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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.During his recent round-the-world trip, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen took a few regional flights within Asia. Here’s how he scored a good-value award on Cathay Pacific, and his review of the service in economy from Bangkok to Hong Kong.One of the loose ends in my big itinerary traveling around the world was how to get back to Hong Kong so I could catch my continuing award itinerary to Europe and finally to the US as I flew around the world....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.After a seven-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Tokyo Narita (NRT), my travel marathon home was set to conclude with nine hours or so to Los Angeles (LAX). I had flown from LAX to Tokyo on an All Nippon 777, and had a rather nice experience in economy; I was curious to see how the return on United would compare....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.InterContinental Hotels Group has launched a new promotion, offering members of IHG Rewards Club the opportunity to get an additional free night on paid stays.As first reported by Loyalty Lobby, the promo advertises itself as “One Extra Night. On Us.” for which you can get an extra night added onto your stay at select properties for the same price....

The Boeing 737 MAX is the latest generation in the 52-year storied history of the Boeing 737. While it’s hailed by Boeing as a game-changer for airlines in reliability, efficiency and passenger comfort, two crashes of the new aircraft type in the past five months are causing passengers — and some flight attendants — to wonder about the safety of the new aircraft type.While Beijing has asked Chinese airlines to ground all 737 MAX aircraft as of Sunday night, US carriers are yet to follow suit....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Hyatt’s looking to fill hotel rooms during the typically slower holiday season, just as the chain’s fall promotion is beginning to wind down.As of today, Nov. 1, 2018, World of Hyatt members can save up to 20% at participating hotels, replacing the standard “Member Rate Advanced Purchase” of up to 15% off regular rates.You should see the new promo rate when booking a stay with a check-out date between now and Feb....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG Advertising Partner.Are you an American Airlines flyer? Or just in need of some AAdvantage miles for a redemption? Good news: The Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Elite Mastercard is offering a limited-time sign-up bonus of 75,000 miles.In order to get the 75,000 bonus AAdvantage miles, you have to spend $7,500 in the first three months of account opening....

COVID testing plays an important role in restarting the travel industry.However, in many parts of the country, getting a fast, reliable and affordable COVID test remains a challenge. That’s no longer the case if you’re traveling through New York’s LaGuardia Airport.The Port Authority along with NYC Health and Hospitals and the New York Tracing Corps inaugurated a new testing facility at LGA on Wednesday (Oct. 28).“The latest addition to our suite of safety-related initiatives is the testing center behind me,” Rick Cotton, executive director of the Port Authority, said at a press conference on Wednesday....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.In the era of carbon offsetting it comes as a surprise that any airline is willing to weather the press that comes with operating more flights than necessary. But what about an extra 14,000 miles with four brand-new aircraft — flying with no passengers aboard?...

Star Alliance is backtracking on plans to introduce up to two new higher elite tiers for members of participating frequent flyer programs. The airline alliance, whose members include Lufthansa, United, and Singapore Airlines among others, announced plans to introduce new elite tiers nearly a year ago at the annual International Air Transport Association (IATA) summit. At this year’s conference, Star Alliance outlined plans to improve the alliance’s existing elite tiers instead....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the big questions that came up both days at the New York Times Travel Show, was how airline credit cards play into an overall points and miles strategy. While I personally spend more on credit cards that accrue transferable points like the Sapphire Preferred, or the Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, since transferable points give me the flexibility I value to top up various airline and hotel accounts, many airline co-branded credit cards include valuable perks like free checked bags, the ability to earn bonus points, and even to spend your way to elite-qualifying miles....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG Contributor Lori Zaino has graciously packed on the pounds sampling pizza in Rome and Naples — for research purposes, of course. (All photos are by the author.)Italy is home to what may be the world’s most beloved comfort food: pizza! Naples is known for having some of the best in the world, but many argue that the title belongs to Rome instead....

Northern Lights season is officially here, and that means it’s time to see the incredible phenomenon and check it off your bucket list.While you might typically spot the lights dancing across the Icelandic night sky, or shining above Svalbard, there are a handful of nights each year when you can catch the aurora right here in the United States.An aurora viewing in the US is rare, but it’s much more likely during geomagnetic storms....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.In September, Uber rolled out its self-driving cars in Pittsburgh, ushering in a new wave of transportation technology that will likely reshape our lives. The ride-sharing company partnered with Swedish automaker Volvo to convert several of the brand’s XC90 SUVs into self-driving machines....

United will resume nonstop flights between the US and India in September, a United spokesperson confirmed to TPG on Tuesday night. Both Newark (EWR) to Mumbai (BOM) and New Delhi (DEL) will resume on Sept. 6, 2019, after being grounded for the past few months. Also, United confirmed it will proceed with its planned launch of the San Francisco (SFO) to New Delhi route on Dec. 5.Over the past few years, United has been the only US-based airline to fly nonstop between the US and India....

Kim Kardashian West is officially an AvGeek.The reality star displayed her inner airplane nerd in a video tour of a private Boeing 747 jet posted to her Instagram account on Monday. Kardashian flew the huge aircraft with her husband, rapper Kanye West, though it isn’t clear where the ultra-famous couple was flying to or from on the Queen.It also wasn’t clear from the video if the power couple chartered the jet themselves – which experts estimate would cost somewhere in the ballpark of a cool $20,000 per hour – or if Adidas was footing the bill for the plane....

JetBlue is in the process of updating its entire Airbus A320 fleet. Once the process is complete, there will be 20 aircraft with a “Phase 1” cabin, while the majority of planes will offer a standardized “Phase 2” design, which I had a chance to check out this week in Florida.Both have similar layouts, with 162 seats, including 120 regular “Core” seats, with 32 inches of pitch (but a spacious feel, thanks to a thinner seat design) and 42 Even More Space seats, with most offering 35 inches of pitch....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Every so often, we pose a question in the TPG Lounge and ask readers to respond with their own experiences and opinions. Last week we asked about your favorite award redemptions. More recently, we asked members to share which credit cards are on their wishlist — and why they haven’t gotten them yet. We received a ton of responses, and many of you shared similar dream cards and rationales for not applying yet....

Most airlines using Flying Blue as their loyalty program (most notably Air France and KLM) are members of the SkyTeam alliance, but some of the program’s partners are not. One example is Japan Airlines, a Tokyo-based carrier that belongs to the Oneworld alliance. While it’s not uncommon for airlines to have codeshare and frequent flyer agreements with airlines in other alliances, it’s fairly rare that you can book award flights between cross-alliance partners online....

Mitsubishi is rebranding its line of regional jets, using “SpaceJets” as the new name for its MRJ aircraft.Mitsubishi is a relatively new player in the regional jet market, where it’s hoping to make inroads against more-established giants Bombardier and Embraer.The first plane debuted by the company, now the SpaceJet M90, was originally known as the MRJ90 during development. The M90 will be the first SpaceJet aircraft to enter the commercial market, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2020....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG Contributor Mitch Berman has lost track of how many trips he’s made to London, but his son, Kofi Lee-Berman, has not (six and counting). Here, they share their recent experiences in the UK’s vibrant historical capital — with text by Mitch and most of the photos by Kofi. Visit Mitch and Kofi’s photo blog and Kofi’s travel blog for more....