If you still have the legacy Bilt card, this weekend is your last chance to switch “seamlessly” to one of the new cards before the window closes Feb. 1 at 11:59 p.m. Pacific. Bilt says the transition keeps your same card number with no hard credit pull, and Apple Pay/Google Pay refresh automatically
Citi is surveying a refresh of the American AAdvantage small business card that looks meaningfully better than what’s sold today — even with a higher annual fee. The two hooks: authorized-user spend would earn Loyalty Points too, and the card would add a simple flight-based bonus (4 qualifying flights = 4,000 Loyalty Points, up to 12,000 a year), with credits used to sell the higher fee.
American’s free Wi-Fi rollout is about to go from “most planes” to the long-haul fleet too. In a leaked recording from an employee meeting after earnings, the airline says it has free Wi-Fi on 90%+ of aircraft now and plans to add it to the remaining widebodies over the next 12–24 months — while also teeing up more lounge announcements and new food and beverage partnerships.
Citi’s new Strata Elite card is handing out approvals fast — and for good reason. With a 100,000-point bonus, stacked travel and retail credits, and easy eligibility rules, it delivers first-year value few premium cards can match.
American has been spending real money on “premium” — new suites, new lounges, better champagne, better policies — but the company has lacked anything resembling a mission that connects it all. In a leaked recording from a post-earnings employee meeting, that finally changes: leadership frames Chicago as an existential fight with United, and ties winning the market directly to loyalty and credit card economics, and that easily extends to the need for a premium service culture.
United is planning a controlled overnight cutover next week that will take its key systems offline for roughly 2–3 hours — and it has already pre-canceled most departures during the window. While flights already in the air will keep moving, everything that depends on the reservation stack effectively freezes: schedules, booking, retrieving reservations, ticketing, cancellations/refunds, and check-in via United.com, the app, kiosks, call centers, and agency channels.
United told pilots it expects delivery of its first 787-9 with the new Polaris Studio in February, with entry into service in March. Also today: Starbucks is rolling out a revamped Rewards program in March that cuts earning, Hawaiian Airlines Bank of Hawaii credit cards are back and more.
The Barclays-issued AAdvantage cards are officially converting to Citi on April 24, and Citi just published the full playbook — including new cards with new account numbers and a no-login window April 24–26.
The sleeper detail is that for now your existing card’s legacy perks stay in place while you also pick up the standard Citi-version benefits, creating a temporary stacking window (especially valuable for Aviator Silver moving to Globe).
A passenger stripped down and rampaged through the cabin on a Nha Trang–Bangkok flight, threatening flight attendants and even trying to get an aircraft door opened mid-flight. The plane made an emergency landing at Bangkok Don Mueang — and once on the ground, he demanded the door be opened anyway, then jumped onto the tarmac before stairs were in place and was arrested.
A photo circulating online alleges an American Airlines flight attendant was wearing a keffiyeh in uniform to show support for Palestinian resistance. The bigger issue is power: crew members control whether you fly and whether you get labeled disruptive. Political signaling from the people in charge of the cabin is a problem. It’s also against airline rules.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
