A major airport covered itself in “call to advertise here” ads—then apparently posted the wrong phone number, sending a steady stream of calls to a random guy who has no idea what’s going on. Plus: Capital One buying Brex, Heathrow ending the liquids rule, Southwest’s “coffee surprise,” Admirals Club Provisions expansion, and more.
Bilt Blue looks like a plain no annual fee card, but the Bilt Cash mechanic changes the math. If you convert the 4% Bilt Cash into points via rent/mortgage-linked redemptions, you can get to about 2.3 transferable points per dollar on everyday spend—up to a monthly cap tied to your housing payment.
Wheelchair assistance is increasingly being used as an airport “hack”: it can mean skipping long walks, cutting security lines, and boarding early—often with an entire family in tow. On some long-haul flights, as many as 30% of passengers now request wheelchairs, and the result is predictable: real disabled travelers get crowded out while “Jetbridge Jesus” miracles happen the moment boarding starts.
American Airlines has been testing onboard milestone celebrations, and a new million-miler champagne toast shows the airline may be leaning into the “in the air” recognition that builds loyalty. One once-a-year traveler hated it—almost the only negative reaction to this kind of moment you ever see.
A must-pass funding package to avoid a January 30 government shutdown is carrying quiet airline policy moves that will matter far more than the headlines about FAA dollars.
The major pilot union is celebrating “two fully rested pilots at all times,” but the language is really a spending restriction that prevents the FAA from studying new technologies that might improve safety, and separate language orders the Department of Transportation to revisit decades-old international aviation policy that has worked to open market access and foster competition.
The new Bilt Card doesn’t work like a normal Chase or Amex product where one bank issues, services, funds, and owns the economics end-to-end. Bilt Card 2.0 is a split stack: Column is the bank and lender of record, Cardless runs servicing and the tech layer, Fidem (and its capital partners) fund receivables, and Bilt provides the rewards program—on Mastercard rails. Once you see the roles, the money flows (interchange, interest, and who gets paid for what) make a lot more sense.
Bilt finally published the missing Bilt Cash details—and they change how the new cards pencil out. With the “extra 1x” points option, Palladium effectively becomes a 3x catch-all card (up to $25,000 in spend), while Obsidian can hit 4x in your chosen category.
This Marriott only runs heat or air conditioning at a time—if your room needs the other mode, the “solution” is to open a window. Also, Qantas is closing the Emirates First Class workaround, Ted Cruz spotted flying to the beach as Texas braces for ice, and more.
Hyatt is advertising this card bonus as 5 free nights, but the spend required to earn it also triggers the card’s annual Category 1–4 night and generates enough points for another award night. Put it together and the “5-night” offer can realistically turn into 7 nights at Category 1–4 Hyatt hotels.
United’s CEO Scott Kirby went out of his way on the earnings call to “draw a line in the sand” in Chicago—promising United will add flights to match any American expansion at O’Hare. The point of saying it publicly wasn’t bravado. It was deterrence: to signal to American (and to analysts) that new Chicago capacity will be met in kind, making growth less attractive for both airlines.
American’s response came fast anyway, announcing new routes from O’Hare—turning Kirby’s game-theory warning into an immediate test of whether this becomes a real fare war or a negotiation by headline.
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 »
