News and notes from around the interweb:

• “The bathroom just exploded” onboard a Virgin Australia flight that had to return to LAX. Passengers say the toilets overflowed. The airlines claim it was the sinks. Either way, it apparently smelled. Very bad.

• Club Carlson is offering your choice of double points OR double qualifying nights through December 30. You must register and choose to take advantage of the promotion. (HT: Loyalty Lobby)

• 250 free Lufthansa Miles & More miles for downloading the IHG Rewards Club app.

• Wendy Perrin recommends London Heathrow layover hotels. To me the best choice is driven by which terminal you’re flying in and out of, and you take the one attached to your terminal when that applies (such as the Sofitel attached to T5).

• Hyatt confirms to me what was believed to be the case yesterday, that the Diamond Challenge is no longer before offered.

  We appreciate the overwhelming enthusiasm for Hyatt Diamond elite status. The Diamond trial promotion that began on May 1, 2014 has run its course and has been discontinued as of October 31. We very much appreciate all of our members who were able to take advantage of this promotion and have continued to stay with Hyatt throughout the year. We are currently evaluating the best path forward with these types of promotions. As always, we welcome your feedback.

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