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If you’ve been reading TPG for a while, you’ve probably caught on to the fact that a lot of us are pretty big fans of planes. AvGeeks, if you will.So when I kept calling them “metal things that fly through the sky,” my friend / coworker / AvGeek extraordinaire / person who has to listen to me make stupid jokes all day, Wallace Cotton, decided to step in.But here’s the thing: He knew he had to speak my language — and after having to sit next to me all day every day for a almost a year, he knew there’s only one option here: food....

Last week, Delta unveiled new uniforms for more than 64,000 of its employees around the world. Less than one week after their rollout, the company is already hearing about issues from its employees.According to some reports, several Delta employees are reporting issues with their new uniforms — from rashes to buttons falling off after mild use.A Delta spokesperson told TPG that the largest issue that’s been reported has to do with flight attendants’ aprons....

Basic economy is the new black. All of the major US carriers offer the fare class on at least some domestic routes, and American Airlines has even hinted at expanding a similar option to its transatlantic routes. In addition, in August, Aer Lingus introduced a “Saver” fare class for its transatlantic flights. Now, a carrier known for its five-star standards is surprisingly adding its name to the list of potential basic economy carriers: Emirates Airline....

With summer travel season in full swing, many cities across Europe are reporting an increase in numbers of tourists: Croatia saw a 31% jump in visitors in June from a year earlier, while the number of visitors to Spain increased 12% in the first half of 2017 to 36.4 million. But not everyone is happy with the boost in tourism. Overcrowding at some of Europe’s top attractions is fueling an angry backlash from locals, leading to protests and even physical intimidation....

Airlines around the world launch and announce dozens of new flight routes and service changes every month. Today, I’ll share just a few of the latest flights that will take to the skies this month or in the near future. Keep in mind that exact flight details (like schedules and aircraft, among other things) may change based on your travel dates.NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN MAY 2017Dallas to Rome nonstop is currently part of the American route network....

Here’s a round-up of the week’s points, miles and travel industry news you may have missed:Relax with a free night at the Mandarin Oriental this summer.Complimentary Night at Participating Mandarin Oriental PropertiesYou can receive a complimentary night at any of the participating Mandarin Oriental properties around the world when you stay for at least two or three consecutive paid nights between June 26 and September 13, 2015. You must book the promotion by May 23, 2015....

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.American Express kicked off its Small Business Saturday promotion this week, teaming up with different companies. Amex cardholders, for instance, can receive a free UberPool ride for up to $20 in New York City on November 26. Just enter promo code SMALLBIZSAT into your newly redesigned Uber app to earn the credit, which is then valid in all five boroughs....

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 always ask me what service I use to track my points. Until recently, the answer was: my brain. While there have been points tracking services available, there were none that I felt comfortable entering in the account numbers and passwords to my valuable points....

I love Hyatt Gold Passport. No award program is perfect, but time and time again Hyatt Gold Passport and their properties have been a great fit for my family and our points earning strategy. However, in recent months I have noticed some issues surrounding award availability that have gotten my attention in a not as flattering a way. When I recently realized I booked the wrong date at a popular summertime Hyatt resort, Hyatt Lost Pines, and tried to re-book for the correct date closer in to our dates of travel, I stepped into a bigger beehive of unfriendly games with award availability....

Yes, it is still winter, technically. But if you’re anything like us, you’re probably already planning your summer. Here at TPG, that includes hiring new interns for our Summer Points Protégé program. This is no ordinary go-fetch-us-coffee assignment; our protégés last year traveled way farther than Starbucks for us (ever been to Marrakesh, Belgrade or Dakar?). And many have gone on to become full-time staffers — let’s see, there’s Emily, Nick, Wallace…Now we’re looking to fill four positions starting in May, across three departments: editorial, social media and marketing....

USAA Federal Savings Bank has repeatedly provided outstanding customer service experiences for the 10 years I’ve done business with them. However, over the last few weeks as I was in the process of buying a house, I found a mistake on my Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange (CLUE) report that had been made by USAA. The CLUE report is not compiled by USAA, but rather by LexisNexis based on information from public records, banks and other third-party sources, and it’s reviewed by most insurance companies when they’re considering writing a policy....

Update 12/28/2017: The Turkey-US visa spat has been resolved and now Americans are able to easily apply for Turkish e-visas once again.After a fantastic few days at the Dubai Air Show, where I got to hang out in Emirates’ spectacular new first-class Suite and tour some pretty incredible private planes, including this decked-out Dreamliner, it was time to head home to New York.Back in early October, I had decided to fly Turkish Airlines home from Dubai, and given that it was the same cost to add a stop in Istanbul — and I had yet to visit Turkey — I figured I might as well spend a couple days there....

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.I spent this past weekend in DC so expect a full report on the Grand Hyatt and Park Hyatt, as well as restaurants Marvin and Blue Duck Tavern to come in the near future.In the meantime, check out this video and pictures of plane watching from the end of the runway at Washington Reagan Airport....

Well, today’s the day that Congress’s sequestration cuts finally go into effect for the FAA and air traffic controllers have to start taking one furlough day per 10 work days.There aren’t any air traffic control-related delays at the moment.The FAA and major news outlets are all predicting huge delays - up to 6,700 flights per day - but is all this going to effect the summer travel season or is it just fear mongering?...

TPG reader Craig tweeted me to ask a question about Delta Comfort+:@thepointsguy – “Is it worth the $29 to upgrade from Economy to Delta Comfort+ from NYC to Chicago?“If you’re trying to save money, then no. It’s a short flight, so if you aren’t very tall, just bring your own entertainment and don’t bother with the upgrade.However, if you are tall, consider that even though the flight is only 90 minutes, there could be delays, and you could be stuck in that seat for many hours (especially if you’re flying to Chicago in the winter)....

More and more brands around the globe are ditching single-use plastic straws because of their harmful effects on the environment. Starbucks joined the conversation when it announced Monday its stores will completely stop offering the straws by 2020.The move follows a July 1 decision in Seattle — Starbucks’ original location — to ban all disposable plastic straws, utensils and cocktail picks. Starbucks said it will phase out straws from more than 28,000 locations and anticipates this move will eliminate more than one billion plastic straws per year....

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.April was another busy month for the TSA — between “holidays” like Aprils Fools and 420, airports across the country were busy with jokesters and smokers. But don’t fret, TSA was there to make sure no one got anything through security that wasn’t supposed to be there....

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.With insanely cheap flights from low-cost carriers and effective ways to use points and miles, travel costs over to Europe can be rather inexpensive. So, while getting to Europe is the easy part, knowing which countries fit into your budget or how cities in similar regions compare in terms of your spending criteria will make planning your trip much more efficient....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: The Business Gold Rewards Card from American Express OPENLast week Amex sent affiliates a note saying that the 50,000 point Limited Time Offer on the Business Gold Rewards card would be pulled on November 20th, however the 50,000 point offer still shows and the T&C state that the offer is good until November 26, 2012. Note: if it says the offer is expired, log out of your Amex account or use a new browser to pull up the application page....

TPG Contributor Candice Abraham takes us on a tour of ten exciting new airport projects around the country for today’s Travel Tuesday Top 10.They say travel is about the journey and not the destination, but try telling that to the traveler waiting in a slow-moving customs line, or for delayed baggage at a carousel. Oh, and don’t forget the culinary options at terminal concessions smothered in sodium and tossed in grease....