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Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Oneworld carrier Finnair is getting great use out of one of the newest widebody jets around — the Airbus A350-900. Now, it’s launching flights from its hub in Helsinki (HEL) to Los Angeles (LAX) on the new aircraft.The inaugural journey will fly on March 31, 2019, with the route operating three times weekly. It will be the carrier’s first US route with regular A350 service....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Just in time for summer holidays, Hilton is offering a solid sale for its hotels around the country. Hilton Honors members can save up to 20% at hotels in six major cities across the US.The deal is good for Hilton hotels in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Orlando, San Diego and Washington, DC. You can search here to see all participating hotels....

In her lifetime, Frida Kahlo liked to be seen.It was part of her statement to the world. Described as a “playful exhibitionist” by National Geographic, Kahlo wanted people to fully drink her in for who she was. Her audience was supposed to feel the pain she suffered from the streetcar accident at 18 that left her severely disabled, share in the feelings of hurt and deception caused by the tumultuous relationship she had with her on-again-off-again husband Diego Rivera, and understand the reasoning behind her intensely left-leaning political affiliations — all through her art....

Last year, while my fellow passengers were fast asleep, I was fortunate enough to catch the elusive northern lights on a very special delivery flight. TPG and I were traveling on Singapore Airlines’ first 787-10 Dreamliner from Charleston, South Carolina, to Osaka, Japan, and finally on to Changi Airport.As our flight approached the state of Alaska, flyers on the starboard side were treated to a magnificent display, which — with much effort — I was finally able to clearly capture with my Sony RX100 III point-and-shoot cam....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This is the sixth installment of my series on maximizing British Airways miles. Since so many of you got in on the super-lucrative 100,000 mile BA Visa sign-up bonus (see details of the current 100K offer), it would be beneficial to check out: General tips, Post 1 – Booking BA Awards, Post 2 – Booking Partner Awards, Post 3 – Oneworld Alliance, Post 4 – Taxes and Fees, Post 5 – Household Accounts, Post 6 – Companion Ticket, Post 7 – Using ExpertFlyer for Partner Award Availability, Post 8 - The Art of the Stopover, Post 9 - Leveraging Miles and Cash Redemptions, and Post 10 - Using Qantas....

One of America’s most prized landscapes has suffered severe damage, and it could be centuries before Joshua Tree National Park looks like itself.During the 35-day partial government shutdown — the longest in US history — the nearly 800,000-acre park sustained significant damage that can’t be easily fixed. Upon surveying the aftermath, former Joshua Tree National Park superintendent Curt Sauer said the destruction from human abuse “is irreparable for the next 200 to 300 years....

La Compagnie, the all-business-class airline that shuttles passengers between Newark (EWR) and France, took delivery of its first Airbus A321neo on Thursday. The plane was originally slated to enter service June 6, but already took to the skies for its first passenger flight.The plane — registered F-HBUZ — is the first of two A321neo aircraft joining La Compagnie’s fleet and the first to be operated by any French carrier. This is also La Compagnie’s first jet to have fully lie-flat seats, a massive upgrade over the outdated angle-flat seats featured on its Boeing 757s....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Another year, another great Chicago Seminars! I had a fantastic time in Elk Grove, Illinois (about 20 minutes from O’Hare) meeting and greeting tons of other highly engaged (and slightly obsessed) frequent flyer and points hounds.My talk was on transferrable points programs and credit card bonus categories. In it I covered the big three:-American Express Membership Rewards-Chase Ultimate Rewards-Starwood Preferred Guest (though a hotel points program, has very favorable transfer ratios to over 30 airline partners)I’m going to include a Flash version of my presentation below so you can flip through it at your leisure and pick up the key points I discussed, but just to give you the gist, here’s what I talked about as well as relevant links to posts with more information on various topics....

Officials have halted the search effort for the remains of a US traveler and missionary who was allegedly murdered by an indigenous tribe when he attempted to visit their island, which is off-limits to outsiders by law.Indian law enforcement officials said they would pause the effort to recover the body of John Allen Chau, 26, an American missionary who attempted to visit North Sentinel island in the Andaman Sea to preach Christianity to the Sentinelese tribe on the island....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Craig is looking for advice on which credit card is best to make a big purchase on:“I am looking to make a fairly expensive purchase for my parents’ anniversary and wanted to see what credit card (of the ones I have) would help me get the best value in terms of points. I travel a lot internationally for vacations so ideally would love to get flying miles with the cards I have....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Last month, we covered the launch of the upgraded Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card, which brought some new benefits that may just make you excited about the luxury hotel chain all over again. Nick Ewen covered the 10 best properties to use your three free nights at (you get these after spending $5,000 on purchases on the card in the first three months of account opening), and today I’ll look across the entire hotel chain to find the most expensive Ritz-Carlton properties in the world....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.February 28 fast approaches and that means the elite status countdown is in its final moments. Many airline and hotel loyalty programs reset the elite status benefits year (not qualification - which is based on the calendar year) at the end of each February and now is the time to audit your accounts to make sure all the miles, segments, points, stays and night credits you earned during 2013 are all included....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.There are a lot of companies out there competing for our business whenever we leave home and need to rest our heads somewhere. Whether it’s luxury hotel chains or sites that allow people to rent out their own apartments, there are more ways than ever to find a home away from home.Over the past couple years I’ve chosen Starwood Preferred Guest as my preferred loyalty program for a bunch of different reasons....

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 Points Guy is thrilled to announce that Scott Mayerowitz, deputy business editor at the Associated Press, will be joining the TPG team to lead our editorial coverage in 2019 and beyond.Scott will join as executive editorial director in January, supervising the company’s six editorial sections....

Pick your battles — it’s an idiom many of us live by, almost every day. When it comes to unionized employees, that means saving big public gestures for the issues that matter most.Well, this week, United’s flight attendant union has narrowed in on a notable target: an upcoming reduction in staffing levels, particularly in long-haul business-class cabins.Earlier this month, the airline detailed plans to reduce staffing on some aircraft, including in the Polaris cabins on its 777-200s, 787-8 and -9 Dreamliners and 767-400ERs, and in economy on international 757-200 flights....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.United is making some changes to the passenger experience, and that includes passengers with a basic economy ticket. As of February 1, basic economy passengers can pay extra to select a seat for their flight, and beginning February 2, United will begin selling Wi-Fi subscription packages for all passengers.According to an internal memo, United now allows basic economy passengers to select their seat — under a few conditions....

UK-based airlines have long offered premium cabin experiences behind the competition. Virgin Atlantic, for one, is hoping to change that with the introduction of its first-ever Upper Class suite, which will beinstalled on its soon-to-be-delivered Airbus A350s.On Monday, Virgin Atlantic unveiled the Upper Class suite at its London Gatwick headquarters. Outfitted on a mockup of the A350, the seat is unlike anything you’ll currently find on Virgin’s fleet.Cabin and SeatThe Upper Class suite features a first-of-its-kind Safran bespoke seat in a 1-2-1 configuration, granting each passenger direct aisle access....

While just about everyone knows to turn their cellphone off or on airplane mode once the plane takes off, there’s no rule against using it while your plane is on the ground. But we’ve probably all faced the struggle of trying to use our phones on the airport tarmac, only to get caught in an endless loading cycle.I’ve experienced it personally on many occasions. I’ll want to send a quick text to friends or family to update them that I’m about to be unavailable for a bit....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.This morning, American Airlines launched a new set of fare products aimed to bundle some of the extras flyers pay for a la carte or get with elite status. I talked to Rick Eleison, the American Airlines Managing Director of Digital Marketing about the changes and what they mean for flyers.Until now, customers have just 2 dimensions for choosing their tickets: price and schedule....

Steven Homen found himself in a rather bizarre situation this past weekend. Upon disembarking from a flight from LA to San Jose, CA, Homen received a notification from American Airlines that the return leg of the flight had been canceled. The reason? American Airlines claimed that Homen had failed to board the first leg of his itinerary, therefore, voiding his ticket.Homen had booked the round-trip ticket on AA from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose (SJC), CA, an itinerary which featured just two nonstop flights: an outbound leg and a return leg....