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Reports of drones caused havoc for passengers and airlines last week at Gatwick airport (LGW) outside of London. Drone sightings reported in the area lead the second busiest airport in Britain to be shut down for 36 hours over three days. The results: around 1,000 cancelled flights and an estimated 140,000 to 200,000 passengers’ travel plans being impacted.Drones are becoming a real point of concern for airports and aircraft. In a report last year the FAA says drones cause more damage to aircraft than bird strikes do and video shows the tiny UAV’s ripping apart an airplane’s wing....

We recently learned that U.S. Customs and Border Protection is refunding canceled Trusted Traveler application fees for New York state residents. Related to this news, a few readers wrote in asking how to get their refund if the card they’d used to pay for the application fee has since been canceled.These readers obviously shouldn’t expect a refund if they applied using a credit card that already reimbursed their Global Entry or TSA PreCheck application fee as a benefit of card membership....

Last week, Rome mayor Virginia Raggi announced that the site where Julius Caesar was killed — Largo di Torre Argentina — will be renovated and opened to tourists by the second half of 2021. More recently known for being stray cat turf and otherwise closed off to the public, the reopening of the spot will resurface parts of Roman history and architecture.It’s been said that Largo di Torre Argentina is the place where Caesar was stabbed 22 times outside of the Theater of Pompey and killed at the Curia, also a part of the theater complex....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.If you’re looking to book a getaway, family trip or work travel now through Jan. 7, IHG has got a sale for you. You can receive a minimum of 20% off the Best Flexible Rate just by booking hotels through IHG Annual Sale.Here’s how the deal works:Deal: at least 20% off the Best Flexible Rate (view full terms and conditions here)Where: US and CanadaWho: Anyone can benefit from this sale and IHG Rewards Club members can see a few extra perks when using certain credit cards....

Fact: family travel (while worth it), can be tough. Also a fact: As a parent, traveling without your family can be even tougher. In fact, I recently took a trip without my kids and found it to be one of the most challenging departures of all.That’s why, on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I found myself, an almost 38-year-old traveling mom of two kids crying in the middle of Newark International Airport....

I don’t mean to alarm anyone, but I think I just found my calling in life.A sushi bar in Milan called This Is Not a Sushi Bar (yes, really) wants customers to take pictures of their food on Instagram so badly it’s accepting photos as payment. Why, you ask? To create “2.0 word-of-mouth that could make our brand strong and viral," owner Matteo Pittarell told The Associated Press.https://www.instagram.com/p/BpHLfxTiuKR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_linkThe only, ahem, catch?...

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:10 Travel Rewards Credit Card Offers for April 2016From Chase Sapphire Preferred Card to the Hyatt Credit Card, TPG presents the top card offers for the month of April....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.New Zealand: two words that almost automatically conjure up images of Lord of the Rings or The Hobbit, beautiful natural scenes from the Milford Sound or the vast cityscapes of Auckland and Wellington on the North Island or Queenstown and Christchurch on the South Island. No matter where you go in this country, you’re bound to find incredible views and plenty of hikes, walks, bike paths, great food and cultural experiences to keep you busy....

We recently asked our TPG Lounge readers to reveal their favorite loyalty program that no longer exists. Not surprisingly, many of them mentioned Starwood Preferred Guest’s former rewards system as their number one, while others mentioned how Virgin America Elevate was the program they swore by. Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).Airline Rewards Programs You Miss DearlyFrom oldies-but-goodies like TWA and Pan Am to other lesser-known airlines like Midwest Express and Republic Airlines, these are the airline rewards programs you miss the most....

We recently asked the esteemed members of our TPG Lounge to tell us about their favorite brands in the Hilton Honors program. Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).Living in Luxury at Conrad, Waldorf Astoria and CurioFrom gorgeous overwater bungalows at the Conrad Maldives Rangali Island to the unique boutique-like hotels of the Curio brand and classics like the Waldorf Astoria, our TPG Lounge readers have great taste when it comes to living it up in luxury....

Under the hot Mediterranean sun and behind an array of overgrown bushes, trees and tumbleweed, a sign written in both Greek and English points passengers of the past to “Departure Buildings”. But no one is departing. Or arriving. This is Hellinikon International Airport, the abandoned former airport of Athens, which is now frozen in time to almost two decades ago.Much of the airport site is off limits to the public, but I was given special access to take a closer look at the former hub of Olympic Airways....

View this post on Instagram Our flexible change policy has been extended to cover all customers due to travel until 10 January 2021. To find out more about exchanging your booking for a voucher and changing your travel plans due to the ongoing #COVID19 uncertainty, visit ba.com/confidence A post shared by British Airways (@british_airways) on Oct 21, 2020 at 12:45pm PDT View this post on Instagram View this post on Instagram...

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: This is a targeted offer so in order to see if it is available to you, you will have to log into your Membership Rewards account and go to the Virgin America transfer page to see the transfer ratio.Now through November 21, American Express Membership Rewards is giving a (targeted) 50% bonus when transferring points to Virgin America’s Elevate program....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Now that Marriott’s officially acquired Starwood, many of our questions about the future of both programs — at least in the short term — have been answered. Last week, TPG sat down with Marriott’s Thom Kozik and SPG’s David Flueck to talk about how the merger will affect members of both loyalty programs, and what he heard was overwhelmingly positive news....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Japan is among the most popular travel hotspots in the world. According to Airbnb, one in every three travelers visiting Asia in 2016 had Japan as a destination, with Tokyo being the most-booked city. As the most-populous city in Japan, Tokyo is renowned for its unbeatable cuisine, historical sights and notable sakura (cherry blossom) season. Explore the city’s vibrant history through its museums and temples and indulge in the unique local attractions from the comfort of one of these incredible Airbnb stays....

In 2021, JetBlue plans to introduce its first transatlantic flights, operated by a new addition to the airline’s fleet: the Airbus A321LR. But that’s not the only new narrow-body Airbus aircraft that could comfortably make the trip.As announced at Airbus’ Innovation Days event in Toulouse, France, on Tuesday morning, beginning in the second half of 2020, the far-smaller A220-100 will get a 5,000-pound maximum-takeoff-weight (MTOW) boost, enabling more fuel storage and ultimately more than 515 miles of additional range, for a total of 3,900 miles....

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.When it comes to the negative impact flying has on the environment, carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions is the most obvious target. And it is significant — TPG’s Katie Genter flew 179,063 miles in 2017, leaving behind a 21....

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.2019 is shaping up to be a huge year for The Points Guy. As we continue to grow our brand across channels, our editorial team is expanding with several key hires. Today we’re thrilled to announce that Benét J....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Brian tweeted me to ask:@thepointsguy–“I just got the US Airways MasterCard with a 40,000 mile bonus. Can I apply for the AAdvantage Platinum MasterCard and the 50,000 bonus miles next year?“There are a lot of different credit card options available right now if you fly US Airways or American. Among them are the Barclaycard US Airways World Premier MasterCard and several American Airlines options, like the Citi / AAdvantage Platinum Select World Elite Mastercard....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Just this week, Chase rolled out a new program called Chase Offers, giving Chase cardholders the ability to earn statement credits for spending with certain merchants. While many of the initial offers were rather mediocre, a new round of offers were loaded into many user accounts on Sunday morning.And those of us who need our caffeine fix will be happy to know that Starbucks is included....