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A few weeks ago (or maybe last week? I don't know, time is weird right now) I told you about status matching. To refresh your memory, status matching is when you use your existing elite status with a hotel or airline to leverage similar status with a different hotel or airline that wants to poach you as a customer.
Today I'm going to tell you about something a little different: Status challenges.
Unlike the former, a status challenge doesn't require you to have any status. Rather, it is a way for you to fast-track your way to status without the normal requirements.
Specifically, IHG is offering members the chance to earn either Gold or Platinum elite status with relative ease.
Here are the deets:
- You must register for this offer and complete stays by December 31st, 2022
- Stay two nights to earn Gold Elite Status through 2023
- Stay five nights to earn Platinum Elite Status through 2023
- Only paid nights count toward the promotion
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What's my take on this offer?
I think this offer is definitely worth considering. These types of promotions are really the bread and butter of travel hacking, in my opinion.
First of all, anyone on earth can take part in this offer. Whether you live in the U.S. or Ghana or Peru, you can enroll as an IHG member for free, register for the offer, stay a few nights at any of their hotels around the world, and find yourself with some meaningful elite status.
Of course, Platinum is not the highest level of status they offer, so you won't be able to get all of the best perks of the IHG program. However, Platinum does come with some potentially useful benefits, including the following:
- Automatic room upgrades (including suites)
- Free late checkout
- 60% bonus points on paid stays
I personally took part in the last status challenge that IHG offered and was able to earn Platinum status. On my very first stay as a Platinum Elite member, I was upgraded to this incredible suite at an Intercontinental hotel:
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IHG did a complete overhaul of its rewards program earlier this year, and the changes have so far been pretty positive.
The benefits for each tier have been upgraded to be more meaningful, they offer "Choice Benefits" for staying certain numbers of nights (like lounge access, confirmed upgrade certificates, free night awards, and more), and their system is pretty good at automatically upgrading you if there is availability, which is really refreshing.
As you can see below, there are only a handful of benefits that you don't get as a Platinum member.
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Given the fact that this offer goes all the way until the end of the year, I think anyone with upcoming hotel stays should consider prioritizing this offer to guarantee themselves a full year of solid elite status.
To sweeten the deal, you could stack this offer with the promo I shared with you recently that awards 10k bonus points for every four nights spent at IHG hotels. That means by booking 5 nights over the next 2.5 months, you'd earn both Platinum elite status AND 10,000 bonus points. Just make sure you register for BOTH offers prior to staying at any hotels.
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🚂 Trains from the U.S. to Canada finally resume
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I know that you're all receiving this email on Tuesday, but as I write this, it's still Canadian Thanksgiving. To celebrate, I have some good news for train and Canada enthusiasts alike.
Amtrak has recently resumed its services between the U.S. and Canada. Specifically, routes from Seattle to Vancouver as well as New York to Toronto are both bookable for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic.
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This is a great way to visit the great Canadian North while enjoying some of the most scenic views in North America (at least on the Vancouver route...).
With tickets between Seattle and Vancouver as low as $34, this is actually a great value for that distance of travel.
Of course, finding cheap flights between the two cities is usually pretty affordable, but this way saves you the hassle of dealing with airports and gives you beautiful views of the Pacific Northwest while only taking around 4 hours.
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Vancouver is my second favorite city of all time (can you guess which is number one?), and I cannot recommend it enough. Even in the peak of Winter, I still thoroughly enjoy spending time in the West-coast city.
This deal also applies to you Canadians looking to spend a nice weekend in Seattle as well.
Overall, it's great to see rail service between the two countries beginning to ramp up - just another sign of times slowly and steadily creeping back to the pre-pandemic days.
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🤝 This newsletter is brought to you by... nobody
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Okay, it's actually brought to you by Kara and Nate. But we want to keep this newsletter coming to you for free every day, and to do that, we'd love to get some relevant sponsors.
Don't worry, we won't turn into an ad machine and spam you with this stuff. The fact is that we need to keep the lights on somehow, and ideally, we can use opportunities like this to bring you even MORE value than we *hopefully* already do. 😊
That's why I want to throw this out into the ether:
If you or someone you know wants to sponsor The Daily Drop, please fill out this form and let us know.
Okay, now back to the good stuff.
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🧮 Math problem almost takes down a plane
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Today I have a fun story to share with you. It probably wasn't so fun for the people involved, but it is a miraculous and poignant example of just how important the little things are in aviation, as well as a testament to the talent of the pilots flying in the skies.
On July 23rd, 1983, an Air Canada Boeing 767 took off from Montreal bound for Edmonton, Alberta.
While traveling over the Canadian prairies, something very bad happened. First, the left fuel pump failed, prompting the pilots to divert to Winnipeg.
Unfortunately, this was followed by both engines failing and the plane immediately losing power, including the flight instruments, thus giving the pilots no indication fo their altitude, vertical airspeed, or many other important pieces of information.
So what do pilots do when the plane has no power, no fuel, and effectively turns into a massive glider?
Thankfully both of these pilots had something special to bring to the table. The captain had over 15,000 hours of flight time in the Boeing 767 and was an experienced glider pilot. The first officer, also highly experienced, happened to know about a place they could land: Gimli Air Force Base in Manitoba.
What the pilots didn't know was that this former airport had been converted into a race track. And there was a race going on that same day.
Without getting too technical on the plane's physics, the pilots maneuvered the plane such that it would glide down and line up with the runway/racetrack. However, after attempting to lower the landing gear (the wheels of the plane), the front wheel didn't fully lock into place (they were relying on gravity due to the loss of power).
Still, these insanely talented pilots touched down on this now race track, gently let the nose of the plane lower onto the bare ground, and ground to a halt without injuring any passengers or bystanders, despite there being a crowd there for the race that day.
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So what caused the engine failures in the first place?
Well, it all came down to math. Basically, most planes in the Air Canada fleet at the time measured fuel in liters rather than pounds. This relatively new plane, however, required different units of measurement. Both the ground staff and the captain overlooked this issue, resulting in the plane taking off with around 5,000 pounds of fuel rather than the 20,000 it was supposed to have... yikes.
Still, the fact that these pilots pulled this off is incredible. They managed the landing so well that after some minor repairs, the plane returned to service and flew with Air Canada for another 26 years with the nickname "The Gimli Glider."
So next time you get nervous about flying, just remember - pilots are pretty darn smart, and even worst-case scenarios are manageable for them.
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That's all I got for you today! I think this IHG status challenge is a great opportunity that I hope many of you can take advantage of.
Have you ever had hotel or airline elite status? Are you a nervous flyer or are you indifferent to the fact that you're in a metal tube rocketing through the sky at 40,000 feet? Let me know by replying to this email or reaching out on social media.
Cheers,
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