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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.On October 30, United launched a new flight that I honestly never saw coming — from San Francisco (SFO) to Papeete, Tahiti (PPT) on the airline’s 787-8 Dreamliner.This new United nonstop makes Tahiti and other popular Polynesian islands like Moorea and Bora Bora far more accessible to US-based travelers — especially those hoping to redeem miles for a free flight, given the excellent economy saver award availability....

With the sharp decrease in demand for air travel, airports haven’t been nearly as crowded as before the pandemic.And while this decrease has significantly hurt airlines’ bottom lines, it’s posed an interesting opportunity for airports. Without as many passengers flying, now’s the perfect time to accelerate existing construction projects, assuming that they can keep the workers safe.That’s exactly what’s happened with New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).On June 13, LGA inaugurated the brand-new, mesmerizing 850,000 square foot Terminal B Arrivals and Departures Hall....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Carly, who put her perks to good use during a trip to the Maldives. Here’s what she had to say:My boyfriend and I stayed in an overwater villa at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island in May. I booked five consecutive nights at the standard room reward rate (with the fifth night free) and for the sixth night I used a free weekend night certificate from my Citi Hilton Honors Reserve card....

Amid all the conversation about long wait times and insufferable lines at security checkpoints, the TSA says that the average air passenger waited less than a half hour to get through security at the top 42 US airports on Monday.“Nationwide, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2.18 million passengers yesterday,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday. “Overall, 99.9 percent of passengers waited less than 30 minutes and 93.1 percent of passengers waited less than 15 minutes....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: Many airlines have added cities to the list of airports eligible for a travel waiver. Click the airline name below to see the airlines’ latest travel waiver.Just days after a winter storm crippled flights across the Midwest, another powerful storm is moving into the area. If you’re planning to travel through the Great Lakes region this weekend, you might have to find other plans....

It’s a Friday afternoon in New York, and everyone has a place to be. Slowly but surely, office workers around the city start to filter out around 2pm. Collars are loosened, ties removed and office heels give way to sensible flats and beach-friendly sandals. It’s time to relax and party, not labor over more spreadsheets.The last place you want to be is stuck in traffic for six hours on the way to a weekend at the beach....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Hotel chains are continuing their push to get customers to book stays directly with the company instead of through a third party. Last year, Hilton announced that Hilton HHonors members would get a special rate of up to 10% off select stays, and earlier this month, Marriott announced that Marriott Rewards members would get a members-only exclusive rate of at least 2% on weekdays and up to 5% on weekends....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American ExpressAs you probably know, Marriott won the right to acquire Starwood in 2015, the deal closed in 2016, and their programs very quickly integrated to a large degree in that you can match your elite status levels from program to program and you can transfer points back and forth at a rate of 3 Marriott Reward points = 1 Starwood point....

If visiting one of Germany’s famous Christmas markets has always been on your bucket list, we have good news: You don’t even need to leave the airport to scratch this one off if you’re flying into Munich (MUC).Forgo Berlin and Nuremberg for the Munich airport, where you’ll find: 44 stalls, home to vendors selling everything from traditional foods to crafts; not one but TWO airport ice rinks where visitors can either channel their inner Adam Rippon (note: hitting the ice is free but there is a “small” fee for skate rentals) or try their hands at Eisstockschießen, the local version of curling; and nearly 500 real pine trees, including a 50-foot centerpiece adorned with some 5,000 lights....

During the COVID-19 crisis, our team has temporarily ceased taking review trips. However, we are still publishing new flight, hotel and lounge reviews, from trips taken just before the lockdown, and articles — like this one — based on flights taken before the pandemic. Please note that if you fly during the coronavirus pandemic, you will encounter a very different experience, both on the ground and on board, from what was experienced during the review flights that formed the basis for this story....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The only thing better than a summer beach vacation is one booked entirely using points. But even though summer still feels a long way off, a lot of the top points hotels are filling up quickly. If you can’t find award space and end up needing to pay cash, there’s a new option to consider that can help you save a ton of money....

Planning a trip to Italy’s Cinque Terre? Make sure to pack appropriate footwear.Starting this summer, local authorities will start handing out fines ranging from €50 to €2,500 (that’s about $57 to $2,830 at the current exchange rate) to people caught wearing flip-flops, sandals or pumps within the Parco Nazionale delle Cinque Terre, a UNESCO World Heritage site on the Ligurian coast. The five picturesque towns — Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore — are famous for their colorful houses built atop rocky cliffs overlooking the sea....

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.After considering feedback from employees, Virgin Atlantic recently declared that its cabin crew members no longer have to wear makeup when serving passengers.“Not only do the new guidelines offer an increased level of comfort, they also provide our team with more choice on how they want to express themselves at work,” said Virgin Atlantic executive vice president Mark Anderson....

On Saturdays we take a look back at the stories of the past week, but Sundays are about the future! With so much going on in the world of travel, it’s not easy keeping track of everything. So here’s a quick glance at some important events and deadlines coming up this week…Monday, December 19, 2016With the Alaska/Virgin America merger now official, starting on Monday you’ll be able to book Virgin America tickets on Alaska’s website....

Airlines affected by the worldwide grounding of the Boeing 737 MAX following last week’s fatal Ethiopian Airlines crash are estimated to be spending up to $35,000 per aircraft, per day, to lease replacement jets. And that’s before considering passenger compensation costs for delayed or cancelled flights.“It is not possible to quote an accurate cost, since there are so many different markets and strategies adopted by airlines — cancelling or combining flights, delaying retirement of older aircraft, extending leases, etc — all of which have different cost and revenue implications,” Peter Morris, chief economist at UK-based aviation consultancy Ascend by Cirium, said....

Many passengers don’t bother looking at the type of plane operating their flight. Lots of people just search by price or schedule, but what happens when two airlines are offering similarly timed flights at the same price? For some fliers, the choice may come down to their preferred airline or airport. But I’d argue that it’s important to look at the plane manufacturer as well.All of the Big Three U.S. airlines operate both the Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 families of jets....

Lufthansa, one of the world’s largest airlines, is going after a passenger who it says engaged in hidden-city ticketing, CNN reports. According to the airline, a passenger booked a round-trip flight from Oslo (OSL) to Seattle (SEA) with a stop in Frankfurt (FRA). While the passenger took the outbound leg from Oslo via Frankfurt eventually arriving in Seattle, Lufthansa alleges that the passenger intentionally missed their return flight and instead booked another flight, with the final destination set as Berlin (TXL)....

On Thursday, Uber officially resumed tests of its self-driving cars on Pittsburgh roads, about nine months after one of its autonomous vehicles was involved in a fatal accident.The ride-hailing giant had announced it received approval from the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation on Wednesday, and a day later, it said a “small handful” of the self-driving cars had hit the streets in Pittsburgh, one of the cities where the company had suspended self-driving operations following the fatal crash....

[tpg_rating tpg-rating-score=“88” ground-experience=“7” cabin-seat=“22” amens-ife=“13” food-bev=“23” service=“23” pros=“Supreme privacy, lots of space, an onboard shower, top-notch entertainment selection and delicious food both in the lounge in Abu Dhabi and in the air” cons=“Rushed ground experience, lack of chauffeur service, flooding issues in the shower, not-quite-first-class alcohol selections and poor baggage handling” /]Etihad’s Apartments were a game changer when they were first introduced in 2014, only bested by The Residence on board the same aircraft and few others....