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Today, Miles Away turns 20! And, to celebrate our 20th week in your podcast app, we’re focusing on one of the most popular destinations in the US: San Francisco.Sonoma County native and TPG associate editor Brendan Dorsey shares his Bay Area favorites, including a handful of San Francisco hotspots, from a tour of Alcatraz to a taste of the city’s ever-expanding food scene.You can play this episode of Miles Away above, or listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, including:AcastApple PodcastsGoogle PodcastsSpotifyStitcherOvercastTuneInFor more on planning a trip to San Francisco:Planning a Family Trip to San FranciscoGo Beyond San Francisco: MendocinoSilvercar Comes to San Francisco’s Union SquareFull Transcript:Zach Honig: Welcome back to Miles Away....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Although Citi and Chase are in the process of scaling back or eliminating some credit card benefits such as price protection insurance and Priority Pass guesting privileges, Amex continues to differentiate itself by improving the perks of its cards. In June, the issuer revamped extended warranty and purchase protection benefits for all its cards and introduced $100 Back at Saks Fifth Avenue for personal Platinum cardholders....

In an effort to boost countrywide morale, people throughout the US have been posting acts of gratitude on social media for the unpaid TSA workers. These acts of kindness have been coming in many forms, ranging from organized food drives by nonprofits to simple gestures made by individuals.For example: Normally, the non-profit “Doing Our Part” food truck parks outside of schools to feed hungry children during breaks. However, on Thursday the truck parked outside of the Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston to offer TSA agents free food....

Although the threat of coronavirus is still very real, at least one airline is starting to cut back on its cleaning procedures.In a change that began Aug. 1, Southwest has quietly reduced aircraft cleaning between flights.According to an internal memo viewed by TPG, between-flight cleanings will now focus on lavatories and tray tables. Other high-touch areas like seat-belt buckles, armrests, window shades, reading lights and vents will no longer be wiped down between each flight....

Singapore Airlines made global headlines last year when it relaunched its Newark-Singapore flight. The 9,534-mile flight allowed the carrier to reclaim the title of having the “world’s longest flight,” bumping Qatar Airways and its 9,032-mile Doha-Auckland, New Zealand, flight out of the top spot.Another title shift could happen in the coming years if Qantas Airways decides to push ahead with its “Project Sunrise” flights. The Australian carrier made headlines of its own this fall as it tested several ultra-long flights to Sydney – including from New York and from London – to great fanfare....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers hereEach 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:The Etihad Residence includes a living room, shower and bedroom....

Feb. 9 marks 50 years of flight by the Boeing 747. Affectionately known as the Queen of the Skies, the jumbo jet has been flying all across the world for the last half century. The queen is one of the most easily recognizable aircraft flying, even if you’re not a total avgeek.50 years ago today saw Boeing test pilots Jack Waddell and Brien Wygle, along with flight engineer Jess Wallick, get the 747 airborne for the very first time....

If you’re an American Express cardholder, you could save some serious cash on future hotel stays when booking directly at select Hilton properties. The offers are limited so be sure to add them to your card sooner rather than later.You might not see all of the offers when you log into your account, but it’s worth checking to see if you have been targeted to take advantage of one or more of the offers....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.After a great flight from JFK to Dublin aboard business class in Aer Lingus (review to come), I touched down in the Emerald Isle this morning and have been enjoying a beautiful summer day in the Irish capital.If you win, you can fly Aer Lingus to Ireland too.Because I enjoyed my flight - which I was able to book in business class one-way for just 40,000 British Airways Avios and $30 in taxes and fees - for today’s Thursday Giveaway, I am going to give one lucky TPG Instagram follower enough 20,000 British Airways Avios deposited into your account....

Here at TPG, we aren’t strangers to the unexpected, weird and outright gross things people do on airplanes. For those of us who are a bit squeamish when it comes to feet, be warned: What we’re about to tell you might be unsettling.Lynee Ruiz was on a flight from Denver (DIA) to Milwaukee (MKE) with her husband, Jay, when she noticed the passenger sitting diagonally behind her delivering a full-on pedicure to her barefooted travel companion....

Earlier this year, three unaccompanied minors spent the night in a Melbourne airport lounge after a Virgin Australia flight from Brisbane to Sydney was diverted due to bad weather.Nine-year-old John Meredith and two other children were given a late-night snack of McDonald’s and built a fort out of cardboard boxes inside a meeting room of the Virgin Australia lounge to entertain themselves for the night. Meanwhile, John’s family was frantic with worry because the airline didn’t reach out to them until several hours after the flight had been due to arrive in Sydney, where his grandparents were waiting to pick him up....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Citi is a TPG advertising partnerTPG reader Abhinav sent me a message on Facebook to ask about a credit card benefit:“Is the Citi Prestige airline credit available immediately after I get the card, or do I have to wait an entire calendar year before I use it? Also, does it ever expire?”Some travel rewards cards offer benefits that don’t kick in until the end of your first year as a cardholder....

President Donald Trump has announced he’s refusing to sign a bill that would temporarily fund the government through the holidays, therefore forcing a government shutdown.The bill, which has already been passed by the Senate, does not include funding for a border wall — hence why Trump does not want to sign it into law. The deadline to pass the bill is Friday, so it’s still possible a deal is conjured up to avoid a government shutdown....

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.Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) joins Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD) as being the only two US cities to offer nonstop flights to six continents.Ethiopian Airlines, Africa’s largest and fastest growing aviation group, announced Wednesday that it will be making nonstop flights on its Boeing 787-8 between LAX and Togo, Lomé beginning Dec....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Even though American has fixed their computer issues, thousands are still stranded or severely delayed. American’s head of communications just emailed me and stated that AA is offering the following options:1) If customers must travel today and are already at the airport, they can rebook on another airline by visiting an American Airlines agent or by going to the other airline’s ticket counter with their electronic ticket number....

It may officially be spring, but don’t put your skis away yet. Slopes are still open thanks to record-breaking snowfall in the US and year-round snow on mountain glaciers. It’s also winter in the Southern Hemisphere.This year’s ski season in North America has been one for the books. Squaw Valley — one of Lake Tahoe’s main resorts — saw phenomenal snowfall of more than 26 feet in February. Other Tahoe resorts, including Kirkwood, Heavenly and Northstar, also had record snowfall, resulting in an extended season....

Passengers traveling on long-haul flights operated by Aeromexico will now be able to stay connected in flight, free of charge. Aeromexico, Mexico’s largest airline, recently expanded its free in-flight messaging service to its fleet of Boeing 787 Dreamliners. With the introduction of free in-flight messaging to the 787, passengers traveling on all Aeromexico widebodies and 44 of the airline’s 53 Boeing 737s can now access the feature.Aeromexico is the only Mexican airline to offer free in-flight texting and messaging....

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.Last month we wrote about government-run Air India being cut off from fuel at six airports in the country after it was unable to pay its suppliers more than $630 million. Despite this, Air India has continued to operate from the affected airports, choosing instead to refill at alternate locations....

2018 was another recording-setting year for the airline industry, with 4.5 billion passengers having flown on more than 45 million flights globally. 2018 also brought with it record-breaking flight achievements thanks to new advanced aircraft.While on the surface 2018 looked like a great year for the airline industry, a new report shows that this past year has been the deadliest year for commercial air travel since 2014. (Overall, 1972 yielded the most fatalities on board commercial aircraft with 2,380 fatalities that year....

Airlines have not been insulated from the epidemic of opioid abuse in the United States. Earlier this month, a man died from an overdose onboard a Delta Air Lines flight, according to a passenger. Yahoo News reported that the death occurred aboard a flight from Boston to Los Angeles.While Delta wouldn’t comment on any specifics citing privacy concerns, the carrier said that it will issue Narcan, the lifesaving opioid blocker, in its onboard emergency kits beginning this fall....