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Japan Airlines’ first brand-new Airbus was delivered to the carrier at the manufacturer’s headquarters in Toulouse, France, today. The plane — an A350-900 — is one of 31 of Airbus’s wide-body aircraft the airline is adding to its fleet.The new plane will serve flights between the southern Japanese city of Fukuoka and Tokyo’s Haneda airport. It is configured with 12 first-class seats, 94 in biz and 263 in comfort economy for a total of 369 premium seats....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For those trying to get status with an airline or hotel, it’s usually a race at the end of the year to go on a mileage run or mattress run to hit your status goals. But sometimes life and budget get in the way, and you’re a few nights or a thousand miles short of your goal.Luckily for some of those with Marriott elite status, the hotel chain is reportedly extending Platinum status to Marriott elites who didn’t quite make it last year....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Kristina, who took advantage of home expenses to earn rewards for a trip to the South Pacific. Here’s what she had to say:When my husband and I bought our first house — a major renovation project — in 2016, I knew it would be a great opportunity to stockpile rewards and treat ourselves to a more extravagant vacation than usual....

Royal Caribbean’s Oasis of the Seas, known for being one of the largest cruise ships in the world, will be returning to Port Canaveral a day early after an outbreak of Norovirus affected more than 200 guests and crew members aboard.The gastrointestinal illness was first reported on Sunday, Jan. 5. The seven-night cruise has since docked at Falmouth port on the northern side of Jamaica, where it had a planned excursion....

Almost all Qatar routes to the United States use aircraft with the TPG Award-winning Qsuite business class installed. As of the last time we dug into Qatar’s schedule, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington DC all have Qsuite aircraft – leaving just Atlanta and Miami without. We’ve been monitoring these last two routes closely to see when Qsuite would finally be added.So, I was optimistic when a number of ExpertFlyer aircraft change notifications came through Thursday afternoon for the Atlanta-Doha route....

The world’s biggest cruise line, Royal Caribbean, was a notable latecomer when it comes to the trend of cruise lines adding giant waterslides atop their ships. As recently as early 2016, it didn’t have a single one on any of its vessels, even as rivals Carnival Cruise Line, Norwegian Cruise Line and MSC Cruises were touting waterslides galore across their fleets.The Blaster water slide and Riptide, a mat racer slide, intertwine along the top deck of Royal Caribbean’s Navigator of the Seas....

[tpg_rating ticket-class=“business” tpg-rating-score=“90” ground-experience=“16” cabin-seat=“30” amens-ife=“13” food-bev=“19” service=“12” pros=“Supremely comfortable seat, one of the widest in the industry; top-notch amenities; delicious food.” cons=“Unexceptional ground experience; limited IFE selection; slow meal service.” /]Airlines don’t introduce new seats all that frequently, but when they do, most hold big press conferences to stir up as much anticipation as possible.So it was quite a surprise when ANA put out just a press release to announce new first- and business-class seats on some of its Boeing 777-300ERs last summer....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This has been the year of devaluations - from the latest United news as well as staggering devaluations from Hilton and Starwood not to mention Delta and Southwest. While I hate hearing about (and reporting on) devaluations they’re a fact of life and it pays to be prepared. You’ve got to be realistic about your points and miles and accept the fact that they don’t gain value over time and that things are likely to change…to the detriment of the consumer....

Today Alaska Airlines unveiled its new Disney-themed Boeing 737, the seventh Disney-inspired plane to fly in the airline’s fleet. Painted with Disney characters, the plane made its debut at Sea-Tac International Airport earlier this morning, then took flight to San Francisco International Airport for the official dedication ceremony. The celebration was complete with food, music, and a host of Disney character (hey there, Buzz Lightyear!)(Photo courtesy of Alaska Airlines)But it’s not the only kid-friendly paint job flying today....

George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston must have been having a particularly bad case of the Mondays. As one does, the airport took to social media Monday to vent its frustrations:And as the Internet sometimes does, a slew of hilarious responses ensued. The US Postal Inspection Service sassily responded:Meanwhile, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Dallas-Fort Worth and Miami airports tweeted GIFs back at IAH to commiserate, “Amen” and otherwise agree with the beleaguered Texas aviation hub....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There are no shortage of opportunities for points and miles fans to score some slick perks at the US Open, held each summer in New York City — Marriott’s packages have always been popular, as has Chase’s special customer lounge, which requires advance registration for access.For 2018, American Express is bringing a Centurion Lounge-like experience to the new Louis Armstrong Stadium, which opens this year and sports 14,000 seats and a retractable roof....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Great news for American Express cardholders planning a trip to the South Pacific! There’s a Amex Offer in which targeted cardholders can receive significant points or cash back bonuses on purchases with Australian flag carrier, Qantas.For the uninitiated, Amex Offers are opt-in, limited-time deals specifically for targeted American Express cardholders, such as $100 cash back for spending $500 with Aerolineas Argentinas (offer available through 9/27), 20% cash back on Delta flights, 15% cash back on Starbucks purchases and more....

View this post on Instagram Meet @capeair’s new ride: the Tecnam P2012 Traveller. Entry-into-service due in early-December. A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Oct 16, 2019 at 10:10am PDT View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram Meet @capeair’s new ride: the Tecnam P2012 Traveller. Entry-into-service due in early-December. A post shared by Ned Russell (@airbus777) on Oct 16, 2019 at 10:10am PDT

Many of you have had to cancel travel plans this year. The coronavirus pandemic is forcing travel providers to cut their offerings to near zero, and stay-at-home orders are having a huge effect on flights, cruises, hotels and every other aspect of the travel industry.Airlines have been proactive with rebooking options, and have waived cancellation and change fees. Now, with the slump extending for weeks and likely months, they are strapped for cash — so they tend to offer vouchers for future travel, rather than refunds....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.JetBlue is known for amazing flash sales and great in-flight service. While this sale doesn’t include $30 transcontinental flights, short and medium-haul routes are heavily discounted for fall and winter travel. Round-trip flights can be as low as $66, with one-way fares starting at just $33, available for departures on Monday through Thursday and Saturdays. Additionally, you can cash in some TrueBlue points for terrific value....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter, and subscribe to text message alerts from our deals feed, @tpg_alerts.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency such as Orbitz or Expedia, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking....

Here at TPG, we love when two loyalty programs join up to offer enhanced rewards for members, and today we have a new one to add to the list. Air France and Accor announced this morning (June 20) that they would be expanding the partnership between their respective loyalty programs — Flying Blue and Le Club AccorHotels — to allow travelers to earn miles and points simultaneously when traveling with both companies....

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.Ever wonder what airports will look like 50 years from now?Well, here is an opportunity to put that imagination to work. Fentress Architects is hosting its annual international design competition, and entrants are being asked to produce the most innovative concept for an airport terminal in 2075....

Air Canada has finished rolling out high-speed satellite-based wifi on all aircraft that fly for its Rouge subsidiary.With the new service, passengers should be able to stream movies and TV shows on sites like YouTube and Netflix, according to the airline.“We are excited to now offer fast, reliable wi-fi options onboard all Rouge aircraft for the increasing numbers of customers seeking connectivity when flying,” Andrew Yiu, Air Canada’s vice president, product said in a statement....