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Update 2/9/2017: Bryce G. has been chosen as our second winner! Continue to post your crazy travel stories — there is one more seat to give away!Update 2/7/2017: TPG reader Robbie K. is our first lucky winner. Continue to post your crazy travel stories — we still have two seats to give away!How does getting from Manhattan to JFK in 5 minutes sound? With New York’s crazy traffic creating daily gridlock throughout Manhattan, you’re going to want to leave plenty of time to get to the airport....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.JetBlue has announced a promotion offering 25% off award flights this fall. When using TrueBlue points, travelers will pay 25% less than normal for flights from September 6 through November 7, 2017. Make sure you act soon, as you have to book travel by 11:59pm on Saturday, August 26. You won’t have to register for this deal, as discounted flights are already loading in JetBlue’s system....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader KG, whose son got sick during a family trip abroad:We visited the Dominican Republic in April as a family for our spring break. I booked the trip through United Vacations for a total of about $3,000, and paid with my United MileagePlus Select card. One of the optional items offered during checkout was travel protection and insurance, including emergency health and dental protection for $90 per adult....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Mileage runs have long figured into frequent flyers’ strategies, allowing them to earn thousands of redeemable rewards with a single, cheap, long-haul fare. Now that American Airlines is set to become the last major US carrier to switch to a revenue-based earning system, mileage runs may no longer seem like a viable option. TPG Contributor Brian Biros explores the issue below....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.At TPG, we like to focus on getting the most value out of loyalty programs as they currently work. There’s no value to readers for us to pine over the possibilities of the past. However, sometimes loyalty programs make such negative changes that we have to take a step back to discuss. In the first part of this overdue series, we call out IHG Rewards for making consumer-unfriendly changes to its PointBreaks program....

Engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce is pushing forward with new technology that uses robots to inspect and repair its turbofan engines. The company says the robots fit into an overall vision — dubbed IntelligentEngine — of how the future of jet engines will be built using new digital technology, from concept to design to service.Snakes on a PlaneRolls-Royce is developing two different snake robots to both view and make repairs to jet engines....

Keeping track of Ryanair on social media normally leads to posts from disgruntled passengers about baggage fees, nightmarish diversions and questionable customer service. But one recent post may have the airline, and an Italian airport, in some seriously hot water.A post that hit social media last week shows ground crew at Brindisi Airport (BDS) in Southern Italy de-icing an airplane using a set of stairs and buckets of hot water.Anyone who has flown out of a chilly destination during wintry conditions would be familiar with the standard de-icing procedure....

San Diego International Airport is ready to move forward with a $3 billion plan to replace its aging Terminal 1, a move that will bring an upgraded experience to nearly half of the airport’s travelers.An updated environmental plan for the proposed 30-gate replacement terminal plus related airfield and ground transportation improvements was approved by the local Airport Authority on Thursday. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported no objections to the plan were raised....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Here’s a quick recap of the interesting points and miles news from the week.Freedom Card Third Quarter Bonus CategoriesJuly 1 marked the start of Quarter 3 of 2012, and with it, the 5 points per $1 up to $1,500 spending bonus categories on the Chase Freedom card changed over. This quarter the bonus spend categories will be restaurants and gas stations (perfect for summer road trips)....

Although things seem to be improving at the ride-share lot at Los Angeles International Airport, if you’re heading to the City of Angels for Thanksgiving, you may want to hedge your bets and take public transit from the airport instead.The airport announced that beginning Sunday, Nov. 24 through Dec. 2, travelers arriving at LAX would have a number of free ways to get from the airport to central points of interest around the metro area....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.New York may be the City That Never Sleeps, but there are plenty of places to do so if you feel so inclined. In 2017, New York City had more than 115,000 hotel rooms. And there are about 22,000 more in the pipeline.Of course, not all hotel rooms are equal for discerning travelers who value excellent redemptions or stunning design above all else....

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of cashing in on a truly remarkable redemption, except maybe getting the chance to humblebrag about it later. A few weeks ago, we asked our TPG Lounge members to tell us about the best flight redemptions they’d been able to score in 2018. Here’s a look at some of our favorite answers. (Some responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity).Epic European VacationsFrom flights to Barcelona (BCN) and Amsterdam (AMS) to experiences in fabulous first and business class products, our TPG Lounge members never fail when it comes to impressing us with their favorite flight redemptions to Europe....

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.Never miss an episode: Click here to subscribe to The Points Guy on YouTube!In case you haven’t noticed, I love to help people take the greatest trips of their lives, whether that means writing about the best ways to maximize your points and miles or sharing my own travel adventures so you’ll be inspired to do them, too....

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.Tulsa, Oklahoma, is looking for remote professionals to take up residency in the city – and it will even pay you to do so.Tulsa Remote is a new program that hopes to attract driven and smart individuals to commit to working remotely in Tulsa for one year by offering $10,000 to accepted candidates....

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 British Airways Club Suite has hit the long-haul market at last. Earlier this week, the carrier began flying its A350, the first aircraft to feature the new suite, on its first long-haul route between London (LHR) and Dubai (DXB)....

TPG Contributor Lori Zaino highlights some of the best spots in Cuba’s capital city where you can enjoy views of Havana from above. (All photos are by Darrel Hunter unless otherwise specified).1. Bar Piscina Mirador at Hotel SaratogaThis spot is ideal if you want to take in some amazing Havana views while soaking up some serious Cuban sunshine. The rooftop pool and lounge area has chairs where you can lay out, as well as cabanas and tables for ordering food and drinks....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We don’t cover technology all that often at TPG, so when we do, it’s typically because there’s a significant impact on business and leisure travel, be it a global smartphone ban or a notable travel-friendly feature. Apple’s 10th-anniversary handset, the iPhone X — also known as the “iPhone Ten” — appears to be the most travel-friendly device yet....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available – View the current offers here.With AA’s massive devaluation now just a few days away, TPG Assistant Editor Matt Zuzolo takes a look at how American’s new award chart compares to one from a decade ago.With what feels like a near-constant stream of rewards program changes and devaluations, including American’s coming up next Tuesday, many flyers and travelers are worried about the current state of award travel....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.American Express is promoting a new targeted offer for some cardholders — this time, with Uber. Targeted cardholders can enroll their card in order to earn a statement credit for a minimum purchase of $15 with Uber.In order to get the $10 statement credit, you must spend a minimum of $15 in one or more transactions with Uber or UberEats....

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 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....