I'm intrigued by flights and awards that don't involve America. If there's a cool award to get from Australia to SE Asia, that can be integral to a longer, better, and cheaper trip.

My two favorite continents to explore are South America and Europe.

I've wanted to fly Swiss Business Class for a while. It just looks really nice. The 6'6" beds nearly all have direct aisle access, and the food and lounges look nice.

Swiss flies to Zurich from eight North American cities and from Zurich throughout the rest of Europe.

Update: This fantastic deal ends in five days on February 28!

Avianca recently began flying the 787 Dreamliner from Colombia to destinations in South America and North America. Soon it will also fly the Dreamliner to Europe!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZqdYxH8Y1WA&t=0m17s

This is exciting because Avianca's fully flat Business Class looks very nice, award prices on the long intra-South American flights are super cheap, and this is be the most comfortable way to fly between the United States and Colombia.
The Product
I just flew Avianca's angled flat bed on its A330 from Bogota to Buenos Aires.

Generous reader Lisa is giving away four United Club passes that expire 6/30/15, about four months from now. I'll pick two winners to win a pair of passes each. If you are can use the passes, there are two ways to win: a comment or a retweet.

United has lounges all over the world. The clubs are a pleasant place to relax in a comfortable chair, use free wifi, and enjoy free snack and drinks. Here are the amenities.

Are you sick of missing out on mistake fares, mistake rates on hotels, and other limited-time offers that you didn't hear about in time?

Here's the brand new solution:

I've created a new Twitter account, @MileValueAlerts, that I'll only use for huge deals you need to know about right now before it's too late.

Yesterday I wrote about a discovery that shocked me: American Airlines is releasing consistent MileSAAver award space on its flagship and newest plane--the 777-300ER--in Business Class and First Class between Los Angeles and London.

American Airlines has released a ton of Business and First Class award space on its 777-300ER from Los Angeles to London this summer, fall, and winter.

This is fantastic and surprising news because American Airlines 777-300ER has world-class Business and First Class flat beds, American hadn't been releasing any space at all on its flagship plane, and American Airlines offers the cheapest Business and First Class awards to Europe.

Maybe with the 787 being loaded onto American Airlines' schedule, American Airlines feels less need to protect the 777-300ER's premium cabins.

Update 2/18/15: I cancelled my award reservation in Emirates First Class using Alaska miles. I was invited to a wedding that changed my plans. I tried to change my reservation to different dates.

I called up and asked for the change.

United is releasing economy and Business Class award space on its 787-8 and 787-9 Dreamliners from Asia and Australia, not so much to.