Bye Basic Economy, How Hilton Screwed Us & Other Huge Travel News episode artwork

EPISODE · Sep 25, 2025 · 49 MIN

Bye Basic Economy, How Hilton Screwed Us & Other Huge Travel News

from The Thrifty Traveler Podcast · host Kyle Potter, Gunnar Olson

Gunnar and Kyle celebrate their recent travel bookings (a.k.a. “Getting Booksy”) before diving into an extremely busy couple days of travel news. Gunnar introduces an unhinged new “Stoke Scale” to help the guys rank a flurry of new route announcements from Italy to Hong Kong, and more. Plus, they break down stories you need to know about the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hilton’s woes, Delta’s future in Mexico City, some intriguing new Capital One transfer partners, and more! Watch us on YouTube!00:00 - Kyle and Gunnar both booked something (Kyle to Hong Kong, Gunnar to Italy)03:45 - Routes news: All the new routes you should be excited about, ranked on the brand new “Gunnar Olson Stoke Scale”12:15 - Bad news for consumer rights, worse news for Delta flights to Mexico City (MEX), and some great news from Google Flights20:07 - What’s the easiest way to stay up on the news? The Daily Beat Newsletter! Sign up (for free) today!20:40 - Hotel news: The Park Hyatt Tokyo is reopening, the sorry state of Hilton, and White Lotus France hotel speculation32:00 - Credit card news: The revamped Amex Platinum gets rave reviews, Chase chases Amex with new hotel credits, intriguing new Capital One transfer partners, and Avios news45:00 - On the spot: Kyle tells us more about his dogs!46:45 - A heartfelt tribute to the late Katherine Olson, Gunnar’s grandma who helped spark his life in travelProduced by Erica Kamrowski and Gunnar OlsonEdited by David StruttShow music: “All That” by Benjamin Tissot Support the show by leaving us a rating and a review wherever you get your podcasts! Have a question you want answered on-air or an idea for the show? Let us know at [email protected] 20% off your first year of cheap flights and points and miles deals with Thrifty Traveler Premium - use promo code TTPOD to save even more!See what we’re all about at https://thriftytraveler.com - or subscribe to our free weekly points and miles newsletter, The Extra Mile!Follow us on…InstagramYouTubeFacebookBluesky Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Gunnar and Kyle celebrate their recent travel bookings (a.k.a. “Getting Booksy”) before diving into an extremely busy couple days of travel news. Gunnar introduces an unhinged new “Stoke Scale” to help the guys rank a flurry of new route announcements from Italy to Hong Kong, and more. Plus, they break down stories you need to know about the Park Hyatt Tokyo, Hilton’s woes, Delta’s future in Mexico City, some intriguing new Capital One transfer partners, and more!

NOW PLAYING

Bye Basic Economy, How Hilton Screwed Us & Other Huge Travel News

0:00 49:47

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of The Thrifty Traveler Podcast?

This episode is 49 minutes long.

When was this The Thrifty Traveler Podcast episode published?

This episode was published on September 25, 2025.

What is this episode about?

Gunnar and Kyle celebrate their recent travel bookings (a.k.a. “Getting Booksy”) before diving into an extremely busy couple days of travel news. Gunnar introduces an unhinged new “Stoke Scale” to help the guys rank a flurry of new route...

Can I download this The Thrifty Traveler Podcast episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.
URL copied to clipboard!