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This story is the second installment of a two-part story about how control towers work. We previously covered how the tower controls aircraft on the ground.Air traffic control towers loom above airports worldwide. Some of them are spectacularly designed; there’s even a coffee table book dedicated to visually stunning examples. One that’s unique in appearance (and apparently “controversial” when it was built in 1996) is LAX’s sun-bathed control tower, standing some 277 feet above the ground....

By now, you probably know that all Disney parks around the globe have temporarily shuttered to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. As of now, they’re closed at least through March 31, but that doesn’t mean all the magic is gone.While we’re all looking forward to the day we can get back on the road, it’s important to stay home to stop the spread of the deadly virus. Health officials agree that the fastest way to return to normalcy is to stop coming in contact with others, including ceasing all unnecessary travel....

More details of the upcoming Apple co-branded credit card have been revealed: It will feature cash back and special perks with the Apple Wallet app, the Wall Street Journal reports.The final details of the rewards the card will offer still have to be hammered out. WSJ says that “cardholders will earn cash back of about 2% on most purchases and potentially more on Apple gadgets and services.“That’s not a bad rate for a co-branded card and matches the rates of some of the other top cash-back cards, but it likely won’t have anyone fleeing from their flexible rewards earning cards that offer much better returns when redeemed for travel....

When I think of places to stay in New York City, the last place that crosses my mind is… outdoors. But if you’ve ever dreamed of staying at an urban NYC retreat where you can spend the night outdoors, I’ve found the perfect place for you.Map courtesy of GoogleCollective Governors Island is an urban glamping retreat located on — you guessed it — Governors Island, which is just a stone’s throw from downtown Manhattan, the Statue of Liberty and Red Hook in Brooklyn....

A payment dispute between InterContinental Hotels Group and an investment company that owns more than 100 hotels under the IHG brand has led to a dissolution of the management and branding relationship between the two entities.As a result, 103 hotels that currently fall under the IHG family of brands will be reflagged as Sonesta properties in the coming weeks.According to Travel Weekly, Service Properties Trust (SVC) says that IHG did not pay over $8 million in guaranteed returns to the company’s 103 owned properties in July and that it missed another $17+ million that came due Aug....

One of the craziest looking travel products to emerge recently was the Loungaroo, a versatile travel blanket that launched via Kickstarter. When I saw I could get one for just $40, I figured at worst it could be a fun gag gift. The Loungaroo met its Kickstarter goal — albeit barely — back in November 2016 and the long manufacturing process began. Finally, in January 2018, I got a package in the mail....

The Star Alliance is getting a new member. Well, sort of. The global airline alliance has announced its adding Thai Smile Airways as a Star Alliance Connecting Partner.Star Alliance is one of the world’s largest alliances, and its full members include airlines like United, Lufthansa, TAP Portugal, Avianca and South African Airways. Thai Smile is the second Star Alliance Connecting Partner. Chinese carrier Juneyao Airlines was added as the first Connecting Partner in 2017....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Dick, who used his points to book an unexpected hotel stay:After a day or so of noise and dust, I decided to check into a local hotel for the duration of a remodeling job in my home. I noticed Amex was offering a 30% transfer bonus to Hilton Honors, in addition to getting the fifth night free for award stays [for Hilton elite members]....

It’s not often that Guinness World Records are set in aviation. After all, airlines don’t vie for records such as Most Passengers Shoved into a 737, Most Unreasonable Airline Check-In Agent or Bleakest Passenger Stranding via Emergency Landing.But this holiday weekend, a team of 99 wheelchair users set a new Guinness World Record by successfully pulling a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner more than 100 meters (328 feet). Officially, the Guinness World Record that was broken was Heaviest aircraft pulled over 100 m by a wheelchair (team)....

Every day, hundreds of people fly over the graves of Richard and Catherine Dotson.This isn’t a euphemism. The airport in Savannah, Georgia, has not one but two graves embedded in it. The former owners of the land upon which Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport is built are now resting under runway 10/28. The airport doesn’t hide it at all: The graves are very visible to passengers and pilots, and the airport’s site features their image....

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.Theme parks have started to reopen — as I experienced at Universal Studios in Orlando — and Disney parks in Florida and California have announced plans to open their doors. But what will the experience be like for guests?...

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.According to a contingency plan procured by NBC News, the Department of Homeland Security has requested $232 million from the Transportation Security Administration to fund border operations in case Congress denies its $1.1 billion funding request.Through a PowerPoint presentation and internal emails, the TSA outlined a plan last week that would involve cutting funding from other projects and programs....

Twenty years may not seem like a very long time, but in commercial aviation it’s fully one-fifth of the entire history of the industry. The oldest airlines in the world turned exactly a century old this year. And with 2020 about to begin, now is a good time to take a look at what flying was like in 2000.Today’s commercial jets sport features their counterparts of 20 years ago could not dream of, routinely offering comforts that were hard to find back then; flat beds in business class and individual screens for every passenger are a recent luxury....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.TPG reader Nick sent me a tweet to ask about traveling in Hawaii:“Would it make sense to transfer Starpoints to Hawaiian Airlines for interisland travel?”I think Hawaii is one travel destination that really lives up to the hype. Each island has a lot to offer, and if you’ve got time to spare, it’s worth visiting more than one....

Earlier this week, people who earned referral bonuses with AMEX saw 1099s hit their mailbox. Now, it would seem that Chase is following suit, issuing 1099s for referral bonuses earned by cardholders in 2018. Chase is valuing the points earned for referrals at 1.0 cent. (TPG’s own current valuations for Chase Ultimate Rewards points is 2.0 cents.)Generally, points and miles earned with credit cards fall under a heading of rebates, and are therefor not taxable....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.One of the many perks of working at TPG is that we reimburse credit card annual fees, enabling full-time employees to build familiarity with a large variety of products and programs. That doesn’t mean it’s a free-for-all, though — we encourage employees to choose their cards wisely based on their personal spending habits, just like they otherwise would....

Air France is taking delivery of its first Airbus A350 this year, and we’ve just learned the first route the new aircraft will fly. Airline Route is reporting the carrier’s first A350 will take off on Sept. 23 from Paris (CDG) to Bamako, Mali (BKO) and then onwards to Abidjan, Ivory Coast (ABJ).The peculiar route includes a fifth-freedom leg between Mali and Ivory Coast, both Francophone countries in West Africa.The Air France-KLM group has 28 A350-900s on order, with 21 to operate for Air France and the other seven in KLM colors....

Want to see the latest flight deals as soon as they’re published? Follow The Points Guy on Facebook and Twitter.Business and first class for about as cheap as it gets. These special deals are only valid for two people and include round-trip flights from London to Hong Kong from $1,418 in business class, and for those of you who want to step it up a notch in first class, $1,931round trip to Delhi....

Great news if you want to fly some of the best airline products in the world! American Airlines just added Cathay Pacific award availability to its website. For the first time, you can search and book Cathay Pacific Awards right on AA.com.Before now, Cathay Pacific award availability was hard to search and book — award availability only appeared on British Airways and Qantas websites, where you’d have to search day-by-day to find and confirm availability....

Despite whether it’s polite or not — Emirates is now urging flight attendants to promptly answer every time a passenger rings the call button, even if it’s just for a refill on booze.This information comes from a leaked memo by Emirates that went out to all cabin crew earlier this week. According to Paddle Your Own Kanoo, it read: “Feedback from our customers in the last 4 months has highlighted that cabin monitoring is not being done as it should be....