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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.You may not have heard of Gulf Air before, but the Bahrain-based airline turned a lot of heads when it unveiled a spectacular new business class it calls “Falcon Gold” in April 2018. In mid-June, Gulf Air launched this product on its flagship route from Bahrain (BAH) to London Heathrow (LHR).Naturally, we had to test it out for ourselves to see what this carrier is all about....

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.The US Department of State issued a new travel warning on China, officially increasing its travel advisory rating for China to Level 2 (exercise increased precautions) on Thursday.The new precautionary level is due to China’s “arbitrary enforcement of local laws as well as special restrictions on dual U....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Using your miles and points to travel (as opposed to redeeming them for a toaster, sunglasses or retailer gift card) is the best pathway towards redeeming them for maximum value 99% of the time. However, there are exceptions to every unwritten rule, and historically, the SPG Moments program was one of them, offering some solid opportunities to redeem your points for cool experiences in sports, music, dining and beyond....

TPG U.K. Head of Video Jean Arnas flies economy all the time. He says it’s not his personal preference, but it happens to fit his budget better.However, even when flying economy, he wants to enjoy some first-class-like benefits on those journeys. Think priority check-in, extra luggage allowance, free seat allocation at any time and access to first-class lounges, even when booking the cheapest economy seat.The key to these perks is status....

It’s one thing to impose a negative change on an award program without any advanced notice, but it’s an altogether different thing to do so without notifying your members at all. Yet that’s what the Amtrak Guest Rewards program has done. As first reported by View From the Wing, the program recently updated its terms and conditions to reflect that points now expire after 24 months of inactivity instead of the previous 36 months....

Grand Cayman is pretty much perfect family beach destination if you are looking for soft sand, clear water, a location just 450 miles south of Miami, and an island with the highest standard of living in the Caribbean. Probably like for many others, Grand Cayman first came on my radar thanks to the John Grisham book and subsequent movie, The Firm. In that work of fiction, the wealthy lawyers head to Grand Cayman, and while I don’t remember all the details of what happened in that story, I do remember seeing prettiest blue water I could have ever imagined in the movie....

My dad has said to me for years, “It’s easy for you pilots up there. No traffic lights. No road signs. Just go where you want.” Now, whilst this dad joke is mildly amusing, does he have a point? Is it really as easy as pointing the nose at Los Angeles and off you go? Agreed, there are no roundabouts and no BMW drivers to contend with, but there must be other factors to consider?...

Backpackers beware: A new day fee is in the works for Venice tourists beginning in 2019, targeting an abundant 24 million non-overnight visitors per year. That means, even if you’re not booking a hotel, you’ll still have an added expense when checking out Venice.The implementation has the potential to cut down on the number of tourists who travel through Venice while bringing in a new source of revenue that can be used to keep up the city....

Alaska Airlines is adding the California resort city of Palm Springs to its schedule from Paine Field in Everett, Washington.The carrier’s service between Everett and Palm Springs begins Nov. 5. Horizon Air, Alaska Airlines’ regional partner, will fly one daily round-trip flight on Embraer E175 jets.News of the new destination from Paine Field comes only about three months after Alaska Airlines began flying from the airport. When Alaska’s service debuted there on March 5, it became the first carrier in decades to offer regularly scheduled passenger service from the airfield – perhaps best known for also being the home to Boeing’s widebody assembly line....

Alaska Airlines is one of the most valuable mileage currencies in TPG’s monthly valuations thanks to the diverse array of partners and valuable rewards it provides. Rather than being a part of an alliance, the carrier has inked deals with individual airlines for earning and/or redeeming Mileage Plan miles. And today, Alaska has formally announced a new partner.Starting July 1, you’ll be able to earn Alaska miles on flights operated by El Al....

When the New Year arrives, it will bring cleaner air to the world’s busiest airport.And that will put some travelers on edge.At midnight Jan. 1, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) will officially close all its smoking areas to comply with an enhanced city-wide ordinance banning smoking and vaping inside bars, restaurants and enclosed spaces.For years, there have been about a dozen places throughout ATL’s sprawling terminals where travelers can light up....

For more than a decade, British Airways has offered the same Club World seat for business-class travelers. Being the first carrier to introduce a lie-flat bed in business class, the product was long the golden level of luxury for premium cabin travel. Since its introduction in 2006, however, other carriers have taken to offering far superior business-class products — such as Qatar’s Qsuite and Delta One Suites — all while BA’s Club World has stayed the same, aging itself as one of the most dated still flying the skies....

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.Delta just published a press release that confirms what I wrote about yesterday: starting in 2014, US based Medallion members will need to buck up and either spend $25,000 dollars a year on a Delta American Express credit card or spend the following amount of money in addition to accruing regular Medallion Qualifying Miles / Segments:MEDALLION QUALIFICATIONSilverGoldPlatinumDiamondMQDs$2,500$5,000$7,500$12,500andandandandMQMs25,00050,00075,000125,000ororororMQSs3060100140"These changes are a result of considerable research that we’ve conducted including conversations with hundreds of customers, many of whom expressed a desire to see the Medallion program truly target our best customers," said Jeff Robertson, vice president – SkyMiles....

On the heels of United, American and Hawaiian, Delta Air Lines has submitted on Thursday its bid for six of the 12 newly available traffic slots at Haneda, one of the two airports serving Tokyo — and the more convenient of the two to the city.According to its filing with the US Department of Transportation, Delta, like United, is proposing six routes into Haneda, while American wants four and Hawaiian three....

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 ExpressTPG reader Sam sent me a tweet to ask about elite benefits:“Do I get a choice benefit if I complete the SPG Platinum challenge? How about the Delta Platinum challenge?”Last year, Starwood Preferred Guest announced a new selection of benefits available to certain Platinum elites....

An American Airlines flight from Las Vegas (LAS) to Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) suffered a minor in-flight fire on Friday. The fire is believed to have originated from a passenger’s electronic cigarette, or e-cig. The flight, AA168, arrived at the gate on time following the incident. American Airlines has confirmed that no one was injured as a result of the fire.The incident occurred shortly after landing in Chicago as the aircraft made its way to the gate....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Plenty of Hilton credit cards have received the limited-time increased sign-up bonus treatment lately, and now another hotel co-branded product is getting its time in the spotlight. Currently, you can earn 70,000 IHG Rewards Club points when you spend $2,000 in the first three months of account opening with the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card. Read on for more details on this offer, including a look at whether it’s worth it for you....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Although some may argue that the Waldorf Astoria Beverly Hills was LA’s most anticipated hotel, there are several other exciting openings this year in the City of Angels. Among them is the InterContinental Los Angeles Downtown.The InterContinental occupies the top half of the Wilshire Grand Center. The new skyscraper is located seven blocks from the convention center and at 73 stories high, it’s the tallest building west of the Mississippi....

Scandinavian Airlines’ signature red engines will soon be a thing of the past. The airline unveiled on Thursday its first update to its livery in 21 years on Thursday.The airline describes its updated colors as a modern take on a classic Scandinavian design. After a cabin interior overhaul in 2015, the airline says that the updated livery aligns the interior and exterior of its aircraft. The first aircraft to feature the new livery will be the most modern of the airline’s fleet, the Airbus A350s and A320neos....