Category Archives for General.
Amex Platinum and Gold Resy credits may get tighter on August 1, when restaurants will need to show as eligible on Resy at the time of purchase. Also: Rove adds mile sharing, American reaches 100 Mexico, Caribbean, and Latin America destinations, airport shoe shines disappear, the 747 fades away, and airplane window shades spark debate.
Banks offer huge credit card bonuses to get customers to apply, start spending, and see rewards value quickly. Consumers come out ahead by prioritizing initial bonuses first, then category bonuses, and finally everyday earning on cards worth keeping.
American Airlines now accepts Venmo, adds FOX One streaming passes for AAdvantage members, and will stop charging stranded passengers to recheck bags after overnight disruptions. Also: Spirit’s costly campus, United Flight 93’s passenger vote, and a flight delayed by bees on the wing.
CrowdStrike’s botched software update helped trigger one of the biggest airline meltdowns in years, stranding passengers and costing Delta alone more than $500 million. Now those passengers are being told they may not be able to sue a software company because of the Airline Deregulation Act.
The man hit and slapped the officer in the head and took the officer’s glasses. Las Vegas police responded and tried to detain him, but he fought them, flipped one officer over his back, and both fell to the ground. He grabbed an officer’s pen and tried to him with it, kicked a police officer twice, and kicked a TSA officer in the face. One police officer was injured and sought medical help.
United’s family mileage pooling is more useful now that pooled miles can be redeemed on most partners, with some odd limits for Hawaiian and Emirates. Also: Emirates tries insurance to bring travelers back to Dubai, a Delta passenger is accused of touching crew, and two cats fly to Japan in United’s cabin.
Emirates first class loads are down by 50% amidst the Iran war. That’s actually great news for using points, since Emirates actually makes first class upgrades easy you can even upgrade an award ticket and every empty seat is available for upgrade at the airport (and even onboard). Plus Virgin Atlantic transfer bonus, and free Thai Airways miles.
Wells Fargo is cutting rewards features, InKind has a $75 food-credit play, REAL ID gets undermined in court, and China rideshare drivers add karaoke and haircuts.
Sunrise launches Newark–Cap-Haïtien flights, SFO seeks a Terminal 3 video game lounge, British Airways pauses Starlink installs, and Beverly Wilshire restaurants face vermin closures.
TSA has moved from “remove your laptop” to “remove your cat.” Before heading to the airport, check your suitcase for a feline stowaway. Plus Airbus a350 damaged during water cannon salute, Alaska award sale and points transfers, and draconion cancellation fees.
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 »
