Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here.Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week.Southwest Announces Nonstop Flights From the Continental US to HawaiiThe announcement that many had been waiting years for finally came this week: Southwest plans to launch flights between the continental US and Hawaii.Here’s What It Was Like to Be a TPG Reader at United’s 747 Farewell Family DayLast week, several TPG staffers and 100 readers and their friends had the chance to attend United’s Family Day in San Francisco (SFO). This event was extra special, since the airline had two of its soon-to-be-retired-747s on display for all to explore.Fires Rip Through Northern California, Causing Massive Damage and EvacuationsMultiple fires ripped their way across several North Bay counties in California this week, leaving utter devastation in their paths. Hundreds of homes and businesses were destroyed in the early hours of Monday morning, forcing thousands of people in the area to evacuate.How You Can Still Fly Turkish Airlines Without a VisaSign 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.Earlier this week, Turkey halted the issuance of new visas for US citizens — effectively, if you don’t already have a Turkish visa, including an e-Visa, you can no longer enter the country as a US citizen. However, there’s no impact to transit passengers, and there’s no immediate need to change an itinerary that doesn’t include a stopover in Turkey.California Residents Can Earn a Southwest Companion Pass After Just One PurchasePerhaps the best-ever targeted offer for Southwest’s tremendously valuable Companion Pass just popped up this week for California residents: Sign up for the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card and make one purchase to get a Companion Pass through December 31, 2018.My Experience Flying Through San Juan, Puerto RicoLast Thursday, TPG Editor-at-Large Zach Honig traveled to Puerto Rico to cover relief flights and JetBlue’s operations at San Juan’s Luis Muñoz Marín Airport (SJU). While the airport is back up and running, with dozens of daily flights, Puerto Rico clearly felt like an island still reeling from a record-breaking hurricane and crumbling infrastructure.Delta’s Mobile App Now Checks You in AutomaticallyAs of Thursday, Delta’s iOS app supports automatic flight check-in — if your flight appears in the latest version of the Delta app, a boarding pass will automatically pop up 24 hours before departure.United’s Retrofitted 777s Will Get 50 Polaris Seats, 3-4-3 in CoachUnited will soon begin retrofitting its older 777s, installing the new 1-2-1 Polaris business-class seats and adding an extra seat in each row in economy, just as United’s done with its domestic configuration. While the change up front is going to be more than welcome, you’re going to want to stay away from coach in these aircraft if at all possible.In other news…Transfer Hotel Points to United and Receive a 30% BonusBetween now and November 30, 2017, you can receive a 30% bonus on points transferred to United MileagePlus from any of its hotel partners. Note that you can only earn up to 25,000 miles with this promotion.Alaska Adds Option to Pre-Order Meals in First ClassAlaska Airlines has added the option to pre-select meals in first class on select flights, up to two weeks before departure. The feature is expected to roll out to more routes in the coming months.
