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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.People become enraged with airlines for all sorts of reasons: delays, cancellations, tiny seats, you name it. Most of the time these problems are out of the airline’s control, but passengers on British leisure airline Jet2 are annoyed over something a bit more unusual....

My friend and I recently spent two weeks in Asia and our first stop was Hong Kong. After a 15-hour flight, we landed at Hong Kong International Airport (HKG) and headed straight to Cathay Pacific’s Arrival Lounge.LocationYou find The Arrival Lounge between Terminals 1 and 2 on Level 5 near the exit for public transportation. Because it’s — you guessed it — an arrivals lounge, entry is limited. It’s open to first- and business-class and Emerald Oneworld and Marco Polo Club Diamond and Gold members arriving on Cathay Pacific or Cathay Dragon Flights only....

TPG Contributor J. Keith van Straaten traveled to Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt in December. While many direct international flights to Sharm El Sheikh have been suspended since the terror attack last October, EgyptAir continues to fly domestically with several flights per day. Here’s his take on flying in economy on EgyptAir’s A330 during a Thursday morning commute from Cairo (CAI) to Sharm El Sheikh (SSH). All photos are by the writer unless noted....

According to this year’s Worldwide Cost of Living Survey, Europe and Asia-Pacific cities topped the ranks of the most expensive places to live in the world. For the fifth consecutive year, Singapore holds the title as the most expensive city— followed by Paris, Zurich and Hong Kong.The annual report from Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) compares the prices of more than 150 products and services— like the cost of food, drinks, clothing, household supplies and personal care items, home rents, transport, utility bills, domestic help and recreational costs— across 133 cities worldwide....

Travelers searching for love, fear not. With nothing more than a camera and a plane ticket to somewhere special, you may be able to turn your mobile dating profile into pure gold. At least that’s the takeaway of a new study about dating experiences released this week by relationship app, Hinge.The app studied 180,000 user-uploaded photographs to determine whether certain factors, like travel, impact how users interacted. Turns out they do — and in a big way....

United Airlines reported its second quarter results late Tuesday, with profit dropping to $684 million, or 17% from the same period of last year. Yet shares were up 9% at midday on Wall Street on the earnings news, which was better than the expectations of analysts, but there are some interesting details in its earnings release:Record On-Time PercentageWithout listing its on-time percentage anywhere in the 5,234-word report, United boasted:Ranked first among largest competitors in on-time departures in the quarter....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American ExpressAmex is currently offering a targeted opportunity to earn up to 5,000 bonus Starpoints with both the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card from American Express and the Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express. If you currently have both cards, you may be able to earn 10,000 additional points with this promotion....

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.Viking Cruises is rolling out the longest-ever continuous world cruise itinerary with its new ‘Ultimate World Cruise’— an eight-month voyage throughout six continents, 59 countries and 113 ports.The eight-month world cruise will be aboard the Viking Sun ship and will depart from London in August 2019....

You can now earn Virgin America Elevate points when flying Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Atlantic Flying Club Points when flying Virgin America.The ratios:Earning Elevate Points on a Virgin Atlantic flight:CLASS OF SERVICEBOOKING CLASSACCRUAL (POINTS % OF MILES)Promotional EconomyN, V, X, O10%Discounted EconomyL, M, Q20%Full Economy ClassY, B40%Premium EconomyW, S, K, H50%Business ClassZ, R, J, D60%If you fly on Virgin Atlantic from London (LHR) to New York (JFK) in Premium Economy, you would receive the following:LHR-JFK Base Miles (Round Trip): 6,916Premium Economy: 50% of miles flownElevate points: 3,458 points= roughly $65 towards a Virgin America flight....

If you are looking to increase your odds of arriving at your destination on time, you might want to consider booking with a regional airline instead of a mainline carrier.That is what new data from the US Department of Transportation shows. The preliminary DOT report, released Tuesday, included regional carriers for the first time. And a handful of these small but mighty airlines showed up their major carrier counterparts when it came to on-time arrivals....

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.Passengers on board an American Airlines commuter flight, operated by Mesa Airlines, went through an experience normally only seen in the movies.AA Flight 5957, operated by a Mesa CRJ-700, was traveling from Phoenix (PHX) to Dallas (DFW) on Wednesday....

This benefit is subject to availability and doesn’t have a published time. I’ll use the same valuation of $20 per night used in other hotel elite status guides. It’s worth pointing out that this applies to almost all Marriott brands, except Marriott Vacation Club, Marriott Grand Residence Club, Aloft, Element and Vistana. Given the assumed split above, you’d earn an average of 375 points (worth about $3) for each of your 15 stays....

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.Some airlines are better than others when it comes to social media, but American and Delta have really proven themselves to be leaders in helpfulness and customer response. Some airlines, however, are not so good. I recently needed help on a US Airways award to Australia, and when trying to get in contact with them, their phone lines were down and their Twitter team frustratingly acknowledged my tweet, but didn’t offer to help in any way....

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.Facebook recently announced an update that offers users more chances to interact directly with local businesses. You’ll now be able to order food or make reservations directly through a restaurant’s page, get a quote, buy movie and concert tickets, request an appointment and explore local events, all features that could be really useful when you’re on the road as well....

The only non-North Korean airline to serve the hermit kingdom has ended its service to the country. As reported by Airlineroute, Air China operated its last flight between Beijing (PEK) and Pyongyang (FNJ) on November 20.State-owned Air China said that its decision to end the route had to do with the route not being profitable for the airline. According to ABC News, an employee of the airline’s press office said that flights were “temporarily suspended due to unsatisfactory business operations....

Airbnb is launching local tours and other experiences in New York City this week, with one listing promising “an unforgettable shoe-shopping experience” — fittingly led by Sex & the City actress Sarah Jessica Parker. For the cool price of $400 per person, Parker will be taking four guests shoe-shopping at Bloomingdale’s 59th Street, with a stop at the department store’s Forty Carrots cafe for the city’s best frozen yogurt.According to the Associated Press, each participant will get a pair of shoes from her SJP Collection at Bloomingdales....

British Airways has partnered up with Liberty London for a series of new amenity kits.If you’re unacquainted, Liberty London is a department store with wildly popular fabric and textiles. And starting in January of next year, passengers will be able to snag the kits while flying in first class.BA, which already has one of our favorite first-class kits, will be unveiling two versions: a men’s kit with a black embossed exterior and a paisley printed lining and a women’s kit with a floral print and a wristlet....

When passengers boarded a Southwest flight with service from Las Vegas (LAS) to Baltimore (BWI), they probably didn’t know that they’d be guests at a wedding about 37,000 feet up. Unless, of course, they noticed two passengers board curiously in bride and groom attire.About 45 minutes into the flight, two passengers, one dressed in a white wedding gown and the other wearing a snazzy tux, made their way to opposite ends of the Boeing 737....

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.Rapid Rewards Members who stay and bank their Hilton points to Southwest, can earn double Rapid Rewards credit with every qualified stay between July 7 and September 30, 2010. For double credit, you will receive one credit instead of the standard 0....

As the days of summer tick by, we are getting closer to the August 1, 2018, combination of the SPG and Marriott loyalty programs. There are inevitably going to be some ’last chance’ dates and opportunities as we approach the program merger. While I’m sure additional deadlines will appear in the coming weeks, here are four upcoming Marriott Rewards and SPG deadlines to be aware of in your strategizing.Last chance to purchase discounted SPG pointsFirst, there is a sale on discounted SPG points that is going on until July 20, 2018....