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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Flying from New York to Reykjavik is a short journey. And with the rise in the number of carriers, both low-cost and standard, flying between the US and Iceland, I was curious to see what the experience would be like on such a (relatively) short-haul flight with a full-service carrier. So, I opted to test out Icelandair’s Economy Comfort product on its 757-300 between Newark (EWR) and Reykjavik (KEF), then continuing to London Gatwick (LGW)....

Each week in his column “The Critical Points,” TPG Loyalty and Engagement Editor Richard Kerr presents his opinion on a loyalty program, card product or recent news that he believes is overlooked, unsung or the result of groupthink taking mass opinion in a direction with which he doesn’t agree. His goal is not necessarily to convince you to agree with his position but rather to induce critical thought for each of the topics and positions he covers....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.While we spend our days at The Points Guy writing up miles news and thinking up creative ways to help readers maximize their points, we also like to practice what we preach and put our own tips to use from time to time. After all, we talk about points and miles all the time, but what’s the good in that if we don’t actually get out in the world and see where they get us?...

No more hold music – or, less of it anyway – if you’re trying to reach Delta.The airline is testing a live customer-service messaging feature with some iOS users starting this summer. As the airline gets more feedback (and assuming the test phase goes well), everyone with an iPhone should be able to text Delta’s customer service team by this fall.“This is about connecting with our customers where they are – and many have told us that they’d rather message with us than engage on other channels like the phone, email or social media,” said Tori Forbes-Roberts, Delta’s vice president of reservation sales and customer care....

United Airlines took delivery of its first Boeing 787-10, the largest 787 model, earlier this month. While the airline first announced that the aircraft would launch on its route between Newark (EWR) and Los Angeles (LAX), followed by EWR and San Francisco (SFO) in Jan. 2019, United announced on Wednesday that it’ll also soon fly to several European destinations — a rumor that turned out to be true.Photo courtesy of United....

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.While touring Delta’s TechOps maintenance and repair operations center at its Atlanta headquarters last year, I had an opportunity to peek in at a facility that was under construction. I was told that when it was complete, it would be the world’s largest jet engine test cell — the first cell built by a US airline in more than 20 years....

On Friday, Virgin Atlantic announced that it will be extending the expiry date of some Flying Club members’ Flying Club miles.Any Flying Club member with miles due to expire between April and September 2020 will now be extended by a full six months, a Virgin Atlantic spokesperson confirmed to TPG.This is in line with what some other major airlines around the world are doing to protect the miles as well as the elite status of valued customers at a time when travel and spending miles isn’t possible....

WestJet will go private after Canada’s second-biggest airline agreed to a friendly acquisition from Toronto-based private-equity firm Onex Corp.It’s unclear what changes might lie in store for customers a result of the deal, which still must be approved by regulators and shareholders. WestJet and Onex predicted the deal would close in “the latter part of 2019 or early 2020.”The move comes after WestJet faced a series of challenges in 2018.Canadian broadcaster CBC summed up the carrier’s year, writing “soaring fuel costs, labor unrest, and steep competition at home and abroad caused the airline to incur its first loss in 13 years during the second quarter of last year, followed by a steep year-over-year drop in the third quarter — which nonetheless bounced back into the black....

This benefit is subject to availability and doesn’t have a published time. I’ll use the same valuation of $20 per night used in other hotel elite status guides. It’s worth pointing out that this applies to almost all Marriott brands, except Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Aloft, Element and Vistana. Given the assumed split above, you’d earn an average of 375 points (worth about $3) for each of your 15 stays....

Aside from the Amex Centurion Lounge, the only thing I used to like about New York’s LaGuardia Airport was the amazing view — after takeoff. Now, like the city that surrounds it, the airport itself is a work of art.Built and managed by LaGuardia Gateway Partners, the new LGA represents a huge step up. During a recent day-long tour, I couldn’t help but take pictures at every turn. The main shopping area?...

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.Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.It’s time to up your travel rewards game and if you haven’t found a credit card that works for you, make that your goal in 2019....

The offers and benefits mentioned below are subject to change at anytime, and may no longer be available.Today, TPG Contributor Lori Zaino offers her best tips and tricks for using points and miles for getting around Europe. (All photos are by the author unless otherwise noted.)Chances are, you’re planing to visit more than one European city — or country — while you’re in the area. If you’ve managed to bank a ton of points and miles, the good news is you can use them to not only get to Europe, but to get around Europe as well....

The Delta Flight Museum has been a mainstay in any roundup of museums that AvGeeks simply have to see, but only recently has it become a destination in its own right. In fact, air conditioning was just installed throughout in 2014, which makes the visit a lot more comfortable during Georgia summers. Located right beside a runway at the world’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL), the museum is a nonprofit entity dedicated to preserving the history of what we know today as Delta Air Lines....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Tassojunior tipped me off yesterday to a great American Express Membership Rewards promo: 10,000 points for each additional cardholder added to an account as long as they use their card at least once within 4 months of getting the card. All you need to do is call the Amex number on the back of your card and ask for Membership Rewards and then give them bonus code 5721....

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.Airbus has announced that the first test flight of an A319neo outfitted with Pratt and Whitney Geared Turbo Fan (GTF) power plants has been completed in Toulouse. The flight, which took place on Thursday, lasted just under three hours....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.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, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

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.Delta frequently has flash sales for award flights featuring fantastic deals such as flights to Asia for 50,000 SkyMiles round-trip, Europe from 32,000 SkyMiles round-trip and most recently, Mexico from 12,000 SkyMiles round-trip....

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 normally 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....

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.Since 2018, Air France/KLM’s Flying Blue mileage has used a rather illogical new flexible mileage calculator. Rather than all award flights from one region to another costing the same amount, award prices depend on the origin and destination airports. This can lead to widely varying amounts of miles between regions — and that’s if you can even find award availability....

Teacher Shantell Barbour feared her fifth-graders’ carefully planned class trip to nation’s capital was about to unravel.The American Airlines flight that was supposed get Barbour’s 41 students started on their June 2 trip from Oklahoma City to Richmond, Virginia, was canceled because of weather. But the trip to see Virginia and Washington, DC, was saved after the class received celebrity treatment from Delta, who flew the group on to the East Coast on a private flight from Oklahoma City....