Posts

Monday, passengers traveling through Washington-Dulles (IAD) and Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson airport (ATL) faced extra long wait-times when going through security lines, as TSA workers who are not being paid during the government shutdown did not show up for work. Severe weather has led to officers not showing up, the TSA said, but at “higher than a normal snowstorm callout rate.“The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that in Atlanta there were at least six security lanes closed at domestic terminal TSA security checkpoints, leading to wait times of more than one hour in some cases....

Boeing has announced that it is offering airlines the option of using biofuel for delivery flights of aircraft coming from Everett and Seattle, according to Aviation Tribune. Boeing says it is working on making the option available for flights departing from its South Carolina location as well.This new biofuel option, which could cut carbon emissions by up to 80%, is the next step in a continuing effort to make biofuel a sustainable option for the aviation industry and reduce its carbon problem....

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.Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Update: Apple has confirmed pricing for the new devices. The iPhone 7 will cost $649 for 32GB, $749 for 128GB and $849 for 256GB of storage....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Good news Delta SkyMiles collectors: Delta is back again with another round of discounted domestic awards, with rates starting at just 11,000 miles round-trip. But this sale isn’t going to be around for long — tickets must be purchased no later than September 5.While the carrier only lists the following routes as being discounted, as is often the case with Delta, we’re finding that this award sale is much more extensive....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Per the Flight Deal, there are some cheap flights available from Los Angeles, to Billund, Denmark, which happens to be home of Lego. With this deal, you can fly to Europe this summer, in addition to the spring and fall, for under $700 which is a pretty good deal!Here’s a look at some of the flights available:Los Angeles- Billund, Denmark on Lufthansa/UnitedLos Angeles- Billund, Denmark on British Airways/Sun-ar of ScandinaviaIf you wanted to just book a one-way to get to Europe for this summer you could, as we were able to find Los Angeles-Billund, Denmark for $315 for a one-way flight in August....

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 that 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.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 and Priceline, 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.Delta is back with another flash sale, this one offering discounted flights to the Pacific Northwest. With this promotion you’ll be able to redeem as little as 11,000 SkyMiles (plus taxes and fees) for a round-trip flight to either Seattle (SEA) or Portland (PDX).The catch is that you can only fly to Seattle or Portland from anywhere in the continental US, Alaska, or Canada....

One of the issues at the heart of the Open Skies debate between US and Middle Eastern airlines like Emirates, Etihad and Qatar is fifth freedom routes, routes that an airline operates between two countries other than the one it’s registered in.Now, after a prolonged stalemate, Arabian Business reports that Emirates has been granted approval by Mexico’s Ministry of Communications and Transport to operate flights from Dubai to Mexico City with a stop in Barcelona (BCN) in each direction starting December 9....

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.Yet another winter storm is streaking across the country, affecting travel across a wide swath of the US. The storm has already dumped 18 inches of snow in parts of Utah and now it’s moving eastward. The National Weather Service currently has Blizzard Warnings in place for parts of Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota and Minnesota.So far, the cancellations and delays for Sunday are fairly mild, with “just” 254 cancellations reported by FlightAware’s live tracker....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Unknown to many, airlines offer status challenges as a quick and easy way to attract potentially valuable frequent flyers. And there are benefits to be reaped for both parties: Airlines get more business, while customers get a slew of perks that enhance their travel experience. In fact, last year, JetBlue did just that by offering travelers two options to accelerate towards Mosaic status: Match with an elite status from another carrier or challenge by earning 3,750 base flight points within a 90-day window....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Hyatt Credit Card, Citi Hilton HHonors Reserve Card, Hilton Honors Surpass Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American ExpressToday TPG Contributor Nick Ewen continues his series The Weekly Wish, looking at flaws, shortcomings, and room for improvement in the world of travel and loyalty programs. Today’s wish: Hilton and Hyatt elite status beyond Diamond....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.A couple weeks ago, I was in Toulouse with TPG Editor-in-Chief Zach Honig for a tour of the Airbus facilities and to see (and fly on) the delivery of the 10,000th Airbus aircraft — an A350 to Singapore Airlines. I’d been on the road for a couple weeks straight and was really straining my body and health, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to fly on a delivery flight....

Hyatt is testing out offering members of the World of Hyatt program the option to skip housekeeping services in return for bonus points.Travel blog View from the Wing shared an image from one of its readers showing a door placard that details the offer. The offer allows World of Hyatt members the option to forego any housekeeping services for stays longer than one night and earn 250 points per night and/or other incentives....

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.Seat-back entertainment is expensive, it’s heavy, and, when it doesn’t work, it’s been known to drive passengers and crew members nuts. But, for JetBlue, at the very least, it’s here to stay. As legacy carriers like American and United move to replace seat-back screens with streaming entertainment, JetBlue has committed to offer both — on all of its domestic and international planes....

Add cruising to the list of good things in the Martha Stewart universe.The 77-year-old lifestyle guru is putting her stamp of approval on the fast-growing travel sector by partnering with one of the industry’s biggest players, MSC Cruises.Announced on Wednesday morning, the alliance will bring Stewart-branded shore excursions to the line’s North America-based ships starting in June. Stewart will also design holiday menus for MSC Cruises vessels sailing out of North America, as well as surprise gift packages that can be delivered to passenger cabins....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Evan, who fell just short of qualifying for Delta Medallion status. Here’s what he had to say:Last summer I got into the points game as a young professional who had just started traveling for work. I got the Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express for the bonus, and because I had two big international Delta flights coming up: one for work and one for recreation....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.For my big summer vacation, I decided to spend 12 days in one of my favorite countries, Spain, and 6 days in Mauritius. Why’d I choose Mauritius? I’ve always heard it was beautiful and frankly because my itinerary allowed me to add it onto my summer trip for only 20,000 more miles than what I was already spending for my European roundtrip....

The coronavirus outbreak has already led to sweeping changes across the airline industry. Could airplane cabins be next?One aircraft seat manufacturer rolled out new designs this week for economy seating that it believes could help carriers adjust to flying in the age of coronavirus.Among these designs is the “Janus” seat, the most radical of the two unveiled by Italian firm Aviointeriors. The concept features forward-facing window and aisle seats with rear-facing middle seats....