Weekly Review: September 22, 2018

Earlier this week I returned to the US after taking a trip to Minsk and Whitehorse, which was fun. Unfortunately I caught a bit of a cold while in Whitehorse, as I often seem to when I get exposed to cold weather. Grrrr. Fortunately it was only mild, and I’m now feeling good again.

On the points and travel front, this week we saw some great promotions from LifeMiles, some new Priority Pass restaurants were added to the network, we learned about the end dates of some generous credit card offers, EVA Air revealed their new 787 business class, there were rumors of an Emirates and Etihad merger, and more.

With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:

Featured Stories

Introducing: OMAAT + YouTube

I’ve been blogging for over a decade now, and for the most part I’ve been doing exactly the same thing. I’m usually someone who takes the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, which is why for better or worse, not all that much has changed with the blog in the past decade.

However, sometimes it’s fun to try something new, which brings me to something that I’m excited to announce.

Previously I’ve used YouTube as a place to embed random videos in order to share here, but as of today we’re launching an honest-to-goodness actual YouTube channel.

10 Best Credit Card Offers For September 2018

Every month I make a post with what I consider to be the best credit card bonuses of the month.

While there are several excellent long standing credit card offers, the specifics of the best offers are constantly changing (be it the annual fee, minimum spend requirement, or even amount of the welcome bonus).

If you read my blog on a daily basis then by all means skip this post, but for me it’s a useful, “current” place to refer people who ask about which cards they should sign-up for, a question I get on a daily basis.

This has been a great year for new credit cards being introduced, and many of them have hot welcome bonuses. With that in mind, below are what I consider to be the 10 best right now:

An Incredible New Transatlantic Award Sweet Spot

Last week I wrote about how Aer Lingus is launching two new transatlantic routes next summer, to Montreal and Minneapolis.

Aer Lingus has the same parent company as British Airways, so you can redeem British Airways Avios for travel on Aer Lingus, and it generally represents an excellent value, given that carrier imposed surcharges on Aer Lingus are mild.

British Airways has a distance based award chart, with the following pricing (which is per segment and one-way):

TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos

3 Ways To Know If The Chase Sapphire Reserve Is Right For You
Last Chance For Two Great LifeMiles Offers
Chase Ink Bonuses: $500 Or 50,000 Points?
My Strategy For Maximizing Points On Airfare Purchases
Four Days Only: 100% Bonus On Purchased IHG Points
LifeMiles Extends 140% Bonus And (Temporarily) Lifts Limit On Purchased Miles
Shangri-La Offering Double Golden Circle Points
Amazing Deal: LifeMiles Offering Up To 5x Miles For Hotel Bookings
Promo: Earn National Rental Car Executive Status Through American Express
IHG Premier Card 100K Offer Ending October 4
New Best-Ever Delta Reserve Business Card Welcome Bonus
10 Best Credit Card Offers For September 2018
Days Remaining: 8 Reasons To Apply For The Amex Blue Business Plus Card
Rumored Details Of The Incredible New Amex Gold Card

TRICKS: Redeeming Miles

Redeeming Avios On Air Italy Just Got More Expensive
Discounted Award Tickets On The World’s Longest Flights!
An Incredible New Transatlantic Award Sweet Spot
Hong Kong Ending Ban On Fuel Surcharges
Great Ways To Redeem British Airways Avios Without Paying Huge Fees

TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)

Impressions Of Minsk, Belarus
SO EXCITED: I’m Flying To Whitehorse Today!!!
I’m Falling Out Of Love With T-Mobile
Introducing: OMAAT + YouTube
Impressions Of Whitehorse, Yukon
Why I Couldn’t Care Less About Airline Safety (Anymore… For Now…)
Finding The Perfect Cabin Bag For My Four Month, Hand Luggage Only Trip
How I Scored 75K Airline Miles For An Airport Hotel Stay

REVIEWS & Trip Reports

Review: United Polaris Lounge Houston Airport
Review: Lufthansa First Class A380 Houston To Frankfurt
Condor 767 Business Class In 10 Pictures
Review: Lufthansa Business Class A320 Frankfurt To Tallinn
Flying With Air North, The Yukon’s Airline

NEWS & Updates

Singapore Airlines Flight Cancelled After Pilot Fails Blood Alcohol Test
Istanbul’s New Airport Won’t Open As Expected
Four (Minor) Changes Coming To American AAdvantage
How Much Money Did Qatar Airways Lose In Its “Most Challenging Year In History?”
Fascinating Insights Into The Lives Of Highly Paid Expat Pilots In Asia
Bizarre: China Eastern Fires Cabin Crew After Boyfriend Proposes During Flight
Copa Airlines Introduces New Flat Bed Business Class
Incredulous: Cathay Pacific Paints Jet With Misspelled Name
Delta Raises Checked Bag Fees
Priority Pass Adds P.F. Chang’s LAX
British Airways Expanding Chauffeur Drive Transfers At Heathrow
Priority Pass Adds Salt Lake City Airport Restaurant
EVA Air Introduces New 787 Business Class
Breaking: Emirates & Etihad Are In Merger Talks
Jet Airways Passengers Bleed After Pilots Forget To Pressurize Cabin
Qatar Offering Qsuites To Sao Paulo As Of December 2018
Smart: Frontier Airlines May Increase Revenue By Reducing Change Fees
American Airlines Raises Checked Bag Fees
Report: Air Belgium Ending Scheduled Flights
Lufthansa Is Launching The World’s Worst Flight
KLM Launching Flights To Las Vegas
Emirates Cancels Plans To Fly To Mexico City
Confirmed: Air Belgium Canceling Hong Kong Flights As Of October 1, 2018
Air Arabia Pilot’s Insane Takeoff Mistake
Malaysia Airlines Serving Amazing Vintage Champagne In Business Class
Yet Another New Low Cost Airline Is Planning Transatlantic Flights

I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!