News and notes from around the interweb:

• 25 free Hertz points

• Argentina ends reciprocity fee for American visitors

• Hyatt Gold Passport suspends Milestone rewards

• Details of the upgrade process at each major US airline, and how to improve your chances

  “Upgrades are getting harder to come by,” explains Gary Leff, founder of the points-and-miles blog View from the Wing, “because airlines are monetizing first-class seats in a way they didn’t used to.”

  A healthy economy in the United States and other countries means there are more premium fliers—and more people with cash to lay out on paid upgrades. Plus, says Leff, first-class fares aren’t as expensive as they used to be, so it’s easier to lure travelers into buying.

  …“Don’t fly when most business travelers do, such as early flights on Monday mornings and Thursday and Friday afternoons between 5:00-7:30pm,” says Leff. “Middle of the day Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays are your best bet. Fly during the holidays. There are fewer business travelers on the road.”

• Amex is cutting cash back in the UK. Eventually we may see rewards cards scale back in the US, so let’s enjoy the current generosity for the next several years while we can.

• The Bahamas Baha Mar ‘Mega Project Gone Bad’ is Now Expected to Be Finished. The $3.5 billion paradise went bust and took guest reservations with it.

  

• Saudia took delivery of the first short-haul optimized Airbus A330 widebody. With 400 seats (almost 20% more than Wow Air’s new A330s), this won’t be a comfortable ride. And that many passengers don’t let an aircraft turn quickly. So there are drawbacks to widebodies flying shorter routes!