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Good news for Boston-based travelers dreaming of flying on Emirates’ A380s: the Dubai-based airline has announced that they will be adding A380 service to Boston from June 1 through Sept. 30. The behemoth will return again briefly from Dec. 1, 2019 through Jan. 31 of 2020.Currently, the once-daily route between Boston and Dubai is operated by a Boeing 777-300ER.The carrier says it’s swapping the aircraft to accommodate the increased traffic for the summer and holiday seasons, and the airline definitely hinted at the change back in June, when it flew a one-off flight with the A380 between Dubai and Boston....

The Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas, which was sold in February 2018, has made the decision to close its door completely during a full-scale renovation. Originally reported by KTNV and the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the decision comes as the hotel undergoes a complete rebrand. The property, purchased by Virgin Hotels, was originally slated to phase in an 8-month renovation, half of which would occur while the hotel remained open for business....

Heathrow airport is recovering after two days of British Airways cancellations due to a pilot strike that grounded the airline worldwide on Monday and Tuesday. And now, the largest airport in Europe by passenger traffic has to prepare for another operational risk on the horizon.A group of climate activists are planning a demonstration during which they will fly drones within the airport’s five-kilometer (three-mile) exclusion zone. The group, which calls itself Heathrow Pause, is protesting plans for a third runway, which will ultimately increase the airport’s carbon emissions....

In the market for a new piece of luggage? Well, you’re in luck because eBags is currently running a 50% off sale on select pieces of luggage, as spotted by Paddle Your Own Kanoo. The best part about this sale is that you can turn that 50% savings into 55% when you utilize Rakuten’s 5% cash back offer.This sale is only valid for 48 hours, so be sure to secure the bag by midnight on Feb....

Protests in Puerto Rico calling for the resignation of Governor Ricardo Rosselló are ramping up across the island.According to CNN, the demonstrations began after about 900 pages of leaked conversations from Rosselló’s private Telegram Messenger group were published over the weekend. The scandal — which some are calling “Rickyleaks” — exposed conversations between the governor and other politicians that included profane, homophobic and misogynistic content regarding media figures, celebrities, fellow politicians and others....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – JetBlue Card, JetBlue Plus CardThe JetBlue cards from Barclaycard are now available. Earn 30,000 points after $1,000 spent in the first 90 days with JetBlue Plus Card ($99 annual fee) or 10,000 points after $1,000 spent on purchases in the fist 90 days with the JetBlue Card ($0 annual fee). Get more information here.JetBlue might not have the best rewards program in the skies, but its in-flight experience is one of the best as far as domestic travel is concerned, even if you’re not flying in JetBlue’s awesome business class....

Qatar Airways announced that the delivery of its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft has been delayed due to difficulties in installing a modified version of its Qsuite business-class seat.The Gulf carrier’s Qsuite currently installed on select Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft is widely regarded as the world’s best business-class product. Its current fleet of Dreamliners, of the smaller 787-8 variant, is fitted with Qatar’s previous generation reverse herringbone business-class seat....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Mark is in a situation where he needs to decide which card is best for his upcoming increase in travel:“I am trying to decide between getting the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card and the Starwood Amex. I am going to start traveling and entertaining a lot for work so the idea of the 2x travel and dining on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card is great (I would book through Ultimate Rewards)....

Travel to the East African nation of Tanzania is becoming increasingly dangerous amid a renewed effort by the government to crack down on LGBTQ+ individuals and activity. New reports of a widespread crackdown come weeks after a statement made by the governor of the most populated region of the country, pledging to track down and arrest those in the LGBTQ+ community. Now, people identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer living in Tanzania are reportedly fleeing the country or going into hiding....

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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We recently asked our TPG Lounge audience — and the members of our TPG Family group on Facebook — to share their greatest success stories with the Delta SkyMiles loyalty program.Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).Saving With SkyMiles in the US and MexicoSeveral TPG Lounge readers said they’d been able to score great redemptions on domestic flights, while others used their SkyMiles for memorable vacations to Mexico....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Asiana Airlines took delivery of its first A350-900 in April 2017, and since then, it’s expanded the use of the aircraft on its long-haul route network — including on several to the US. Seoul-based Asiana now operates several A350s-900s and has more on order, including its newer, bigger sibling, the A350-1000.On a recent trip to Asia, I was able to take advantage of one of the sweet spots in the Avianca LifeMiles award chart in order to check out an alliance airline’s A350 in business class....

In an era of marriage equality, Ru Paul’s Drag Race, and Call Me By Your Name, it might seem archaic for LGBTQ people to have to worry about where they travel.But a scan of headlines — hangings in Iran, roundups in Egypt, bashings in Brazil — provides a reality check. Violence against lesbian, gay, transgender and queer people has soared to all-time highs, according to New York-based Anti-Violence Project. And while travel carries risks for anyone, LGBTQ travelers face a whole different set of variables....

We’ve seen a radical change in award pricing among the US legacy carriers (Delta, American and United) over the last several years as fixed award charts have been replaced by variable or “dynamic” revenue-based pricing. Both Delta and United have adopted this scheme, while American Airlines, the lone holdout, has confirmed that it also has plans to move to dynamic award pricing.Twitter user @xJonNYC, one of the most reliable sources for any news pertaining to American Airlines, is reporting that the carrier will be eliminating the $75 close-in booking fee it currently charges for awards booked within 21 days of departure, and that the airline might be making broader changes to its award change rules....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Lance sent me a Facebook message this week to ask me about which credit card he should get.“I already have The Platinum Card from Amex and Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from Amex, but I want to get another card that allows me to use points for travel expenses and statement credits. I’m deciding between the Barclaycard Arrival and the Chase Sapphire Preferred card - which should I get?...

My very first trip to Walt Disney World was as a ten year old girl with my family. We did one big family Disney trip growing up where we drove to Orlando from Texas, played at Disney and the surrounding attractions for about a week, rode absolutely everything that existed at the time, and we stayed on Disney property at the then still pretty new Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. It was a grand trip, and until last week it was the only time that I had stayed at a 100% true Disney resort....

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.American Airlines flight attendant Kathy Ida Wolfe is suing the carrier for negligence and a hostile work environment, claiming that the airline did nothing after Wolfe was allegedly “dragged down the aisle by her scarf” during an on-the-job attack from a fellow crew member....

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 aircraft known as the A220 didn’t get to where it is today without a little drama. We’ll spare you the details on how the Bombardier C Series eventually became the Airbus A220 and jump straight to the present: Things are finally getting serious when it comes to manufacturing and delivery....

United States-based airlines reported a total profit of $2.1 billion in the first three months of 2019. That figure is up 25% from the same period last year. The first three months of the year are traditionally the worst performing for airlines.That profit came, like most airline profits in the last decade, thanks in large part to baggage fees and other secondary charges. During those three months, airlines collected $1.3 billion in bag fees alone, according to statistics released Monday by the Bureau of Transportation Statistics....

British Airways is consolidating its Tokyo operations. The carrier has announced that as of March, it’ll shift all of its Tokyo operations to Tokyo Haneda International Airport, which is located much closer to the city center.Currently, the carrier operates two daily flights from London Heathrow (LHR) to Tokyo — one to Tokyo Haneda (HND) and one to Tokyo Narita (NRT). As first reported by GSTP, BA will switch all of its Tokyo operations to HND, giving it two daily nonstop flights between London and Haneda as of March 28....