: St. Martin, Anguilla and St.Kitts
• Albright Reinforces Worldwide Travel Warning
• Venice levies toilet tax on tourists
• Northwest Attendants Plan Protest

SMARTERLIVING.COM

• GIFTS FOR TRAVELERS ON YOUR LIST
• AIRPORT SHOPPING TAKES OFF
• GIFTS FOR SENIOR TRAVELERS ON YOUR LIST
• TELLURIDE FOR THE HOLIDAYS

YAHOO.COM

• Women-traveling.com Gives  Women an Alternative to Traveling Alone
• US Airways Courts Wedding Travelers
• First-Class Travel Tips When Fido Must Fly

CNN.COM
Flight attendants testify about in-flight hazards

MSNBC.COM
FLIGHT SCHEDULING LIES

TRAVELCHANNEL.COM
Bazaar finds in bangkok
 

AIRLINER WORLD
Air Transport in the New Millennium
 

BETTER HOMES AND GARDEN
HOW to conquer kids travel boredom
 

BUSINESS TRAVELER
Your Cheatin’ Heart
 

CONDE NAST TRAVELER
Golf Resorts Readers' Poll, our summary of the top 50 places to play and stay

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC
“50 Places of a Lifetime”

OUTSIDE
Biodiverse corner of Micronesia

TRAVEL HOLIDAY
LA STYLE LEARN TO SHOP LIKE A STAR

BOSTON GLOBE

• Traveling into Y2K
• Travel - the perfect gift

DENVERPOST
Camels trek over ancient caravan route
 

HONOLULU ADVERTISER
Surf Report
 

INTERNATIONAL HERALD TRIBUNE
Flying Villages and Space Spas
 

LOS ANGELES TIMES

• Paris, Always in Season
• A Writer Finds Enchantment and Her Place 'Under the Tuscan Sun'
• Airport Malls Redefine 'Shopping on the Fly'
• Hitting the bricks at Legoland, where a little boy's wish is his parents' command

LONDON TIMES
The treasure seekers

NEW YORK TIMES

• Ferries to Everywhere in Sydney's Waters
• Olympics: not the Only Games in Town
• What's Doing in Philadelphia
• Germany: Where 'Once Upon a Time' Is Now
• Slovenia's High Alps and Low Prices

SALTLAKECITYTRIBUNE
Culture Abounds on Summertime Vacations

SEATTLE TIMES

• China: If you want to do Beijing on a shoestring, winter may be your season
• Cambodia Life after the killing fields

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
Ireland's West Country Offers Serene Relaxation
 

WASHINGTON POST
A Mythic Journey
 

USA TODAY

• Bhutan beckons:  Nestled in the Himalayas, kingdom navigates  Buddhism's Middle Path
• 10 great places to see the miraculous
• From lost luggage to goodie bags: Airlines' unclaimed baggage has become online moneymaker
• Report finds NTSB overburdened
• Hotels scramble to book New Year's
• Airlines vow better service, starting now

• New member: Preferred Hotels & Resorts group will join United's Mileage Plus plan Jan. 1. Members will earn 2,000 miles with each paid stay at any of the 120 members of the hotel group until April 1 and 500 miles for each eligible stay after that.

Next year on sale: Northwest sale cuts up to 35% off fares for travel through April 3. The best deals are for travel by Feb. 18. Buy at least 14 days ahead but by Dec. 22. Sample: Memphis-Phoenix, $328-$404 round trip, depending on date of travel. Sale also cuts some international fares.

• Job Hunting At 30,000 Feet
• Seven Bonus Offers From Hilton HHonors
• Six Bonus Offers From Hyatt Hotels Gold Passport
• Holiday Inn Bonus Offer From Bass Hotels & Resorts Priority Club
• Three Bonus Offers From Best Western Club International
• Three Bonus Offers From American Express Membership Rewards
• Five Bonus Offers From Diners Club Club Rewards
• Three Ways To Save On Lodging In Las Vegas
• Earn Up To 6,000 Bonus Miles With Hyatt's Nights After Nights
• 7 Bonus Offers From Air Canada Aeroplan
• 4 Bonus Offers From Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan
• 6 Bonus Offers From America West FightFund
• 10 Bonus Offers From American AAdvantage
• 4 Bonus offers from British Airways Executive Club USA
• 4 Bonus Offers From Canadian Plus Executive Club Canada
• 7 Bonus Offers From Continental OnePass
• 8 Bonus Offers From Delta SkyMiles
• 3 Bonus Offers From Hawaiian Airlines Hawaiian Miles
• 2 Bonus Offers From Japan Airlines JAL Mileage Bank
• 2 Bonus Offers From LatinPass
• 7 Bonus Offers From Northwest Airlines WorldPerks
• 6 Bonus Offers From Qualiflyer
• 2 Bonus Offers From Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards
• 3 Bonus Offers From Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus
• 3 Bonus Offers From TWA Aviators
• 7 Bonus Offers From US Airways Dividend Miles

This Week's U.S. & Canada Hotel Internet Discounts

This Week's Car Rental Internet Discounts

This Week's International Hotel Internet Discounts
 
 

TRAVEL QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"The journey is the reward."  -Taoist Saying

Have a travel tip or a comment about this week’s issue? Send them to: johnny@johnnyjet.com