Posts

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has identified more than 300 Boeing 737 aircraft that require inspection over concerns about “improper manufacturing” components in the planes’ wings, as the leading edge slat tracks may have been improperly manufactured.A total of 312 Boeing jets worldwide have so far been identified — 133 737NGs, which stands for ‘Next Generation’, the generation before the newest MAX version, and 179 Boeing 737 MAXs.Carriers operating the affected planes will soon be issued with an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to identify and remove any discrepant parts from service....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.The email just arrived: I’ve qualified for lifetime Starwood Preferred Guest gold status, woohoo!I’ve been an SPG Platinum for four years now, but I was given lifetime Gold status by staying over 250 eligible nights and qualifying for elite benefits for five years. While I travel a lot these days, I haven’t yet achieved lifetime or million miler status in any one airline or hotel program, so this is a bit of a novelty....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer availableThis October I’ll be speaking at the seminar for frequent flyers in Chicago with a bunch of other experts in the field. There are spots for 550 people and as of today, 400 seats are sold. If you want to learn more about miles and points - whether it’s credit card churning, mileage running or just general tips and tricks of the masters, I highly recommend you attend....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.We love an easy way to earn points and miles here at The Points Guy, and a new promotion just popped up that piqued our interest.You likely already know about the recent Amex Offer where you can get up to $50 back after spending at small businesses. But now, there’s even more to be excited about. American Express, which owns restaurant reservation-booking system Resy, is offering cardholders a chance to earn cash back from their favorite restaurants....

For most of us, a flight involves strapping in a seat, getting comfortable — as much as you can anyway — and enjoying the flight with a view out of the window. One United Airlines flight attendant, however, enjoys the views from a slightly more precarious position: on the wing. Yeah you read that right, ON the wing.Sabrina Swenson has an unusual hobby– wing walking. The United Airlines FA based in Frankfurt likes to spend some of her down time in the air enjoying the stunning views that are afforded on the wing of aircraft....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.What’s in your wallet? That’s the question TPG Lounge member Russell B. recently asked fellow members of the exclusive TPG Facebook group that’s focused on points, miles and travel. Or more to the point, Russell wanted to know what keeps a credit card in your wallet once you’ve earned the sign-up bonus…“Sign-up bonuses can help attract you initially to a card; but, what’s the one perk that keeps you loyal to one particular card in your wallet?...

It’s become a staple of winter air travel: the weather waiver.When extreme winter storms threaten to wreak havoc, causing mass flight cancellations throughout the country, airlines routinely waive change fees so that passengers can alter their flight plans without penalty.But the need for waivers doesn’t go away once the snow melts. Powerful thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes and extreme heat waves cause flyers to seek travel waivers in warm-weather months, as well.On May 29, 2019, a series of storms throughout the US led to hundreds of flight cancellations and delays....

An endangered turtle returned to a historically popular nesting site in the Maldives recently to lay her eggs and was met with an unexpected surprise: a newly built runway. The green sea turtle is shown in images laying her eggs right on the airstrip of Maafaru Island, one of the inhabited islands of the Maldives.The site was previously a beach that turtles used to nest. However, the 2,200-meter runway was constructed in 2018, interrupting the turtles’ natural habitat....

Drivers for popular ridesharing services are reportedly gearing up to strike on Wednesday, May 8. The strike is in response to driver claims that ridesharing companies exploit their workforce and is set to take place before Uber goes public with the company later this week. Drivers see the IPO as another indication that they are undervalued and underpaid while management receives increased pay.Cities in which driver strikes have been announced include Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New York City, and San Francisco....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: United informs us that since the 10,000-mile bonus for spending $25,000 in a calendar year is being removed from the card mid-year, cardmembers have the opportunity to earn 4,000 bonus miles if they spend $10,000-$24,999 on purchases that post to their account by May 31, 2018.Come June 1, the United MileagePlus Explorer Card will be no more....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week by TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Ethan Steinberg.The complex web of airline alliances, codeshare agreements and more can make it confusing to separate the difference between who’s operating your flight, selling your ticket and awarding you miles. TPG reader Meir has a question about which airline’s partner award chart will govern his earnings…[pullquote source=“TPG READER MEIR”]I’m looking to book a Lufthansa-operated flight (fare class L) through United and credit the miles to my Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles account....

In today’s edition of news that sounds insane, China has launched its Interactive Advanced Passenger Information system (IAPI), which tells airlines whether or not passengers are able to enter China before they board the aircraft. While this information certainly seems alarming, a little research shows that a number of countries already use the process — at least 27, including most of Europe and the Caribbean.The program itself began in the U....

Looking to fly in the front of the plane on your next trip? Airbnb can help you with that.For the next two weeks, Qantas will be listing some of its first and business class seats on Airbnb for a fraction of the normal price; some bookings are more than 50 percent off. The listings, all for fully lie-flat seas, will be somewhat difficult to find on Airbnb and will only be open to Qantas frequent flyer members....

Aviation authorities are investigating an incident in which a Delta flight encountered an “unmanned aircraft” while en route to Boston.Delta subsidiary Endeavor Air was on its way to Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS) Wednesday morning when the flight crew reported seeing a drone at 11:15am, about 15 miles northwest of the airport, the Federal Aviation Administration told Fox News.According to the FAA, the flight did not have to take evasive measures to avoid the drone and landed safely at BOS after taking off from Philadelphia (PHL)....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: The new program launches on Tuesday, April 12, 2016.Devaluations seem to be the norm these days, with changes to programs ranging from small tweaks to more sizable adjustments. This latest one is a bit different, however — the Starbucks Rewards program. Until now, you’d earn one star per transaction, with a requirement of 12 to score a free drink and 30 to secure Gold level status....

For years now Boeing has been working on developing the 777X, the largest twin-engine jet ever produced and the latest iteration of its incredibly successful 777 series, which has become the long-haul workhorse for many airlines.The 777X took its first test flight in January of this year, with deliveries scheduled to begin to launch customer Lufthansa Airlines in 2021. However, Emirates Chief Operating Officer Adel Al Redha said in an interview with Executive Traveller last week that he expects Boeing to miss that deadline, and that Emirates doesn’t expect to receive any 777Xs until 2022....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Two great redemptions just appeared on my radar. Using Etihad Guest, I booked two business-class seats on Royal Air Maroc from New York (JFK) to Casablanca (CMN) for 44,000 miles each and $149 in taxes in fees. Next, I stumbled upon rarely seen Air New Zealand business-class space to and from Auckland. I booked Auckland (AKL) to Los Angeles (LAX) for a return flight I needed from down under for 62,500 Virgin Atlantic miles and $41 in taxes and fees....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Airfare deals are typically only available on limited dates. We recommend that you use Google Flights to find dates to fly, then book through an online travel agency, such as Orbitz, which allows you to cancel flights without penalty by 11pm Eastern Time within one day of booking. Remember: Fares may disappear quickly, so book right away and take advantage of Orbitz’s courtesy cancellation if you’re unable to travel....

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....

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....