Philippine Airlines plans to join the oneworld alliance

Philippine Airlines has just announced that it’s joining the oneworld alliance, and that’s expected to be finalized at some point in 2027 (we don’t have a timeframe beyond that). This will make the national carrier of the Philippines the 16th member of the oneworld alliance, and only the second full member airline based in Southeast Asia, with the other being Malaysia Airlines.

As it’s described, this will give oneworld flyers access to Philippine Airlines’ domestic and Southeast Asia network (and beyond), while it will be transformative for the airline, fueling a stronger presence on the world stage, increasing passenger flows, enhancing loyalty offerings, and delivering greater efficiencies.

With Philippine Airlines joining oneworld, it’ll be possible to earn and redeem miles with all oneworld frequent flyer programs for travel on the airline, and also to take advantage of oneworld elite perks on the carrier, ranging from priority check-in, to lounge access, to preferred seat assignments.

Here’s what PAL Holdings President Lucio C. Tan III had to say:

“This is a defining and transformative moment for Philippine Airlines. Becoming a member of the oneworld Alliance and strengthening Southeast Asia’s representation within the group significantly brings the Philippines and the region closer to the world like never before. Together with our partners, we will deliver greater choice, consistent journeys, and a world-class travel experience that reflects the warmth of Filipino hospitality.”

Meanwhile here’s what American CEO and Chairman of oneworld, Robert Isom, had to ssay:

“PAL’s entry into oneworld supports our long-term strategic growth and strengthens our connectivity across key markets in the Asia Pacific region. The airline has a proud heritage and will serve a critical role in our Southeast Asia network.”

My take on Philippine Airlines joining oneworld

Among the major alliances, the oneworld alliance has definitely had the most momentum in recent years. For example, since last year, we’ve seen Fiji Airways, Hawaiian Airlines, and Oman Air, join the alliance, and now we can add yet another airline to the list.

This is a win-win, and fantastic news. Up until now, Philippine Airlines has operated pretty independently — the airline had some random partnerships, but hasn’t really had too much widespread cooperation, or a cohesive global partnership strategy.

We have increasingly seen Philippine Airlines partner with individual oneworld carriers in some form. For example, for the past few years, American has had a partnership with the carrier, including a codeshare agreement. However, I kind of viewed that as being more motivated by American’s complete lack of an Asia strategy, rather than some desire to cooperate super closely. Meanwhile we also recently saw Philippine Airlines expand its partnership with Qatar Airways, introducing reciprocal award redemptions.

As a oneworld flyer, I’m delighted to have more options for earning and redeeming miles, and taking advantage of elite perks. The more members of an alliance, the merrier, as far as I’m concerned.

It is worth pointing out that we were possibly expecting another oneworld airline, but it wasn’t this one. Specifically, we know that Starlux Airlines has been wanting to join oneworld, with the company’s CEO several times confirming those desires, though nothing was ever shared on oneworld’s end.

It seems that the issue with Starlux may have been how veto rights in the alliance work, or at least used to work — I believe they still apply, but maybe things have changed.

The oneworld alliance has four founding airlines that are still in business, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, and Qantas. One of the perks of being a founding member of the alliance is that you get veto rights on new members joining.

As you can imagine, this can create a conflict of interest — it could be in the best interest of the alliance at large for a new member to join, while an individual founding member might not view it that way. One would assume Cathay Pacific has the most to say here — was the airline okay with Philippine Airlines, but not with Starlux Airlines? I wouldn’t be surprised, and it does seem that’s what’s going on here.

Bottom line

Philippine Airlines will be joining the oneworld alliance in 2027, an announcement that sort of comes out of left field. It’s great to see another Southeast Asian carrier joining the airline alliance. It really is impressive to see the momentum at oneworld in adding new members, especially among airlines that weren’t previously in alliances (unlike SkyTeam and Star Alliance, where the new members have mostly been alliance swaps).

More options for earning and redeeming miles is always a good thing, so color me excited. Now what about Starlux? 😉

What do you make of Philippine Airlines joining oneworld?

Lufthansa Boeing 787 nose gear collapses at gate

On Thursday, June 4, 2026, a Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 suffered a nose gear collapse at Frankfurt Airport (FRA). The plane in question has the registration code D-ABPQ, and it’s a new Dreamliner with Allegris interiors.

There’s also an airport CCTV video of the collapse happening.

As you can see, at the time of the incident, the unit load device (ULD) was attached to the forward right cargo hold, along with the two jet bridges being pulled up to the two forward left doors. You can also see the landing gear panel ripped off.

This plane just entered long haul service with Lufthansa on February 13, 2026, so it has been flying for under four months. The plane had landed in Frankfurt at around 9AM on Thursday morning, after operating an overnight flight from Austin (AUS). Hours later, the plane was scheduled to fly to Los Angeles (LAX), operating as flight LH450. However, as you’d expect, the flight was canceled (if you were booked on the flight, don’t forget to claim EC261, if eligible!).

Unfortunately there were some minor injuries among both the onboard crew (as the outbound crew had already boarded) and ground staff, but it’s my understanding that no one was seriously injured. Thank goodness, because as you can see in the CCTV footage, someone was very close to the gear when it collapsed, so this could’ve had a very different ending.

Presumably this plane will be out of service for quite some time. Talk about bad timing, as we just start to get into the peak summer travel period. For what it’s worth, the plane has already been moved — fuel was removed from the aircraft to make it lighter, then it was manually lifted up, then the nose gear was extended, and the plane was able to be towed to a maintenance hangar.

What caused this Dreamliner nose landing gear collapse?

The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has launched a probe into the accident, so it’ll take some time for us to conclusively find out what happened. However, we do have some clues.

The first thing worth mentioning is that this incident looks mighty similar to something that happened in June 2021, where the nose landing gear collapsed on a British Airways Boeing 787-8.

An investigation later determined how that happened:

• While the plane was being loaded with cargo, a procedure was being carried out with regards to some deferred maintenance
• The procedure required the cockpit landing gear selection lever to be cycled with hydraulic power applied to the aircraft
• To prevent the landing gear from retracting, the procedure required pins to be inserted into the nose and main landing gear downlocks
• The nose landing gear downlock pin was accidentally inserted into the wrong hole — it was put into the apex pin bore, adjacent to the correct location
• As a result, when the landing gear selector was cycled, the nose landing gear retracted

For what it’s worth, it took around five months for that plane to return to service, so I’d expect this Lufthansa Dreamliner to be grounded for quite some time as well.

That brings us to the clue as to what might’ve happened. The website aero.de reports that the evening before the incident, a maintenance request was filed for the aircraft, based on an error message, which read “MLG DOOR NORM CLOSE SOL L WITH MM: …”

So this tells us that some maintenance was likely being performed on the aircraft. “MLG” stands for “main landing gear,” so it doesn’t explain why the nose landing gear collapsed. However, it sure suggests that some maintenance may have been performed at the gate, and that makes it sound eerily similar to the British Airways situation.

Bottom line

On Thursday, Lufthansa Boeing 787 suffered a mysterious forward gear collapse at a gate at Frankfurt Airport, prior to a flight to Los Angeles. The plane reportedly had a landing gear maintenance issue that might’ve been troubleshooted by technicians, and somehow that ended with the gear collapsing.

This scene looks very similar to a 2021 incident involving a British Airways 787, though it’s anyone’s guess how similar the causes are.

What do you make of this Lufthansa 787 gear collapse situation?

There’s another luxury hotel cruising experience that has just set sail, and I’d like to cover the details, especially in light of recent developments with some competitors. Specifically, I’m talking about Orient Express, which is known by many for its incredible luxury train journeys (well, and hotels).

Orient Express Sailing Yachts Corinthian ship basics

Orient Express Sailing Yachts is the name of Orient Express’ new sailing venture, which has embarked on its inaugural passenger journey as of June 2026.

The concept has debuted with the Orient Express Corinthian, which is described as the world’s largest sailing yacht. The 220-meter (721-foot) yacht features a total of 54 suites, accommodating up to 110 guests (there are over 170 crew members, by the way, so that’s better than a 1.5:1 crew to passenger ratio, even if the ship is full).

As it’s described, the Orient Express Corinthian offers “a floating sanctuary of refinement.” Suites are a minimum of 47 square meters (506 square feet), which is absolutely massive for a ship, and all feature panoramic sea views.

The experience is all-inclusive, with fares including meals, premium drinks, butler service, room service, entertainment, and much more. Just to give you a sense of how high end the experience is, the house champagne is Veuve Clicquot La Grande Dame 2015, which retails for $150-200 per bottle.

Given the small size of the ship, the sheer number of dining and entertainment outlets is very impressive. Dining includes everything from La Table de l’Orient-Express by Yannick Alléno, to La Terrasse, to L’Ecrin, to Marina Bay, and beyond.

The ship also has two pools (one for relaxing, and one 54-foot lap pool), a full service Guerlain Spa with five treatment rooms plus amenities, a gym, several entertainment venues (a theater, a private cinema, a recording studio, etc.), a marina, and more.

I must say, this has to be one of the classiest looking ships I’ve ever seen. And it’s amazing how many things are onboard.

How much do Orient Express cruises cost?

Orient Express Sailing Yachts sails the Mediterranean in summer, and the Caribbean in winter. You can find all the voyages here — they range from two to 14 nights, and some of the itineraries are actually rather interesting (at least given the regions), and go beyond just the major ports.

How much do these sailings cost? Orient Express rail journeys are super pricey, and the company is taking a similar approach with its cruises. You can see the price for each suite on each sailing by looking up itineraries at this link. Just to give a general sense of the pricing for entry level suites:

• A seven-night Europe cruise in September costs €36,400 per suite
• A 14-night transatlantic cruise in October costs €60,200 per suite
• A three-night Caribbean cruise in November costs €16,500 per suite

Suffice it to say that this is at the very top end of the market when it comes to cruise pricing. I think one thing worth emphasizing is that the average voyage length is much shorter than with other cruise lines, as there are many journeys in the two to four night range. I suspect that’s inspired by the typical Orient Express concept, which is that the journey is the destination.

If you do book Orient Express Sailing Yachts, I’d recommend using a travel advisor affiliated with the Accor Preferred program, as they can offer you some extra perks (including an onboard credit), while paying the published cost. Other than that, you should find the same rates everywhere.

Will this luxury cruising concept succeed?

Obviously the concept of luxury cruising is nothing new. However, there’s no denying that the industry is evolving a bit:

• We’re seeing luxury pushed to new levels in terms of the exclusivity of ships, the pricing, etc.
• We’re seeing cruising positioned differently; these luxury cruise lines are no longer just for rich retirees, but these cruise lines are also now targeting a younger crowd that might not typically consider cruising (at least for Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Yachts, and Aman at Sea)

I recently took my first Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection cruise, and as a non-cruiser, I have to say that I was really pleasantly surprised by the whole experience. What’s interesting is that among all of these ventures, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is by far the most reasonably priced.

After Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection, Four Seasons Yachts is next when it comes to pricing, while Aman and Orient Express are priced at the very top of the market. This entire luxury cruise space is getting pretty saturated, I’d say, especially when you consider the amount of capacity (with Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection launching three ships over a few years).

I do think that Orient Express has an advantage over Four Seasons and Aman, in terms of the crowd that it’s going after:

• Orient Express is generally popular with an older crowd, and that’s also a good demographic for cruising
• Orient Express already offers non-hotel experiences, so convincing Orient Express loyalists to try a different kind of vacation shouldn’t be too difficult

Orient Express’ pricing is absolutely at the top of the market for cruising. Then again, the company’s experience also looks incredible, so that doesn’t seem that surprising. If you’re traveling even as a small group, the pricing is to the point where you can charter a pretty nice yacht for a similar price.

Bottom line

Orient Express has expanded into the cruising industry, with the launch of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and specifically, the Corinthian ship. This is described as the world’s largest sailing yacht, and I must say, it looks pretty incredible.

This concept has just launched, debuting just weeks after Four Seasons Yachts, and around a year before Aman at Sea. It’s fascinating to see the amount of growth in the luxury cruising sector at the moment, and I’m curious to see how this all evolves.

What do you make of Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and how do you think it compares to the other luxury cruise startups?

Task force rounds up Bali influencers, detains and deports them

When you travel to another country, a visa may sometimes be required. The type of visa you need depends on the purpose of your trip, with many countries issuing tourist visas, work visas, etc.

The issue is, that line has been blurred a lot over the years, with the increase of remote work. Do you only need a work visa if you’re actually being paid locally? Or what about if you’re using your trip to a country to generate revenue in some way?

Well, this is something that authorities in Bali are cracking down on, as Bali has become influencer central over the years. Indonesian immigration authorities have drawn a hard line when it comes to what constitutes work, and it covers just about everything that influencers do.

The idea is that if you take part in any brand collaborations, post sponsored social media posts, participate in photography assignments, or even have a deal where you get free accommodation in exchange for content, that requires a work visa now. Even unpaid promotional photo shoots intended to increase an influencer’s portfolio are considered commercial activity, which requires a work permit or remote worker visa.

Essentially anything that creates economic value requires a work visa. In the past, many influencers thought that as long as they’re not being directly paid money locally, that doesn’t constitute work. But regulators have made it clear that even when money isn’t changing hands, economic value can still be created.

This isn’t just a theoretical law, but the Dharma Dewata Immigration Patrol Task Force was formed in April 2026, and is actively detaining and deporting people who violate the rules. They’re going around the areas popular with influencers, and even browsing social media content.

Within the first few weeks, 62 influencers were detained, and either fined, deported, or both. They’re also facing entry bans of multiple years.

People are divided, and this is a complex topic

As you’d expect, people have varying takes on this new policy. It’s hilarious to see the comments on social media posts — you have some self-important influencers up in arms, suggesting that such a policy will lead to Bali’s downfall, while you have others who are downright delighted.

In fairness to Bali, the government does make it relatively easy to get a remote work visa. It’s just more expensive, and ultimately it’s not unreasonable that the government would want to raise some more money from those who are generating revenue while in Bali, rather than those people spending their tourist dollars there.

At the same time, this isn’t always so straightforward, and I think many people genuinely don’t know what the rules are, since they differ so much between countries. Like, if you go somewhere and you’re being paid locally for your work there, that is without a doubt work, and it’s fair for them to crack down on that.

Let me even reflect on myself — I love flying airlines and staying at hotels, and I travel all over the globe reviewing those experiences. It’s not like I’m being paid locally, but I guess by Bali standards, they’d want me to get a work visa.

But I do think this is a slippery slope, when we’re talking about anything that generates economic value constituting work. For example, say you post on X a lot, and are in their creator revenue sharing program, where you get paid a percentage of ad revenue when people see your posts.

Say you usually post on X about politics, and you go to Bali to vacation. Then say you just post a picture of a pretty sunset, when this is otherwise in no way a business trip. Well, technically you’re generating economic value, right? So does that mean you should have to get a work visa?

Bottom line

Bali is known for being an incredibly beautiful destination… which also happens to be overrun by influencers. Bali’s government is fed up, and the issue isn’t the influencers as such, but the fact that they’re on the wrong types of visas.

However, the government is using a stricter definition than some other places when it comes to defining the type of activity that constitutes work. Bali has decided that any activity that generates economic value requires a work visa. Dozens of influencers have been detained and deported in recent weeks, and it looks like enforcement will only ramp up even more over time.

What do you make of Bali’s influencer crackdown?

The first location opened in 2017 in Los Angeles (LAX), the second location opened in 2023 in Atlanta (ATL), and the third location has just opened, in Dallas Fort Worth (DFW), and I’d like to cover those details. On top of that, there are two more locations in the works, in Miami (MIA) and Paris (CDG).

PS private terminal opens at Dallas Fort Worth Airport

As of June 3, 2026, PS has opened a new private airport facility for commercial flights at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW).

The 12,200 square foot facility is adjacent to Corporate Aviation at DFW, and features both Private Suites (a private space) and The Salon (a shared space). PS travelers have access to private TSA and immigration screenings on-site, as well as a BMW chauffeured escort to and from the jet bridge stairs of their commercial flights. While at the facility, you can arrange everything from chef prepared meals, to spa treatments.

The facility is designed by Jean Liu, who specializes in high-end residential and hospitality projects. As it’s described, “from architecture and interior details to furnishings and accessories, each element has been thoughtfully considered and selected to ensure that guests are surrounded by design that inspires, relaxes, and restores.”

Is there a market for PS at Dallas Fort Worth Airport?

I totally get how there’s value for something like PS at LAX, given the number of celebrities and other very wealthy people passing through the airport, and what a mess the airport can be. Arguably the biggest challenge PS faces is that it’s going after a market of wealthy people who don’t fly private.

Of course that market exists, and it’s significant. But PS is also expensive, so even someone who is well off might think twice about using it. That’s especially true when you consider that travel doesn’t have to be a hassle nowadays, with programs like TSA PreCheck, CLEAR, Global Entry, etc.

Just for some context, you can find the pricing for PS here:

• Without a membership, you’ll pay $1,295 per person for access to The Salon, or $4,950 for up to four travelers to access a Private Suite
• With the $1,250 The Salon annual membership, you’ll pay $995 per person for access to The Salon, or $4,950 for up to four travelers to access a Private Suite
• With the $4,850 All Access annual membership, you’ll pay $895 per person for access to The Salon, or $3,650 for up to four travelers to access a Private Suite

I should also mention that PS has some partnerships. For example, those with the Amex Centurion Card receive a PS membership with two complimentary visits per year. PS is also partnering with American, to give Concierge Key members one free visit.

Dallas has a lot of wealth, so I can certainly see this concept working pretty well there. For that matter, it’s also pretty flashy — perhaps not as flashy as Miami, but for cities between the coasts, it definitely ranks up there.

One would think that demand for PS comes from a combination of people who value their time and avoiding the main part of the terminal, as well as people who like to show off and be in exclusive spaces.

Bottom line

The PS concept has expanded to DFW, with the facility now being open, just weeks ahead of the MIA location. PS is a concept with a unique value proposition, and it definitely has a loyal following. It’s not cheap, but then again, it’s only trying to skim the market.

What do you make of the PS concept expanding to DFW?

Qatar Airways will fly from Doha to Philadelphia again

@IshrionA flags how Qatar Airways is hiring for several airport positions in Philadelphia (PHL), which suggests the airline will be resuming its route from Doha (DOH). I had heard from a reliable source that this route would be returning, and I think that more or less settles it.

For some background, Qatar Airways launched flights to Philadelphia back in 2014, shortly after the airline joined the oneworld alliance. Philadelphia is of course an American hub, so that was the logic for launching service at the time, since the airline would have extensive connectivity beyond Philadelphia.

However, we saw the strategy shift in October 2023, when Qatar Airways cut that route. American and Qatar Airways have a strategic partnership, and prior to that, American served Doha out of New York (JFK).

What we essentially saw is that American switched its Doha flight from New York to Philadelphia, and around the same time, Qatar Airways added an additional daily flight out of New York.

Now it appears that Qatar Airways will be returning to Philadelphia. For what it’s worth, when the route was operating, it was most recently flown by a Boeing 777-300ER, with the following schedule (though prior to that, it was also flown by the Airbus A350-1000):

QR727 Doha to Philadelphia departing 7:55AM arriving 3:55PM
QR728 Philadelphia to Doha departing 9:30PM arriving 5:05PM (+1 day)

What’s causing Qatar Airways’ Philadelphia return?

It’s not too hard to read between the lines and figure out what’s going on here. American’s flight to Doha has been suspended since late February 2026, in light of the conflict with Iran. Qatar Airways continues to operate its global route network, given that it really has no other option in terms of where it can fly planes out of.

Meanwhile American, and many other global carriers, have suspended flights to parts of the Middle East. Currently, American has suspended Doha flights all the way through early 2027.

Philadelphia is an important strategic gateway for American and Qatar Airways, given that it’s the most efficient East Coast hub for funneling passengers into American’s network. Miami (MIA) is a big airport for American, but the geography isn’t ideal for Northeast connections. Meanwhile American’s domestic network out of New York isn’t actually that big.

Now, it’ll be interesting to see what happens if/when American actually resumes service to Doha. I mean, there’s simply no end in sight to the conflict with Iran, so it’s hard to know what to make of all of this. Will we get back to the point where things are calm in the region, or will Gulf countries spend the coming years dodging Iranian missiles?

I suppose there are several ways this could play out in the long run:

• American just doesn’t return to Doha, even when things calm down
• When American resumes flights to Doha, Qatar Airways cuts Philadelphia service
• American shifts the airport out of which it serves Doha… maybe we’ll see Charlotte flights?
• American and Qatar Airways both serve the Philadelphia to Doha market

Bottom line

It appears that Qatar Airways has plans to resume flights between Doha and Philadelphia, after cutting the service in late 2023. Qatar Airways ended the route when American launched it, and instead, added more service to New York.

With American having now suspended Philadelphia flights for months, and not planning on resuming them until 2027 (and possibly even later), it’s not surprising to see Qatar Airways once again making it a priority to serve the airport.

What do you make of Qatar Airways relaunching Doha to Philadelphia flights?

Cause of the United Boeing 767 approach accident at Newark

On May 3, 2026, a United Boeing 767-400ER was landing on runway 29 at Newark Airport (EWR), after a flight from Venice (VCE). This runway is right up against the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95), and somehow the plane came in too low, to the point that it struck a light pole, which in turn, struck a truck (initially the belief was that the plane directly struck the truck, but that wasn’t the case, per the report).

While there was damage to the aircraft, and also major damage to the truck, this could’ve been so much worse, because at least no one was seriously inured. If the plane had come in just feet lower, this could’ve been a catastrophe.

What we knew is that it was a gusty day, and that runway 29 is short, so it’s understandable that pilots would want to touch down as early as possible to avoid a runway overrun. However, that of course doesn’t in any way explain why the plane hit something on the interstate.

So, what actually happened? Well, all signs point toward the pilots just not following best practices. For what it’s worth, the captain was flying this sector, and he had a lot of experience, with over 16,000 hours.

Runways have Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lights, which are the four lights to the side of the runway, that are either red or white, and they’re supposed to help pilots maintain the right glideslope. The ideal descent profile is two white lights and two red lights — if you have more red, you’re too low, while if you have more white, you’re too high.

In this case, during the approach briefing, the captain indicated he wanted to fly the approach with three reds and one white, given the short length of the runway. So he intentionally wanted to fly in a bit low. However, the actual data shows that starting at around 4,500 feet, the plane was flying with four reds the entire time, rather than three reds and one white. So he didn’t actually fly the approach the way he said he would.

According to the first officer (who was the pilot monitoring), at an altitude of around 500 feet and within half a mile of landing, he recalled saying that he stated “hey you are slow,” followed moments later by saying “you are still slow and a little low.” In response to that, the captain claims he looked outside and “thought we were low,” however, since they were about to touch down, he didn’t have time to process the information in time to get a go around callout verbalized.

The captain explained that he turned off the autopilot at just under 900 feet. He said he “got fast” while he turned the airplane into the headwind, and pulled back the power levers to compensate, all while the airplane shortly returned to a stable airspeed, even though the wind gusts were producing “moderate turbulence.”

Was this get-there-itis, deference to the captain, or what?

The preliminary report only shares the details of the incident, but doesn’t actually come to a conclusion as to the cause (not that there’s much mystery here, as there were no mechanical issues with the plane).

Of course hindsight is 20/20, but aviation operates under a system of best practices, and erring on the side of caution. The idea is that either the captain or first officer can call a go around if they feel it’s not stable, in order to prioritize safety above all else.

So suffice it to say that this didn’t happen here. For one, the plane was coming in too low most of the way, and due to the gusts, the captain also seemed to be “wresting” the plane down a bit at the last minute, though he still decided at 500 feet that the approach was stable (was it really, if they were so low?).

But it’s concerning that the first officer told him twice that he was too slow, and once that he was too low, yet no go around was called. This sure seems like a situation that may come down to two factors:

• The much less experienced first officer perhaps not wanting to speak up to the captain, as it sounds like he should’ve called a go around; I think Nathan Fielder would have a thing to say about that, and one has to imagine if roles were reversed and the first officer were flying, the captain might’ve called a go around as the pilot monitoring
• They just completed a transatlantic flight and were probably tired and just wanted to get home, so it’s possible that get-there-itis played into it as well; this is essentially a plan continuation bias, a psychological condition where a person irrationally pushes to complete a journey despite red flags or unsafe conditions

Or I dunno, maybe it was all just DEI…

Bottom line

The NTSB has released its initial report into the landing accident that happened at Newark Airport roughly a month ago, involving a United Boeing 767, where it struck a light pole on the New Jersey Turnpike, which in turn struck a truck.

According to the report, the plane was coming in too low starting at an altitude of 4,500 feet, but not much was done to correct that. Then shortly before landing, the first officer pointed out twice how the plane was flying too slow, and once how it was flying too low, but they continued with the approach.

Of course in hindsight it’s obvious that a go around should’ve happened, but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen…

What do you make of the report on this United 767 landing incident?

Along those lines, American has just announced its latest product investment, and it involves lounges. Admittedly it’s easy to make this all look and sound great for a press release, but I think I’m impressed?

American upgrades Admirals Club & Flagship Lounge food

American has revealed that it’s significantly upgrading dining across its Admirals Clubs and Flagship Lounges, which the airline describes as “redefining the premium lounge experience” (a bit of a stretch).

This includes refreshed culinary offerings with greater choice, more complete meal offerings, and an elevated presentation, intended to create a “premium, restaurant-inspired experience.”

So, what exactly is changing? In American Flagship Lounges (the premium international lounges), improvements include the following:

• Expanded culinary choices, including a wider range of a la carte dishes that can be ordered via QR code (something that started at the Flagship Lounge PHL, and will now be expanded to the rest of the network), as well as updated dishes at the buffet
• More interactive dining experiences, like new action stations, including a cheese-monger cart, which “bring craftsmanship and personalization to the forefront of the travel journey” (lol, who comes up with this stuff?)

The Flagship Lounge buffet will include the following updated options:

• Watermelon cucumber feta salad at the Flagship Lounge DFW
• Ham and egg chive waffle at the Flagship Lounge ORD
• Thai basil and chili crispy shrimp at the Flagship Lounge LAX
• Citrus-rum shrimp at the Flagship Lounge MIA
• Pineapple carpaccio at the Flagship Lounge DFW
• Sour cherry cheesecake at the Flagship Lounge PHL

Meanwhile in American Admirals Clubs (the more basic membership lounges), improvements include the following:

• More variety more often, including an expanded, frequently refreshed menu that brings travelers more of a rotation of dishes crafted with frequent flyers in mind, along with an improved premium wine selection, including Veuve rosé and Caymus cabernet sauvignon available for purchase
• Two additional hot options, to make it easier to build a more well-rounded meal
• Elevated presentation, including an upgraded charcuterie selection that improves both quality and visual appeal

The updated Admirals Club menu will include the following:

• Lemon herb chicken and mac and cheese bar at the Admirals Clubs in DEN, STL, and YYZ
• Chipotle lime chicken at the Admirals Clubs in AUS, BNA, DFW, and IAH
• Coconut turmeric chickpea and vegetable curry at the Admirals Club MIA
• Build-your-own breakfast tostada at the Admirals Club CLT, DCA, and RDU
• Rustic zucchini and flame-roasted corn at the Admirals Club LAX, PHX, SFO, and SNA

I’m cautiously optimistic about these changes

Admittedly I try not to read too much into press releases and focus too much on the pictures, since what’s promoted and the reality are often far from being the same. I do think this is a meaningful improvement, though.

I think the biggest improvement is in American Flagship Lounges. It’s nice to see a la carte ordering options, as that adds a nice, premium touch, especially given what the competition is doing. I’m also happy to see the increase in action stations. Meanwhile I wouldn’t think too much about the new rotation of dishes at the buffet, since airlines always love to hype the new selection as somehow being superior to the rest.

In the case of American Admirals Clubs, I think the main positive change here is the addition of two more hot options. That might sound minor, but the Admirals Club selection of hot food has been extremely limiting. For example, I don’t eat pork, yet so often one of the only options is a pork dish. That doesn’t just exclude me (as someone who loves pigs), but also two major religious groups.

Bottom line

American is investing in its Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge catering, and the changes sound positive. Admirals Clubs will get two more hot dishes, along with improved presentation. Meanwhile Flagship Lounges will get a la carte ordering via QR code, along with more action stations throughout the day.

Kudos to American on these changes, and I look forward to seeing them in person.

Iberia A350 damaged in Guayaquil during water salute

Thursday, June 4, 2026, was supposed to be a special day for Iberia in Guayaquil, Ecuador (GYE). While Iberia has long served the airport, it upgraded its service from an Airbus A330-200 to an Airbus A350-900, quite a boost in terms of passenger experience and capacity.

The Spanish flag carrier’s flight from Madrid (MAD) operated without a hitch, in a flight time of roughly 10 hours. The return flight to Madrid, with flight number IB132, was supposed to depart at 11:25AM, arriving at 5:30AM the next morning.

The roughly three-year-old plane with the registration code EC-NXD departed its gate roughly on schedule, and taxied out to the runway. The airport had prepared a special water cannon salute for the occasion, which is common for special flights.

So water trucks were positioned on both sides of the aircraft as it taxied out, with lots of plane spotters even there to witness this. Unfortunately they probably witnessed a bit more than they bargained for. As the aircraft moved down the taxiway, the left wingtip made contact with the part of the fire truck that disperses water. This event was captured from just about every angle, so see for yourself below…

As you can see, the wingtip was damaged significantly. The flight ended up being canceled, and the plane is still grounded there, so it’ll be interesting to see how long it takes for the aircraft to go back into service.

Talk about an avoidable mistake… what were they thinking?

Aviation is complicated, and with the number of planes flying, things are bound to go wrong every so often. However, talk about a mistake that was just completely avoidable, and it’s amazing to me that neither party prevented this:

• It’s the responsibility of the pilots to make sure they have sufficient clearance, though admittedly that’s harder to measure when you don’t have numbers that can be measured on a chart, and you don’t have wing walkers
• You’d think the fire truck operators would determine the correct clearance needed for the plane based on the taxiway centerline and wingspan, in deciding where exactly to park during the water cannon salute

This situation seems to come down to a lack of thought. The fire truck by the left wing was parked next to the grass, and it seems like there was some sort of an access road behind it, which the fire truck didn’t want to block. But did they not actually take into account the wingspan of the A350?

I am curious what the discussion on frequency was like during this incident. In any point leading up to this, was concern expressed about the distance, or nothing was said until there was impact?

Bottom line

Guayaquil Airport was excited about Iberia flying an Airbus A350 to the airport, so the airport arranged a water cannon salute for the first flight. Well, it seems those involved failed to do any basic math, as the fire trucks weren’t positioned far enough from the aircraft. So the plane’s wing and the part of the fire truck made contact, damaging the wingtip, and causing the flight to be canceled.

As much as water cannon salutes are an old tradition, it’s amazing how many times things have gone wrong over the years.

What do you make of this Iberia A350 water cannon salute situation?

While the airline has technically already launched operations, for all practical purposes, this is the “real” start of the airline, with tickets actually being available to the public.

Riyadh Air takes delivery of Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners

In March 2023, Riyadh Air placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, including 39 firm orders and 33 options. This was the first aircraft type the airline ordered, and in the meantime, it has also ordered up to 60 Airbus A321neos and up to 50 Airbus A350-1000s.

Riyadh Air’s “formal” launch was delayed quite a bit, due to Dreamliner delivery delays. That was a combination of “Boeing’s gonna Boeing,” as well as some delays with cabins, both of which are pretty common nowadays.

Finally, at long last, delivery of these brand new planes is actually starting, with two planes currently enroute to Riyadh:

• The Dreamliner with the registration code HZ-RXAA is en route from Charleston (CHS)
• The Dreamliner with the registration code HZ-RXAB is en route from Everett (PAE)
• The plan is for the two planes to essentially “meet” over Europe, and then fly one behind the other, landing in Riyadh around the same time, on the morning of Friday, June 5, 2026

Now, it’s worth pointing out that prior to this, Riyadh already had one Boeing 787-9, with the registration code HZ-RXX. The plane is painted the same as the other Riyadh Air Dreamliners, but the interior is completely different. This is a plane that previously flew for Oman Air, so it still has those interiors.

Why does Riyadh Air have this seemingly random aircraft? Well, it’s what the airline initially used to get through its certification process, and for crew and pilot training. Riyadh Air actually launched regularly scheduled flights to London (LHR) with this aircraft as of late October 2025, but for the most part, they haven’t been open to the public.

So, why has Riyadh Air flown this route? Well, because it managed to secure Heathrow slots, and those have a “use it lose it” clause, so if the airline didn’t operate the flights, it would lose those slots. But the airline didn’t want to open flights to the public with a subpar product, so these flights have primarily been for employees of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund (PIF).

Riyadh Air Boeing 787s boast 290 seats in three cabins

Riyadh Air unveiled its new cabins over a year ago, and they look beautiful. The entire fleet of Dreamliners is expected to feature 290 seats per plane, spread across three cabins (along with a “business class plus” product). Here’s how this is broken down:

• Four premium business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
• 24 standard business class seats, in a 1-2-1 configuration
• 39 premium economy seats, in a 2-3-2 configuration
• 223 economy seats, in a 3-3-3 configuration

Throughout the plane, the airline will have free Viasat Wi-Fi, 4K OLED screens, and bluetooth audio, so the tech should be good. The cabins all look beautiful, and in business class, Riyadh Air is using the Safran Unity platform, which I’d consider to be among the best business class seats out there.

Riyadh Air’s new Boeing 787s will soon fly to London

As I recently covered, Riyadh Air flights between Riyadh and London are available to the general public on Riyadh Air’s website for bookings as of July 1, 2026, so that will be the formal launch of the airline, as intended.

The airline will continue operating that route daily, but it’ll finally be open to the public. Expect Riyadh Air to quickly expand its network beyond the initial route, given the number of aircraft on the way. The airline has quite the backlog of Dreamliners to be delivered.

Bottom line

In March 2023, Riyadh Air placed an order for up to 72 Boeing 787-9s, and the first of those are now being delivered. This is a major milestone for the airline, as it really represents the true unveiling of the carrier, after flying to Heathrow for over seven months without selling tickets to the public (more or less).

It’ll be very interesting to see how Riyadh Air evolves. Expect these planes to start flying to London by July 1 at the latest, and then we’ll see more routes soon thereafter.

What do you make of Riyadh Air’s Boeing 787 deliveries?

Along those lines, Singapore Airlines has just implemented a policy change, which strikes me as being rather un-Singapore Airlines (for an airline that’s known for being classily full service at all times).

Singapore Airlines restricts business class seat assignments

The MileLion flags how as of June 2, 2026, Singapore Airlines has implemented a new seat assignment policy in business class. Singapore Airlines has updated its advanced seat selection page. It used to read as follows:

You’ll enjoy complimentary seat selection at any time.

While now it reads as follows:

Business Class seat selection depends on the fare type and membership status. Some fare types allow selection of any available seat, while others may be limited to certain seats at the time of booking.

Under the old policy, all business class passengers could select all seats in advance, with the exception of the special bulkhead seats, which were restricted to elite members, and could be selected by others within 96 hours of departure.

Under the new policy, those booking Singapore Airlines’ two most expensive business class fare bundles, Flexi and Standard, as well as those booking the rule buster Access award fares, continue to get access to the same seats. Meanwhile those who book Business Lite fares, as well as Saver or Advantage award fares, can only choose from a subset of seats. However, PPS Club members continue to be able to select from all seats, regardless of fare.

For what it’s worth, this policy applies for all seat selections as of June 2, regardless of when the ticket was issued. Already assigned seats will of course be honored.

The good news is that all business class seat blocks are removed 96 hours before departure, so at that point, passengers can select from any remaining seats.

How extreme are Singapore Airlines’ seat restrictions?

This isn’t the first time that we’ve seen an airline add restrictions on business class seat assignments, though I don’t recall ever seeing this exact method for business class. The idea here is simple — those who are subject to seat assignment restrictions can only select seats in the back of the cabin, at least in advance.

We’re not just talking a few rows in the front being blocked off, but instead, half or more of the cabin. For example:

• On the Airbus A350-900ULR, the first nine of 17 rows are blocked
• On the Airbus A380, the first 11 of 17 rows are blocked
• On the Boeing 777-300ER, the first six of 12 rows are blocked
• On the Boeing 787-10, the first five of nine rows are blocked

One wonders if this is purely a play to try to get people to buy up to more expensive fares over time, or if this is the first step in monetizing business class seat assignments, and letting people pay extra to sit further in front.

Fortunately my business class preference is typically to sit in the very last row, so I’m not terribly impacted by this. Or wait, maybe I am, since those seats are now more likely to be occupied. 😉

Bottom line

Singapore Airlines has quietly implemented new seating restrictions, whereby those on the cheapest business class fares (whether paying with cash or points) can only assign seats in the back of the cabin in advance. On all wide body aircraft types, half or more of the seats are blocked off.

The good news is that within 96 hours of departure, all passengers can continue to select any seat. I can’t help but find this to be a rather unusual way to go about adding business class seat assignment restrictions, but at least there’s not a monetization element to it… yet.

What do you make of Singapore Airlines’ new business class seat restrictions?

Delta ups checked bag benefit for Amex cardmembers

As of today (June 4, 2026), primary cardmembers on the Delta Amex Gold, Platinum, and Reserve cards (both personal and business) receive a complimentary second checked bag on domestic Delta-operated flights. The only card this doesn’t apply to is the Delta Amex Blue, which has no annual fee.

Previously, these cards with annual fees offered one free checked bag, so this is a pretty significant improvement, especially since the cards’ annual fees aren’t increasing. So this is no doubt a generous change, because no other co-branded card portfolio offers a benefit of two free checked bags.

Of course Delta and Amex aren’t doing this out of the kindness of their hearts — they’re doing it because they want to increase co-brand revenue. Obviously, Delta will take somewhat of a hit in terms of the checked bag fees it won’t get anymore, but the hope is that this will cause lots more people to grab Delta Amex cards and even be loyal to the airline.

After all, the airline industry nowadays is all about loyalty program revenue, and this is a pretty direct reflection of that. I suspect we’re going to see other airlines match soon as well, though it might not be instant (given the complexity of co-brand card agreements, and how they’re structured.

Delta Amex cards get new design, rideshare perks

I’d say the second checked-bag-free benefit is the biggest change to the Delta Amex portfolio, but there are a couple of other changes worth noting.

First, in celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Delta Amex partnership, the cards are getting updated designs, including a new slate grey option for Reserve cardmembers. As you can see, there are no more purple cards, and it seems Delta is moving away from purple as a brand color.

Furthermore, as a new perk, enrolled Delta Gold Amex cardmembers (both personal and business) will have access to the $120 rideshare credit after card renewal, unlocking up to $10 in monthly statement credits on eligible U.S. rideshare purchases with select providers.

The intent here is simple, which is to keep people using the card. The hope is that if you try to remember to use the card for the credit, you’ll also use it for other purchases.

Bottom line

We’ve just seen some positive changes to the Delta Amex card portfolio. All the cards with annual fees (both personal and business) now offer a two free checked bag benefit, which is the first time we’ve seen such a generous allowance across the portfolio for one of the “big three” airlines. The card art has also been updated, and the Delta Gold Amex has a new rideshare credit as well.

Obviously these changes are all about making the cards more compelling, both to boost the number of cardmembers, and also to increase loyalty to Delta. Well done, Delta, on these changes!

What do you make of these Delta Amex changes?

SAS inaugural flight ends up being 8+ hour flight to nowhere

On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) was supposed to operate its inaugural flight between Copenhagen, Denmark (CPH), and Mumbai, India (BOM). This was SAS’ first flight to India in roughly 17 years, so there was a lot of buzz surrounding this flight.

Flight SK969 was scheduled to depart at 4:10PM and land at 4:30AM the following morning, using an Airbus A330-300 with the registration code LN-RKM. However, that’s not exactly how things played out.

First, the plane only took off at 8:23PM, roughly four hours behind schedule. For well over four hours, it made its way southeast, flying over Poland, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, the Black Sea, Georgia, and Azerbaijan. However, at that point the plane turned around, to head back toward its origin.

After a journey of well over eight hours, the plane touched down in Copenhagen at 4:35AM the following morning. So yeah, the flight time was roughly as expected, but the plane ended up at its origin rather than its destination.

This plane turned around due to lack of regulatory approvals

Typically when you see these kinds of “return to origin” situations, it’s due to some maintenance issue that doesn’t pose a risk to the flight, but where the airline has decided that there’s value in having the plane back at base, so that an issue can be addressed, rather than having a plane stranded at an outstation.

Meanwhile if you have some sort of a medical or safety issue, you’d typically divert to a nearby airport, rather than flying the same distance as what’s remaining to your destination.

So what happened here? As it turns out, the airline hadn’t received its final regulatory approval to operate this route. According to the company, it was awaiting final regulatory approval from Indian authorities, and expected that would come through while inflight.

However, that didn’t end up happening. So when the plane reached roughly the halfway point, the decision was made to return to Copenhagen, to avoid a diversion to some third country destination, where passengers could potentially be stranded.

In the meantime, the airline has also canceled its June 4 and June 5 flights to Mumbai, so clearly this regulatory approval issue was at least days from being resolved, rather than being minutes or hours from being resolved.

The airline has issued the following statement about what happened:

SAS completed all necessary operational and regulatory preparations for the launch following several months of planning and co-ordination. Based on ongoing discussions with the relevant authorities, SAS had every expectation that the remaining formal approval would be finalised while the flight was en route. As the approval was not finalised as anticipated, the flight could not continue as planned.

Our immediate focus is on supporting affected passengers and securing the remaining approval is obtained in order to commence service as soon as possible. We remain ready to commence operations and expect the service to begin within the next couple of days once the formal approval has been issued.

Suffice it to say that this is a very rough situation, and the optics of this for an inaugural are especially bad. Now, it’s anyone’s guess exactly which approvals were missing, and whether the airline was just being unrealistic with its hopes, or what.

While stuff like this is extremely rare, it does happen. In March of this year, an Air India flight to Canada had to turn around while inflight, as Air India operated the flight with a plane that it didn’t technically have permission to fly to Canada. Meanwhile last June, American flew the wrong type of plane to Italy, also causing a diversion.

Aviation is incredibly complex, and under normal circumstances, airlines do a great job managing all the logistics. This is obviously one of those situations where something slipped through the cracks. You’ll always see new airline announcements reference how a route is subject to government approval, and I guess this is one of those situations where that factor came into play. 😉

Bottom line

SAS was supposed to return to India, with a nonstop Copenhagen to Mumbai flight. The plane took off as scheduled on June 2, but the regulatory approval that the airline was expecting to come through during the flight didn’t actually come. Therefore the decision was made to return to Denmark, leading to an over eight hour flight to nowhere.

This is obviously super rough, though stuff like this does happen every so often.

What do you make of this SAS inaugural snafu?

Airline alliance & hotel group partner on loyalty

The oneworld alliance and luxury hospitality brand Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) have just launched a loyalty partnership, which for the time being is valid through March 30, 2028.

For context, the oneworld alliance includes airlines like American, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, and Qatar Airways, while Indian Hotels Company has the Taj InnerCircle NeuPass program, and includes brands like Taj, Claridges Collection, Brij, SeleQtions, Clarks, Gateway, Vivanta, Ginger, Tree of Life, and amã Stays & Trails. The hotel group has 630+ properties across four continents.

So, what does this partnership entail?

• Effective immediately, all oneworld elite members get access to savings on hotel stays, when booking through the partnership link — Emerald members get 15% savings, while Sapphire and Ruby members get 10% savings, and that applies to room rates, food and non-alcoholic beverages, and spa treatments
• Furthermore, non-elite oneworld members booking their first stay at participating properties will unlock vouchers offering savings on stays and food and beverage experiences
• As a next step, the programs will offer reciprocal loyalty recognition — oneworld Emerald and Sapphire members will be matched to Taj InnerCircle NeuPass Gold and Silver, respectively, while Taj InnerCircle NeuPass Platinum and Gold members will get oneworld Sapphire status, and Silver members get Ruby status
• As the partnership evolves, the two companies will explore the introduction of points earning opportunities on hotel stays, across select oneworld airline loyalty programs

On the surface, it might seem random for oneworld to partner with such a regionally focused hotel group, but it’s my understanding that there’s a deliberate strategy behind this. The idea is that oneworld doesn’t have an airline based in India, so this is in particular intended to create more loyalty and awareness among members in the region.

Fun fact, though — Tata Group, which owns Air India (in the Star Alliance), is also a controlling shareholder in IHCL. So it’s noteworthy how they’re partnering with oneworld here.

Here’s what oneworld CEO Ole Orvér had to say about this:

“We are pleased to bring together the world’s premium airline alliance with IHCL’s Taj InnerCircle – NeuPass. Our members can now enjoy IHCL’s celebrated brands, including the iconic Taj, with its heritage of luxury, in a first-of-its-kind partnership that extends the value of oneworld loyalty beyond air travel. With 10 million international customers travelling to and from India each year on oneworld member airlines, this partnership recognises and rewards our customers across a key global market.”

Meanwhile here’s what IHCL CEO Puneet Chhatwal had to say:

“Our partnership with oneworld marks the coming together of two global leaders to redefine how travel and hospitality intersect, signaling a shift towards more integrated ecosystems. As we expand Taj’s international footprint, this alliance will strengthen our ability to engage a wider global audience, bringing together scale and warm Indian hospitality to create a desirable proposition across markets.”

Well done, oneworld & Taj InnerCircle NeuPass

It’s very cool to see this collaboration. We’ve seen some airline alliances try to expand beyond just air travel, with inter-modal partnerships, like Star Alliance partnering with Deutsche Bahn, and SkyTeam partnering with Eurostar. However, quite honestly, the execution has been kind of lackluster.

So by comparison, I find this to be great. Ultimately I’d say the biggest value here is the reciprocal status matching, which is super valuable. For airline loyalists, it’s awesome how oneworld Emerald members will be getting Taj InnerCircle NeuPass Gold status, as that ordinarily requires 40 nights or around $4,200 in spending, and actually offers some meaningful perks.

There are many Taj properties I’ve wanted to check out, so this might just be the thing that pushes me to finally stay at one. And I suspect that’s exactly the intent behind this partnership, to make these hotels appealing to people who may not otherwise stay at them.

Arguably the partnership is even more interesting in the other direction, though, as Taj InnerCircle NeuPass Platinum and Gold members receive oneworld Sapphire status (I am curious how that will work in terms of which airline program they’ll be matched to).

This is a fun new path to oneworld Sapphire status, since NeuPass Gold status can also be earned with roughly $4,200 in annual spending. So if you book a really nice Taj stay (they’re often not cheap), that could be enough to earn you oneworld Sapphire status, which offers some useful perks, from priority service to oneworld lounge access.

I’m also looking forward to learning more about how oneworld points earning at these properties is in the works, but there are no concrete details there yet.

Bottom line

The oneworld alliance and Indian Hotels Company (IHCL) have launched a partnership, offering oneworld elite members perks when staying at 630+ properties, including brands like Taj. With this, oneworld elite members can get discounted rates and on-property experiences.

Most exciting is that in the near future, it’ll be possible to status match from oneworld to Taj InnerCircle NeuPass, with oneworld Emerald members getting Gold status. Status matching will also be possible in the other direction, with Taj InnerCircle NeuPass Platinum and Gold members getting Sapphire status, and Silver members getting Ruby status. Well done to oneworld and IHCL!

What do you make of this new airline alliance and hotel partnership?

Earlier I covered how Delta is investing in its lounge network at LAX, and wondered just how big the carrier’s plans at the airport were. Well, we’re now getting more of a sense of what this could look like.

Delta’s plan to become LAX’s number one airline, by far

JonNYC has some insights on Delta’s latest strategy at LAX. It’s pretty clear that LAX is the new hub that Delta is most focused on. He shares a screenshot of the following text (I’m not sure who it is from, but I’d assume it’s a reliable source):

Delta has a once in a generation opportunity to accelerate leadership position at LAX. American, historically the leader, stepped back in recent years. AA has shed 10 points of corporate share and has a disruptive six-year terminal renovation underway. Meanwhile, Southwest is pulling back, JetBlue has shrunk to half its former size, and Alaska is shifting its focus to San Diego. United is the only remaining viable competitor but is limited by gate constraints and sub-par facilities for the foreseeable future.

That narrative is completely right, and there’s nothing there that I disagree with. So, what will Delta’s growth at LAX be centered around?

• Shortly, we’re going to see Delta launch flights to Hong Kong (HKG), and in 2027 we’re supposed to see a new route to Manila (MNL)
• Delta also reportedly plans to increase Shanghai (PVG) flights to daily, make Auckland (AKL) flights year-round, and also launch service to Seoul Incheon (ICN)
• The goal is also to have a much more comprehensive network within North America, including serving business markets, higher yield leisure markets, etc.; for example, we’re talking markets like LAX to Chicago (ORD)
• Given that the airline industry has evolved, one would assume that a primary motive is to also massively increase loyalty and credit card revenue in the local market

Delta’s goals are probably possible, but are they profitable?

I think everything Delta is suggesting is fair for the most part. Delta definitely has the best facility at LAX, and there’s no denying that the airline could increase its lead at LAX, though obviously the airport will never turn into a fortress hub.

The question isn’t whether Delta can grow its presence at LAX, but rather it’s a question of whether this is the best use of resources, and how profitable this could be in the long term.

As much as markets like Los Angeles and New York (JFK) sound sexy, they’re typically not actually very profitable for airlines. They’re expensive airports to operate out of, and airlines can’t scale their networks to turn them into fortress hubs. For that matter, coastal cities aren’t ideal for efficiently funneling connecting passengers (at least if you’re not connecting over an ocean).

American loves Charlotte (CLT) and Dallas (DFW), Delta loves Atlanta (ATL) and Detroit (DTW), United loves Denver (DEN) and Houston (IAH). These are all massive, super efficient, fortress hubs, with great geography. Furthermore, thanks to the dominance each airline has at those hubs, they’re also super lucrative for credit card revenue, due to the popularity of co-brand cards.

Great, so what’s my issue? Well, I just question what the end goal is here for Delta?

• Yipee, Delta adding Seoul Incheon flights is a nothing-burger, since joint venture partner Korean Air operates that route multiple times per day; Delta has a much higher cost structure, and if you’re going to tell me otherwise, please explain why Delta doesn’t fly from LAX to London (LHR)
• Delta is going to bleed money on its new Hong Kong route and Manila route when it launches, and I’d love for someone to argue that there’s any planet on which Delta flying year-round to Auckland is going to be profitable
• The amount of international competition among so many airlines at LAX greatly suppresses fares, and that’s why the “big three” have struggled with making LAX interesting
• From a loyalty and credit card perspective, I think Los Angeles is too scattered of a market in terms of consumer travel patterns for any airline to be truly dominant with credit card revenue

That’s my take, at least. Sure, Delta can grow there, but I don’t think Delta can get to the point where it says “yep, we’ve made LAX work, and now we’re printing money here.” Some will certainly argue that sometimes there’s a strategic interest here. But again, that’s also the case in Seattle (SEA), and to a lesser extent, Austin (AUS).

Bottom line

Delta really seems to be serious about growing its presence at LAX. We’ve seen the airline already announce some new long haul flying, and it sounds like there’s more on the way, along with a more comprehensive domestic network.

That’s all fair enough, and this growth is possible. My only concern is that I don’t think LAX is a market that can be “won.” Of course the “big three” US carriers all see the importance of having a presence there, but actually operating there profitably is challenging, given the amount of competition.

It just seems like all the long haul flying that Delta is looking at adding will be rather unprofitable, given that it’ll go head-to-head against foreign carriers with much lower cost structures, all while having to price attractively, and not actually having majority market share at the airport. This will definitely be something to watch…

What do you make of Delta’s LAX goals?

Alaska & Korean Air restore codeshare agreement

Alaska Airlines and Korean Air have just filed with the Department of Transportation (DOT), requesting permission to launch a codeshare agreement (thanks to Steve for flagging this).

Alaska flies from Seattle (SEA) to Seoul Incheon (ICN), and the idea is that Alaska wants to codeshare on Korean Air’s flights from its Incheon hub to Bangkok (BKK), Busan (PUS), Delhi (DEL), Hanoi (HAN), Ho Chi Minh City (SGN), and Singapore (SIN). It seems this is a unilateral codeshare, so Korean Air will not be codesharing on any Alaska flights.

With a codeshare agreement, Alaska will be able to place its “code” on Korean Air flights between those cities. When it comes to airline partnerships, a codeshare agreement is more than an interline agreement, and less than a joint venture.

On the surface, this is a totally logical level of cooperation, and it’s a win-win. Alaska flies to Incheon, and presumably the routes on which it is requesting to codeshare are those with the highest passenger demand. So this will allow both airlines to fill seats on their respective flights.

Fair enough, right, so what’s the problem? Well…

What’s really driving this new codeshare agreement?

Delta and Korean Air have a transpacific joint venture, which is the closest level of cooperation you can have between airlines. Delta’s transpacific network is based so heavily around funneling passengers through the Incheon hub (though Delta is finally adding flights to other destinations in Asia).

Delta even owns a stake in Korean Air, and if we’re being honest, Delta is a very controlling airline partner. That’s understandable, because the airline has the clout to request that from its partners.

Alaska and Korean Air had a close partnership for many years, including a codeshare agreement, reciprocal points opportunities, etc. However, over the years, that was progressively scaled back. One would logically assume that Delta had a part in that, and pressured Korean Air to cut ties with Alaska, since Alaska will partner with just about anyone, as long as it’s a win-win.

Keep in mind that Delta has a special dislike for Alaska, given that it has been trying to grow in Seattle and go head-to-head against Alaska, but Alaska has stayed dominant. Delta is so used to going into markets and being number one, while the story has been a bit different in Seattle.

Delta wants to do everything it can to hurt Alaska, so why is this happening? Well, it appears that this isn’t so much voluntary on Korean Air’s part, but instead, it’s a remedy from the Korean Air and Asiana merger. With this, Korean Air had to agree to codeshare with competitors in markets that those competitors don’t serve. In other words, Korean Air is being forced into codesharing with Alaska on intra-Asia flights.

So while a codeshare agreement is happening, don’t expect any sort of restoration of loyalty program perks, since I can’t imagine that Korean Air actually wants this partnership (and it’s not required to restore loyalty perks).

For what it’s worth, Alaska is in oneworld, and hopes to join the transpacific joint venture with American and Japan Airlines. However, that doesn’t preclude a codeshare agreement, especially out of a hub without much oneworld service.

Bottom line

Alaska and Korean Air have requested permission to launch a codeshare agreement, which really represents the restoration of such a partnership. The idea is that Alaska could place its code on Korean Air’s flights between Incheon and select destinations in Asia.

On the surface, this is a logical commercial agreement. The reason it’s a bit surprising is because this kind of an arrangement was cut some time back, and I have to imagine that Delta played a part in that. What’s really happening here is that this is a concession that Korean Air has to make as part of its merger with Asiana, to ensure competition.

What do you make of Alaska and Korean Air once again strengthening ties?

BermudAir will fly to Anguilla, Belize, Guatemala, Turks & Caicos

For a little bit of background, in mid-2023 we saw the launch of BermudAir, a quirky niche airline with the goal of operating Embraer jets between Bermuda (BDA) and the United States and Canada. Initially the airline was going to operate all-business class planes, but it scrapped (“delayed”) that concept before launch, instead introducing a two-cabin concept (though business class just has blocked adjacent seats and better service).

As I said from the beginning, the whole thing struck me as an odd venture, essentially trying to serve Bermuda year-round profitably, while going up against the major carriers that serve the airport.

To my surprise, the airline is still in business nearly three years after launch, though it hasn’t necessarily been that smooth. As is pretty common for an airlines startup, the first years have been rocky, with several routes being cut after launch. For that matter, the airline faced a lawsuit over millions in unpaid airport fees at its hub, which isn’t exactly a great sign.

But worry not, BermudAir has a new strategy… which is to fly between the United States and four places that aren’t Bermuda! In fairness, the airline had already launched seasonal Anguilla flights, but this is being taken to the next level:

With these latest updates:

• BermudAir will fly to Providenciales, Turks & Caicos (PLS), from Baltimore (BWI), Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), Raleigh Durham (RDU), and St. Petersburg (PIE)
• BermudAir will fly to Belize City, Belize (BZE), from Boston (BOS), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Orlando Sanford (SFB), Raleigh Durham (RDU), and St. Petersburg (PIE)
• BermudAir will fly to Guatemala City, Guatemala (GUA) from Boston (BOS)
• BermudAir will fly to Anguilla (AUA) from St. Petersburg (PIE), with returning seasonal service from Boston (BOS), and expanded service from Baltimore (BWI) and Newark (EWR)
• BermudAir will fly to Bermuda (BDA) from Fort Lauderdale (FLL), which actually represents a route resumption, as this was one of the carrier’s first three routes, before being cut

Some of these routes are actually “direct” routes, meaning they have an intermediate stop. For example, it appears the Guatemala City route will operate via Belize City.

Here’s how BermudAir CEO Adam Scott describes this:

“We’re thrilled to continue expanding our Caribbean network as the premium leisure carrier from North America. Our customers are ranking us with industry-leading satisfaction scores. Together with Bermuda, we now connect U.S. travelers to some of the region’s most exceptional and sought-after island destinations.”

As a reminder, Bermuda, Anguilla, and Turks & Caicos, are all British Overseas Territories, while Belize is a former British Overseas Territory. The airline emphasizes how service to Belize will be operated under fifth freedom operations, with flights technically originating in Bermuda and Turks & Caicos, so that the service is legal.

Interestingly, these are all winter seasonal flights, so I guess the idea is that the airline will focus on Bermuda in the summer (even though that’s seemingly not proving a huge success either), and then focusing more on other markets in winter.

Just to put these frequencies into perspective, out of Fort Lauderdale, BermudAir will operate one weekly flight to Fort Lauderdale, and three weekly flights to Belize and Turks & Caicos. *scratches head*

BermudAir’s expansion makes no sense at all to me

Look, I love to see startup airlines succeed, but the problem is that all too often, their business models don’t make sense. I mean, let’s look at how we got to this point:

• First BermudAir was going to be an all-business class airline, and then it backtracked at the last minute
• Then BermudAir was going to be all about Bermuda flying (I mean, with that name, you’d hope so, right?), and then it largely slashed that flying, as it increasingly looks at other markets
• BermudAir’s dispute with Bermuda Airport some time back over millions in unpaid airport fees certainly doesn’t built much confidence in the carrier’s sustainability

I’m not suggesting there’s no demand in any of these new markets. The demand may very well be there. But there’s a lot of challenges here:

• It takes a lot of effort to build up demand over time, in terms of the local community actually being familiar with an airline and its routes, and that requires spending money on marketing and patience (which also requires money!)
• It’s especially hard to build up demand when you have less than daily service and fly to secondary airports (like Orlando Sanford and St. Petersburg), since the flight options often won’t show up in search results for the main airports
• It goes without saying that at this point the branding is just completely off; when you hear the name BermudAir, you don’t expect an airline flying from St. Petersburg to Belize City, and I imagine that will make some people a bit uneasy about booking the airline, given the unknowns

We’ll see how this plays out, but in terms of vibes, this is a lot more “desperate airline throwing stuff at wall to see what sticks,” than “successful airline with good business plan expanding rationally.”

Bottom line

BermudAir plans a massive expansion. The initial strategy was to operate between Bermuda and the United States and Canada, though that obviously didn’t work so well, we saw several routes cut. Then the airline expanded to Anguilla. Now it’s expanding to Belize, Guatemala, and Turks & Caicos.

That’s, um… special. I’m very curious to see how this plays out. Maybe next we’ll see Falkland Islands to Gibraltar, or Saint Helena to South Georgia?

What do you make of BermudAir’s latest expansion?

There’s now an exciting development for United, as the carrier has today taken delivery of its very first A321XLR, which has the registration code N64321. As of the time I’m publishing this post, the plane is enroute from Hamburg (XFW) to Tampa (TPA). Why Tampa? Because it’s going to get Starlink installed there, before entering commercial service.

Anyway, with the plane entering service in the coming weeks, let’s recap what we can expect from this long range, narrow body plane…

How United will use its Airbus A321XLR aircraft

Before we talk about cabins, let’s talk about United’s route plans for Airbus A321XLRs:

• United will primarily fly A321XLRs across the North Atlantic and to Latin America, so you can expect the planes to largely be on “long and thin” routes, like Newark (EWR) to Bogota (BOG) and Edinburgh (EDI)
• United will not only use A321XLRs to replace Boeing 757-200s, but also to expand to some markets where the economics didn’t previously make sense, given that the A321XLR is more fuel efficient than the 757

What’s interesting is that separately, United will also be introducing some premium Airbus A321neos, with similar interiors to A321XLRs. The idea is that the A321XLRs will be used on international flights, while the A321neos will be used on premium transcontinental routes, and will therefore be a bit higher density.

American was the first US carrier to take delivery of the A321XLR, so it’s interesting to see the different approaches the airlines are taking, as American is using A321XLRs for both international and premium transcontinental flights.

I imagine that in the coming days, United will formally announce its first A321XLR routes. Don’t be surprised to see the planes first operating some domestic flights for crew familiarization, etc., before launching long haul service.

United’s Airbus A321XLRs will be in a three-cabin layout

All of United’s Airbus A321XLRs will boast a total of 150 seats, including 20 Polaris (business class) seats, 12 Premium Plus (premium economy) seats, 36 Economy Plus (extra legroom) seats, and 82 economy seats.

The plane will have just one lavatory in the front (which will be challenging, since it’ll be shared between all business class passengers, plus the pilots), and three lavatories in the back (shared between premium economy and economy), along with a small snack bar.

In Polaris (business class), United will be introducing an all-new product, given that wide body business class seats often can’t be efficiently installed on narrow body aircraft. So the airline will (unfortunately) be going with herringbone seats, meaning that seats will face the aisle, rather than facing the windows (this is more space efficient, but generally considered to be less comfortable). Seats will have privacy doors.

Seats will face the aisle at a 49 degree angle, and will boast just 28″ of pitch, so this is a rather dense layout. On the plus side, seats will convert into 75-78″ beds. I believe this seat is based on the Elevate Altitude product, and that United has a patent for this exact product.

For a narrow body business class, United’s new product looks totally fine, but it shouldn’t get anyone excited. I understand why United chose a product like this, but it’s kind of unfortunate how we’re seeing the return of herringbone seats, which are otherwise quite outdated on wide body planes. Ultimately it’s because reverse herringbone seats take up a bit more space, so couldn’t be installed as efficiently.

On the plus side, I tend to think that Premium Plus (premium economy) on the A321XLR is a nice experience, given the 2-2 layout, and the new premium economy seat being introduced. The lavatory situation won’t be ideal, but other than that, I think this is about as good as premium economy gets on a US carrier, as this will be comparable to domestic first class (the same is true on American’s A321XLRs).

As expected, economy will be in a 3-3 configuration, and the most noteworthy feature there is that there will be a little snack bar in the back of economy.

The planes will also feature Starlink Wi-Fi as soon as they enter service, so MileagePlus members can look forward to fast and free connectivity.

Bottom line

United Airlines has just started taking delivery of Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which will be in a three-cabin configuration, and will primarily be used for flights to Europe and South America. The plane will boast 150 seats, including 20 business class seats, 12 premium economy seats, and 118 economy seats. There will also be a snack bar in the back of the plane, plus free Starlink Wi-Fi.

While the A321XLR is a great plane in terms of opening up long and thin routes, from a passenger experience standpoint, it definitely doesn’t have a wide body feel. It’s certainly a better product than what’s found on the 757s that are being replaced, but the reality is that United will also significantly expand narrow body long haul flying.

What do you make of United’s Airbus A321XLRs?

Delta One Lounge coming to LAX Terminal 2

Delta is known for its excellent Delta One One Lounges, and there are currently four locations, in Boston (BOS), Los Angeles (LAX), New York (JFK), and Seattle (SEA).

The Delta One Lounge LAX opened back in 2024, located in Terminal 3, and it offers a great experience. At only 10,000 square feet, it pales in comparison to the one at JFK, which is around 40,000 square feet. But still, Delta’s network at LAX also isn’t as big.

That brings us to the news — Delta plans to open a new Delta One Lounge at LAX Terminal 2. However, the process by which this will happen is rather odd. In the summer of 2026, the Delta One Lounge will open in an “initial phase.” Then in 2028, the Delta One Lounge in Terminal 2 will undergo its transformation, and reopen following a full renovation.

It sounds like the initial facility will be more of a makeshift setup, while the real purpose-built Delta One Lounge concept will open in 2028.

Details remain very limited as of now, though it sounds like there will be transportation directly to the lounge from Delta One check-in and the exclusive security line. Terminal 2 is getting a larger redevelopment, and this is the first stage of that, as more work to the entire terminal space is expected to take place in 2028 and beyond.

With time, we should learn more details. We know that the lounge will offer the typical Delta One Lounge dining experience at launch, but beyond that, we don’t know about the size, amenities, etc. I’d speculate that this space will be taking over the former Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Terminal 2 (before it moved to Tom Bradley International Terminal), but I’m not 100% sure about that.

Among the premium international lounges of the “big three” US carriers, this is the first time that we’ve seen two of these lounges at one airport… and LAX isn’t even among Delta’s biggest hubs!

I am curious how they’re going to manage crowding between the two lounges. People will probably go to the lounge closer to their gate, or maybe to the Terminal 3 lounge, out of habit. How will Delta properly distribute guests, especially since ideally you don’t want to tell a business class passenger to schlep to Terminal 2, after they’ve arrived at the Terminal 3 lounge?

Separately, in 2027, Delta also plans to open a new Sky Club in Terminal 2. Again, details are limited, but this is a major investment in the airport.

Does Delta have big plans for LAX, or what’s going on?

Typically, the “big three” US carriers love their fortress hubs, where they dominate the market, and control a majority of the traffic. This allows them to efficiently funnel passengers into their larger network, and also gives them more pricing power.

LAX is unique in that it’s an airport where American, Delta, and United, all have a hub. It’s the only airport where that’s the case. Over the years, we’ve seen the airlines kind of take turns being the slightly dominant airline (I guess you could say they’re LAX vers), but it’s just a really tough market.

You’d think LAX would be super lucrative, but it’s just not anywhere close to the most profitable hubs, due to the amount of competition. On the international front, you have so much service from foreign airlines. Furthermore, given how market share is distributed pretty equally, it’s also hard for any one airline to make huge money on credit cards, or to have much pricing power.

As things currently stand, there’s no denying that the Delta One Lounge LAX gets busy late at night (before the transpacific flights), but other than that, the lounge doesn’t get that crowded.

What’s odd about Delta is that it has spent recent years building up its hub in SEA as a long haul gateway, largely as an alternative to LAX. However, with growth constraints, plus the pressure of being number two behind Alaska, we’e now seen Delta shift growth back to LAX.

In the coming days, the airline will launch flights out of LAX to Hong Kong (HKG), and then plans to launch Manila (MNL) flights in 2027. Side note — that HKG route is going to buh-leed money, particularly with current oil prices.

Anyway, one wonders if the new Delta One Lounge LAX is just intended to serve this increased demand that we already know about, or if Delta has something bigger up its sleeve. I tend to think history repeats itself, and I can’t imagine any ramp-up will be terribly profitable. But perhaps Delta views it as part of a larger strategic interest.

Bottom line

Delta has revealed that it plans to open a second Delta One Lounge at LAX Terminal 2, complementing the one that opened in Terminal 3 in 2024. The temporary Delta One Lounge in Terminal 2 should open this summer, before being fully redeveloped, and then reopening in 2028.

Admittedly the current Delta One Lounge is rather small, but still, this is the first time we’ve seen a US carrier open two premium international business lounges at the same airport. We know Delta plans to grow at LAX, though I’m curious just how much growth is in the cards.

What do you make of a second Delta One Lounge LAX?

Kuwait Airport attacked: fatality and severe damage

On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Kuwait International Airport (KWI) was the target of an Iranian missile attack, which caused absolutely massive damage to Terminal 1, the airport’s flagship terminal.

Worst of all is that there was one fatality and over 60 injuries. Beyond that, though, the terminal has been severely damaged, and the scenes from inside look awful.

While Kuwait temporarily closed its airspace following the attack, the airspace has already reopened. The airport is even operational again, though only from other terminals.

The timing of the Kuwait Airport attack is kind of wild

In late February 2026, around the start of the conflict with Iran, Kuwait Airport was attacked in a similar missile strike. That caused damage, and as a result, the terminal has been closed for over three months.

We finally saw Kuwait Airport reopen Terminal 1 on Monday, June 1, 2026, and there were all kinds of celebrations to commemorate that… only for the same terminal to be attacked again the next day.

This situation highlights the incredibly challenging realities of the war for the aviation sector. As it impacts airlines in the Gulf region, they obviously want to operate flights as much as possible, since simply shutting down your airspace and airlines for many months on end is not exactly practical.

At the same time, it’s very hard to balance that with safety, when the conflict is so unpredictable, and Iran is attacking nearby countries in order to create chaos.

Bigger picture, the issue is that we’re in a conflict with no obvious exit strategy. It doesn’t seem like President Trump actually has a plan. He obviously thought the Iranian regime would just surrender without putting up a fight, but… that’s not exactly what has happened.

Though Trump is also under the impression that he’s getting along quite well with the Ayatollah.

Meanwhile Secretary of State Marco Rubio is claiming that the war is actually over.

Bottom line

While the past several weeks have been relatively calm when it comes to Gulf airline operations, that all changed this week, when Iran escalated its attacks on nearby countries. On Tuesday, we saw Iran attack Kuwait Airport, causing major damage, and even a fatality and dozens of injuries.

The wildest part of this story is that the attack came just one day after Terminal 1 reopened, following the late February attack on the terminal, which also caused a lot of damage. One thing is for sure — it’s not just smooth sailing for Gulf carriers hereon out, and this conflict is far from over.

What do you make of this Kuwait Airport attack?

Air Canada will retrofit wide bodies with new cabins

Executive Traveller has a story about Air Canada’s wide body aircraft retrofit plans, quoting Kiyo Weiss, Air Canada’s Senior Director of Sales for Asia Pacific, who said the following:

“Our 777 and 787 aircraft will be refurbished, but it will not happen until 2029, so the existing markets with those services will have to wait for a little bit.”

To add a little more to that, as I understand it, all existing Boeing 787s will be retrofitted, and all Boeing 777s that will fly well into the 2030s will be retrofitted, while Airbus A330s will retire with their current cabins.

Regarding 777s, my assumption would be that all the 777-300ERs stick around, while we’ll see what happens with the 777-200LRs, especially with Air Canada now having the A350-1000 on order (the most direct replacement in terms of range, though significantly higher capacity).

It’s also my understanding that the timeline on retrofits is still being finalized. The project should start by 2029 at the latest, but don’t be surprised if it starts earlier than that.

Air Canada’s cabins are already good, will get even better

I think Air Canada deserves a lot of credit for the consistency of its long haul business class product. While nothing flashy, the carrier has identical reverse herringbone seats across its 777 and 787 fleets. While not cutting edge, this product continues to be very competitive.

With Air Canada’s new Glowing Hearted cabin standard, we’re going to see updated reverse herringbone seats across wide body aircraft. Air Canada has opted for the Elevate Ascent product, which is an increasingly popular business class seat, as you’ll find it on some planes of American, United, etc.

Compared to the existing product, you can expect that the new seats will have privacy doors and massively improved tech, including 27″ 4K OLED monitors and bluetooth audio, along with AC, USB-C, and AC power outlets.

This also includes a front row “business class plus” product, marketed as Air Canada Signature Plus Suites.

What’s also exciting is that beyond the new hard product, the airline is also going to overhaul its soft product later this year. As it’s described, the “end-to-end hospitality experience will be distinctly Canadian and include upgraded service, food and beverage elements and elevated amenities.”

Bottom line

Air Canada plans to retrofit most of its existing wide body aircraft with its new Glowing Hearted cabin standard. The project is expected to start in 2029 at the latest, and with this, we’ll see all 787s retrofitted, along with the 777s that will stick around in the long run.

These new cabins look great, and more immediately, I’m looking forward to flying Air Canada’s new 787-10s, once they do enter service.

What do you make of Air Canada’s wide body retrofit plans?

American could order Airbus or Boeing wide body planes

Among the “big three” US carriers, American has by far the weakest long haul network, especially when you take Latin America out of the equation. As I view the long haul network, American primarily likes to fly to joint ventures markets, to Latin America, and then do some seasonal summer flying to Europe (of course that’s a slight oversimplification, but you get the point).

I’d say we’ve gotten to this point due to a combination of some strategic blunders (retiring the Boeing 757s, Boeing 767s, and Airbus A330s early), along with American’s failed strategy of over-focusing on domestic flying, as part of Vasu Raja’s high conviction El Paso world domination strategy.

Looking at American’s wide body fleet, the airline has 67 Boeing 777s (47 777-200ERs and 20 777-300ERs), along with 70 Boeing 787s (37 787-8s, 33 787-9s). At this point, American’s remaining wide body order book includes just 19 787-9s, so that’s not a whole lot of planes.

As a point of comparison, Delta has 78 wide body planes on order, while United has a jaw-dropping 135 wide body planes on order. So yeah, American is increasingly falling behind when it comes to its wide body fleet, not to mention you need to order planes with quite a bit of lead time, so if you want to become more competitive, that takes time.

That brings us to the latest rumor, shared by JonNYC. He reports how American may be looking to place a new wide body aircraft order soon, and that this could be either with Airbus or Boeing. To be clear, this isn’t some shocking development, as we’ve kind of known this was in the cards. But what I find interesting is the suggestion that this could be Airbus or Boeing aircraft.

Which wide body aircraft will American select?

This is where I think it gets interesting. Ultimately there are four wide body aircraft families to choose from — the A330neo, A350, 777X, and 787. Which could American order?

I think one important thing to remember is that American executives simply don’t want very high capacity long haul aircraft. They’ve said it repeatedly, and for that matter, if United can’t make a next generation plane bigger than the 787-10 work despite its huge global network, then American certainly can’t either. So I’d eliminate the 777X and A350 as possibilities:

• There’s no way American is ordering the 777X; the plane isn’t even certified, and it’s “too much plane” for American anyway
• I also don’t see American ordering the A350; both variants are larger than American’s 787-9s, the plane is expensive, and there’s quite a bit of demand for it

So that leaves us with the 787 and A330neo. Logically, you’d think American would just keep increasing its 787 fleet, and would even order the 787-10, the largest variant of the plane. That seems like the obvious choice — it’s higher capacity, very fuel efficient, and has amazing per seat economics. For that matter, American eventually needs to replace its aging 777-300ERs, and it’s not like the airline is using the full range of those planes.

The catch is that the 787 is expensive, and there’s a long wait to get the planes. For example, Delta recently ordered the 787-10, and the first delivery will only happen in 2031.

That brings us to the A330neo, which might seem like an odd plane for American to order, but I actually increasingly think we could see that become a reality. Compared to the 787, the plane is a bit cheaper, a bit smaller, and it can also be ordered with less lead time.

While it might seem like a wild card, it does strike me as the most likely option for American, if it doesn’t go with the 787.

It’s just amazing to me how much money American has wasted on its long haul fleet strategy. American retired its entire (ex-US Airways) A330 fleet at the start of the pandemic, even though those planes were largely still quite new.

American had the opportunity to bring those back, but just decided not to. Instead, those planes are now being acquired by Vietnam’s Sun PhuQuoc Airways. It’s just so bizarre how American has so much debt, yet is obsessed with flying new planes, despite not actually having a lot to show for it in terms of passenger experience.

Like, American has the youngest fleet of the “big three” US carriers, but when you step onboard the average American plane, you wouldn’t know it. That’s because American has spent all its money on the metal and new engines, rather than on the passenger experience.

So anyway, we’ll mark this as “developing” for now, but I imagine that either we’re going to see a 787-10 order, or an A330-900neo order.

Bottom line

American is reportedly nearing a new wide body aircraft order, which isn’t necessarily surprising, given the carrier’s lack of an order book. JonNYC suggests we could see either an Airbus or Boeing order, which I find to be quite interesting, since most would assume that American would stick to Boeing.

I think a 777X or A350 order is highly unlikely, given their size and cost. Logically, you’d think American would keep growing its 787 fleet, and maybe even order the 787-10, given its great economics (despite American’s lack of desire for large long haul aircraft).

However, I think the wild card would be an A330-900neo order, since that actually seems like a pretty good fit for American, at least based on its (questionable) strategy. The plane is more readily available, not terribly high capacity, and a bit cheaper than the alternatives.

What wide body plane do you think American will ultimately order?

Milan Linate could get long haul, all-business class flights

There are two airports serving Milan — Linate Airport (LIN) is close to the city center, and is limited to regional flights, and then Malpensa Airport (MXP) is further from the city, and is open to flights globally.

If you want to make a comparison in the United States, think of Washington National (DCA) and Washington Dulles (IAD). Linate Airport has a perimeter rule, so under current regulations, the maximum direct distance allowed for a flight is 1,500 kilometers (around 930 miles).

That brings us to the latest development, which is that Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport is considering opening Linate Airport up to long haul flights. There’s one major catch, though — only all-premium planes would be allowed, so these planes couldn’t have economy seats.

What’s the logic for the all-business class requirement? For one, it’s argued that an all-premium layout matches the general customer profile for the airport, which is higher yield, on average. Second, the argument is that given the proximity to the city plus the airport infrastructure, a premium plane would be lighter, make less noise, etc. (since planes with fewer seats are lighter).

Officials are reportedly eyeing direct flights to New York, though it’s not yet known which airline would be interested. The most obvious answer would be La Compagnie, which currently flies between between Malpensa Airport and Newark (EWR). I’m sure La Compagnie would be delighted to instead operate its 76-seat Airbus A321neo out of Linate Airport — talk about a nice competitive advantage!

I’m curious if this concept gets regulatory approval

In general, I’m all for eliminating perimeter rules and opening up more airports to long haul service, so in principle, I like the idea of Linate Airport getting new flights like this.

However, there’s no denying that it’s mighty unusual to see regulators essentially say “hey, you can fly long haul from this airport, but only if there’s no economy cabin.” The optics of that aren’t great — let the rich people fly right out of the city, and everyone else can schlep 30+ miles to Malpensa Airport.

Now, I totally understand how the idea here is that this would be a narrow body plane, and ultimately a high density A321-family aircraft might run into some range issues. However, is there really a problem with a relatively premium layout? For example, JetBlue’s A321LRs “only” have 138 seats, and 24 of those are flat bed business class seats. That seems premium to me!

The other consideration is that if you’re requiring airlines have all-premium layouts, realistically the only all-business class commercial carriers are La Compagnie (which flies A321neos) and Beond (which only flies A319s and A321s, and those don’t have the range to cross the Atlantic, but could make it to somewhere like Dubai).

Aside from that, you’re creating quite the hurdle, as airlines would basically have to reconfigure planes exclusively for this route, which isn’t terribly efficient.

Anyway, I’m curious what comes of this. Why not open up Linate Airport to long haul flights, but allow narrow bodies with a mix of cabins?

Bottom line

Italy’s Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has proposed the concept of Milan Linate Airport getting long haul flights, despite its strict perimeter rule. The proposal comes with a major restriction, though, which is that the plane must be in an all-premium layout, so it couldn’t have economy seats.

While I understand the concept of preferring a narrow body plane with a premium layout, that strikes me as being a bit too extreme. I’m curious to see if this concept moves forward.

What do you make of this Linate Airport long haul flight proposal?

Details of the new Alaska Lounge Portland (PDX)

The much anticipated new Alaska Lounge Portland will be opening on Thursday, June 4, 2026, after more than two years of construction, at a cost of around $18 million. The new lounge is over 14,000 square feet, making it twice the size of the previous lounge. It has the capacity for more than 200 guests.

As it’s described, the new Alaska Lounge Portland has a warm, thoughtfully designed Pacific Northwest aesthetic, featuring high, open ceilings, bringing in a lot of natural light, and terminal views. The lounge also boasts loungers, phone booths, a fireplace, and a wooden Mt. Hood mural.

The lounge of course has a full service bar, barista coffee, and a buffet with a selection of food. You can find the Alaska Lounge access rules here, and below you can find the first pictures the airline has shared of the facility.

Alaska has three more exciting lounges on the way

For an airline of its size, Alaska is investing very nicely in its lounge network. With the opening of the new Alaska Lounge Seattle, there are three more Alaska Air Group lounges on the way:

• In late 2027, we’ll see the opening of a new “landmark” Alaska Lounge Seattle (SEA), which will be a staggering 41,000 square feet; this will be by far the carrier’s biggest lounge to date, and will have a level just for long haul business class passengers and Atmos Rewards Titanium members
• In 2028, we’ll see the opening of a new Alaska Lounge San Diego (SAN), which will be roughly 13,000 square feet; the airline used to have a lounge at the airport, so it’s nice to see that this concept will return
• Also in 2028, we’ll see the opening of a new Hawaiian Lounge Honolulu (HNL); this will be around 15,000 square feet, and should be a massive improvement over Hawaiian’s very lame lounge setup there at the moment

Bottom line

The Alaska Lounge Portland is finally opening, after quite the delay! It looks like it was worth the wait, though, as it’s substantially bigger than the old lounge, and looks beautiful. I look forward to checking this out at some point (though I haven’t been in Portland for many years).

Beyond that, we can expect Alaska Air Group to continue investing in its lounge network, with new locations opening in Seattle, San Diego, and Honolulu, in 2027 and 2028.

What do you make of the new Alaska Lounge Portland?

Alaska Saver fares won’t earn any points as of July 31, 2026

Alaska’s Atmos Rewards program has just quietly updated its points earning chart, to reflect a major new restriction. I’ll just quote the program’s announcement:

Important earning update: Saver fares (X class) earn 30% of miles flown for travel through July 31, 2026, or for trips booked before June 11, 2026. Saver fares booked on or after June 11, 2026 and flown on/after August 1, 2026 do not earn Atmos Rewards points. For eligible travel on/after August 1, please allow 4–6 weeks for points to post.

As you can see, for bookings as of June 11 that are for travel as of August 1, Saver fares (Alaska’s version of basic economy) will no longer earn any Atmos Rewards points or status points.

Alaska used to love to promote how a mile flown is a mile earned, though back in 2023, we saw points earning on Saver fares reduced from 100% to 30%. So this is just the next step in that progression.

This is disappointing, but follows the industry trend

To state the obvious, it’s disappointing to see Alaska eliminate points earning and status qualification on its cheapest fares. There’s a certain irony to Atmos Rewards awarding status points on award flights, but not on cheap revenue flights.

I can’t say I’m surprised to see this, though. We recently saw American make a similar change, as you also don’t earn miles or get status qualification for basic economy. That was just intended to follow Delta’s lead, as the airline has the same policy.

Meanwhile United doesn’t award miles for basic economy fares to non-elite members without a co-branded card, while elite members and those with a co-branded card earn miles at a reduced rate. However, United has the most punitive basic economy fares, and doesn’t allow a free carry-on, which is very restrictive.

What’s the logic for this change on Alaska’s part? Basic economy has become an incredibly valuable tool for airlines to both expand their customer base, and extract as much revenue out of passengers as possible. The goal with basic economy is twofold:

• To go after a different customer base that might have historically booked ultra low cost carriers, in order to fill seats
• To make the fare type punitive, in order to get people to buy up to a more expensive non-basic economy fare

I’d say this change fits squarely in the second category. The goal is for Alaska to be able to show low entry level pricing that’s competitive, while giving people a big incentive to book a more expensive fare.

Of course I’m disappointed to see this change. Alaska has long tried to differentiate itself from the competition and stand out, and there’s no denying that the gap is narrowing.

Bottom line

Alaska Airlines will no longer award points or status qualification on Saver fares, which is the carrier’s version of basic economy. This is a trend that Delta started and American followed, so I guess it’s not too surprising to see Alaska hop on the bandwagon as well, disappointing as it is.

While I’m sure a secondary motivation here is to minimize costs and improve margins on basic economy, I think the bigger reason for this is to be punitive, and encourage people to book more expensive fares.

What do you make of this change to Atmos Rewards Saver fares?

Atmos Rewards partner award booking fee increases by 60%

Atmos Rewards is the loyalty program of Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines, and offers all kinds of great redemption opportunities. If you do book an award ticket that includes travel on a partner airline, there’s a partner award booking fee, beyond the taxes and government fees.

Up until now, that partner award booking fee has been $12.50 per passenger per direction. However, Atmos Rewards has updated its website to reflect that this fee will be increasing to $20 for bookings made as of July 1, 2026.

So that’s a 60% increase in the fee, and that can really add up, when you consider it’s both per direction and per person. If you’re two people traveling roundtrip, you’re looking at $50 in fees currently, and with this change, you’d be looking at $80 in fees.

The good news is that as before, the $395 annual fee Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card (review), which is super lucrative, offers a partner award booking fee waiver. This applies on an unlimited number of bookings, as long as the points come out of the cardmember’s account, and as long as you use the card to pay the taxes and fees on the ticket.

That waiver is expected to stay in place even when the fee increases. So if you do redeem Atmos Rewards points, that greatly increases the incentive to have this card, since it’ll become more valuable, in terms of the potential savings.

This is a junk fee, but the change doesn’t offend me much

To state the obvious, the partner award booking fee is a total junk fee. Back in the day there was a fee for booking by phone, though in the meantime, almost everyone books online, so that’s probably why we saw this fee introduced.

Let’s be honest here, this is a fee intended to help the economics of partner awards. When you redeem your points on a partner airline, money changes hands, and the math has to make sense. These fees are a small thing that helps with making these redemptions breakeven or profitable, and that’s why you’ll find similar fees with Air Canada Aeroplan, Avianca Lifemiles, etc.

Of course I don’t like the fees, but I get it. And as someone who has the Atmos Rewards Summit Card, I actually don’t mind this change personally, in the sense that I won’t be impacted by it (I know that’s a selfish stance, but I’m just sharing my take based on my own situation, and am not suggesting others shouldn’t care).

It’s kind of similar to how loyalty programs have varying points expiration policies. Ideally points would never expire, though I also understand that there’s a cost to not having points expire, and personally I’d rather programs invest in rewarding active and engaged members.

I suspect Atmos Rewards made this change for two reasons, beyond just generally trying to generate more revenue through fees:

• I imagine this is intended to drive more sign-ups to the Atmos Rewards Summit Card
• With the changes we’ve seen to Atmos Rewards over time, the new sweet spot is short haul redemptions, particularly on American, so I imagine this has greatly upped the volume of award tickets that are issued; so a higher fee can help with making the economics of those redemptions work, compared to devaluing the award chart

Bottom line

As of July 2026, Atmos Rewards is increasing the partner award booking fee from $12.50 to $20, a 60% increase. This fee applies per direction and per person when booking an award that includes travel on partner airlines. Fortunately as before, those with the Atmos Rewards Summit Card aren’t subject to this.

This is of course a negative change, and it’s clearly intended to drive credit card sign-ups, and more importantly, increase revenue associated with award redemptions.

What do you make of Atmos Rewards increasing the partner award booking fee?

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I can’t decide which part is my favorite, but it has to be one of these four:

• “You talk to me in Chinese, I respond Chinese, and all of a sudden you don’t speak Chinese, huh”
• “Oh”
• “Not should be, have to be”
• “Who use a hand nowadays”

Lady, keep doing you! Now that’s what I call premium humor!

Virgin Atlantic rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi fleetwide

Virgin Atlantic is partnering with SpaceX, to introduce Starlink Wi-Fi throughout its fleet. Best of all, Virgin Atlantic is offering Starlink Wi-Fi for free for all members of its Flying Club loyalty program (which is free to sign-up for), and members can connect with multiple devices, including laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Starlink is known for its high-speed, low-latency broadband internet, and the service is offered gate to gate. Starlink Wi-Fi allows for live streaming, productivity similar to on the ground (with high upload and download speeds), gaming, e-commerce, and more.

Virgin Atlantic eventually intends to offer Starlink Wi-Fi on all of its Airbus A330neos, Airbus A350s, and Boeing 787s. The only planes that won’t be getting Starlink Wi-Fi are the Airbus A330ceos, as those will be retired in the next couple of years.

Starlink is becoming increasingly popular with airlines. So far we’ve seen carriers like American Airlines, Aer Lingus, airBaltic, Air France, Air New Zealand, Alaska Airlines, British Airways, Copa, Emirates, Gulf Air, Hawaiian Airlines, Iberia, Korean Air, Lufthansa Group, Qatar Airways, SAS, Southwest Airlines, United Airlines, and WestJet, all announce plans to install the service. What’s also great about Starlink is that the installation process is pretty quick, once aircraft are certified to have it installed.

Here’s how Virgin Atlantic’s Chief Customer Officer, Juha Jaervinen, described this development back when it was announced:

“We were the first UK airline to announce free, fleet-wide Starlink Wi-Fi, and from May, we’re starting to deliver it for our customers. As the rollout gathers pace, we plan to deliver 100% Starlink connectivity across our fleet in 2027, as part of our focus on creating a brilliantly connected experience.”

“Together with Starlink, we’re setting a new standard for connectivity in the skies, with fast, free, high-speed WiFi available from the moment customers step onboard. It’s all part of creating a truly connected, ‘home away from home’ experience, giving customers the freedom to use their time onboard exactly as they choose, whether that’s staying close to work, to plans, or to the people who matter most.” 

Even before committing to Starlink, Virgin Atlantic already did pretty well with Wi-Fi, as the airline has Viasat Wi-Fi on some aircraft, available at a cost. However, Starlink is not only faster, but complimentary.

Virgin Atlantic Starlink Wi-Fi rollout progress

While Virgin Atlantic was the first airline in the UK to announce plans to install Starlink, British Airways quickly followed Virgin Atlantic’s lead, and even beat the carrier to the punch when it comes to starting the rollout of the service.

However, Virgin Atlantic has made very impressive progress with actually installing the service:

• In a matter of weeks, Virgin Atlantic has installed Starlink on its entire A350 fleet, so all A350 passengers can look forward to using this service
• Next up, Virgin Atlantic plans to install Starlink on its 787s, though that project isn’t expected to start until some point in the second half of 2026
• Lastly, A330neos will be getting Starlink, but that’s only happening after the 787 project is complete, and it’s expected to commence at some point in 2027

So the good news is that A350 customers can now consistently enjoy this service, though patience will be required for the remaining aircraft. Fun fact, shared by Virgin Atlantic — with the old paid Wi-Fi system, roughly 10% of customers used Wi-Fi, while with Starlink, roughly 75% of customers are using Wi-Fi. That’s quite a change!

Bottom line

Virgin Atlantic is in the process of rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi for Flying Club members. The airline has now installed Starlink on all A350s, which is a major milestone. Then all 787s are expected to get the service in the second half of 2026, while A330neos are expected to get it in 2027.

This is an exciting development. It’s awesome to see that free high speed Wi-Fi is increasingly becoming an industry standard, and look forward to using this service.

What do you make of Virgin Atlantic introducing free Starlink Wi-Fi?

Delta may swap out A321neo business class seats

Delta has a large fleet of Airbus A321neos, which are primarily used as the new domestic workhorse for fairly high demand routes. However, the airline also plans to introduce a subfleet of A321neos with a special configuration, intended specifically for premium transcontinental flights. These planes will feature flat bed business class, premium economy, and economy, so they’ll be pretty swanky planes.

While both American and United are introducing herringbone seats in business class on these types of aircraft, Delta’s plan has been to install reverse herringbone seats. Reverse herringbone seats are better than herringbone seats, plain and simple, so that’s good… well, if it actually happens.

We know that Delta has been having major issues with getting its new business class seats certified. The airline actually took delivery of its first plane with the new cabins in 2024, and immediately put it into storage. With no end to these issues in sight, Delta decided to just reconfigure with these planes with an astronomical 44 domestic first class seats, and fly them on domestic routes out of Atlanta (ATL).

Recently, the belief has been that certification would take a couple of years, and that these planes would be in service with their intended configurations in 2028. However, that might not be the case anymore. The always reliable JonNYC reports on a rumor. He has great sources, so when he says something, odds are very good it’s true.

If this rumor is to be believed, Delta will abandon the the Safran Vue seat for their A321neos, and go with the Thompson Aero VantageSOLO seat, which is the same seat you’ll find on JetBlue A321LRs and Iberia A321XLRs, and very similar to what you’ll find on American A321XLRs.

Again, we’ll see if this rumor turns out to be true, but given the insane issues that Delta has had with getting these seats certified, I wouldn’t be surprised if it is.

This would be a rather unfortunate outcome for Delta

Someone much smarter than me has long been claiming that while these planes will be delayed quite a bit, this will give Delta a massive advantage over competitors, over the roughly decade-long seat cycle, so it’s worth the wait. If this rumor turns out to be true, it’s the worst of both worlds — Delta delayed a new fleet type by several years, only to end up with the same seat as everyone else.

We’ll see how this all plays out, as I imagine we’ll learn more soon. I’ve written about how aircraft seat certification has become such a process. I recommend checking out that post, but the idea is that many seats just don’t meet the FAA’s standards in crash tests, meaning updates have to be made.

This is something that FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford even addressed in a recent interview, talking about how many new premium cabins are failing human factors tests, causing delays in safety certifications.

What’s kind of wild to me is the disconnect between regulators and aircraft seating manufacturers. Safran is a very well regarded aircraft manufacturer with a lot of experience, so I find it interesting how they can invest so much in designing a new seat, only for regulators to not give it their seal of approval.

Bottom line

Delta is having serious certification issues with its new A321neo flat bed business class seats. The first plane that was supposed to get these seats was delivered in 2024, and it spent well over a year in storage, before Delta decided to just install temporary cabins, and fly the plane on other domestic routes.

The claim has been that it’ll be 2028 when these planes are actually flying with their intended cabins. However, a rumor from JonNYC now suggests that these cabins might not get certified at all, and now Delta may just ditch the seats altogether.

This would mean that Delta would go from its planned reverse herringbone seats to herringbone seats, which is quite a downgrade. But when you can’t actually get the seats certified otherwise… well…

What do you make of the prospect of Delta switching its new business class seat concept?

In 2022, we saw the launch of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. This year we’re also seeing the launch of Four Seasons Yachts and Orient Express Sailing Yachts, and next year we’ll see the launch of Aman at Sea.

With Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection being the established “hotel” player, it’s interesting to take an updated look at the company’s serious struggles with profitability, covered in a new Financial Times story (thanks to Stephen for flagging this).

The good news is that the company’s lenders have agreed to ease terms to keep the cruise line afloat, but the bad news is that it just really seems questionable when this endeavor will be profitable, especially with increased competition.

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection not meeting projections

Before we get into the details of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s financials (or at least what’s known of them, given that the company isn’t publicly traded), let me provide a simple rundown of the problem.

Long story short, Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is commanding average fares of somewhere around $1,900 per guest per day, which is of course excellent, in line with projections, and at the top end of the market. The major issue is occupancy. While we don’t have the full details of Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s occupancy levels, we know that in the first half of 2025, cruises were, on average, roughly half full.

The company is aiming for average occupancy levels of 85-90%, and the timeline with which that’s realistic keeps getting pushed back, with the goal now being for that to happen by 2029. This is also why Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection has been spending a ton of money on marketing (more than $100 million in 2025 alone) — the company understandably doesn’t want to lower cruise fares, but instead, hopes to attract a larger potential customer base. So when you combine low occupancy with a lot of marketing spending, that’s a rough combination.

Now, to get into a bit more detail, 55% of the company is owned by private equity firm Oaktree, with Singaporean wealth fund GIC and Mohari Hospitality holding minority stakes. Let me emphasize that the connection to Ritz-Carlton is primarily just about marketing, as it’s not like Marriott owns the cruise line, or anything.

Since launch, the company has racked up losses of around $700 million, and of course it has a lot of debt, with Credit Agricole, the company’s largest creditor, having $918 million in outstanding debt. Much of that debt was coming due, which could’ve caused major issues for the cruise line, given the risk of a default.

However, the company’s largest creditor has agreed to defer repayments linked to the financing of the company’s two newest ships. Two loans have been extended from December 2025 to January 2028, and from December 2027 to January 2033.

In exchange, the company’s controlling shareholders have agreed to inject another $275 million in equity, meaning the total capital injected is now over $1 billion.

As a reminder, I recently sailed on Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection’s Evrima ship, and had a surprisingly (to me, as a non-cruiser) lovely time.

Are these growing pains, or is there a bigger problem?

Admittedly it can take any business time to ramp up operations and become profitable, especially with the pace at which Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection is growing, going from one ship to three ships in just a couple of years.

However, it’s clear that the business isn’t performing to projections, and capacity in this segment is only going to increase more, as brands like Four Seasons, Orient Express, and Aman, also take to the seas, with competing products (and that says nothing of MSC’s Explora Journeys, which is a bit more affordable, but still going after a similar general segment).

It makes me wonder if there’s a bigger issue with the market they’re going after. Cruising is of course an incredibly popular way to vacation, and my general impression is that the typical guest profile fits into one of three primary categories:

• The more “mainstream” and upscale cruise lines offer relatively affordable and easy vacations, and I can completely see the appeal
• The ultra luxury cruise lines are largely targeted at an older crowd, who enjoy the cruising lifestyle, have the money to pay for it, and are incredibly brand loyal
• Then you have the whole world of expedition cruising, for places that can’t otherwise easily be explored by land, like Antarctica, which has wide appeal across demographics (though sometimes they’re not kid friendly)

I think the question is, how big is the market of people who are willing to pay top dollar for a luxury cruise, outside of those typical demographics? In the cases of these hotel-branded ventures, it seems like they’re almost positioning themselves as cruise lines for people who wouldn’t typically cruise.

Yes, I think a lot of people might give this a try once, but will they continue to vacation this way? As I see it, there are two major issues:

• I think these cruise lines are largely targeted at affluent families, and that’s a tricky demographic if you’re aiming for 85-90% occupancy, since most people aren’t going to take their kids out of school for a cruise
• Especially on the high end, travel is more about “scene” than ever before, and no matter how well a cruise line is branded, I don’t think many people are willing to replace their annual “see and be seen” pilgrimage to Saint-Tropez, Mykonos, Ibiza, etc., with a cruise

With the amount of capacity coming to market all at once, I think that presents a challenge and opportunity. It’s a challenge for the obvious reason that there’s a lot of competition for a fairly new market. At the same time, with several very well regarded and “cool” hotel groups getting into the industry at the same time, it lends the concept some legitimacy, and creates a lot of chatter.

Bottom line

Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection launched operations in 2022. Since launch, the company has struggled greatly with occupancy, given that the priority has been to maintain high fares. Since launch, the company has lost $700 million, and it seems to constantly be on the verge of defaulting on its debt.

The “hotel” cruising segment is still quite new, and with the amount of capacity being added, filling ships isn’t easy! On top of that, the market keeps getting more competitive, with Four Seasons, Orient Express, and Aman, all getting into the industry as well. That could be a challenge, but also could be an opportunity, in terms of this becoming a legitimate new sector of the cruising industry.

What do you make of this part of the cruising industry, and how do you think it will evolve?

Up until recently, the plan was for the the plane to be certified in the coming months, before the end of 2026, meaning that commercial service could start by the summer of 2027. However, that timeline has now been pushed back yet again, and the expectation is that the plane won’t be certified until 2027.

The basics of the hugely delayed Boeing 777X project

For those not familiar, the 777X is Boeing’s newest version of the 777. The project was launched 13 years ago, in 2013, and so far not a single plane is in commercial service. The 777X will come in two variants — the 777-8 and 777-9 — and the planes are more fuel efficient, longer range, and larger than existing 777s (and larger than 787s, which are also popular).

With there clearly not being a market anymore for planes like the A380 and 747-8, this will likely be the biggest new aircraft we see manufactured in the next decade.

There are currently around 620 orders for the 777X (including for the freighter version), so the plane is popular, though not as popular as the A350 or 787, which are lower capacity while still being long range and fuel efficient. Emirates is the single biggest customer for the 777X, as the airline has 270 of these jets on order, and is using these to replace Airbus A380s, as those jets retire.

However, airlines like All Nippon Airways, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways, and Singapore Airlines, are also counting on this jet for fleet renewal, all with plans to make this their flagship aircraft.

The Boeing 777X won’t be certified until at least 2027

The Boeing 777X was initially supposed to enter service in 2020, but that timeline has slipped back considerably over the years. Up until the past week, the belief (at least publicly) has been that the plane would be certified before the end of 2026, allowing for deliveries in early 2027, and entry into service around the middle of 2027.

That’s no longer happening, with comments from two key people in recent days:

• FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford has stated that he expects that the 777X will be certified in 2027, while also sharing that he expects the 737 MAX 7 to be certified in the coming months, and the 737 MAX 10 to be certified by the end of the year
• Boeing CEO Kelly Ortberg has said that we “should expect that we will hopefully be done with our flight test program by the end of the year, with the exception of ETOPS,” and that “ETOPS is going to extend into next year,” while emphasizing that “we’re building the airplanes and getting ready to start deliveries next year”

It remains to be seen how this evolves, as it’s hard to take anything with this plane too seriously. In 2024, the plan was for the plane to enter service in 2025. For most of 2025, the plan was for the plane to enter service in 2026. As you can see, with each year passing, we also see the plane delayed by a year.

The 777X program has already accumulated around $15 billion in overruns. The good news is that Boeing is making material progress with test flights, and it seems that things are actually moving in the right direction, rather than being fully stalled. That being said, getting a new plane certified is no small task.

Going back several years, the Boeing 777X was supposed to complete its first test flight in mid-2019, but that ended up being pushed back to early 2020. This delay was due to issues with the GE9X General Electric engines on the plane. These are the largest engines ever on a commercial plane, though they were having durability problems, causing a delay in certification.

That wasn’t the only issue, though — during the 777X certification process, a door also blew off during a stress test. But that was only the start of the issues. Then Boeing had its first round of issues with the 737 MAX, when two of the jets had fatal crashes. That doesn’t even account for Boeing’s production quality issues in 2024, which caused new senior leadership to be appointed. And then in late 2024, Boeing workers went on strike.

Why the 777X delay matters for airlines & passengers

It’s pretty obvious why airlines care about the Boeing 777X delivery delays. Delivery delays with the 777X have greatly messed up fleet planning at many airlines — airlines order planes with specific strategies in mind, and a delay of this many years sure messes things up.

Beyond that, though, passengers should care about these delays as well. Several airlines intend to use the Boeing 777X as their new flagship aircraft, and will introduce new cabins on these planes. In some cases they’ve even had to change their plans. For example:

• Emirates will be installing its new first class on the 777X, which is otherwise only available on fewer than a dozen 777-300ERs; the planes will also be getting a new business class product with doors, at long last
• Cathay Pacific was going to debut its new Aria Suites business class on the 777X, but is now retrofitting existing 777-300ERs with this product; the airline will still debut its new Halo Suites first class on this jet
• Singapore Airlines was going to debut both a new first and business class product on its 777Xs, though with the delays, these cabins will first be retrofitted on some A350s
• Qatar Airways is expected to launch a new first class on the 777X, in addition to offering its refreshed Qsuites business class
• Lufthansa was going to debut its new Allegris business class on the 777X, but due to the delays, this is now being installed on A350s and 787s first

Bottom line

The 777X is Boeing’s new flagship wide body aircraft. While the plane was supposed to enter service in 2020, that timeline has been pushed back by several years. Until recently, the plan was for the plane to be certified by the end of the year, meaning the plane could enter service by the summer of 2027.

However, that has just been pushed back again — certification of the jet is now only expected in 2027, so while the hope is still that the plane enters service next year, that’s far from a guarantee, and it’s definitely not going to be happening with the expected summer timeline.

It’s just incredible to think that design on an updated version of an existing jet started in 2013, and best case scenario, will enter service 14 years later. One wonders if updating existing aircraft just ends up being more complicated, or how long it would take for a fully new designed plane to enter service. And that says nothing of the $15 billion cost overrun.

When do you think the Boeing 777X will actually enter service?

World of Hyatt members don’t mind major points devaluation?

We recently saw World of Hyatt devalue its award chart considerably. While I’m grateful the program has an award chart at all (unlike Hilton Honors, IHG One Rewards, Marriott Bonvoy, etc.), there are now five tiers of award pricing within each of the eight hotel categories, and peak season award pricing has increased by up to 67%. In other words, the highest value awards just got a lot more expensive.

Hoplamazian was asked about the recent program changes, and here’s what he had to say:

WSJ: You have a very dedicated loyalty-member base. Are some of the recent changes to the program, like expanding from three tiers of redemption to five, a way to stealthily devalue points?

Hoplamazian: Frankly, the reaction’s been overall positive. We’ve maintained a fixed award chart, so you don’t have to guess. Some of our competitors and others in the travel industry have gone to a dynamic award chart.

We also have a very unique offering, which is “guest of honor,” which allows you to gift your status and your benefits to someone else that you really care about. And while we have adjusted a number of hotels, that’s the result of changes in average daily-rate levels and costs.

Hoplamazian is pushing it, but in his defense…

Let me start by saying that I respect Hoplamazian. He’s a stand-up guy, and I think among the major hotel groups with loyalty programs, he’s the one who best understands hospitality, genuinely tries harder, and is typically an honest narrator on the industry. Contrast that to Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano, who I imagine could be running a chain of Pizza Huts, for all he cares, as he’d focus on growth and margins over guest experience in the same way he does with hotels.

I frequently call out travel industry executives for gaslighting customers, and it’s something that some brands are particularly notorious for. For example, no one loves making a negative change and then claiming it’s an “enhancement” quite like Lufthansa Group.

The gold standard for communication is Air Canada Aeroplan. For example, the program is changing its award chart (mostly for the worse), and when communicating the change to media, they wrote “we don’t take increases lightly, but they’re sometimes necessary as our underlying costs rise.” 

That’s how you do it, because that’s the truth. And I’m not surprised that kind of communication comes from Aeroplan, since Air Canada COO Mark Nasr is the person behind the program. He’s a huge airline and loyalty program nerd, so he understands things from the perspective of a member and customer, and that’s an incredibly underrated leadership skill.

Either Hoplamazian isn’t being truthful with his statement, or he’s really being shielded from member feedback. I don’t think I’ve ever seen an award chart devaluation at any program where the member feedback was “overall positive.”

Now, in Hoplamazian’s defense, here’s what I’ll say. This was a short interview with just four questions, and one of those was about the loyalty program change. Hyatt is trying to increase its margins and greatly grow World of Hyatt.

It’s not like Hoplamazian is going to say “our members are furious, but we just want to make more money,” or anything like that. I sort of take his answer as something that’s intended to brush off the question, with the “overall positive” being in reference to general member satisfaction with the program. As you can see, he immediately pivots to talking about how the program at least has an award chart, and then talks about the awesome Guest of Honor perk.

I do think there’s a difference between putting out a press release patting yourself on the back for a negative change, vs. what we’re seeing here, where it’s in response to an interview question. Again, I’m not excusing the response, it’s just not the most offensive gaslighting I’ve seen of customers… there’s lots of competition for that, admittedly!

Bottom line

Hyatt CEO Mark Hoplamazian just had an interview where he was asked about the recent World of Hyatt award chart devaluation, and he claimed member feedback was “overall positive.” That’s… obviously not true, and I wish he would’ve been more honest than that.

I get that this is just how the corporate world works, but it amazes me how often we see big companies spin negatives as positives. I’m not sure if they think they’re actually convincing us, if they’re trying to convince themselves of something, or what. In fairness, I’ve seen much worse offenses, and it was clear Hoplamazian wanted to change the topic.

What do you make of Hoplamazian’s devaluation comments?

Aspen Airport closing from April 4 through November 19, 2027

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) has announced that it will be closing for a little over seven months in 2027 — specifically, from 11PM on Sunday, April 4 through 7PM on Friday, November 19. In other words, from Easter to Thanksgiving (assuming there are no delays, of course). While the airport will be closed for most of 2027, at least it’s timed so that it doesn’t impact the peak winter season.

This is being done so that the airport can undergo infrastructure improvements, intended to improve safety, access, efficiency, and long term operational reliability. No commercial or general aviation operations will be permitted at the airport during the closure, and there will be no access to the terminal during that time.

This closure will be to complete reconstruction of the existing runway, to meet current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) standards. The runway will be shifted slightly to the west, and will also be widened by 50%, from 100 feet to 150 feet, in order to meet current FAA requirements.

Regarding FAA requirements, some may remember the drama some time back, regarding the future of Aspen Airport. Long story short, many locals opposed necessary updates to the airport, primarily because they wanted to limit commercial service at the airport. These constraints caused some real issues, since among commercial aircraft, historically only CRJ-700s have been able to serve the airport. That finally changed, though, and now Embraer E175s are also allowed.

Preparatory work will already begin this summer, whereby the road next to the airport will be shifted, to make room for the wider runway.

Here’s how Diane Jackson, the Airport Director, described this:

“Our team is committed to coordinating with federal partners, airlines, general aviation partners, and the broader community as we prepare for this important project and the future of the airport. This project is a long-term investment in the safety, reliability, and future of Aspen/Pitkin County Airport, and we will continue to engage with our community every step of the way.”

Aspen Airport is also getting new terminals in 2029

In April 2027, it’s not just work on the runway that will be starting. As of the same date, construction will start on a new commercial passenger terminal, as well as a new private facility. However, those are only expected to open in 2029, so when the airport reopens in late 2027, it’ll continue to use the old terminal facilities, for the time being.

The final design concept for the new terminal hasn’t yet been decided, but if you’ve flown through Aspen Airport, you know that the facility could use an upgrade, especially in peak season, when the terminal gets absolutely slammed. I’m curious to see what the final design concept is.

I’d say that I hope there’s also finally a lounge, though I suspect basically everyone flying into or out of Aspen in winter would be eligible for lounge access, so maybe that’s of limited value, unless you really just enjoy standing in line. 😉

Bottom line

Aspen/Pitkin County Airport (ASE) between April and November of 2027, so that the runway can be fully redeveloped. It’ll be moved and widened by around 50 feet, so that’s a major project. During that time, the airport will fully be closed to traffic.

These are overdue changes, so it’s good to see them. Around the same time, we’ll also see construction start on a new terminal, but that will only open in 2029.

What do you make of the work happening at Aspen Airport?

United flight diverts over “bomb” bluetooth speaker name

This incident happened yesterday (Saturday, May 30, 2026), and involves United Airlines flight UA236, scheduled to operate from Newark (EWR) to Palma de Mallorca (PMI). The 3,934-mile flight was operated by a Boeing 767-400ER with the registration code N67052, and was supposed to depart at 4:10PM and arrive at 6:15AM the next morning.

The plane took off a bit behind schedule, at 6:08PM, due to a maintenance issue, and started its journey northeast. The plane flew for nearly two hours, and made it as far as south of Newfoundland, when it turned around and returned to Newark.

What was the issue? Well, one of the passengers had a bluetooth device with the name “bomb.” According to passengers who shared their experience on social media:

• This was brought to the attention of the crew by a passenger
• An announcement was then made for passengers to turn off their bluetooth networks
• Most people complied, but not everyone, so the crew then announced if all networks weren’t turned off, the plane would return to Newark
• After that, two bluetooth signals, including one with the name “bomb,” remained on, so the decision was made to return to Newark

Sure enough, the plane ended up landing back at Newark nearly four hours after it first departed. The plane was taxied to a remote part of the airport, as a full terror threat response was put into place. Eventually it was determined that a teenager had a speaker with that bluetooth name, and he was removed from the flight.

The plane then ended up taking off from Newark again at 2:19AM, and landed well over nine hours behind schedule.

Am I the only one who finds this to be ridiculous?

I of course completely understand that people shouldn’t have a Wi-Fi or bluetooth network named “BOMB,” and that this is inappropriate. I’m not here to defend those people.

However, it just strikes me as such a massive waste of time and resources to divert a plane over something like this. This wasted over nine hours of hundreds of peoples’ time, not to mention it cost tens of thousands of dollars in terms of extra fuel burn, crewing costs, and more. It’s just a massive waste.

This brings me to my issue with these kinds of responses. I realize that terror threats have to be taken seriously, but does this really make sense? So is the belief that someone onboard who actually has a bomb would name their bluetooth or Wi-Fi network “bomb?” Because that makes sense how, exactly? It would be like someone who is trafficking drugs on a commercial plane having a suitcase that has “I’m a drug trafficker” written all over it.

I’m not trying to be flippant here, but in the tens of trillions of air seat miles that have been flown in history, on how many flights has a bluetooth or Wi-Fi network named “bomb” actually correlated to someone with terroristic intentions, rather than an immature teenager (or something along those lines)? Someone correct me if I’m wrong, but I think that number is zero.

Look, by all means investigate this when the plane lands at its destination, and hold the person responsible accountable. But diverting a flight while over the ocean just seems so incredibly wasteful.

To be clear, I’m not trying to single out United here, since the airline is just following the industry standard for any sort of response the second the word “bomb” shows up. I just think it’s time for the industry at large to reconsider its approach to these situations.

I like to say that the airline industry overall has an unwavering commitment to putting safety above all else, but let me give an example of security theater (this) vs. an area where I think a lot of airlines do compromise on safety.

For example, I feel strongly that the two-person cockpit rule should exist across airlines globally, whereby there always have to be two people in the cockpit at a time. For what it’s worth, this is the policy in the United States, but not in most other countries.

How many planes have actually been taken down by suicidal pilots when they were alone in the cockpit? Well, the number is significant, and it’s among the leading cause of commercial plane crashes (admittedly commercial aviation is very safe). Yet the industry completely overlooks that, and doesn’t do anything major to address pilot mental health, and steps that can be taken to counteract that.

Meanwhile the second someone makes a completely unrealistic “bomb threat,” they take it very seriously. It just strikes me as being backwards.

Bottom line

Call me a crazy conspiracy theorist, but I tend to think there’s zero overlap between people who have a Wi-Fi or bluetooth network named “bomb,” and those who actually intend to blow up a plane.

Now, I don’t have any evidence for this, other than the tens of trillions of air seat miles that have been flown over the years. We’ve seen a lot of big deals made out of “bomb” names, and it doesn’t seem like it actually leads anywhere.

I recognize that in theory, the idea here is to take threats seriously, and err on the side of caution. But diverting a flight and delaying hundreds of people by nine hours with no credible threat just seems like an unnecessary headache. By all means investigate more when the plane lands, but this just strikes me as unreasonable.

I’m not claiming to be correct, but that’s my take. If anyone disagrees, by all means sound off!

What do you make of these “bomb” flight diversions?

Some award tickets now cost up to $1,750 to cancel!

There’s a lot to love about redeeming miles & points, especially for premium cabin travel, given the amazing deals that are sometimes available.

Broadly speaking (there are many exceptions), one of the great things about redeeming miles is that award tickets typically offer more flexibility than those booked with cash. For example, while some airlines have eliminated change fees on many types of cash fares, that doesn’t mean you can refund them for free, but instead, you can cancel for a credit toward a future flight, within some amount of time.

The nice thing about redeeming miles is that airlines typically have no change or refund fees on awards at all, or otherwise, have minimal fees, at least compared to cash tickets. I’ve written a guide to airline award ticket fees, which outlines the policies of various airlines.

For example, I absolutely love how all American AAdvantage awards can be canceled or redeposited at no cost. It’s so nice to be able to lock in awards in advance, and then change or cancel them as the departure date approaches.

Quite frankly, given the limited amount of saver award space nowadays, this kind of method is often needed to optimize miles — you book something that’s good enough, and then closer to departure, you switch to something better, if available.

But there’s a generally frustrating trend that we’re seeing, whereby airlines are increasingly aligning award fare classes with revenue fare classes, and implementing similar fee structures for changes or cancellations.

For example, this is something that Etihad Guest has “pioneered,” and the lack of award ticket flexibility is enough for me to avoid the program whenever possible. The program allows no changes or cancellations within 72 hours of departure, and even outside of that, some types of awards just can’t be redeposited at all.

But there’s another program that’s now leading the way when it comes to absurd fees, as flagged by LoyaltyLobby. Lufthansa Miles & More has increasingly been aligning revenue fare classes with award fare classes, and that also means the policies are the same.

For example, the program in some cases now has redeposit fees of €1,000 for “flex” fares, which are supposed to offer the most flexibility, and redeposit fees are capped at €1,500, as it currently stands. Suffice it to say that a €1,500 fee for canceling an award is rough, especially when you could potentially book the same award through United MileagePlus, and pay no redeposit fees whatsoever.

What’s wild is that you pay more miles for the “flex” fare, because you want flexibility. But then a redeposit still costs €1,000.

I suspect this will increasingly become the norm, sadly

I hate to make negative predictions, but I think it’s worth being honest about the general trends we’re seeing in the airline industry.

I certainly hope I’m wrong, but I expect that five years down the road, tiered award ticket “fares” with different change and cancellation fees will become the norm rather than the exception.

Just look at what we’re seeing in the US airline industry, for example. Coming out of the pandemic, we saw airlines eliminate change fees, given the new level of flexibility that customers demanded in order to commit to booking tickets.

While airlines committed to this change being “permanent,” well, nothing in the airline industry is actually permanent. We’re now increasingly seeing airlines introduced tiered fare structures across cabins, and this includes things like the introduction of “basic” business class. So it’s no longer just economy where the cheapest fares lack flexibility.

The whole concept behind this is simple — airlines want to add punitive restrictions, in hopes of getting people to “buy up” to higher fares. We’re increasingly seeing even premium cabin tickets come with tiered fares, where flexibility is a major point of differentiation. That same principle can apply to award tickets in the same way it applies to revenue tickets.

We’ve slowly started to see this shift, but I imagine we’ll see it on a more widespread basis soon — airlines will likely introduce more tiered award fare options, so that award fares and revenue fares offer similar terms. We’ll see!

Bottom line

Unfortunately airlines are increasingly aligning revenue and award fare buckets, in an effort to extract as much money (or miles) out of each customer as possible. Lufthansa Miles & More might now be setting a record, with award fares having fees of up to €1,500, and even the “flex” fare in some markets having a €1,000 redeposit fee. I really don’t like this, but unfortunately, I fear this is only the beginning.

What do you make of this increased trend of tiered award fares with different change and redeposit policies?

Copa pilot makes wrong turn at JFK, ATC teaches them a lesson

YouTube channel You can see ATC has air traffic control audio and a visualization of an interaction that happened at JFK late at night on May 20, 2026, as Copa flight CM736 just landed in New York (JFK), after completing a 4hr43min Boeing 737-800 flight from Panama City (PTY).

While taxiing to the gate, the following instructions were given:

JFK ATC: “Copa 736, continue via left D, left on B, and hold short of W.”
Copa pilot: “Left on D, B, and hold short of W, Copa 736.”

The plane did indeed turn left on D, but rather than turning left on B, it instead turned right, meaning it was headed in the wrong direction, down a taxiway that doesn’t intersect with W.

The air traffic controller noticed the mistake, and this is when things got interesting:

JFK ATC: “Copa 736, what are you doing? Stop moving your plane.”
Copa pilot: “You said to me, left on D, B, and hold short of W, Copa 736.”
JFK ATC: “Okay Copa 736, I’m not going to yell at you. Take the next few minutes, look on the chart where W is. I’ll be back to you.”
*20 second gap*
JFK ATC: “Copa 736, did you see where W is on the chart?”
Copa pilot: “Affirmative.”
JFK ATC: “Okay, so where is it?”
Copa pilot: “Behind.”
JFK ATC: “Thank you. Copa 736, continue B, short of DB.”

This is actually pretty well played by JFK ATC, if you ask me

This particular JFK air traffic controller is known for going completely berserk on pilots, and it often seems like he cares more about being right than keeping things moving. What’s most frustrating is how he often treats foreign pilots, using non-standard phraseology, and then yelling at them when they don’t understand.

So I actually appreciate the approach he takes here: he specifically says he’s not going to yell, and he then lets the pilots realize their own mistake (though clearly he still has to be right, because he gets the ultimate satisfaction when the pilot volunteers that they made the wrong turn).

Now, in fairness, he wasn’t without fault, and I can kind of see how this could happen:

• The instructions were to “continue via left D, left on B, and hold short of W,” and the Copa pilot read back “left on D, B, and hold short of W,” so the air traffic controller really should’ve corrected that read back, and reiterated that it was a left on B
• I can also understand how the pilots might’ve gotten this wrong, given their workload; they were trying to communicate with the ramp to see if their gate was ready, and at the same time, it’s logical to think that you’re not being given instructions to make a 180-degree turn

Again, that’s no excuse, since obviously if they had properly looked at the charts, they would’ve seen that you have to turn left on B to get to W.

Bottom line

A Copa Boeing 737 pilot made a wrong turn at JFK. While the instructions given by the controller were correct, the read back from the pilot wasn’t fully accurate, as it didn’t confirm that the second turn would be to the left, rather than to the right.

When the pilots made the wrong turn, the controller had them hold position, look at their charts, and then admit the mistake they made. Hey, it might only be baby steps, but this is progress for this guy in terms of not totally losing it on pilots.

What do you make of this JFK ATC interaction?

Hawaiian “elevates” onboard dining, by cutting free meals

Historically, Hawaiian Airlines has offered free meals on flights between Hawaii and the United States mainland. That’s an amenity that’s quite rare nowadays, especially outside of the “long haul” Hawaii flights from the East Coast, Midwest, etc., so it was a real point of differentiation.

Well, major changes are coming to Hawaiian’s inflight service, and the airline is certainly burying the lede. The announcement about the change notes how the airline is “elevating onboard service with pre-order dining by celebrated Hawai‘i chefs.” But really that’s just a positive spin on announcing that free meals are being cut in economy.

The changes will be implemented as of July 1, 2026, and entail “a new onboard service program that delivers greater choice, improved quality and a deeper connection to the flavors of Hawai‘i.” The new menu is being developed in partnership with Maui-based, James Beard Award finalist Chef Sheldon Simeon.

The menu will vary throughout the day, with dishes ranging in cost from $10.99 to $16.99.

Breakfast options will include corned beef hash and eggs, an Island-style French toast breakfast, banana pancakes, coconut overnight oats, or a cheese omelet. Meanwhile lunch and dinner options will include crispy mochiko chicken and garlic noodles, barbecue teriyaki chicken bento, teriyaki cheeseburger, grilled chicken bánh mì sandwich, ​sweet and tangy tender greens, ​cheeseburger mac and cheese, and more.

Pre-order will be available between two weeks and 20 hours prior to the flight. The only exception to this is that for flights to and from New York (JFK), complimentary meals will continue to be available.

If you don’t pre-order a meal, you’ll still have a limited selection of food you can purchase onboard, including snack boxes and items from the snack cart. However, the above meals will primarily be available via pre-order. On top of that, every guest will continue to receive a complimentary local snack.

This was inevitable and fair, but I don’t like the narrative

Hawaiian Airlines eliminating free meals in economy is objectively a negative change. Now, in fairness:

• I don’t blame the airline, since it has been losing a massive amount of money in recent years, and while free food is “nice,” there’s no indication that this was delivering a revenue premium for the airline
• While people like free meals in economy, they also love to complain about the poor quality, so I imagine it wasn’t even helping net promoter scores that much
• With Alaska and Hawaiian belonging to the same airline group, it makes sense that the two airlines would align policies, to create a semi-consistent experience
• The way consumers choose airlines over the years has evolved; nowadays people choose based on value, schedule, loyalty, and perhaps then passenger experience

Honestly, what I detest most about this change is how it’s being announced. This is the kind of gaslighting I’d expect from Lufthansa Group, and not from Alaska Air Group. The press release actually only mentions that free meals are being cut in the FAQs, and otherwise fails to actually acknowledge that.

For that matter, the only Hawaiian employee who is quoted is the company’s Managing Director of Marketing. Maybe it’s just me, but I don’t feel like passenger experience announcements should quote the head of marketing, but instead, they should quote the person in charge of product. Nothing against marketing folks — they’re very important to organizations — but when they’re the ones being quoted in an announcement, you know there’s a lot of spin.

And of course the person in charge of marketing has a quote about how “we’re expanding beyond a single standard meal to offer a broader menu that reflects how our guests want to dine today,” which sounds great, but ignores that free meals are being eliminated. It reminds me of when Lufthansa cut free drinks and snacks in short haul economy, and claimed it was due to “customer feedback.”

Also, can I just ask… if this is such a great change that customers are excited about, why isn’t it being rolled out on the carrier’s longest domestic flight? You’d think those customers would most appreciate the service being “elevated,” no?

Bottom line

As of July 1, 2026, Hawaiian Airlines will stop serving free economy meals on all domestic flights, except those to New York. The airline will instead introduce a pre-order program, with meals available for purchase, ranging in cost from $10.99 to $16.99.

This will certainly represent an improvement in terms of quality and variety, though having an amenity taken away also isn’t something that customers will like. That’s not stopping Hawaiian from marketing this as a positive, and buying the important detail of free meals being eliminated.

What do you make of this change to Hawaiian’s inflight service?

I appreciate Aeroplan’s transparency, and that the program has a published award chart, so members have a sense of what they’ll pay for an award. So along those lines, it’s worth being aware of an update, as Aeroplan is changing its award pricing, and at least we have some advance notice.

Aeroplan is changing award pricing in many zones

Aeroplan has announced updated award pricing for tickets booked as of Monday, June 1, 2026. As the program describes it, “we don’t take increases lightly, but they’re sometimes necessary as our underlying costs rise.” Hey, at least Aeroplan is honest, as I’m sure a certain other Star Alliance carrier would market such a devaluation as being due to member feedback. 😉

These changes impact partner airlines with fixed pricing, and also serves as the new starting point for pricing on Air Canada and select partner flights (as a reminder, you’ll find variable pricing on Air Canada, Emirates, Etihad, FlyDubai, United, etc.). You can find the updated Aeroplan award chart here.

While you can take a look at the above chart for yourself, let me summarize what’s changing. Aeroplan has award pricing that’s both zone and distance based.

Between North America and Atlantic region

For awards covering up to 4,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 35,000 points to 32,500 points (-2,500)

For awards covering 4,001–6,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 40,000 points to 42,500 points (+2,500)
• Business goes from 70,000 points to 75,000 points (+5,000)
• First goes from 100,000 points to 120,000 points (+20,000)

For awards covering 6,001-8,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 55,000 points to 60,000 points (+5,000)
• Business goes from 85,000 points to 90,000 points (+5,000)
• First goes from 130,000 points to 150,000 points (+20,000)

For awards covering 8,001+ miles:

• Economy goes from 70,000 points to 75,000 points (+5,000)
• Business goes from 100,000 points to 110,000 points (+10,000)
• First goes from 140,000 points to 165,000 points (+25,000)

Between North America and Pacific region

For awards covering up to 5,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 35,000 points to 32,500 points (-2,500)

For awards covering 5,001-7,000 miles:

• Business goes from 75,000 points to 85,000 points (+10,000)
• First goes from 110,000 points to 120,000 points (+10,000)

For awards covering 7,501-11,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 60,000 points to 65,000 points (+5,000)
• Premium economy goes from 70,000 points to 85,000 points (+15,000)
• Business goes from 87,500 points to 102,500 points (+15,000)
• First goes from 130,000 points to 140,000 points (+10,000)

For awards covering 11,001+ miles:

• Economy goes from 75,000 points to 70,000 points (-5,000)
• Premium economy goes from 80,000 points to 95,000 points (+15,000)

Within the Atlantic region

For awards covering up to 1,000 miles:

• Business goes from 15,000 points to 12,500 points (-2,500)

For awards covering 1,001-2,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 12,500 points to 15,000 points (+2,500)
• Business goes from 25,000 points to 22,500 points (-2,500)

For awards covering 2,001-4,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 25,000 points to 30,000 points (+5,000)
• Business goes from 45,000 points to 40,000 points (-5,000)
• First goes from 60,000 points to 75,000 points (+15,000)

For awards covering 4,001-6,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 35,500 points to 42,500 points (+7,000)
• Business goes from 60,000 points to 70,000 points (+10,000)
• First goes from 90,000 points to 100,000 points (+10,000)

For awards covering 6,000+ miles:

• Business goes from 80,000 points to 95,000 points (+15,000)

Within the Pacific region

For awards covering 1,001-2,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 12,500 points to 15,000 points (+2,500)

For awards covering 2,001-5,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 25,000 points to 30,000 points (+5,000)
• Business goes from 45,000 points to 52,500 points (+7,500)

For awards covering 5,001-7,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 37,500 points to 35,000 points (-2,500 points)
• Business goes from 60,000 points to 72,500 points (+12,500 points)

For awards covering 7,001+ miles:

• Economy goes from 55,000 points to 50,000 points (-5,000)
• Business goes from 90,000 points to 85,000 points (-5,000)

Between Atlantic and Pacific region

For awards covering up to 2,500 miles:

• Business goes from 40,000 points to 47,500 points (+7,500)
• First goes from 50,000 points to 55,000 points (+5,000)

For awards covering 2,501-5,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 30,000 points to 40,000 points (+10,000)
• Business goes from 60,000 points to 75,000 points (+15,000)
• First goes from 80,000 points to 95,000 points (+15,000)

For awards covering 5,001-7,000 miles:

• Economy goes from 50,000 points to 60,000 points (+10,000 points)
• Business goes from 80,000 points to 92,500 points (+12,500 points)
• First goes from 100,000 points to 120,000 points (+20,000 points)

The awards covering 7,001+ miles:

• Economy goes from 65,000 points to 75,000 points (+10,000)
• Business goes from 110,000 points to 130,000 points (+20,000 points)
• First goes from 140,000 points to 150,000 points (+10,000 points)

My take on Aeroplan’s award pricing updates

In the scheme of devaluations, this is hardly the most unreasonable we’ve seen. Over time reimbursement rates between airlines and redemption patterns change, and that does impact the underlying economics of a program.

Of course everyone has different redemption patterns, so we won’t all agree on which changes are best/worst. Based on my typical Aeroplan redemptions, a few changes most stand out:

• Short haul business class awards within Europe (covering up to 1,000 miles) go from 15,000 points to 12,500 points, so that’s actually a decrease; that’s the single most frequent type of Aeroplan redemption I make, so I’m happy to see that
• Awards between the United States and Europe (covering 4,001-6,000 miles) are increasing from 70,000 points to 75,000 points in business class, and from 100,000 points to 120,000 points in first class, so I’m bummed about that, as it’s otherwise my most frequent redemption
• Ultra long haul business class awards between the United States and Asia (covering 7,501-11,000 miles) increase from 87,500 points to 102,500 points, so obviously I’m not very happy to see that, since it’s my favorite redemption for maximizing Aeroplan points (given that you can route via Europe)

So yeah, this is definitely a devaluation on balance, and I’m not happy to see it. At the same time, in most markets Aeroplan will continue to be the best value when you consider everything, if you ask me.

Bottom line

As of June 2026, Air Canada’s Aeroplan program will be updating award pricing, including for travel on partner airlines. We’re seeing a lot more increases than decreases, with some awards going down in price by up to 5,000 points, and some awards going up in price by up to 20,000 points.

Aeroplan has done a good job maintaining the value of its program, and no one likes to see pricing increases. At the same time, the new pricing is still pretty competitive across the board, if you ask me.

What do you make of this Aeroplan devaluation?

Link: Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card

What is the current Marriott Bonvoy Business Card welcome offer?

For applications through July 1, 2026, the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex has a limited time, two-part welcome offer, for 150,000 Bonvoy bonus points plus a $125 statement credit after spending $8,000 within the first six months.

For what it’s worth, I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, so I’d value the entire welcome offer at $1,175 ($1,050 for the points, and $125 for the statement credit).

What are the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card eligibility rules?

If you’re applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex, the general Amex application restrictions apply. For example, you’re typically limited to having a total of five Amex credit cards (not including hybrid cards), regardless of whether they’re personal or business, and there’s also the “once in a lifetime” rule.

The good news is that I find Amex business cards to anecdotally be pretty easy to get approved for. Another awesome thing is that if you’re concerned about Chase’s 5/24 limit, applying for an Amex business card won’t count toward that limit.

Beyond that, since both American Express and Chase issue cards for Marriott, there are some pretty complicated restrictions regarding eligibility for this card, so see this post for more details. The good news is that Amex typically has an application pop-up in the event that you apply and aren’t eligible for the welcome offer, so you’ll know before there’s a hard pull to your credit.

Is the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card worth it?

Not only does the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex have a generous welcome offer, but this is a card that’s worth keeping in the long run. It’s a card I’ve had for years, and plan to continue to hold onto. The card has a $125 annual fee (Rates & Fees), and for that you receive two key perks:

• 15 elite nights toward Marriott Bonvoy status annually, making it much easier to earn Bonvoy Platinum status or above; if you want to earn as many elite nights as possible from credit cards, you need to have the business version of the card
• An anniversary free night award every year, valid at a property costing up to 35,000 points per night; you can even top this off with up to 25,000 additional points, to redeem at a more expensive property

To me that more than justifies the annual fee, and that doesn’t even factor in some of the other perks, like complimentary Marriott Gold status.

Read a full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex.

Marriott Bonvoy Business Card welcome offer FAQs

Bottom line

The Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex is Marriott’s primary business card. At the moment, the card has a great welcome offer, and on top of that, this is a card that’s potentially worth keeping, thanks to the 15 elite nights toward status annually, the annual free night reward, and more. This is a card that I’ve had for years, so if you’re interested in picking it up, now would be the time to do so.

Do you plan on picking up the Marriott Bonvoy Business Amex with 150,000 bonus points and a $125 statement credit?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees).

We’ve just seen an excellent new welcome offer rolled out on the card, making it the ideal time to apply. Let’s go over all the details.

Link: Learn more about the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

What is the current Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card bonus?

The Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card is newly offering a limited time welcome bonus, which can earn you points and a free night award, in addition to a limited time statement credit perk. The offer is broken down as follows:

• Earn 125,000 Bonvoy points plus a free night award after spending $3,000 within the first three months
• The free night award can be redeemed for a one-night stay at properties with a redemption value of up to 50,000 points per night; certain properties have resort fees
• There’s a special offer through June 30, 2027 — get up to $100 in statement credits after spending $500 on eligible airline purchases, which comes in the form of up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually

I value Bonvoy points at 0.7 cents each, given all the great ways there are to redeem them. So while I’d rather fully earn points with no free night award, I think the free night award is worth pretty close to face value, so that’s a value of around $1,225, which is excellent for a card with such a reasonable fee.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card eligibility requirements

If you’re applying for the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card, the general Chase application restrictions apply. There aren’t too many direct, consistent rules, but considerations include Chase’s 5/24 rule (which isn’t always enforced), being able to get up to two Chase cards every 30 days, etc.

Beyond that, since both American Express and Chase issue cards for Marriott, there are some pretty complicated restrictions regarding eligibility for this card, so see this post for more details. To summarize the very basics, you can’t get the welcome bonus on the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card if:

• You currently have the Marriott Bonvoy Bold® Credit Card (review), or have received a new cardmember bonus on it in the past 24 months
• You currently have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (review), Marriott Bonvoy Bevy® American Express® Card (review), or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review), and have received a new cardmember bonus on the card in the past 24 months (it’s fine if you have those cards, you just can’t have received a bonus in the past 24 months)
• You were approved for the Marriott Bonvoy Business Card, Marriott Bonvoy Bevy Card, or Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, in the past 90 days

Why the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card is worth it

Not only does the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card have a huge welcome offer, but this is a card that’s worth keeping in the long run. The card has a $95 annual fee, and for that you receive quite a few perks:

• The card offers an anniversary free night award every year, valid at a property costing up to 35,000 Bonvoy points (this can also be topped off with up to 25,000 additional points)
• The card offers Bonvoy Silver status for as long as you’re a cardmember, plus Bonvoy Gold status if you spend $35,000 on the card in a cardmember year
• The card offers 15 elite nights toward Bonvoy status annually, plus one additional elite night for every $5,000 spent, which can help you qualify for a higher elite tier
• The card offers 6x Bonvoy points on Marriott spending, 3x Bonvoy points on gas, dining, and groceries (on up to $6,000 in cumulative purchases per calendar year, and then 2x points), and 2x Bonvoy points on all other spending

The way I view it, the $95 annual fee can easily be covered by the anniversary free night award, which makes the card worth holding onto in the long run.

Admittedly there are several Marriott cards to choose from, so there’s not just one best option, as it all depends what you’re looking for. Personally, my strategy is to have the Marriott Bonvoy Business® American Express® Card (review) and Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (review), as I think they make a good duo.

Read a full review of the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card.

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card bonus FAQs

Bottom line

At the moment, the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card has a great limited time welcome offer, which can earn you 125,000 Bonvoy bonus points plus a free night award, redeemable at a property costing up to 50,000 Bonvoy points.

The card offers an anniversary free night award valid at a property costing up to 35,000 Bonvoy points, and can also help you earn elite status, between the Bonvoy Silver status, the 15 elite nights annually, the elite night for every $5,000 spent, and more.

Do you plan on picking up the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card?

While Delta SkyMiles is far from my favorite mileage currency, I appreciate that miles in the program have a “floor” value, based on all the ways there are to redeem SkyMiles for at least one cent each toward Delta purchases. In addition to having Delta’s “Pay With Miles” feature, there’s also the “TakeOff 15” benefit, whereby cardmembers can get a 15% discount on award tickets.

What are the current Delta Amex welcome offers?

We’ve just seen some excellent welcome offers rolled out on Delta’s suite of co-branded credit cards, so if you’re interested, this would be a great time to apply. Let’s go over the offers, from least premium to most premium.

Delta Gold Personal Amex: up to 90,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Earn 70,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $3,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
• The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150. (Rates & Fees)

The Gold Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, priority boarding, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare (enrollment required), and more.

Read a full review of the Gold Delta Amex.

Delta Gold Business Amex: 90,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Gold Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 90,000 Bonus Miles after spending $6,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
• The card has a $0 introductory annual fee for the first year, then $150 (Rates & Fees)

Delta Platinum Personal Amex: up to 100,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Earn 80,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $4,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 20,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $2,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
• The card has a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees)

The Platinum Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like an annual companion certificate, the ability to earn status through credit card spending, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, or every four years for Global Entry), two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, priority boarding, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare and Resy credit (enrollment required), and more.

Read a full review of the Platinum Delta Amex.

Delta Platinum Business Amex: 100,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Platinum Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after spending $8,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
• The card has a $350 annual fee (Rates & Fees)

Delta Reserve Personal Amex: up to 125,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Earn 100,000 Bonus Miles after you spend $6,000 in purchases with your new Card, and an additional 25,000 bonus miles after you make an additional $3,000 in purchases on the Card, both within your first 6 months. Ends 07/15/2026.
• The card has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees)

The Reserve Delta Amex (both business and personal) offers perks like an annual companion certificate, the ability to earn status through credit card spending, a Global Entry or TSA PreCheck credit (every 4.5 years for TSA PreCheck, or every four years for Global Entry), two free checked bags on domestic itineraries, savings on inflight purchases, 15% savings on select award flights, an annual rideshare and Resy credit (enrollment required), and more.

Read a full review of the Reserve Delta Amex.

Delta Reserve Business Amex: 125,000 SkyMiles

The Delta SkyMiles^® Reserve Business American Express Card has the following limited time welcome offer:

• Limited Time Offer: Earn 125,000 Bonus Miles after spending $15,000 in purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Offer ends 7/15/26.
• The card has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees)

How many Delta Amex cards are you eligible for?

If you’re considering applying for a Delta co-branded credit card, then Amex’s general application restrictions apply. Each of these Delta American Express cards is considered a separate product, and you’re potentially eligible for the bonus on each card once.

However, you’ll want to be strategic about the order in which you apply for personal cards. Essentially, you can only earn the bonus on a particular card if you haven’t had that exact Delta card, or a more premium Delta card. So the less premium the card, the more restrictions. Here’s a rundown, ranked from most premium card to least premium card:

• You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Reserve Amex if you’ve had that exact card before
• You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Platinum Amex if you’ve had that exact card before, or if you’ve had the Delta Reserve Amex
• You’re not eligible for the welcome offer on the Delta Gold Amex if you’ve had that exact card before, or if you’ve had the Delta Reserve Amex or Delta Platinum Amex 

Which Delta Amex welcome offer is best?

Which Delta Amex offer is best depends entirely on what you’re looking for and what your travel profile is like. As far as my general advice goes:

• If you’re just a casual Delta flyer, it’s hard to go wrong with the big bonuses and introductory annual fees on the Delta Gold cards
• For those who fly Delta a bit more often, the Delta Platinum cards are great, given the annual companion certificate
• For the frequent Delta flyer who is going for status, the Delta Reserve cards are the best cards for earning status, and also offer the most compelling perks
• If you’re deciding between a personal and business card (and don’t want both), then I’d generally recommend a business card, given that the welcome offers are a bit better

Keep in mind that Delta’s “Pay With Miles” feature allows you to redeem your SkyMiles for at least one cent each toward the cost of a Delta ticket. That means 125,000 SkyMiles will get you a minimum of $1,250 worth of airfare. With the 15% discount on awards for cardmembers, you can often do even better than that by just outright redeeming for awards.

Delta Amex welcome offer frequently asked questions

Bottom line

We’ve just seen excellent new limited time welcome offers rolled out on Delta’s suite of co-branded Amex cards. This also coincides with the cards getting some new perks, including a two free checked bag benefit.

While SkyMiles might not be a great currency for aspirational redemptions in long haul premium cabins, there’s still lots of value to be had with these offers, as SkyMiles are incredibly useful for domestic and short haul international awards. SkyMiles also have a very high floor value, unlike some other currencies. They’re also useful for premium cabin awards when not touching the United States.

If you’re at all interested in a Delta co-branded credit card, now is the time to apply.

Do you plan on picking up a Delta Amex with these welcome offers?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Gold American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Platinum Business American Express Card (Rates & Fees), Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card (Rates & Fees), and Delta SkyMiles® Platinum American Express Card (Rates & Fees).

Anyway, let’s go over the opportunities, as you can save up to 50% on award tickets. There are some cool markets in which you can save money, though unfortunately only economy travel qualifies.

Save on Atmos Rewards awards to select destinations

For the new Alaska Atmos Rewards Global Getaways promotion, you can save up to 50% on award travel to half a dozen destinations, with the following restrictions:

• This is valid for bookings made between June 3 and June 6, 2026
• This is valid for travel between September 1 and November 15, 2026
• This is valid specifically for redemptions in economy, and not for travel in first class, business class, or premium economy
• You can receive discounts as long as you’re traveling to one of the eligible destinations and are originating in the United States; while discounts aren’t 100% consistent, they are generally valid for travel on all partner airlines when there’s saver level award availability
• These awards have the same change and cancelation policies as all other Atmos Rewards awards, so they’re refundable at no cost, minus the partner award booking fee (which it’s even possible to get waived)

The theme for this Global Getaways promotion is “iconic cities,” and it includes destinations across the globe. With this sale, you can save on one-way redemptions to the following destinations (these savings are up to 50%, but not always that high):

• Bangkok, Thailand (BKK): now starting at 20,000 points
• Helsinki, Finland (HEL): now starting at 15,000 points
• Mexico City, Mexico (MEX): now starting at 7,500 points
• Papeete, Tahiti (PPT): now starting at 20,000 points
• Paris, France (CDG): now starting at 20,000 points
• Taipei, Taiwan (TPE): now starting at 30,000 points

That’s a cool list, but I’m not really sure I’d consider Papeete to be an iconic city, lovely of a destination as French Polynesia is. 😉

My take on Alaska’s Global Getaways promotion

I very much appreciate Alaska Atmos Rewards’ creativity with this promotion, as nowadays it’s pretty rare to see programs offer award sales that are also valid for travel on partner airlines. Now, admittedly I wish there weren’t quite as many restrictions in terms of the booking window, travel period, the class of service limitations, and the one-way discount, but still, there will be value here for some, and it’s better than nothing.

If you’re simply looking for the lowest cost award, some of these award prices are very tough to beat. For example, getting from the United States to Europe for 15,000 points in economy without paying high carrier imposed surcharges is quite a value. Keep in mind that with Atmos Rewards, award flights even earn status points, so could help you qualify for status.

I do hope that over time we see some first and business class award sale as well (it’s probably not happening, but we can dream, right?). Many of us have historically loved the program for the value it offers for premium cabin travel, so this promotion doesn’t help us much with that.

This is basically Alaska’s version of Air France-KLM Flying Blue Promo Rewards or Singapore KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes, except it applies for travel on partner airlines (rather than just for travel on the program’s airline), and is exclusive to economy (while the other promotions are mixed).

Bottom line

Alaska Atmos Rewards has launched its latest Global Getaways promotion, which is a monthly redemption deal offering up to a 50% discount on awards. This time around, you can save points on economy redemptions to select destinations. You need to book by June 6, 2026, and can travel between September 1 and November 15, 2026. While this won’t be useful for everyone, I imagine some people will get value from this.

What do you make of Alaska’s Global Getaways promotion?

Promotion on purchased Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points

Between June 4 and July 7, 2026, the Virgin Atlantic Flying Club program is offering a bonus on purchased points. The program is offering a tiered bonus of up to 70%, as follows:

• Buy 5,000-39,000 points, get a 20% bonus
• Buy 40,000-79,000 points, get a 40% bonus
• Buy 80,000-124,000 points, get a 60% bonus
• Buy 125,000-300,000 points, get a 70% bonus

The 70% bonus is in line with the best offers we see from the program.

How much does it cost to buy Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points?

The cost to purchase Virgin Atlantic points varies based on where your account is registered:

• If your account is registered in the United States, you’ll pay $25 per 1,000 points, pre-tax before any discounts or bonuses
• If your account is registered in the United Kingdom, you’ll pay £15 per 1,000 points, pre-tax before any discounts or bonuses
• On top of that, there’s a transaction fee of £15 or $22

The pricing is much better for those with accounts registered in the UK rather than the US. Assuming you’re eligible for a 70% bonus:

• Those with accounts in the US can purchase 340,000 Flying Club points for $5,022, which is a rate of $0.0148 per Flying Club point
• Those with accounts in the UK can purchase 340,000 Flying Club points for £3,015, which is a rate of £0.0089 per Flying Club point ($0.012)

It’s interesting how much Virgin Atlantic penalizes those in the United States when it comes to buying points. Then again, when it comes to overall points earning opportunities, we can’t really complain in the United States, given the amazing credit card offers we have.

We only see a bonus on Flying Club points a few times per year, and when we do, the offers are typically in the range of 60-70% (with 70% being most common).

How many Flying Club points can you purchase?

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club ordinarily lets members purchase up to 200,000 points per account per calendar year, before any bonuses.

Which credit card should you buy Flying Club points with?

Flying Club points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending. Therefore I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach minimum spending, or otherwise, a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending.

Best cards for non-bonused spending:

• Citi Double Cash® Card
• Chase Freedom Unlimited®
• The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Citi Double Cash® Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• Earn 1% cash back when you make a purchase, earn 1% cash back when you pay for that purchase
• $0

Chase Freedom Unlimited®

Learn More

• Earn 3% Cash Back on Dining
• Earn 3% Cash Back at Drugstores
• Earn 1.5% Cash Back On All Other Purchases
• $0

The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 2x points on purchases up to $50k then 1x
• Access to Amex Offers
• No annual fee

Is buying Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points worth it?

Virgin Atlantic is definitely a frequent flyer program with more niche redemption opportunities. In addition to being able to redeem Flying Club points for travel on Virgin Atlantic, there’s also good value to be had for redemptions on Air New Zealand, All Nippon Airways, and Delta.

Virgin Atlantic recently introduced dynamic award pricing, and for those with flexibility who want the best deal, this was an incredibly positive change. Redemption rates are potentially lower than in the past. For example, there are some transatlantic one-way business class awards that cost under 30,000 points, which is amazing.

Beyond that, Virgin Atlantic has several airline partners, some of which are more lucrative than others. Probably the best use of Flying Club points is for travel in ANA first & business class. You can find the redemption rates below.

Paying 52,500-60,000 Flying Club points for a one-way business class ticket between the United States and Japan is a phenomenal value to start with.

All Nippon Airways’ new first & business class are amazing products as well. The major catch is that availability can be really tough to come by.

How much are Flying Club points worth?

Everyone will value points currencies differently, but personally I value Flying Club points at ~1.1 cents each. However, I tend to value points pretty conservatively, and there are many ways to get way more value from Flying Club points than that.

Do Flying Club points expire?

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points don’t expire. There’s no requirement to even have any account activity, as the points will never expire regardless.

What other ways can you earn Flying Club points?

While buying Virgin Atlantic points could represent a great deal, keep in mind that there are lots of other ways to earn Flying Club points. Most significantly, Virgin Atlantic is partners with major transferable points currencies, including American Express Membership Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou. There are several ways to earn these points aside from outright buying them.

Bottom line

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is offering members a 70% bonus on purchased points, which is an opportunity to buy the points for 1.20-1.48 cents each (in USD), depending on where your account is registered.

There are plenty of circumstances where this could be a great deal. The only major consideration is that there are lots of other ways to earn Virgin Atlantic points with transferable points currencies, so some may prefer to earn rewards that way. With a specific use in mind, there could definitely be huge value in buying Flying Club points.

Do you plan on buying Virgin Atlantic Flying Club points with a bonus?

Atmos Rewards has just launched its newest offer on purchased points. While not quite in line with the best offers we’ve seen from the program, it still has the potential to be a great deal, assuming you know what you’re doing, and have a short term use in mind.

Promotion on purchased Alaska Atmos Rewards points

Between June 3 and July 5, 2026, the Alaska Atmos Rewards program is offering a bonus on purchased points. Different members may be eligible for different offers. The version of the promotion I see on my account is for a bonus of up to 90%, structured as follows:

• Buy 3,000-9,000 points, get an 70% bonus
• Buy 10,000-19,000 points, get a 80% bonus
• Buy 20,000-100,000 points, get a 90% bonus

Of course you’ll want to check your account to see what you’re eligible for, as it’s possible that some people may be targeted for better (or worse) offers.

How much does it cost to buy Alaska Atmos Rewards points?

Ordinarily you can buy Alaska Atmos Rewards points for 3.5 cents each pre-tax, before any discounts or bonuses (the cost used to be 2.75 cents per point). If you were eligible for the 90% bonus and purchased 100,000 Atmos Rewards points pre-bonus, you’d receive a total of 190,000 Atmos Rewards points at a cost of $3,762.50, which is a rate of 1.98 cents per Atmos Rewards point.

How many Atmos Rewards points can you purchase?

The number of Atmos Rewards points you can buy depends on your status:

• Alaska Atmos Rewards elite members can purchase an unlimited number of points
• Alaska Atmos Rewards non-elite members can purchase up to 150,000 points per calendar year; that limit doesn’t include the bonus points

Note that in all cases you’re limited to purchasing 100,000 Atmos Rewards points per transaction (pre-bonus), though you can always make multiple transactions. Furthermore, you can only purchase points if you’ve been a member of Atmos Rewards for at least 10 days.

Which credit card should you buy Atmos Rewards points with?

Alaska Atmos Rewards points purchases are processed by points.com, meaning they don’t count as an airfare purchase for the purposes of credit card spending.

Therefore I’d recommend using a card on which you’re trying to reach a minimum spending requirement, or otherwise, a credit card that maximizes your return on everyday spending. See this post for more on which credit cards are best for buying points.

Is buying Alaska Atmos Rewards points worth it?

There’s lots of merit to collecting Alaska Atmos Rewards points:

• Alaska Atmos Rewards has attractive award redemption rates, especially when you’re traveling shorter distances; there’s not a better value program for short haul premium cabin awards
• Alaska Atmos Rewards has a unique array of airline partners — the airline belongs to the oneworld alliance, so has lots of partners within the alliance, but also has several non-oneworld partners, ranging from Condor to Icelandair
• Alaska Atmos Rewards allows stopovers on award tickets, which most programs don’t allow nowadays; this can stretch your points a lot further
• Points are sold at a reasonable price and can be bought in large quantities, making this a great program for “starting from scratch” and saving money on a premium international ticket
• When you redeem Atmos Rewards points, those flights count toward elite status in the program, and you earn one status point per mile flown; this is a major incentive to be loyal to the program, even if you’re ordinarily an American flyer

So yes, I think there are many situations where there’s huge value in buying Atmos Rewards points, especially if you find premium cabin award space on airlines like Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, Qantas, etc.

On what airlines can you redeem Alaska Atmos Rewards points?

Currently it’s possible to redeem Alaska Atmos Rewards points on the following partner airlines:

• Aer Lingus
• Air Tahiti Nui
• American Airlines
• British Airways
• Cathay Pacific
• Condor
• EL AL
• Fiji Airways
• Finnair
• Hainan Airlines
• Hawaiian Airlines
• Iberia
• Icelandair
• Japan Airlines
• Korean Air
• Malaysia Airlines
• Oman Air
• Porter Airlines
• Qantas
• Qatar Airways
• Royal Air Maroc
• Royal Jordanian
• SriLankan Airlines
• Starlux Airlines

What are good uses of Alaska Atmos Rewards points?

See my guide with the best uses of Alaska Atmos Rewards points. As you can see, there’s lots of value to be had for partner redemptions, especially on shorter trips. In many ways, Atmos Rewards is a competitor to things like British Airways’ program, which have lucrative distance based pricing.

While hardly the most aspirational redemption on earth, let me point out that I redeem a vast majority of my Atmos Rewardds points for travel on American. The redemptions are simply such a good value for short and medium haul awards, and I consistently find award availability. Quite frankly, this is how I book a majority of my travel on American.

However, I should note that as of recently, American seems to be pulling all saver award space from partner programs within six days of departure, which is worth keeping in mind before you consider buying Atmos Rewards points.

Tip: Take advantage of Alaska’s stopover policy

One of my favorite aspects of Alaska Atmos Rewards points is that you’re allowed a stopover on a partner award ticket without paying additional points. Since you’re allowed a stopover even on a one-way, this means you could have two stopovers on a roundtrip award.

Nowadays most airline loyalty programs have eliminated free stopovers on award tickets, so this is something that really sets the program apart. The only exception is that stopovers aren’t allowed if your award is exclusively for travel within Asia.

Are there fuel surcharges on Alaska Atmos Rewards awards?

Many consumers are frustrated by the practice of airlines adding carrier imposed surcharges to award tickets. In the case of Atmos Rewards, most partners don’t have these surcharges. However, there are surcharges for travel on British Airways, Hainan Airlines, and Icelandair, which is something to keep in mind.

How much are Alaska Atmos Rewards points worth?

Everyone will value points currencies differently, but personally I value Alaska Atmos Rewards points at ~1.5 cents each, which is in line with the highest I value any single airline points currency. I tend to value points pretty conservatively, and there are many ways to get more value from Atmos Rewards points than that (as I’ve hopefully demonstrated above).

Do Alaska Atmos Rewards points expire?

Alaska Atmos Rewards points don’t expire as long as you have at least some account activity once every 24 months. Account activity could include earning or redeeming points.

What other ways can you earn Alaska Atmos Rewards points?

There are several ways to earn Alaska Atmos Rewards points, both through flying and non-flying means. The easiest way to earn Alaska points is with one of the co-branded Bank of America credit cards, which include the following:

• The Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite^® Credit Card (review) has a $395 annual fee, and there are so many reasons to get this lucrative card, ranging from the fastest pathway to earning status, to Global Companion Awards, to great bonus categories, and much more
• The Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® credit card (review) has a $95 annual fee, and it offers valuable basic perks for travel on Alaska & Hawaiian, including the ability to earn a $99 companion fare
• The Atmos™ Rewards Visa Signature® Business Card (review) has a minimum of a $95 annual fee ($70 for the company and $25 per user), and offers useful benefits for travel on Alaska & Hawaiian

On top of that, of the major transferable points currencies, Alaska Atmos Rewards partners with Bilt Rewards. That means that points earned with Bilt’s credit cards can be transferred to Alaska Atmos Rewards, which is quite useful. This includes the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card (review), $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card (review), and $495 Bilt Palladium Card (review) (Rates & Fees).

Bottom line

Alaska Atmos Rewards is one of the most lucrative loyalty programs to buy points from, thanks to the excellent redemption rates, stopovers on one-way awards, and variety of partners.

Atmos Rewards is offering a bonus on purchased points, and it appears that the standard offer is for a bonus of up to 90%, which is an opportunity to buy points for 1.98 cents each. There’s lots of value to be had with this offer if you’re being strategic, including for travel on American within the United States. Everyone should crunch the numbers for themselves, and I’d only make a purchase with a specific use in mind.

Do you plan on purchasing Alaska Atmos Rewards points with this promotion?

I think there’s a lot of merit to picking up this card, even if the welcome offer isn’t going to get anyone excited. Let’s take a look, and also briefly recap The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card, which is essentially the cash back version of the card.

Link: Learn more about The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express

What is the current Amex Blue Business Plus welcome offer?

The Amex Blue Business Plus Card currently has a welcome offer of 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points after spending $3,000 within the first three months of card membership. Personally, I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, meaning that to me, the 15,000 points are worth $255.

I’m not here to deceive anyone, so let me state the obvious — in an era where six-figure welcome offers are the norm, that’s not terribly exciting. If you want a welcome offer to get excited about, take a look at the offer on the American Express® Business Gold Card or the offer on the The Business Platinum Card® from American Express, which could earn you a boatload of points.

However, as I’ll explain below, the reason you get the card isn’t because of the welcome offer, but because of the long term value that it offers. Let me also mention that we haven’t seen any materially better, publicly available welcome offers on this card in quite some time, so unless you’re targeted for some special offer, this is about as exciting as it gets.

There are lots of great uses for Amex points, as they can be transferred to all kinds of useful airline and hotel partners.

Who is eligible for the Amex Business Plus welcome offer?

In line with Amex’s “once in a lifetime” rule, the welcome offer on the Amex Blue Business Plus Card isn’t available to those who currently have the card, or those who have had the card (or previous versions of the card) in the past. On top of that, Amex’s general card restrictions apply.

There are a few additional things to note:

• You are eligible for the welcome offer on this card if you’ve had any other Amex card, so you can apply for this card even if you have another Amex business card
• Amex typically has a limit of letting someone have at most five Amex credit cards (including personal and business cards), and this card does count toward that limit, unlike some other Amex business cards
• If you’re worried about the Chase 5/24 limit, getting approved for the Amex Blue Business Plus shouldn’t count as a further card toward that limit
• Amex does sometimes have application pop-ups indicating that you may not be eligible for a welcome offer even though you meet the published requirements otherwise, and in those cases there’s not much you can do

Anecdotally, I find Amex business cards to generally be among the easiest to get approved for. I also want to emphasize that Amex business cards not counting toward the 5/24 limit really makes the opportunity cost of picking up this card pretty low, for those of us into maximizing our rewards.

Why the Amex Business Plus Card is a no-brainer

The first thing to love about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card is that it has no annual fee (Rates & Fees)… you can’t beat that!

But really what makes this card unrivaled within the Amex ecosystem is its return on spending, up to a certain limit. Specifically, the Amex Blue Business Plus offers 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year, and then 1x points. It’s that straightforward. So $50,000 in spending per year would earn you 100,000 Membership Rewards points.

This is the only no annual fee credit card on the market that earns 2x transferable points that can be moved to the full list of airline and hotel partners at the “premium” ratio. There’s literally not another card like that.

Speaking of the ability to move points to partners, I think that gets at the other thing that’s awesome about the Amex Blue Business Plus Card — in the event that you want to close other Amex cards (with annual fees) that accrue Membership Rewards points, this is a great card to have, so that you can maintain your points balance, given the ability to pool points.

So I view this as a very low risk card to apply for, especially with it not counting toward Chase’s 5/24 limit. The only reason I wouldn’t get this card is if I’m otherwise at the Amex five credit card limit.

Read a full review of the Amex Blue Business Plus Card here.

The Amex Blue Business Cash is the cash back equivalent

In the Blue Business portfolio, the Amex Blue Business Plus Card is the standout card for me. However, I should also mention the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, which is essentially the cash back equivalent:

• The card has a welcome offer of $250 cash back after spending $3,000 within the first three months; this card is considered independently from the Blue Business Plus in terms of eligibility and earning the welcome offer
• The card offers 2% cash back on the first $50,000 spent every calendar year, and then 1% cash back after that
• The card also has no annual fee (Rates & Fees), so there’s limited downside to holding onto it

Personally, I get more excited by the Amex Blue Business Plus Card than the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, simply because I value Amex points at well over one cent each. That’s why I’d rather earn 2x points rather than 2% cash back. Admittedly not everyone will feel the same, especially those who don’t actually want to put the effort into maximizing points.

Read a full review of the Amex Blue Business Cash Card here.

Amex Blue Business Card welcome offer FAQs

Bottom line

The Amex Blue Business Plus Card is a product that often flies under the radar. Yes, the welcome offer is for only 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points. However, getting a no annual fee card that earns 2x transferable points (on the first $50,000 spent annually, then 1x points) that can be moved directly to airline and hotel partners at the most favorable ratio is something you won’t find on any other card. That’s why this card is in my wallet.

Meanwhile if you’re looking for the cash back equivalent, it’s at least worth mentioning the Amex Blue Business Cash Card, which has a welcome offer of $250 cash back. That no annual fee card earns 2% cash back (on the first $50,000 spent annually, then 1% cash back), also with no annual fee.

Admittedly these products don’t have the most exciting welcome offers, but I tend to think there’s limited downside to picking up these cards, and in particular, the Blue Business Plus is a great alternative to some other cards earning Membership Rewards points.

Anyone else love the Amex Blue Business Plus Card, and think it’s an underrated option in the Amex portfolio?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Rates & Fees).

Along those lines, GHA Discovery is currently offering a lucrative paid status match promotion in partnership with statusmatch.com, which may interest some people. I’d like to go over the details, and also share my experience, as I just took advantage of this myself.

Basics of the GHA Discovery status match promotion

GHA Discovery is offering a status match to either Titanium or Platinum status. This is an outright match, and status is valid through December 31, 2027 (so there’s no status challenge element to this). This offer is valid for applications through September 1, 2026, though that remains subject to change, and the offer could be pulled earlier, depending on interest.

Matching to GHA Discovery Titanium comes with a fee of $150, but offers a reward of D$75, while matching to GHA Discovery Platinum comes with a fee of $100, but offers a reward of D$50.

For those not familiar, the “D$” refers to Discovery Dollars, and the idea is that each D$ gets you a dollar off an eligible hotel stay. In other words, this match will really only cost you $50-75, assuming you are able to use the D$.

If you go to the application page and click on the FAQs, you can see a matrix that shows how status maps over between programs. GHA Discovery is matching status with airlines, hotels, and cruise lines, and generally upper tier status earns Titanium, while lower tier status earns Platinum. Certain credit cards are also being matched.

A GHA Discovery status match could be a good value

I slept on the GHA Discovery program for far too long. I don’t want to say it’s the world’s most exciting loyalty program, but a few things stand out to me:

• It’s really cool to see the huge number of otherwise independent brands that participate in GHA Discovery, ranging from Capella, to Corinthia, to Kempinski; best of all, you can even still earn and redeem rewards and take advantage of elite perks when booking through a program like Virtuoso
• I appreciate the program’s flexibility, as you can redeem D$ toward only part of the cost of a stay, so you don’t have to be a super loyal guest to get value from the program
• The elite perks with GHA Discovery are actually solid, like Titanium members receiving a double upgrade subject to availability

My GHA Discovery status match experience

I decided to submit a GHA Discovery status match request. I appreciate how there’s no challenge requirement to it, how it’s valid for well over a year, and also how many brands are included. For example, I love Capella properties, and plan to stay at more of those while this status is valid, so hopefully that comes in handy.

How did my status match application go? It was super painless, and took maybe one minute. When you go to the page to request a match, you’ll first be asked to enter your first and last name, your email address, and whether you’re trying to match airline status, hotel status, or a credit card.

On the next page, you’ll be asked to enter specifically which program you’re trying to match, what status you have, and what your membership number is.

On the next page, you have to upload proof of your status. This can either come in the form of taking a picture of a physical card, or otherwise taking a photo of your computer screen or tablet, while logged into your account. You can’t edit or crop the screen image.

Next, you’ll be asked to review the application, and pay the fee.

You then receive confirmation of the successful request, noting that it can take two business days for status to be upgraded, and that it can take 10 business days for the bonus D$ to post.

A little under 24 hours after submitting my application, I received an email indicating that my status match was approved, and it included a link to activate my new status.

That link asked me to log into my GHA Discovery account, and then I could immediately confirm that I wanted my status upgraded.

Sure enough, after clicking that button, my status was instantly upgraded.

Now I’m just waiting for the D$ to post, as that may still take a while.

Bottom line

GHA Discovery is offering an easy paid status match promotion for Titanium and Platinum status, with status valid through the end of 2027. While the program has a $100-150 application fee, you receive D$50-D$75, so that helps offset that cost.

If you have any number of GHA stays planned over the next 18+ months, this could seriously be worth considering. It’s an offer I just took advantage of, as I see value here.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this GHA Discovery status match?

Amex offering 25% Flying Blue transfer bonus

Between June 2 and June 30, 2026, you can receive a 25% bonus when you transfer Amex Membership Rewards points to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.

This promotion is being offered on Amex’s end (in the United States), and is hard coded into the transfer ratio, meaning you should see the bonus at the time that you make the transfer. You can take advantage of this offer an unlimited number of times, though you’re limited to transferring 999,999 points per transaction (not that this is a limit that will impact many people).

There are lots of fantastic cards for earning Amex Membership Rewards points, so this is an awesome opportunity. Transfers from Amex to Flying Blue are generally instant. We typically see a transfer bonus from Amex to Flying Blue once or twice per year, and 25% is as good as bonuses get.

Should you transfer Amex points to Flying Blue?

Air France-KLM Flying Blue is a valuable SkyTeam frequent flyer program. The program has attractive award pricing on Air France and KLM, offering many of the best ways to cross the Atlantic. Admittedly saver award availability can be tough to come by, though if you have Flying Blue Platinum status, you get access to more award space, which is an awesome perk.

On top of that, Air France and KLM make more award seats available to members of the Flying Blue program than to members of partner programs. So even when Flying Blue’s pricing isn’t the best, there are situations where it could make sense to book through Flying Blue (though with all of the Delta SkyMiles devaluations we’ve seen, typically you will find the best pricing through Flying Blue).

There’s always value in having a stash of Flying Blue miles if you think you’ll be traveling transatlantic in the coming months. I redeem through Flying Blue every year (usually multiple times per year), and consistently get value. I find it to be one of the most useful frequent flyer programs for redeeming points.

The only other consideration here is that all major transferable points currencies partner with Air France-KLM Flying Blue, and we see transfer bonuses with some frequency. So I’d be strategic with which program you transfer points from, especially based on how you’d otherwise redeem them.

Bottom line

Amex Membership Rewards is offering a 25% bonus on points transfers to Air France-KLM Flying Blue.

I’m always conflicted when it comes to transferring points during bonuses like this. On the one hand, a lot of the value from transferable points comes from the flexibility you have of being able to transfer them to any program once you actually have a specific redemption in mind. That’s the best way to protect yourself from devaluations.

At the same time, you’re going to get the most value if you can transfer points while there’s also a bonus, since your points can be stretched a lot further. Personally, as someone who flies Air France all the time, I’ll be making a large speculative transfer, since my mileage balance is low.

Do you plan on transferring Amex points to Flying Blue with a 25% bonus?

Spend $500+ with Mandarin Oriental, save $100

There’s a targeted Amex Offers deal that can save you $100 when you spend $500+ at select Mandarin Oriental properties. This offer is valid for eligible room rates and room charges, and it’s the equivalent of being able to save up to 20% on a Mandarin Oriental stay (in the right increments).

Do be aware of the following terms:

• Valid for eligible purchases between June 1 and September 30, 2026
• Valid for select Mandarin Oriental properties in the United States, Europe, and Asia, and you can find the full list of participating properties here
• The $500+ purchase must be in a single transaction for room rate and room charges
• It says that you need to book through mandarinoriental.com to take advantage of this
• This is not valid on gift card and e-gift card purchases
• Excludes Residences, third party bookings, and any service or amenity not charged to a room

The types of bookings that should qualify

While you have to book direct, a Virtuoso booking or Mandarin Oriental Fan Club booking should qualify, since those stays are billed directly by the hotel (these programs offer extra perks like breakfast, room upgrades, a hotel credit, and more).

Amex Fine Hotels + Resorts® bookings are also likely to qualify, unless you do the pre-paid option to earn 5x points and to use the $300 hotel credit (because in that case the purchase would be billed by Amex rather than the hotel).

Bottom line

There’s a new Amex Offers deal that can save you $100 when you spend $500+ on a Mandarin Oriental stay at select properties in the United States, Europe, or Asia. This is a good deal if you are considering a Mandarin Oriental stay in the coming months. You should still be able to book through Mandarin Oriental Fan Club or a similar program, so you can score extra perks while taking advantage of this offer.

Was your account targeted for this Mandarin Oriental Amex Offers deal, and do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Spend $1,250+ with ITA Airways, save $225

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn a $225 statement credit when you spend $1,250 or more with ITA Airways by July 31, 2026.

There are some terms to be aware of:

• The flight needs to be booked directly through the ITA Airways website or app
• The flight needs to originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book by July 31, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• The offer is not valid for purchases by phone, at terminals, lounges, or onboard flights

It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for 22,500 bonus Membership Rewards points if spending $1,250+. If so, I’d definitely prefer that offer, since I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, so those points would be worth $382.50 to me.

Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum

This offer is targeted, though it’s possible you’ll see it on multiple of your Amex cards. If so, I’d highly recommend registering your Amex Platinum Card for this offer. That’s because the Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines.

I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those points alone are worth an incremental 8.5% return. On top of that, the Amex Platinum offers valuable travel protection, should you experience irregular operations.

In other words, if you took advantage of this offer with the Amex Platinum Card for a $1,250 ticket, you’d receive a total of 6,250 points, plus you’d get a $225 statement credit. By my valuation, that’s a return of $331.25 on $1,250 of spending with ITA Airways, which is excellent.

Bottom line

There’s currently a targeted Amex Offers deal that can save you money on an ITA Airways trip. Specifically, you can save $225 when spending $1,250+ directly with ITA Airways. If you’re planning travel on the Italian flag carrier in the near future, this has the potential to be a great deal.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Spend $2,000+ with Virgin Atlantic, save $200

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn a $200 statement credit when you spend $2,000 or more with Virgin Atlantic by July 31, 2026.

There are some terms to be aware of:

• The flight needs to be booked directly through the Virgin Atlantic website
• The flight needs to originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book by July 31, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• The offer is not valid for purchases by phone, at terminals, lounges, or onboard flights

It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points if spending $2,000+. If so, I’d definitely prefer that offer, since I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each, so those points would be worth $340 to me.

While I can’t guarantee it, I suspect that carrier imposed surcharges on award tickets will likely trigger this offer, given that they should be processed the same as any other airfare purchase.

Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum

This offer is targeted, though it’s possible you’ll see it on multiple of your Amex cards. If so, I’d highly recommend registering your Amex Platinum Card for this offer. That’s because the Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines.

I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those points alone are worth an incremental 8.5% return. On top of that, the Amex Platinum offers valuable travel protection, should you experience irregular operations.

In other words, if you took advantage of this offer with the Amex Platinum for $2,000 in spending, you’d receive a total of 10,000 points, plus you’d get a $200 statement credit. By my valuation, that’s a return of $370 on $2,000 of spending with Virgin Atlantic, which is very good.

Bottom line

There’s currently a targeted Amex Offers deal that can save you money on a Virgin Atlantic trip. Specifically, you can save $200 when spending $2,000+ directly with Virgin Atlantic. If you’re planning travel on Virgin Atlantic in the near future, this has the potential to be a great deal.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Wyndham Rewards has just launched its newest global promotion, valid for stays over the next few months. This has the potential to be pretty lucrative, so let’s go over the details.

Wyndham Rewards summer 2026 bonus points offer

With Wyndham Rewards’ new promotion, members can earn up to 15,000 bonus points for upcoming stays. The number of bonus points that you earn varies based on how long you’re staying:

• A stay of two consecutive nights earns 7,500 bonus points
• A stay of three consecutive nights earns 12,500 bonus points
• A stay of four or more consecutive nights earns 15,000 bonus points

Here are the basic terms to be aware of for Wyndham’s promotion:

• This is valid for stays between June 2 and September 30, 2026
• You must register prior to booking an eligible stay, and eligible stays must be booked between June 2 and September 3, 2026
• Stays must be booked directly through Wyndham, either through the website or mobile app
• You can earn a total of up to 15,000 bonus points with this offer, which you’d unlock after either one or two stays
• Stays in China (including Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan) don’t count toward this promotion
• Bonus points will post within two to four weeks of a qualifying stay

For context, Wyndham Rewards ordinarily offers 10x points per dollar spent, and that doesn’t factor in any elite bonuses or credit card bonuses. So with this offer, you could earn an incremental 3,750 bonus points per night if you maximized this offer, which you’d unlock after one stay of four nights, or two stays of two nights each.

The value of redeeming Wyndham Rewards points

When it comes time to redeem Wyndham Rewards points, there are three tiers of hotels:

• About a third of properties cost 7,500 points per night
• A majority of properties cost 15,000 points per night
• A few hundred properties cost 30,000 points per night

As you can see, you can maximize this offer by staying four nights, in which case you’d earn a total of 15,000 points, or 3,750 bonus points per night. Personally, I value Wyndham Rewards points at 0.7 cents each, so to me this promotion offers an incremental return of ~$26 per night if you stay exactly four eligible nights.

If you’re looking to earn more Wyndham points:

• Barclays recently refreshed its portfolio of Wyndham cards, which offer improved points earning opportunities and status
• Wyndham Rewards often sells points with a bonus, which could be an opportunity to acquire them at a cost that makes sense

Bottom line

Wyndham Rewards has just launched its summer 2026 promotion. With this offer, you can earn up to 15,000 bonus points, and the exact number of bonus points you earn varies based on whether you’re staying two, three, or four, consecutive nights.

This has the potential to be a great deal, especially when you consider how reasonably priced many Wyndham properties are.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this Wyndham promotion?

Several weeks ago, we saw a massive, best-ever welcome bonus rolled out on this card, making it the ideal time to apply. While we still don’t have an end date for the promotion, Chase has just provided a warning that this offer will be ending soon, so if you’re interested, I’d recommend applying ASAP, as the clock is ticking.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card

Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus offers 150K points, up from 125K

The Chase Sapphire Reserve currently has a huge welcome bonus, where you can earn 150,000 Ultimate Rewards bonus points after spending $6,000 on purchases within the first three months. Personally, I value Ultimate Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me, the points are worth a staggering $2,550, which is fantastic, especially with such a reasonable spending requirement.

For context, prior to this, the card had a welcome bonus of 125,000 Ultimate Rewards points with the same spending requirement, so this offer is significantly richer. For that matter, this is the best publicly available welcome bonus we’ve ever seen on this card, period.

Are you eligible for the Chase Sapphire Reserve bonus?

When it comes to eligibility for the Chase Sapphire Reserve, here’s the official language in the application:

This credit card is unavailable to you if you currently have one open. The new cardmember bonus may not be available to you if you previously held this card or received a new cardmember bonus for this card. We may also consider the number of cards you have opened and closed in determining your bonus eligibility.

As you can tell, the terms here aren’t that explicit. However, you’re definitely not eligible for the bonus if you currently have this exact card, and you also may not be eligible for the bonus if you previously held this card, regardless of whether or not you received the bonus. Then there’s also the vague language about how other factors may be used in determining your eligibility for the card.

Furthermore, eligibility for the card (including the bonus) is unrelated to whether or not you have or have had the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review). Note that these restrictions are based on whether you’re the primary cardmember on one of these cards — if you’re currently an authorized user (or have been one in the past), you’d be eligible.

Also keep in mind the general rules of applying for Chase cards, including the 5/24 rule (though there are increasingly reports of people being approved in spite of being over the 5/24 limit).

Nowadays Chase will typically let you know during the application process if you’re eligible for the bonus on a card, before there’s a hard pull, so that’s good news if you want to try to apply and see if you qualify.

Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth it, and why?

The $795 annual fee Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular premium credit cards, thanks to its great rewards structure and benefits. The card has the following perks, among other things:

• The Sapphire Reserve has a $300 annual travel credit, that can automatically be applied to any purchase coded as travel; this should basically be worth face value to anyone who has the card
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a Priority Pass™ Select membership, as well as access to Chase Sapphire Lounges (which are some of the best credit card lounges you’ll find anywhere), and access to select Air Canada Lounges
• The Sapphire Reserve offers other valuable credits, including up to $500 in annual hotel credits, up to $300 in annual dining credits, up to $300 in annual Stubhub and viagogo credits, and much more
• The Sapphire Reserve has an amazing rewards structure — earn 8x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct, 3x points on dining, and 1x points on all other purchases
• The Sapphire Reserve has great travel protection, including for delayed flights, lost bags, rental cars, and more
• The Sapphire Reserve acts as a good “hub” card for Chase Ultimate Rewards, and lets you maximize the other cards in the portfolio, including the ability to transfer points to Chase travel partners
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a Global Entry, TSA PreCheck, or NEXUS credit, once every four years
• The Sapphire Reserve offers a good incentive for spending, because if you spend $75,000 per year on the card, you receive IHG One Rewards Diamond status, Southwest Rapid Rewards A-List status, a $500 Southwest credit, a $250 Shops at Chase credit, and more

Read a full review of the Chase Sapphire Reserve here.

Chase Sapphire Reserve welcome bonus FAQs

Bottom line

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is currently offering a best-ever welcome bonus of 150,000 Ultimate Rewards points upon completing minimum spending, which is the best publicly available bonus we’ve ever seen on the card. The offer will be ending soon, so if you’re interested, you’ll want to apply ASAP.

This is a great premium card that offers lots of perks, so if you spend a lot on dining and travel, value lounge access, and like Chase’s points redemption opportunities, definitely consider this card, as it’s quite easy to justify. Either way, if you don’t yet have the card and are eligible, there’s absolutely no reason not to take advantage of this incredible bonus.

Do you plan on picking up the Chase Sapphire Reserve with 150K bonus points?

Transfer hotel points to United MileagePlus with 25% bonus

For the month of June, United MileagePlus is offering a 25% bonus when you convert hotel points into airline miles. The bonus applies for transfers made between June 1 and June 30, 2026, and you receive a flat 25% bonus, with limited restrictions (noted below).

You can earn up to 25,000 bonus MileagePlus miles through this promotion. Registration is required prior to making a transfer, and you can earn bonus miles for any combination of MileagePlus hotel partner transfers, so it’s not just that a single transfer qualifies.

Bonus miles through this promotion should post by January 31, 2027. That strikes me as an absolutely absurd timeframe for miles posting, so hopefully they post much faster than that. I almost wonder if that might be a typo in the terms & conditions.

Eligible hotel partners for this promotion include the following:

• Accor Live Limitless
• Choice Privileges
• IHG One Rewards
• Marriott Bonvoy
• Radisson Rewards
• Shangri-La Circle
• World of Hyatt
• Wyndham Rewards

Should you transfer hotel points to United?

Let me start by saying that generally speaking, converting any of the above points currencies into airline miles isn’t a good deal, with the exception of Marriott Bonvoy. So let’s crunch some numbers.

Marriott points ordinarily convert into airline miles at a 3:1 ratio. Thanks to a a special partnership between Marriott and United, you receive 10,000 bonus miles for every 60,000 points transferred, meaning that transferring 120,000 Bonvoy points ordinarily earns you 60,000 MileagePlus miles.

With this offer, you’d receive a 25% bonus, though that bonus is only on the base amount, and not on the 10,000 bonus miles per 60,000 points transferred. That means transferring 120,000 Bonvoy points would earn you 70,000 MileagePlus miles.

So you’re potentially looking at earning 0.58 United miles per Marriott point, which is… not great, but also not terrible. I still wouldn’t proactively transfer points, though.

United miles are fairly easy to earn thanks to United’s partnership with Chase Ultimate Rewards, which allows you to earn United miles with lots of credit cards. Furthermore, there are other ways to efficiently redeem on Star Alliance, including through Air Canada Aeroplan and Avianca Lifemiles. Meanwhile it’s a lot harder to efficiently earn Marriott points.

Bottom line

United MileagePlus is offering a 25% bonus when you convert hotel points into miles, and you can earn a maximum of 25,000 MileagePlus bonus miles with this promotion.

The catch is that there are few circumstances where it’s efficient to convert hotel points into United miles. The only potentially good deal is Marriott Bonvoy, given the preferred partnership between the two brands. However, even that doesn’t provide outsized value, in my opinion.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of United MileagePlus’ 25% bonus on hotel points transfers?

Transfer Citi points to Privilege Club with 30% bonus

Between June 1 and June 30, 2026, Qatar Airways is offering a 30% bonus when you convert select bank points to Privilege Club Avios. That same bonus percentage applies no matter how many points you transfer.

Of the partners, Citi ThankYou is the only major program in the United States that’s eligible for this offer. This bonus is being offered on Qatar Airways’ end, meaning you won’t see the bonus reflected directly with partners when you go to make the transfer. Bonus Avios will post to eligible Privilege Club accounts by July 31, 2026, though hopefully earlier than that (so don’t expect that the bonus will post instantly).

For what it’s worth, we’ve seen transfer bonuses like this several times before, typically once or twice per year. When we do see these bonuses on Privilege Club’s end, the offer is typically for a 25-40% bonus.

Is this Qatar Airways transfer bonus worth it?

I’d argue that the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program is pretty lucrative nowadays. For one, keep in mind that Qatar Airways uses Avios as its rewards currency, so it’s possible to transfer Avios at a 1:1 ratio between the various programs that earn Avios. That includes Aer Lingus AerClub, British Airways Club, Finnair Plus, and Iberia Plus.

This means that you could use this offer to indirectly convert Citi ThankYou points into British Airways Avios with a 30% bonus as well. That’s something that will no doubt interest some, especially since Citi ThankYou doesn’t partner with some other Avios currencies.

However, there’s also huge value directly with the Qatar Airways Privilege Club program. Privilege Club has decent award pricing on Qatar Airways flights, and also has access to more business class award availability than partner programs. Privilege Club also has several unique airline partners, ranging from JetBlue, to RwandAir, to Virgin Australia, opening up valuable redemption opportunities.

Bottom line

Qatar Airways Privilege Club is offering a 30% bonus when you transfer Citi ThankYou points. A 30% bonus is pretty significant, so this is an opportunity to get a good deal converting your Citi ThankYou points into Avios with Qatar Airways, British Airways, etc. I’d say there’s definitely merit to making a speculative transfer here.

Do you plan on taking advantage of this Privilege Club transfer bonus?

Spend $1,000+ with Air France-KLM, earn 20K points

With a new targeted Amex Offers deal, you can earn 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend $1,000 or more with Air France-KLM by August 30, 2026. It’s possible that there’s also a version of the offer for a $200 statement credit rather than 20,000 bonus points, though I’d consider the points version of the offer to be the better deal, by far (since I value Amex points at 1.7 cents each).

There are some terms to be aware of:

• The flight needs to be booked directly through the Air France or KLM website or app
• The flight needs to originate in the United States and be charged in USD
• While you need to book travel by August 30, 2026, it’s okay if you travel on subsequent dates
• With Air France, the offer excludes Air France Music, Air France Saphir, Air France Shopping, convention services, baggage drop off, group reservations, La Boutique Air France, parking, Stress Free Flying workshop, flight crew training, Flying Blue Store, KLM Jet Center, and KLM Wanna Gives

For what it’s worth, a couple of years ago I purchased sustainable aviation fuel with Air France in order to earn XP (the metric by which you qualify for status), and that triggered an Amex Offers deal. So at least anecdotally, that seems to work. Furthermore, taxes and carrier imposed surcharges on award tickets also seem to qualify.

Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum

This offer is targeted, though it’s possible you’ll see it on multiple of your Amex cards. If so, I’d highly recommend registering your Amex Platinum Card for this offer. That’s because the Amex Platinum offers 5x points on airfare purchased directly with airlines.

I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so to me those points alone are worth an incremental 8.5% return. On top of that, the Amex Platinum offers valuable travel protection, should you experience irregular operations.

In other words, if you took advantage of this offer with the Amex Platinum for a $1,000 ticket, you’d receive a total of 25,000 points. By my valuation, that’s a return of $425 on $1,000 of spending with Air France-KLM, which is excellent.

Bottom line

There’s a new targeted Amex Offers deal for 20,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend $1,000+ on an Air France-KLM ticket. If you’re planning travel on Air France or KLM, this has the potential to be a solid deal. Ideally you’ll see this offer on the Amex Platinum, so that you can really maximize your points.

Were you targeted for this Amex Offers deal, and if so, do you plan on taking advantage of it?

Amex offering 20% bonus on Marriott points transfers

Between June 1 and June 30, 2026, the Amex Membership Rewards program in the United States is offering a 20% bonus on points transfers to Marriott Bonvoy.

The transfer ratio is usually 1:1, so through this promotion you can transfer points at a 1,000:1,200 ratio. This bonus is hardcoded into the transfer ratio, so you can take advantage of the bonus as often as you’d like. Transfers from Amex to Marriott Bonvoy are generally instant.

For what it’s worth, we typically see transfer bonuses between the programs an average of around twice per year, and they’re usually in the range of 20-35%. So this bonus is at the lower end of that scale, but something is better than nothing.

Should you transfer Amex points to Marriott with a 20% bonus?

While a 20% bonus might sound exciting, not all points currencies are created equal. Personally, I value Bonvoy points at ~0.7 cents each, give or take. There are certainly ways to get outsized value from the points, but that’s my valuation.

By my valuation, you’re still getting under one cent of value per Membership Rewards point, even with this transfer bonus. That’s quite a ways from my valuation of Membership Rewards points, which is 1.7 cents per point.

Other people will likely have wildly different valuations of Marriott points than I do, and if that’s the case, this bonus could be worth it. That’s especially true when you consider there’s no great way to earn Marriott points through everyday credit card spending anymore. I tend to value points conservatively, and of course there are always ways to get outsized value with the right redemption in mind.

Bottom line

Amex Membership Rewards is offering a 20% bonus when you transfer points to Marriott Bonvoy. In general, I think transfer bonuses are the way to maximize the value you can get from transferable points. However, that’s usually only true for currencies where even transferring points at a 1:1 ratio could make sense.

In the case of Amex Membership Rewards and Marriott Bonvoy, I find that you lose more than half of the value of your points by making a transfer under normal circumstances. Even with a 20% bonus, I wouldn’t consider this to be much of a deal at all.

Of course, some people may have specific situations where this could make sense, and in that case, it could be worth at least topping off an account.

Does anyone plan on taking advantage of this Amex transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy?

There are quite a few destinations bookable with this promotion, including several in the Americas. Unfortunately premium cabin options to North America are pretty limited, though.

What are Flying Blue Promo Rewards?

I’m a big fan of the Air France-KLM Flying Blue program, especially for long haul premium cabin redemptions. Not only does Flying Blue largely have attractive award pricing for business class travel, but the program also has access to more Air France and KLM award space than other programs.

The Promo Rewards offer is published every month by the Flying Blue program, and offers 25% discounts off select awards for travel on Air France and KLM. The Flying Blue program has dynamic award pricing, and this promotion specifically applies for the lowest, saver level award costs.

New Flying Blue Promo Rewards now live

Flying Blue has published its June 2026 Promo Rewards, valid for bookings between June 1 and June 30, 2026. Most of these Promo Rewards have long travel windows, and can be used for flights all the way through November 30, 2026.

As a reminder, Flying Blue has standardized saver award pricing, so ordinarily you’ll pay the following amounts for one-way transatlantic awards between Europe and most of North America:

• One-way economy awards cost 25,000 miles
• One-way premium economy awards cost 40,000 miles
• One-way business class awards cost 60,000 miles

Here are the awards that are available with the Promo Rewards list this month for travel between Europe and the Americas, along with the pricing:

• Save 25% on Air France economy awards between Europe and Atlanta (ATL), Houston (IAH), New York (JFK), and Seattle (SEA) — starting at 18,750 miles
• Save 25% on KLM economy awards between Europe and Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Minneapolis (MSP), and New York (JFK) — starting at 18,750 miles

On top of that, the Flying Blue Extra program was recently launched (the cost starts at €379 per year), which is essentially a paid membership program that offers extra perks. One of the perks of Flying Blue Extra is access to additional Promo Rewards, so eligible members receive access to the following extra Promo Rewards availability this time around:

• Save 25% on KLM economy awards between Europe and Chicago (ORD) and Washington (IAD) — starting at 18,750 miles
• Save 25% on Air France premium economy awards between Europe and Cancun (CUN) and Toronto (YYZ) — starting at 30,000 miles
• Save 25% on KLM premium economy awards between Europe and Las Vegas (LAS) — starting at 30,000 miles
• Save 25% on Air France business class awards between Europe and Bogota (BOG), Panama City (PTY), and St. Maarten (SXM) — starting at 63,750 miles

Note that those who belong to the Flying Blue Extra program can redeem these awards for themselves or others, as long as the miles come out of their account.

All of the lowest priced awards in the above markets through November 30, 2026, should be bookable with the Promo Rewards pricing. You can use all of these awards for travel to and from destinations across Europe, so you can travel beyond Amsterdam and Paris.

If you’re having trouble finding availability, remember to use Flying Blue’s secret award calendar. Also keep in mind that children ages two to 12 receive 25% off Flying Blue award tickets, including Promo Rewards.

Earning Flying Blue miles is easy

One of the things that’s awesome about the Flying Blue program is how easy it is to rack up miles:

• Flying Blue is transfer partners with Amex Membership Rewards, Bilt Rewards, Capital One, Chase Ultimate Rewards, and Citi ThankYou, meaning you can transfer points earned from a variety of cards
• Flying Blue sells miles directly, often at an attractive cost, and also has a Subscribe to Miles scheme
• Flying Blue has a co-branded credit card in the United States

Transfer points to Flying Blue with these credit cards:

• Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card
• Chase Sapphire Reserve®
• Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card
• American Express® Gold Card
• American Express Platinum Card®
• Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card

Learn More

• 5x total points on travel purchased through Chase Travel℠
• 3x points on dining
• 2x points on travel purchases
• $95

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

Learn More

• 4x points on flights and hotels booked direct
• 3x points on Dining
• $300 Annual Travel Credit
• $795

Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card

Learn More

• Earn 3x points on travel with the first $150k in combined purchases
• Earn 3x points on shipping purchases with the first $150k in combined purchases
• Cell Phone Protection
• $95

American Express® Gold Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• 4x points at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases annually
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases annually
• 3x points on flights booked directly with airlines or through amextravel.com
• $325

American Express Platinum Card®

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

• Earn 5x points on flights purchased directly from airlines or through Amex Travel (up to $500k/year)
• $200 Annual Uber Credit
• Amex Centurion Lounge Access
• $895

Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card

Learn More Terms Apply.

• Earn 6x points at Marriott
• Free Night Award Annually
• 15 Elite Nights Towards Status Annually
• $95

Bottom line

The Air France-KLM Flying Blue program offers a Promo Rewards promotion, whereby members can book discounted award tickets in select markets. This can be a great deal, especially when you consider how easy Flying Blue miles are to come by, and also how much award space is sometimes available through Flying Blue.

With the latest Promo Rewards, you can save 25% to several destinations in the Americas. All members have access to select discounted transatlantic awards in economy, and then Flying Blue Extra members have access to some premium cabin options as well.

This has the potential to be quite a good deal, so if you have any travel you’re interested in booking, this would be a great time to do so.

Are there any Promo Rewards you’re considering booking?

While both cards offer quite a few credits, there’s one credit that’s easiest to use, and which I consider to basically be good as cash. Specifically, I’m talking about the $300 annual travel credit. In this post, I want to take a closer look at how this benefit works, as it helps greatly with offsetting the $795 annual fee.

I don’t want to bury the lede, so let me quickly share my own experience — this is perhaps the only credit card with a credit where I don’t actually have to even put a second of thought into how I’m going to redeem it, thanks to how easy it is to use. There’s no registration required, and my purchases automatically trigger it, and I typically don’t even check if it coded correctly, because it always does, in my experience. So whatever my first $300 per anniversary year in travel spending is, that’s what the credit goes toward, whether it’s an Uber, a hotel stay, or a flight.

Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card or Sapphire Reserve for Business℠

What is the $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit?

Every cardmember year, the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business offer a $300 travel credit.

This credit is applied to purchases automatically — there’s no need to register — and you can use it over as many purchases as needed until the credit is completely used up. So that can be a single $300 purchase, 10 purchases of $30 each, etc. This comes in the form of a statement credit that posts shortly after you make your purchase.

What qualifies as travel for the $300 travel credit?

What purchases will automatically be credited for the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit? Chase defines travel as including the following purchases:

Merchants in the travel category include airlines, hotels, motels, timeshares, car rental agencies, cruise lines, travel agencies, discount travel sites, campgrounds and operators of passenger trains, buses, taxis, limousines, ferries, toll bridges and highways, and parking lots and garages.

As you can see, it’s not just traditional travel purchases that get reimbursed, but also things like rideshare, parking, trains, buses, and more. You can easily use the $300 credit in your day-to-day life.

When do you get the $300 Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit?

As soon as you activate the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Reserve Business, you can immediately start using the travel credit. There’s no waiting period required.

In subsequent years, your $300 travel credit is valid starting on your anniversary account date, which would be 12 monthly billing cycles after you opened the card.

How quickly does the $300 Sapphire Reserve travel credit post?

The Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit should post almost instantly after a purchase posts to your statement. So if you’re an existing cardmember, just wait for your new anniversary year, and then you should start to see the credits posting. Unlike some other credits, you typically don’t have to wait weeks for this to post, or anything like that.

Does the $300 credit impact the minimum spending requirement?

When many people get the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Reserve Business, they’re trying to reach the minimum spending requirement in order to earn the welcome bonus. How does the $300 you get reimbursed for travel play into that?

Well, the total amount you spend (minus the annual fee) counts toward the minimum spending requirement. So even if you get reimbursed $300 through the travel credit, that $300 in spending would still count toward the minimum spending requirement.

Do you earn points for reimbursed transactions?

Note that if a purchase on the Chase Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Reserve Business qualifies toward the credit, then you don’t earn points for that portion of the credit. In other words, if you spent $1,000 on travel and had $300 reimbursed with the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit, you’d only earn points on $700 worth of that purchase.

What happens if you refund a transaction that’s reimbursed?

If you refund a purchase that was reimbursed with the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit, then the statement credit should similarly be reversed, and the amount should automatically be applied toward a future travel transaction. However, some report that the statement credit doesn’t get reversed, so this seems like a case of “your mileage may vary.”

How can you track how much of the $300 credit you’ve used?

To track your Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit, log into your Chase account, and then click on “More” and then “Card benefits,” which will bring you to the page recapping the card’s perks.

There you’ll see the $300 annual travel credit listed, and it will show you how much of your credit you’ve used, and when your card renews, so that you know when your next credit will be issued.

When you go to the Ultimate Rewards homepage, log into your account, and select your eligible card, you should see the card’s dashboard, with all kinds of details. If you scroll down, you should see the “Annual travel credit” section, showing how much of your credit has been used.

Do most people use the full Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit?

There is no published data on this, though I’d have to assume that a vast majority of people with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business are fully utilizing the travel credit. That’s why I feel comfortable suggesting that for most users, it lowers the real annual “out of pocket” on the card by roughly $300.

Let me take it a step further — if you don’t use the full $300 travel credit then this card simply isn’t for you. There are better cards out there for someone who doesn’t spend at least $300 per year on taxis, rideshare, subways, trains, hotels, airlines, etc.

Why doesn’t Chase cut the $300 credit and lower the fee?

If the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit is so easy to use, many people probably wonder why Chase bothers having such a credit, rather than just outright lowering the annual fee but that much. I suspect there are two reasons for this:

• Chase wants more wallet share — Chase wants you to use your card as much as possible, and card issuers know that if they’re reimbursing you for certain purchases, you’re more likely to actually use your card and have it at the front of your wallet
• Chase doesn’t want to cannibalize its portfolio — Chase also has the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (review) and Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (review), which have much lower annual fees; Chase doesn’t want to completely cannibalize those cards, and by having more of a difference in terms of the fees, it’s one way to segment the market a bit

How does this compare to the Amex Platinum credit?

Both the American Express Platinum Card® (review) and The Business Platinum Card® from American Express (review) offer a variety of credits as well. One of the credits they both offer is an annual up to $200 airline fee credit (Enrollment required). There are a few things that make this credit not as good, though:

• The credit is for up to $200, rather than $300
• The credit only applies to airline fees, rather than all travel purchases (and airline fees has a very specific definition)
• Registration is required, and you have to designate an airline for which you want to use the credit

While the $200 airline fee credit is only a small part of the Amex Platinum suite of benefits, that aspect of the card is in no way competitive, in my opinion.

How does this compare to the Capital One Venture X credit?

The Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (review) and Capital One Venture X Business (review) are also lucrative premium cards, which are quite easy to justify. The cards have $395 annual fees, and offer a $300 annual travel credit. How does that credit compare?

• The credit is the same amount as on the Chase Sapphire Reserve
• The major catch is that the credit can only be used through the Capital One Travel portal, toward flights, hotels, and rental cars
• The credit is also applied at the time that you make the travel purchase, so it’s not an after the fact reimbursement, like with Chase
• So this credit isn’t quite as valuable or flexible, but then again, the Capital One Venture X also has a significantly lower annual fee, with fewer hoops to jump through in order to maximize value

Chase Sapphire Reserve dining credit FAQs

Bottom line

Many people are deterred by the $795 annual fee on the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business. While the cards offer lots of credits that can help offset those fees, the single easiest perk to maximize is the $300 annual travel credit.

With the Chase Sapphire Reserve travel credit, every cardmember year, your first $300 in spending in the travel category will automatically be reimbursed. Unlike some of the other credits and benefits on these cards, this credit is super straightforward. By my math, this really lowers the “out of pocket” on the cards by $300.

Based on my own experience, this is the single easiest credit to use that’s issued by any credit card, and it’s one I don’t even have to think about redeeming. There’s no registration required, and my first $300 in travel spending per anniversary year automatically gets credited back.

What has your experience been with the Chase Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve Business $300 travel credit?

There are many innovative things about Bilt, including that there’s a Bilt Rent Day promotion on the first day of each month. With it now being a new month, I’d like to share the details of the June 2026 Bilt Rent Day offer, as it includes a transfer bonus that will interest some people. There’s also a way to redeem Bilt Cash for a bigger transfer bonus.

Details of the June 2026 Bilt Rent Day promotion

There are a couple of aspects to the Bilt Rent Day promotion, including the ability to earn bonus points (which is the same every month), plus at least one additional promotion.

Note that Bilt Rent Day promotions are generally valid from 12:00AM ET until 11:59PM PT, so technically you have around 27 hours to take advantage of them.

Earn double Bilt points on Rent Day purchases

Bilt has a portfolio of credit cards, including the no annual fee Bilt Blue Card, $95 annual fee Bilt Obsidian Card, and $495 Bilt Palladium Card (read my Bilt credit card review & comparison) (Rates & Fees).

On the first day of each month, you earn double those rewards on these cards, and earn up to 1,000 bonus points each month. It could be worth strategically making some purchases on the first day of each month to maximize this as much as possible.

For example, with double points, the Bilt Palladium Card offers 4x points on everyday spending on the first day of the month, so that’s pretty awesome (up to a cap of $500 worth of spending, since that would earn you 1,000 bonus points).

Get up to a 125% transfer bonus with TAP Air Portugal

Exclusively on June 1, 2026, Bilt is offering a 25-125% bonus if you transfer points to TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go. The size of the bonus that you get depends on your Bilt elite status. Specifically:

• Bilt Blue members can receive a 25% bonus
• Bilt Silver members can receive a 50% bonus
• Bilt Gold members can receive a 75% bonus
• Bilt Platinum members can receive a 100% bonus
• Members can use $150 in Bilt Cash to upgrade their transfer bonus by one elite tier, and Platinum members can get a transfer bonus of up to 125%

There’s a major restriction here, which we’re now seeing for a second month in a row — you can only transfer up to 100,000 base Bilt points during the promotion and quality for the bonus.

For context, Bilt points ordinarily transfer to TAP Air Portugal at a 1:1 ratio. So with this bonus, you can earn anywhere from 1.25 to 2.25 TAP miles per Bilt point. TAP is of course in the Star Alliance, so you can redeem miles on Star Alliance, as well as a variety of other airline partners. It has been quite some time since I’ve written a guide to redeeming TAP miles, so it might be time for an update.

For the very basics, below is the award chart for travel on TAP Air Portugal when traveling to or from Portugal. These prices are one-way, so 100,000 miles for business class to North America is hard to get excited about.

Meanwhile below is the Star Alliance award chart for travel originating in the United States, also with one-way pricing. Again, I have a hard time getting excited about the pricing.

An up to 125% bonus will make the math better, but that’s about the only good thing I can say about the Miles&Go program.

Bottom line

On the first day of each month, Bilt offers a Rent Day promotion. In addition to earning up to double points for purchases, for June 2026, there’s the opportunity to take advantage of a TAP Air Portugal transfer bonus. The bonus is based on your elite status, and ranges from 25-125%. Members are capped at moving over 100,000 base points with this offer.

I imagine that this is an offer some people will want to take advantage of. However, personally I wouldn’t take part unless you know exactly what you’re doing, as I consider TAP Air Portugal Miles&Go to not be a particularly easy or lucrative program, on the surface (of course an up to 125% transfer bonus can change the math).

Are you taking advantage of the Bilt Rent Day promotion for June 2026?

Despite its consistently modest welcome offer, this is a card that I think could absolutely be worth it. This is the only no annual fee Amex card that’s open to new applicants that earns Membership Rewards that can be moved to airline & hotel partners, so that’s a major benefit of the card.

In this post, I’d like to cover one aspect of this card that people often don’t consider, and it’s actually the thing that gets me the most value from the card at the moment, given my overall Amex strategy.

How the Amex Blue Business Plus makes my points more flexible

The various transferable points currencies have different policies when it comes to who you can move your points to. The idea is that you can’t transfer your Amex points to someone else’s Amex account, but in some cases, you can transfer your Amex points to someone else’s airline or hotel loyalty account.

The policy is generally that you can transfer your Amex points to the account of an authorized user on one of your cards, as long as they’ve been an authorized user on your card for at least 90 days. If you ask me, the Amex Blue Business Plus Card is the best product for adding authorized users in order to accomplish that. Why?

• When you add an authorized user on a business card, it won’t show up on their personal credit report, for the purposes of the Chase 5/24 rule, or anything along those lines; meanwhile if you were to add them as an authorized user on a personal card, it would show up in that way
• The Amex Blue Business Plus Card is a card that it costs nothing to hold onto in the long run, and which allows you to add authorized users at no cost, so it’s the ideal hub card for keeping authorized users in the long run

So I have the Amex Blue Business Plus Card and have Ford and my dad as authorized users, they have the card and have me as authorized users, etc. To me this is just the easiest, long term, “set it and forget it” way to be able to move points to loyalty accounts of others, and that’s a perk I value.

Is being able to consolidate points in that way really valuable?

Some people may say “okay, but does it really matter if you can transfer points to someone else’s frequent flyer account?” Maybe for some people it doesn’t, but as I see it, there’s a lot of upside.

For one, if you don’t have enough points in one account for a redemption, it’s useful to be able to consolidate points from multiple Amex cards toward one transaction.

But beyond that, sometimes there are just some accounts that are more valuable for redemptions than others. For example, I have Air France-KLM Flying Blue Platinum status, which gets me access to a lot more business class award space.

So there’s a huge advantage to Ford being able to move his Amex points to my Flying Blue account, rather than to his own account, for example, since I often have access to much better award pricing.

Bottom line

The Amex Blue Business Plus Card has no annual fee and earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent every year (then 1x points), arguably making it the most compelling Amex card for everyday spending.

While that’s great in and of itself, there’s a hidden feature of the card that I particularly value. That’s being able to add authorized users to the card at no cost, all while not having that show on the personal credit report of the authorized users (ideal for staying under the 5/24 limit).

When you have an Amex authorized user for at least 90 days, you can then transfer points to their airline or hotel partner accounts, and I consider that to be super useful. I find this to be easiest way to maintain that flexibility at no cost, and it’s one of the reasons that everyone in my family has this card.

Anyone else use this Amex Blue Business Plus Card strategy for authorized users and moving points?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees).

I’ve gotta be perfectly honest, this hobby isn’t as fun as it used to be, and in some ways, getting amazing value is harder than before. But it’s not all bad news, and that negative perspective largely overlooks the ways in which this hobby has become much more lucrative than in the past.

So let’s talk about that in a bit more detail — what has actually changed, both for better and for worse? Then I’d also like to talk about the direction that things are headed, as I see it.

The miles & points hobby has gone mainstream

I got obsessed with miles & points in 2004-2005. Or put differently, I got obsessed with miles & points back when Delta SkyMiles could be redeemed for Air France first class and Singapore Airlines first class (yes, really… ugh, I miss the 747 #megatop!).

I don’t want to say that miles & points were some hobby that no one had ever heard of, but they were definitely a lot more niche than they are today. Yes, frequent flyer programs had existed for decades, and many people were members of them.

But miles & points and maximizing credit cards wasn’t a part of our society in the same way that it is today. I mean, just look at the revenue that US airlines are now generating through loyalty programs, and I think that will largely show you how mainstream things have gone.

What has contributed to these changes?

• The way we share information has changed — it used to be that miles & points and premium airline topics were discussed on internet bulletin boards made up primarily of us hardcore nerds, while now there’s endless short-form content on TikTok, Instagram, etc., making this available to a much larger audience
• What we value as a society has changed — younger generations place a heavy emphasis on travel and experiences, and are more willing to splurge on peak experiences
• The credit card landscape has become a lot more lucrative for consumers, making it easy for the average person to rack up valuable rewards, get airport lounge access, etc.
• Premium airline products have become a lot more flashy, which also increases their appeal; whether it’s an onboard shower or double bed, those features certainly make a lot more people interested
• Airlines have honestly just become much smarter businesses, and they’re better at monetizing their loyalty programs and other products, so opportunities that present outsized value often get shut down

Miles & points aren’t nearly as fun as they used to be…

Perhaps the clearest example of how much less fun miles & points have become is a look at my post with 11 amazing award redemptions from back in the day. If you haven’t been around the miles & points world for long, I don’t think you understand just got good the deals were 15 years ago.

For example, Aeroplan would allow US to Asia first class awards via Europe with two stopovers enroute for 120,000 miles roundtrip. Of course that’s an amazing price, but what was even better was the amount of award availability.

Lufthansa first class awards? They were super available, whether booking in advance or close to departure. And we’re not just talking one or two seats, but often six or seven seats. Even SWISS first class (which is now restricted to Senator level Miles & More members) could be booked with partner miles, and was super available.

There was just unlimited potential in terms of how far points could get you. Of course that’s quite a contrast to how things are nowadays, where even finding Lufthansa first class award availability within days of departure is incredibly challenging (and at the moment, availability is shut off completely).

The hotel industry was equally attractive, particularly with Hyatt Gold Passport’s Faster Free Nights promotion.

Then there was the world of mileage running, back when the concept of revenue based status qualification or mileage earning was basically unheard of. American Executive Platinum status for $3,000, while earning hundreds of thousands of miles, plus eight systemwide upgrades? Super easy!

But of course loyalty programs have gotten smarter. There are fewer opportunities to get outsized value, and there’s a lot less gamification. Loyalty programs have also changed their approach to how they open up award availability, including to partner frequent flyer programs.

Sweet spot awards are much rarer and less available, given how many airlines restrict award availability to members of their own programs. On top of that, we’re increasingly seeing airlines require members to have elite status for certain redemptions.

When I talk to a newcomer about miles & points, it can honestly be kind of hard to get them interested. Recently, a non-miles & points friend mentioned how he wanted to take his wife to the Maldives, and asked if there’s any “deal” with points.

Take the Waldorf Astoria Maldives as an example, as it’s probably the best points hotel in the Maldives. Hilton Honors massively devalued redemptions here recently, and increased the standard room cost from 150,000 points per night to 250,000 points per night. Not only that, but you still typically won’t find any standard room availability.

I think this sums up the reality at so many aspirational hotels nowadays. It used to be that hotel “no blackout date” policies basically guaranteed availability. However, nowadays finding standard room availability at many premium hotels is almost like playing the airline award availability “lottery.”

…but it’s not all bad news for miles & points

The miles & points hobby definitely isn’t as fun as it used to be, for those of us who get a thrill out of the chase. That being said, in many ways I’d say it’s more lucrative than ever before.

You know what we didn’t have in 2010? Well, all these amazing credit cards with massive welcome bonuses, bonus categories that can earn you 3-5x points per dollar spent, etc. Us savvy folks were using the Starwood Preferred Guest Amex for most of our spending, which had a modest welcome bonus, and earned one Starpoint per dollar spent (which could then be turned into one mile, with a 25% bonus for every 20,000 points transferred). That was as good as it got. And transferable points currencies? Well, they weren’t nearly a robust or flexible as they are now.

Speaking of premium cabin travel, one of the reasons that miles & points were so important back in the day is because airlines just had absolutely outrageous pricing for their premium cabins. Nowadays airlines will sell you upgrades to first class for tens of dollars. So yes, status may be harder and less fun to earn, but don’t even bother, because there’s not that much value to actually having it.

Oh, and the caliber of airline products and airline lounges we see nowadays? It’s on a completely different level than we saw when I started. Back in the day, it was exciting when an airline had angled seats in business class. Nowadays, many of us will barely settle for a product unless it has a door and dine on demand. 😉

The way I view it, the strategy for maximizing travel, and in particular miles & points, has changed:

• Airline elite status isn’t as important as it used to be, given how status has become much harder to earn (or at least comes with more opportunity cost), while offering significantly less value
• Credit cards with big bonuses and multipliers largely let people redeem points as cash toward the cost of travel, potentially offering good value
• Loyalty programs often sell points directly at a reasonable cost, which can be a way to score a deal on a premium cabin ticket or luxury hotel stay, with some effort
• There are still lots of amazing premium experiences to be had, though the key is to be ready to plan travel at any moment

I think that last point is worth emphasizing. For example, take a redemption at the Waldorf Astoria Maldives. It’s absolutely possible to book with points and get a good deal, even if there might not be availability for the entire calendar right now. Often availability opens up in spurts, and that’s the time to lock in a stay.

Similarly, people with Alaska Atmos Rewards points might be frustrated by the lack of Fiji Airways and Starlux business class award availability, yet every so often we see the floodgates of availability opened, and you can lock in some great itineraries. You just have to be ready to plan at a moment’s notice.

The miles & points hobby isn’t dying, it’s evolving

I’m not trying to sugarcoat things here for us old-timers, because as I said at the beginning of this post, the ability to maximize points is so much more difficult and less fun than it used to be.

But I think there’s a further topic here to be discussed, about what the future holds. The irony is that while miles & points are less interesting to those of us who have been in the hobby for a long time, the interest globally is at an all-time high. It’s not just that interest is high, but airlines also care about these programs more than ever before, given the profit centers they are.

How can airlines keep milking these programs for profits while having fewer “carrots” to dangle for members? I think one point to acknowledge is that most consumers aren’t necessarily rational. Like, people don’t spend on co-branded airline credit cards because they’ve crunched the numbers and decided they’re doing better than a 2% cash back card. Instead, they like a brand, they want the co-brand card perks, and they feel like spending on that card is the right thing to do. That’s the story of the Apple Card, for that matter.

My point is to say that programs don’t actually need to be that lucrative or rewarding to keep interest among members.

When it comes to award availability, I think the single biggest trend we’ll see in the coming years is reasonably priced seats increasingly being restricted to members of the “native” frequent flyer programs, and maybe some premium cabin awards increasingly being restricted to elite or credit card members in a program.

We’ve seen a ton of this already, and I think that’s only the beginning. I of course don’t like that, because it greatly limits arbitrage opportunities, the ability to book multi-partner awards, etc. At the same time, this was bound to happen, when we see programs essentially monetizing the award space of partner airlines by selling points, partnering with transfer programs, etc.

So I think some number of years down the road, most of us will be pretty limited in terms of our ability to redeem across airlines with ease. Instead, I think it’ll be all about having miles in that “native” program.

But the reality is that there’s still upside. The biggest aspirational goal people have with miles & points is to travel in premium cabins at a good value. Airlines will continue to have empty seats they are happy to have booked with miles, they’re sort of just taking a different approach to who those seats go to.

For example, while United has almost entirely cut Polaris business class award availability with partner programs, it’s pretty readily available at an okay cost if you’re booking directly through MileagePlus. So it’s not like there’s no value anymore. It’s just that there aren’t opportunities to buy 120,000 US Airways miles for $1,200, and then fly four long haul segments in Lufthansa and SWISS first class. 😉

Bottom line

The miles & points world is constantly evolving. This hobby was very different in 2006 than it is in 2026, as you’d expect (I mean, what hasn’t changed in the past 20 years?).

There are definitely a lot of things that I miss, including the opportunities for gamification, plus how available premium cabin award space was at the time. That combination made things so fun, because if you put in the effort, you could always come out way ahead.

However, a lot has also improved over the years — points are much easier to earn, in many cases premium cabins are just priced reasonably, and the caliber of airline and hotel products is on a different level than it was back then.

What’s your take on the evolution of the miles & points world?

In this post, I’d like to talk a bit more about one of the potential challenges with transferable points currencies, which readers ask me about all the time (and which I experience every once in a while as well!).

Why I recommend waiting to transfer points

In order to keep your transferable points currencies as flexible as possible, I always recommend only transferring them when you’re ready to redeem (there are limited exceptions, like if there’s a transfer bonus that you think is worth speculatively taking advantage of).

The good news is that with the major transferable points currencies, point transfers to most partners are generally instant. You can see my guides here:

• Amex Membership Rewards transfer times
• Chase Ultimate Rewards transfer times
• Citi ThankYou transfer times
• Capital One transfer times

As you can see, in most cases transfers are supposed to be instant. There’s always the caveat that the transfers might not be instant, though, and I’d like to talk a bit more about that in this post.

Why points sometimes don’t transfer instantly

If you’ve used transferable points currencies with any frequency, odds are that you’ve run into a situation where you were expecting points to transfer instantly, but that didn’t happen. That can be super frustrating, especially if you have a specific airline ticket you’re trying to book, and the frequent flyer program doesn’t allow award ticket holds (which is most programs).

You might transfer points, they don’t hit your account instantly, and then the award space disappears, leaving you with a balance you may not necessarily want. With that out of the way, I’d like to share some tips to minimize your odds of having issues with points transfers.

Transfer to programs you already have linked

Generally speaking, I find that I have the fewest issues with points transfers when my credit card account and loyalty account are already linked. For example, most credit card transfer portals will save your partner loyalty number for transfers you’ve made in the past, and that minimizes the odds of anything going wrong with the transfer. It also seems to minimize the odds of any fraud alerts being triggered.

So if you’re making a critical transfer and you aren’t sure which of your transferable points currencies to transfer from, try to use a program from which you’ve already made a similar transfer in the past, and your account is saved.

For that matter, if possible, open the frequent flyer account long before you plan to make a transfer. The older the account is, the better the odds that no fraud alerts are triggered.

Avoid multiple transfers in the same day, and huge transfers

People sometimes want to test out if transfers are instant. Say they need 50,000 points in one account. They may think it’s smart to transfer 1,000 points to test things out and see if the points arrive there instantly, and then to transfer another 49,000 points after that first batch of points post.

I’d generally avoid this, if possible. It’s not going to consistently be an issue, but there are situations where transferable points currencies block multiple transfers to the same program in the same day. I’d also recommend not moving the same exact number of points twice on the same day, since that can accidentally be flagged as a duplicate.

On the same topic, the bigger the transfer, the greater the odds that there will be some sort of a fraud alert. For example, if you’re moving close a million points between accounts, don’t be surprised if there’s some sort of a manual review that delays the transfer.

Make sure you format your loyalty number correctly

This might sound obvious, but if you’re going to transfer points, make sure you format the loyalty number correctly. This isn’t always as simple as it sounds. In some cases, the credit card portal might require a certain number of digits, and you might have to put a zero or two at the front of your loyalty number for it to transfer correctly.

Some loyalty programs have membership numbers formatted in a variety of ways, so getting that right is important.

Make sure the names on the accounts match

Again, this might sound obvious, but you’d be surprised how often it trips people up. Make sure the name on your credit card account and loyalty account match exactly. A slight variation isn’t always going to be an issue, but sometimes it could be.

This could include things as simple as slightly different first names (Ben vs. Benjamin), or one account having a middle initial, but not the other one. So the closer they are to matching, the better the odds of things going smoothly.

Some transfer issues are totally out of our control

Sometimes the “link” between a transferable points currency and a loyalty program are simply down, and there are consistent issues with transfers. Unfortunately there’s just not much that can be done in these situations, and sometimes it can take days or even weeks for this to resolve.

A lot of the behind the scenes tech is pretty fragile, so that’s one of the downsides to the complexity of these programs.

What can do you do if your points don’t transfer?

If you transfer points and they don’t post as you’re expecting, what can you do? Well, unfortunately be prepared for frustration. The unfortunate truth is that there’s not a whole lot you can do to immediately rectify these situations:

• While we anecdotally know that points transfer instantly to many partners, the terms almost always state that it can take multiple days, and there’s not much you can do to expedite this
• Even beyond that waiting period, there’s often not much customer support can do to instantly resolve your issue; the credit card company might show the points as having been transferred on their end, while the airline or hotel partner might not show that on their end, and resolving that isn’t an instant process

Realistically, typically the best you can do is to wait for whatever the published transfer time is, and then once that has passed, reach out to the credit card company, and they can open up a case. Don’t expect that this will be resolved instantly, unfortunately, as this is very much a situation where a “ticket” will be opened, and the communication between the credit card company and travel partner won’t be instant.

Some people will also ask if you can reverse points transfers after the points have already been moved, in situations where you have problems, like phantom award availability. Unfortunately generally speaking, once a points transfer hits a partner account, it won’t be reversed. Don’t get me wrong, it’s possible for this to happen, and there are very rare situations where programs have agreed to this. However, that needs to happen on a very high level, and is unlikely to be done in most situations, unless something very extreme happened.

Bottom line

I love earning transferable points, and always recommend earning them for the flexibility they offer. When things go as they should, everything is great. The problem is what happens when things don’t go as expected. Sometimes points just don’t transfer the way they should, and getting a resolution can take quite a long time.

The best you can do is take some steps that minimize your odds of having issues. However, when things go wrong, make sure you’re patient, because the problem may not be resolved quickly.

Have you ever had issues with transferable points converting as expected? If so, how did you handle the situation?

They share nearly every feature except one: the Blue Business Plus earns 2x Membership Rewards points, while the Blue Business Cash earns 2% cash back. Both have no annual fee, both cap that bonus rate at the first $50,000 in spending per calendar year (then you earn 1x points or 1% cash back), and both come with the standard set of Amex business card perks.

Because neither card has an annual fee, the “is it worth it” question is essentially trivial for both, as there’s not really much downside to getting either card. The more useful question is the one this post is actually built around: which one should you get?

Link: Learn more about The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express or The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card

What both Amex Blue Business cards offer for June 2026

Before getting into what makes the two cards different, here’s the shared foundation that applies to both the Amex Blue Business Plus and the Amex Blue Business Cash:

• No annual fee on either card (Rates & Fees) (Rates & Fees), with no extra cost for adding authorized users
• 2x/2% earning on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1x/1% thereafter — same cap, same drop-off, same “in any category” simplicity (the cards just denominate that earning differently)
• A welcome offer worth claiming — the Blue Business Plus offers 15,000 Membership Rewards® points after spending $3,000 in eligible purchases within the first three months; the Blue Business Cash offers a $250 statement credit after the same $3,000 in three months
• Intro APR on purchases for 12 months from account opening, on both cards — useful if you have a large business expense to pay down over time, with the standard caveat to clear it before the variable APR kicks in
• Expanded buying power — both cards let you spend above your credit limit on a pre-approved basis, a useful feature for businesses with occasional large expenses that’s specific to Amex business cards
• Access to Amex Offers — targeted savings and bonus points promotions across major retailers, hotel groups, and airlines that have saved me hundreds of dollars a year and are one of the more underrated reasons to hold any Amex card
• 2.7% foreign transaction fees on both — these aren’t cards to use abroad; route foreign spending to a no foreign transaction fee card instead

On eligibility, both cards follow the standard Amex business card rules: you can typically be approved for at most two Amex cards in a 90-day period, and you can have at most five Amex credit cards at any one time (not counting charge cards or hybrid cards). One genuinely useful quirk for points strategists: applying for an Amex business card doesn’t count toward Chase’s 5/24 limit, so picking up either of these cards won’t materially impact your future approval odds at Chase.

Amex Blue Business Plus: who it’s actually for

The Amex Blue Business Plus is the version that earns 2x Membership Rewards points on the first $50,000 spent per calendar year (then 1x points thereafter). I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, which makes the effective return on the bonus 3.4% — exceptional for a card with no annual fee.

The structural point that makes the Blue Business Plus more than just a high-earning everyday card: Membership Rewards points can be transferred to Amex airline and hotel partners. There aren’t any other no annual fee Amex cards that are open to new cardmembers that get you enrolled in the “full” Membership Rewards program. That makes it one of the most valuable “permanent wallet” cards in the Amex ecosystem, because:

• It anchors your Membership Rewards balance even if you eventually cancel premium cards like the Amex Platinum or Amex Gold — the points stay yours, and you can keep earning at 2x
• It accelerates your earning if you do hold a hub card — 2x in any category up to $50K is genuinely set-it-and-forget-it, and stacks alongside the bonus categories on the Amex Gold or Amex Platinum
• If your business spending doesn’t cleanly fit the rotating bonus categories on the Amex Business Gold (which is category-flexible but more complex) or the perks-driven Amex Business Platinum, the Blue Business Plus is the cleanest way to earn Membership Rewards points on the broadest possible base of business spending

The major caveat is the $50,000 cap. On spending above that threshold within a calendar year, you drop to 1x points — at which point a different card (more on alternatives below) becomes the better choice. For most small businesses, $50K is well above what they’d put on a single card, so the cap isn’t binding. For heavier spenders, it’s a real ceiling worth planning around.

Personally, I’ve had the Amex Blue Business Plus for around a decade at this point. However, at the moment it’s not a card that I’m spending a lot on. That’s because I’ve shifted most of my non-bonused spending to the Bilt Palladium Card (learn more), given that it also offers 2x points, but with no caps, and you also earn 4% Bilt Cash spending. Admittedly, though, I’m putting business spending on a personal card, and then reimbursing myself.

Amex Blue Business Cash: who it’s actually for

The Amex Blue Business Cash is the version that earns 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year (then 1% cash back thereafter), automatically credited to your statement each billing cycle. There’s no points conversion, no transfer partners, and no learning curve — this is just straight cash back.

The case for the Blue Business Cash over the Blue Business Plus comes down to three primary situations:

• You explicitly don’t want to manage a points balance. Some small business owners just want simple, predictable rewards they can apply against the statement. That’s a perfectly valid preference, and the Cash delivers on it without any of the complexity that comes with redeeming points through transfer partners.
• You’re not actually good at redeeming Amex points. Transferable points currencies can unlock all kinds of amazing redemption values, especially for premium cabin travel. The thing is, there’s a huge learning curve to getting good at redeeming points. I’d imagine a majority of Amex cardmembers redeem their points sub-optimally, and many even use them for gift cards or statement credits, earning well under a cent per point. If you’re one of those people, you should get the Blue Business Cash rather than the Blue Business Plus.
• Your business needs cash-flow predictability. A statement credit hitting every billing cycle is more useful for cash management than a points balance that has to be redeemed later.

2% cash back on the first $50,000 is a solid floor for any no annual fee business card (Rates & Fees), and for someone in any of the three situations above, the Blue Business Cash is the right pick. Personally, I have a strong preference for earning 2x Membership Rewards points rather than 2% cash back — but that preference assumes you’re set up to actually get more than one cent of value per point, which not everyone is.

Amex Blue Business Plus vs. Cash: which one I’d actually pick

Here’s the head-to-head on the Amex Blue Business Plus vs. the Amex Blue Business Cash, with the framing I’d use to decide:

• Get the Blue Business Plus if you value Membership Rewards points, and are good at redeeming them. It’s definitely possible to get way over one cent of value per point if you know what you’re doing, but if you don’t know what you’re doing, you may get significantly less value than that.
• Get the Blue Business Cash if you don’t want to deal with points redemptions, or you’d value the cash flow predictability of a statement credit over the value of points. 2% cash back is a defensible floor, and there’s no friction to using it.
• Consider both if you’re a heavier business spender and want to double up your bonus earning headroom — Amex allows you to hold both cards, so you’d effectively get the 2x/2% rate on the first $100,000 per calendar year combined, rather than just $50,000 on one. This is niche but real for the right business.

My position is that for the typical OMAAT reader — someone optimizing for travel rewards and likely already in the Amex points ecosystem — the Blue Business Plus is the obvious pick, and the Blue Business Cash is a backup option for the specific cases above. The Plus is one of the few cards I’d say almost anyone who is eligible should consider holding.

Where both cards fall short

To be fair to both the Amex Blue Business Plus and Amex Blue Business Cash, here are some of the caveats that apply to each:

• The $50,000 calendar year cap. Above that threshold, you’re earning 1x or 1% on additional spending, which isn’t competitive — the Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card (learn more) at 1.5x points flat, the Capital One Venture X Business (learn more) at 2x miles flat, or the American Express® Business Gold Card (learn more) for category aligned spend, all become more attractive once you hit the cap on either Blue Business card
• Amex acceptance is narrower than Visa or Mastercard, particularly internationally and at smaller U.S. merchants. Combined with the 2.7% foreign transaction fees, these are emphatically not your travel card — keep them for domestic, non-bonused business spending only.
• Neither is a “premium” card. “Plus” in the name might suggest something elevated, but these are entry-level cards — they don’t compete with the Amex Business Gold for bonus-category earning, or the Amex Business Platinum for perks. Treat them as foundational, not flagship.

Bottom line

The Amex Blue Business cards are two of the easiest “worth it” calls in the business card market — both have no annual fee, both earn 2x points or 2% cash back on the first $50,000 in calendar year purchases, and both come with the Amex business card perks that make them genuinely useful long term holds. The choice between them really is just about whether you’d rather earn Membership Rewards points or cash back.

• Amex Blue Business Plus: the right pick if you’re in (or plan to be in) the Membership Rewards ecosystem. Earning 2x points on $50K per year of spending, with transfer partner access, makes it one of the most valuable no annual fee cards in the Amex lineup, and one of the few cards I’d recommend almost anyone eligible should hold.
• Amex Blue Business Cash: the right pick if you specifically prefer cash back, don’t have a hub card, or want statement credit simplicity over points optionality. 2% cash back on $50K per year of spending with no complexity is hard to argue against for the cashback-first business owner.

Personally, I hold the Blue Business Plus and have for years, since I value Amex points at well over a cent each. However, in fairness, it’s not a card I’m actually putting much spending on nowadays, just due to the other cards I have (which do have annual fees).

If you have an Amex Blue Business card, which version do you have, and how has it performed for your spending?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express (Rates & Fees), and The American Express Blue Business Cash™ Card (Rates & Fees).

It seems that as of the beginning of the month (now almost four days), Lufthansa has just completely stopped releasing first class award space to partner programs, so let’s talk a bit about that, and what’s going on, not that I have a definitive answer, unfortunately.

The state of Lufthansa first class award availability

Over the years, it has become increasingly difficult to redeem partner airline miles for travel in Lufthansa first class. Admittedly this has been a slow and steady trend over the past 15+ years, going back to when Lufthansa had 16 first class seats on the upper deck of its Boeing 747-400s (time flies!).

Nonetheless, Lufthansa first class remains one of the best mileage values for those looking to travel in first class across the Atlantic, given the lack of options, in those situations where the airline releases availability.

While Lufthansa’s own Miles & More members can book first class awards as soon as the schedule opens (subject to capacity controls), Lufthansa has significant restrictions for those booking first class through partner frequent flyer programs.

When it comes to redeeming partner miles for Lufthansa first class, historically it has been possible to redeem miles for first class up to 15 days before departure. In early 2024, that window was shortened significantly, and ever since, Lufthansa seems to be opening first class awards to partner programs within three days of departure. As you can tell, that provides a limited period during which you can redeem for Lufthansa first class.

For what it’s worth, seats.aero is an awesome tool for searching award availability, and it has a Lufthansa first class award tracker. Tools like this are great, in terms of making it easy to find award space. At the same time, the ease with which space can be searched is probably also one of the reasons we’ve increasingly seen airlines add restrictions on many types of award tickets.

Anyway, this brings us to what’s going on at the moment — as of June 1, 2026, Lufthansa has just completely stopped releasing first class award space to partners programs. It doesn’t matter which route you’re flying, or if you’re terminating in Germany or connecting. It’s the same story across the board.

I’ve not been able to get an answer as to what’s going on. In fairness, we’ve seen some quirks with Lufthansa award availability in the past, so it’s possible that this is one of those. However, I find it interesting that this essentially coincided with the change in calendar months, which seems deliberate… or maybe it’s just coincidental.

What could explain this latest trend? As I see it, there are a few most likely explanations:

• Lufthansa has just changed its policy, and will no longer release first class award seats to partner program; this would of course be the most drastic change
• Lufthansa is temporarily restricting award availability; this could be because we’re entering the peak summer season, or it could be because Lufthansa is anticipating another employee strike soon, and doesn’t want to have even more premium passengers to rebook
• It could just be some sort of a glitch that will resolve itself very soon

I don’t know what the answer is, but I think it’s worth acknowledging the current reality, and if I get any answer as to what’s going on, I’ll report back. My general assumption would be that this isn’t a permanent change, at least not yet, since we’ve seen somewhat similar stuff happen in the past

What does the future hold for Lufthansa awards?

When it comes to redeeming miles for Lufthansa first class, I have to imagine that our best days are behind us:

• Lufthansa is increasingly rolling out its new Allegris cabins, including the new first class, which has only three(ish) seats, and partner first class awards are completely blocked on those flights; for that matter, the airline also recently rolled out its new first class soft product, so one wonders if this might be part of a bigger “reset” in first class
• Lufthansa Miles & More has moved to dynamic award pricing, and over time, I suspect the premium cabin pricing will become more aggressive

The general industry trend we’ve seen is clear, as I wrote about some time back. We’re seeing airlines increasingly restrict award space to partner programs, to focus on monetizing their own programs.

So I’m not saying that Lufthansa will completely eliminate partner first class awards, but… I’m also not saying it won’t? I think the more likely direction this goes is that we increasingly see Miles & More added as a partner for international transferable points currencies, so that Lufthansa has more control over its award space.

Obviously this hobby is quite different than it used to be, but it’s not all bad news — there are also a lot of amazing opportunities that didn’t exist years ago.

Bottom line

While this is hopefully temporary, I’d like to acknowledge that since June 1, Lufthansa hasn’t made any first class award seats available to partner frequent flyer programs. There’s no denying that it has become much more difficult to redeem for Lufthansa first class over the years, but blocking space completely is obviously the most extreme measure.

It’s anyone’s guess what’s going on here. It could be a glitch, it could be temporary (due to summer demand or looming strikes), or it could be a permanent change. With Lufthansa increasingly moving toward its new Allegris first class, these opportunities are becoming more and more limited.

What do you make of this Lufthansa first class award availability situation?

After years of running this setup, the cards have sorted themselves into clear roles, and I figured it was worth sharing the full picture in one place — what I actually carry, what each card is the best at, and which ones I hold but don’t spend on. Admittedly this changes over time, which is why I think it’s time for an updated post on the topic.

For each card below, I link to the full “is it worth it” analysis I’ve written — so this post is the entry point, and you can dig into the math on any individual card from there.

My wallet at a glance

Before the details, here’s the quick version of which card I reach for in which situation:

• Everyday non-bonused spending: Bilt Palladium Card — 2x points plus 4% Bilt Cash on everything
• Foreign spending: Atmos Rewards Summit Card — 3x points on all foreign purchases, no cap
• Restaurants and U.S. supermarkets: American Express® Gold Card — 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 annually) and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually), then 1x.
• Direct hotel bookings: Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card — 4x points
• Airfare booked directly with airlines: American Express Platinum Card® — 5x points
• Hyatt stays + my $15,000 annual sweet-spot card: World of Hyatt Credit Card — 4x points at Hyatt, plus the second free night certificate at $15,000 in annual spend, in addition to elite nights for ongoing spending

That’s the spending side. Separately, I hold many cards purely for ongoing perks — free night awards, elite status, lounge memberships — that justify their annual fees without my needing to spend anything on them. I’ll cover those after the spending cards.

The cards I spend on

When I’m deciding which card to put a purchase on, the question is always the same: which card earns me the most value on this specific transaction? Below are the six cards that win that question for me across the categories that matter most. Each one is the best in my wallet for what it does — that’s why it earned its slot.

Bilt Palladium Card — for everyday non-bonused spending

Bilt Palladium Card

Apply Now Rates & Fees | See Rates & Fees

Why we like this card

The Bilt Palladium Card is the crown jewel of the Bilt lineup, offering 2x points on everyday purchases, a 50,000-point welcome bonus, a Priority Pass membership, $200 in annual Bilt Cash, and up to $400 in hotel credits each year. The combination of a flat 2x earning rate with using Bilt Cash for the spending accelerator feature can push daily earning rates to a consistent 3x for a majority of purchases.

While the annual fee is steep, the math very much checks out for the right type of card holder. It’s best for high spenders and those with significant housing payments who can extract maximum value from the premium perks and the broader Bilt ecosystem.

Bilt Palladium Card Review →

50,000 Bilt Points + Gold Status offer

The Bilt Palladium Card has a $495 annual fee (Rates & Fees) and is serviced by Cardless. It’s my go-to card for non-bonused spending, because the math on it is genuinely hard to beat: 2x points on all eligible purchases, plus 4% back in the form of Bilt Cash.

Bilt Cash can be redeemed in a variety of ways, including to earn points on housing payments (about $4,000 worth of rent or mortgage rewarded per $3,000 in spending) or for spending accelerators that effectively boost you to 3x points on non-housing spending, up to $25,000 per year.

Add it all up and on non-bonused categories I’m well over 3x points per dollar spent, which is the highest return on everyday spending of any card in my wallet. Bilt points are also genuinely valuable, transferable to Alaska Atmos Rewards, World of Hyatt, and other useful partners. The honest caveat I’d flag: tax payments aren’t eligible to earn points, which is a real exclusion that doesn’t apply to most major issuers, so I do have to route that spending elsewhere.

Full analysis: Is the Bilt Palladium Card worth the $495 annual fee?

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card — for foreign spending

Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® credit card

Apply Now Terms Apply.

Why we like this card

The Atmos Summit Card is largely a no-brainer for anyone who flies Alaska or Hawaiian with any frequency, values elite status, or redeems Atmos Rewards points regularly. It offers the strongest rewards structure of any card in the lineup, with 3x points on foreign purchases, dining, and Alaska/Hawaiian purchases, plus the fastest card-based path to elite status. The annual 25,000-point Global Companion Award, issued every year just for holding the card, can nearly justify the annual fee on its own.

It’s best for points maximizers and Alaska loyalists who want upgrade priority, lounge access, and the tools to earn and redeem at the highest level.

Atmos Summit Card Review →

Limited-time online offer – 100,000 bonus points + a 50% flight discount code

The Atmos Rewards Summit Card has a $395 annual fee, and it’s one of those rare cards that’s worth applying for, worth holding, and worth spending on. For my purposes, it has earned its slot for one category specifically: 3x points on all foreign purchases, with no cap. This might be the single best bonus category on any card I’ve seen — we’ve never had a blanket return on foreign spending like this — so it’s my primary card whenever I’m abroad.

The other reason it sees heavy spend from me: the card offers a 100,000-point Global Companion Award when you spend $60,000 in an anniversary year. I’m aiming for that threshold, which means even some domestic spending gets routed here once foreign spending alone won’t get me there. Between the 3x points on foreign purchases and the threshold bonus, the effective return on spending can reach as high as 4.67x points per dollar (I would’t value it quite that high, but that’s the math).

If you’re going for elite status with Atmos Rewards, the card is useful as well, as you earn one status point per $2 spent. What I also appreciate so much is how the card’s annual fee is easily offset by the 25,000-point Global Companion Award, as well as waived partner award booking fees, for those of us who frequently redeem Atmos Rewards points.

Full analysis: Is the Atmos Rewards Summit Card worth the $395 annual fee?

American Express® Gold Card — for restaurants and U.S. supermarkets

American Express® Gold Card

Learn More Terms Apply. | See Rates & Fees

Why we like this card

The Amex Gold Card is one of American Express’ best cards for earning points. With 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 annually) and 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 annually), earning Membership Rewards points is easy.

The card also offers some credits that are potentially useful, which for many will help offset the annual fee. The card offers up to a $120 annual dining credit, plus multiple Uber benefits, which I find to be very worthwhile.

American Express Gold Card Review →

As High As 100,000 points

The Amex Gold Card has a $325 annual fee (Rates & Fees), though that can largely be offset with the card’s credits. What earns it a wallet slot is the bonus categories, which are arguably the most well-rounded in the entire market for any household that eats:

• 4x points at restaurants worldwide (up to $50,000 per calendar year, then 1x points), including takeout and delivery
• 4x points at U.S. supermarkets (up to $25,000 per calendar year, then 1x points)

Between those two categories, my family racks up a lot of points just on food spending — and food is expensive, especially with two little kids in the equation. The 4x dining category also applies worldwide, so this card travels well for restaurants abroad (though the supermarket category is U.S.-only). One honest note from my own experience: I struggle to fully maximize all of the card’s credits, particularly the Dunkin’ credit, so the “real” value depends on how many of those you’ll actually capture.

Full analysis: Is the Amex Gold Card worth the annual fee?

Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card — for direct hotel bookings

Chase Sapphire Reserve®

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Why we like this card

The Chase Sapphire Reserve is one of the most popular premium travel cards on the market, offering a strong rewards structure with 8x points on Chase Travel℠ bookings, 4x points on direct flight and hotel purchases, and 3x points on dining. The lounge access perks are a standout, with a Priority Pass Select membership, access to Chase Sapphire Lounges, and access to select Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounges. While the annual fee is steep, the annual travel credit is easy to use and helps justify the cost, and there are hundreds more in additional credits for dining, entertainment, DoorDash, and more.

It’s best for frequent travelers who value lounge access, can maximize the various credits, and want a strong earning card for travel and dining spending.

Chase Sapphire Reserve Review →

Limited Time: Earn 150,000 bonus points

The Chase Sapphire Reserve has a $795 annual fee, and while I mostly hold it for the perks (the lounge access, the travel credits, hotel credits, dining credits, the Apple Music subscription), there’s one spending category where it earns its keep, which is 4x points on direct hotel bookings.

Hotels are a big spending category for me, and 4x Ultimate Rewards points on those bookings is among the best returns available on a category that’s hard to bonus elsewhere.

Admittedly the importance of this bonus category largely reflects that I spend a lot on hotels. Others will appreciate that the card also offers 3x points on dining, but dining isn’t where I use it — that’s what the Amex Gold is for. And it offers 5x points on Lyft rides through September 30, 2027, which is genuinely useful but isn’t a huge category for me. The hotels alone, paired with the credits and lounge access, are what justify the slot.

Full analysis: Is the Chase Sapphire Reserve worth the annual fee?

American Express Platinum Card® — for airfare

American Express Platinum Card®

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Why we like this card

I love my Platinum Card® and find it well worth the annual fee. I think it can definitely be worth getting, though I also do think most people are using this card wrong. This isn’t a card you should be using for all of your credit card spending, but rather it’s a card you should get for the perks that it offers, as well as the 5x points on airfare.

To decide if you should get the card, take the $895 annual fee, subtract how much value you’d get out of the credits, and then consider how much more you value the other perks of the card, including the great lounge access benefit.

For a frequent traveler or anyone who buys international premium cabin tickets with any frequency, I think the card is well worth it.

Amex Platinum Card Review →

As High As 175,000 points

The Amex Platinum Card has an $895 annual fee (Rates & Fees). Like the Sapphire Reserve, this is primarily a hold-for-perks card for me (the lounge access, the four credits I max with minimal effort, the hotel and rental car status). But it has one bonus category where it’s unambiguously the best card available: 5x points on airfare booked directly with airlines, on up to $500,000 in flight purchases per calendar year.

I value Membership Rewards points at 1.7 cents each, so that’s an 8.5% return on airfare spending — better than any other airfare-earning card I’ve seen. I spend meaningfully on airfare, and the card also offers solid travel protection on top of the earning rate, so this is one of those decisions that essentially makes itself: airfare goes on the Platinum, full stop.

Full analysis: Is the Amex Platinum Card worth it after the refresh?

World of Hyatt Credit Card — $15,000 of spending for the second free night

World of Hyatt Credit Card

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Why we like this card

The World of Hyatt Credit Card is exceptional. It’s a card I have, and also a card I spend at least $15,000 on per year.

The card is worth having even if you don’t plan on putting spending on it — you get an anniversary free night certificate you can use at a hotel that costs significantly more than the annual fee, you get complimentary Discoverist status, and you get five elite nights towards a higher status tier.

Beyond that it can be worth putting spending on the card, thanks to the unique bonus categories, as well as the additional elite nights and second free night certificate.

The card is worth holding onto for the anniversary free night certificate and the five elite nights towards status annually, which more than justify the annual fee, not to mention the pathway to elite status based on your spending.

Hyatt Credit Card Review → 

Earn up to 60,000 Bonus Points

The World of Hyatt Credit Card has a $95 annual fee, and it’s the unusual case where the card isn’t my best earner in any single category but still earns a deliberate $15,000 of spending from me each year. Here’s why: that $15,000 threshold unlocks a second Category 1-4 free night certificate plus six additional elite nights toward status — and I’ve consistently redeemed those certificates at hotels worth well over $200 per night. Effectively that’s better than two points per dollar on otherwise-unbonused spending.

I’ve held this card since 2018 and hit $15,000 every year for exactly this reason. Beyond the spending sweet spot, the card already justifies its $95 fee through the anniversary free night alone, plus Discoverist status and five elite nights toward status with no spending required. It’s the cleanest “worth it” call in my wallet for a hotel card.

Full analysis: Is the World of Hyatt Credit Card worth it?

The cards I hold but don’t regularly spend on

These are the cards that earn their keep without seeing meaningful spending from me. The model is straightforward: each one offers ongoing benefits — a free night certificate, elite status, lounge access — that more than cover the annual fee on their own.

Spending meaningfully on these cards would be a waste based on my own goals, because better options exist for that, but holding them is essentially free value. Here are some of those cards:

• The Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (learn more) has a $550 annual fee (Rates & Fees) but offers benefits that more than justify it, including an annual free night award, up to $400 per year in Hilton resort credits, Honors Diamond Elite status, and much more.
• The Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (learn more) has a $650 annual fee (Rates & Fees) and is worth it for up to $300 in dining statement credits per calendar year ($25 monthly at restaurants worldwide), Bonvoy Platinum Elite status and 25 elite nights for having the card, and a free night award valid at properties costing up to 85,000 points per night
• The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card (learn more) has a $99 annual fee and offers an anniversary free night certificate, IHG One Rewards Platinum status, and a fourth night free on award redemptions
• The Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard® (learn more) has a $595 annual fee and is justified by its perks on their own, including an Admirals Club membership and up to 20,000 bonus Loyalty Points per year with no spending requirement

To me, the perks on these cards more than justify the annual fee on an ongoing basis, so they stay in the drawer, get used for the credits and statuses, and don’t see much purchase spending. That’s a perfectly valid card-management strategy, and one that I think is underused.

What’s not in my wallet (and why)

Just as useful as knowing what I carry is knowing what I deliberately don’t. A few categories of cards I’ve considered, tried, or actively avoid:

• Most “everyday spending” 2% cashback cards. These would replace the Bilt Palladium in my wallet for non-bonused spending, but the Bilt math (2x points plus 4% Bilt Cash that translates into housing rewards or 3x accelerators) consistently beats them for me, so they don’t earn a slot (though for those looking for a simple strategy, I think this is the way to go).
• Single-airline co-brand cards beyond what I already hold. Outside of products like the Citi AAdvantage Executive (held purely for the Admirals Club membership) and the Atmos Summit (held for perks and used for foreign spending), I generally don’t carry airline co-brands — the bonus categories tend to be limited and the perks are too narrow for non-loyalists.
• Hotel co-brands for chains I don’t stay at regularly. I hold the Hilton Honors Aspire Card, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant Card, IHG Premier Card, and World of Hyatt Card — four hotel cards aligned with chains I genuinely use. Adding more would mean paying annual fees for free nights I’d struggle to redeem at properties I’d actually want to stay at.

I also have several cards that I’ve picked up in recent times for the great welcome offers, where I’m deciding what to do with them in the long run. For example, these include the Citi® / AAdvantage® Globe™ Mastercard® (learn more), Citi Strata Elite℠ Card (learn more), etc.

Bottom line

I’d like to think I have a pretty well-tuned credit card setup. Across the six cards I spend most on, I’m earning anywhere from 2x to 5x points per dollar in their best categories, and when you blend it all together I’m averaging well over 3x points per dollar on my overall spending — a return I’d value at over 5%. To recap:

• My favorite card for everyday non-bonused spending is the Bilt Palladium Card (for the 2x points and 4% Bilt Cash)
• The Atmos Rewards Summit Card is unbeatable for foreign spending (3x points, no cap), plus the $60,000 spend threshold unlocks a 100,000-point Global Companion Award
• The Amex Gold Card gets all of my food spending — restaurants and U.S. supermarkets
• The Chase Sapphire Reserve handles my direct hotel bookings, and the Amex Platinum Card handles my airfare
• I deliberately spend at least $15,000 on the World of Hyatt Credit Card every year for the second Category 1-4 free night certificate and six additional elite nights toward status
• Several cards (Hilton Aspire, Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant, IHG Premier, Citi AAdvantage Executive) stay in the drawer purely for the ongoing perks, which more than justify the annual fees on their own

For the deep “is it worth it” analysis on any of these cards — the credits I actually capture, the math after fees, where the value breaks down — follow the linked worth-it post in each card’s section above. This post is the wallet snapshot, and each of these posts has a lot more details.

What are the primary credit cards you use for spending? Has your setup evolved recently, and which card has surprised you most — for better or worse?

The following links will direct you to the rates and fees for mentioned American Express Cards. These include: American Express® Gold Card (Rates & Fees), American Express Platinum Card® (Rates & Fees), Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant® American Express® Card (Rates & Fees), and Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card (Rates & Fees).

While I’m interested in investing, I’m by no means a financial expert, so please don’t interpret any of this as financial advice, or anything like that. This is just an airline nerd sharing his (probably baseless) opinions, so take it with a grain of salt. However, here’s a topic that I find interesting — under what circumstances are airlines worth investing in through the stock market… if ever?

It’s hard to argue that airlines make good long term investments

I absolutely adore the airline industry, though there’s no arguing that it’s an incredibly challenging business. At least in the United States, airlines have very high fixed and variable costs, unionized workforces with labor contracts that can’t easily be renegotiated, and they’re always the first to suffer in hard times.

Warren Buffett once famously joked that if a farsighted capitalist had been present at Kitty Hawk in 1903 (when the first flight took place), he should have shot Orville Wright.

Keep in mind that before the pandemic, Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway was the largest shareholders of US airlines. Those stakes were all panic sold at the start of the pandemic, when they were at absolute lows. Interestingly, Berkshire Hathaway recently got back into airline investing, buying a stake in Delta.

There’s no denying that the US airline industry at large has made massive progress when it comes to becoming more sustainable. That’s largely because US airlines have figured out how to tap into loyalty programs as major profit centers, though not all airlines benefit equally from that. Airlines have also gotten much better at monetizing their products, which is a double-edged sword for consumers.

Looking at US airlines, the absolute top airlines might have a margin of 10% in good years, while most players still lose money. And when things go wrong? Well, they’re quickly begging taxpayers for a bailout to stay afloat.

Let me be clear, there are certainly situations where airline stocks appreciate over time, even without “buying the dip,” so to speak. For example, if you purchased United stock in mid-2023 at its rough peak at the time, you would’ve seen a roughly 100% return over that period, compared to the stock price today. Pretty great, eh? And if you bought during a dip, you might’ve even seen a return of closer to 200%.

United’s turnaround, and in particular, the company’s narrative, is something we haven’t otherwise seen replicated much. You would’ve seen healthy returns with Delta stock as well, but not as high, given that the airline was already the leader at the time.

Admittedly Delta and United are the two airlines that do quite well, and we won’t look at the stock prices of other airlines, which are a bit less pretty. 😉

The two scenarios where I see merit to investing in airlines

More broadly speaking, when is there merit to investing in airlines? As I see it, there are two situations where it most makes sense:

• If you think an airline will be a target in consolidation
• If you’re just “buying the dip,” and think the price will quickly recover

I think there’s an argument to be made for buying airline stock if you think an airline will be the target of consolidation, though this is highly risky, and the upside isn’t always huge:

• I think the dream scenario is what Hawaiian Airlines saw when it was acquired by Alaska Airlines, where the stock went from under $5 to over $13 virtually overnight, given Hawaiian’s low share price and Alaska’s (relatively) high purchase price
• In fairness, we’ve also seen successful consolidation with minimal immediate upside; Allegiant recently acquired Sun Country, and that results in a premium of “only” around 20% (still good, but I think a 160% premium sounds better) 😉
• Of course many people gambled with JetBlue’s failed takeover of Spirit, and tried to buy Spirit shares, in hopes the deal would get regulatory approval; those people got burned, when a judge blocked the merger
• I’m sure many people have purchased JetBlue stock, with hopes of the carrier being acquired, though that’s looking less and less likely by the day; given the amount of debt JetBlue has, I also struggle to believe the airline would get a huge premium on its share price

I think the other argument to be made for buying airline stocks is essentially to just “buy the dips,” when things get bad, and the market overreacts. I’m reminded of the September 2025 Airlines Confidential podcast, hosted by Scott McCartney, where JPMorgan airline analysts Jamie Baker and Mark Streeter were guests (they’re both awesome guys, and you’ll hear Baker on just about every airline earnings call, and I always enjoy hearing his questions, as he doesn’t hold back).

They talked about JPMorgan’s airline investment strategy, and brought up the “down 30 in 30” trading rule. Essentially the idea is that if an airline stock loses 30% of its value in 30 trading days, there’s a high chance that this was an overcorrection, and the stock will go up quite a bit in the subsequent 180 trading days a large majority of the time.

The example they give (and this might not be 100% accurate, since they were going off memory) is that there were 29 instances where United (or pre-merger Continental) stock lost 30% of its value in 30 or fewer trading days.

The analysis was that if you purchased the stock at the very first instance where it dropped 30%, over the course of the following 180 trading days, there’s a 71% likelihood of generating greater than 50% returns, with the average being that the investment roughly doubles. And keep in mind you can do better than that potentially, since this doesn’t even assume buying at the bottom.

The idea is that when the market has decided so quickly that things are so bad, the market has routinely been incorrect. Interestingly, during the recent Iran conflict, most airline stocks didn’t quite drop that much, though American did (probably because it’s the least financially secure among the “big four”). Before the conflict, on February 6, American’s stock price was $15.24, and within 30 trading days, it fell to $10.30, a decrease of well over 30%.

A few months later, the stock is trading at $14.34 again (and days ago it was at $14.92), so that’s a nearly 50% increase in stock price within roughly a few months (and that’s not even 180 trading days).

Everyone should use their own judgment, but when you look at the charts, it does seem like one of the areas where airlines beat the market (on average) is when it comes to the depth of the dips, and the speed of recovery, given the industry’s volatility, and the panic selling that happens.

Interestingly, Baker and Streeter argued that long term they think it’s increasingly likely that you’ll be able to park money in airlines and generate above average returns on a three to five year horizon. If you time things right, that’s probably true. The issue is how few airlines are actually “healthy,” and just how much can change over a three to five year period.

Bottom line

Airlines are really tough businesses, and personally (as a non-financial expert), I fail to see merit to investing in them in the long run, given that we have access to a broader market. There are just so many other industries with better potential for higher returns, and with less volatility.

That being said, I’d argue there are two situations where you can come out ahead investing in airlines. One is if you think consolidation is likely, though that also comes with huge risks — there’s upside, but the airlines that are targets of consolidation also often aren’t in a great spot.

The other — and it’s still risky, but less so than hoping for a merger — is following the “down 30 in 30” trading rule. If an airline stock drops 30% in 30 trading days, it’s highly likely the stock will go up by at least 50% over the course of 180 trading days. There’s no guarantee, of course, but better than two-thirds odds sound pretty good to me, especially when the upside is often significantly more than 50%.

Where do you stand on buying airline stocks? Under what circumstances do you think it makes sense?

US airline executives are obsessed with being “premium”

If you’ve been following the airline industry in the United States with any regularity, you’ve probably heard the word “premium” thrown around a lot.

Delta executives have probably been using the term the most consistently and for the longest period of time. However, in the past couple of years, it has also become United CEO Scott Kirby’s favorite term. Kirby has also claimed that there’s only room for two premium airlines in the United States (Delta and United), and that means American is cooked.

Of course American is now also trying to become more premium (whatever that means), and you also won’t find a press release from the airline that doesn’t mention that. When American recently announced it would introduce Starlink Wi-Fi, the quote from the company’s Chief Customer Officer, Heather Garboden, started with “as a premium global airline.”

I think what’s funny about this is how expectations differ. If you ask an American, odds are that they’d say that Delta is a premium airline. Meanwhile when someone comes from Asia or the Middle East and flies a carrier in the US, they often laugh at how poor quality the experience is, and find it to be anything but premium.

What actually makes an airline premium, though?

If you’re going to look in the dictionary, “premium” is defined as “something of exceptionally high quality.” I tend to agree with that. I don’t want to suggest that US carriers are just awful across the board, but does anyone really want to argue that they are really high quality on the global stage, in comparison to All Nippon Airways, Emirates, Singapore Airlines, etc.?

I mean, pick your cabin, and I think we can all agree that US carriers lag the truly premium carriers of the globe.

On US carriers in economy, you’re not served complimentary food on a transcon flight, you have to pay extra for alcohol, etc. Compare that to a flight of a similar length on Singapore Airlines, where you’d get a full meal, free alcohol, amazing service, a pillow and blanket, etc.

In business class (or domestic first class), need I even compare the experience on American, Delta, and United, to what you’d get on some top foreign airlines? And with the exception of American (lol), US carriers don’t even have international first class, the most premium experience you’ll find in commercial aviation.

So how exactly are they premium, again? Let’s look at it another way. United’s CEO seems to suggest that a premium airline is one that has decommoditizing air travel, with brand loyal customers. In other words, he wants people to be loyal to United because it offers a differentiated experience, and not because it’s the cheapest.

Okay, that sounds fair enough, but if you ask me, that seems more like it’s about being able to get customers on the loyalty program hamster wheel, rather than actually offering an experience that’s meaningfully better than the competition.

I mean, I think Marriott is the prime example of a company that manages to get people to pay more due to its loyalty program, despite quite honestly, doing a lousy job in so many ways. I mean, just go into any of these Marriott Facebook groups, and you’ll see people who act like the only hotels that exist on planet earth are Marriotts, and they’d never consider staying elsewhere. Does that make Marriott the “premium” hotel brand as well, above ones like Oetker, Rosewood, etc.?

For that matter, United has a massive global route network, so are we to believe that United considers itself to be premium when it goes head-to-head against airlines like Japan Airlines and Singapore Airlines in some markets? I just don’t buy it…

For that matter, if premium is defined as having brand loyal customers, then wouldn’t we agree that Southwest is also a premium airline? I mean, the carrier has historically done a phenomenal job decommoditizing air travel, and getting people to proactively book the airline, even when it’s not the cheapest.

Looking outside the travel industry, businesses ranging from McDonald’s to Walmart also have very loyal customers. Does that make those premium brands as well?

Bottom line

Airline executives in the United States love to talk about how their airlines are “premium.” Delta has long positioned itself as the “premium” US airline, then United tried to group itself in with Delta, and then exclude other airlines, claiming there’s no more room for premium carriers. Now American is insisting it’s premium as well.

If you travel a fair bit globally, it’s hard to think that the passenger experience offered by US carriers is premium. My thought is that an airline is premium if it delivers a superior passenger experience. However, it seems that some airline executives like to define premium as having brand loyal customers, in which case I’m not sure Delta and United are really alone.

Southwest certainly has a loyal following, and even American has a lot of loyal customers. So is premium simply an airline that makes a lot of money on its loyalty program?

What do you think? Is there any substance to these premium claims, or is it all fluff?