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Earlier this year when the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Transportation Security Administration (TSA) instituted a ban on in-cabin electronics from 10 Middle Eastern and African airports, the United Kingdom quickly established a similar policy, banning laptops, tablets and e-readers from the cabins of aircraft flying from six countries to the UK. While the US agencies later gave airports and airlines the option to meet new security guidelines in order to have the ban lifted, the United Kingdom’s Department for Transport continues to impose restrictions on flights to the UK from Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia....

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.A United Airlines flight from Tampa (TPA) to San Francisco (SFO) had to turn around after hitting several birds mid-flight.Passengers aboard United Flight 2051 reported hearing “several thumps” as the A320 aircraft — registration N453UA — collided with a flock of birds shortly after takeoff....

Back in March, we found out that Alaska’s Mileage Plan was adding Germany-based Condor as a partner. While you’ve been able to earn Alaska miles on Condor flights for a couple of months now, award redemptions have been slower to take effect. As of May 15, Condor award flights can be booked with Alaska miles.Let’s take a look at when using Alaska miles for Condor flights makes sense.The BasicsWhen booking Condor awards using Alaska miles, you’re limited to booking directly from the cities that Condor flies directly to or using Alaska flights to connect to a Condor flight....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers hereI recently wrote about who should get TSA PreCheck given that the TSA lines at airports across the country have been insanely long recently with reports that they may get worse this summer. It seems that some actions are now being taken by TSA and the airlines themselves to get the lines back under control, but ultimately the best defense against very long security screening lines is to have TSA PreCheck in order to give yourself the option of using the PreCheck line....

Check out this week’s travel contests and sweepstakes for your chance to win a trip to go skiing in Alberta, view works by Van Gogh in Holland, eat well in San Francisco, do your thing in Maine and go to the Galápagos.Go Ski Alberta is offering a Winter Giveaway for two to one lucky winner.Go on Ski Alberta’s Winter GiveawayGo Ski Alberta is currently holding a Winter Giveaway, offering two consecutive days of lift tickets for two at Marmot Basin resort in Jasper, Alberta and a mid-week accommodation, also for two people, at the Best Western Jasper Inn....

New York City is unlike any place on earth — it blends together culture, finance, entertainment and more to create an experience like nowhere else. But there’s so much to see in the city that never sleeps and we wouldn’t blame you if you didn’t know where to begin. If you’re planning a trip to the Big Apple, add these popular sights to your itinerary and be sure to get the best shots of America’s most-visited city — your Instagram followers will thank you....

In America, our diversity is evident in the way we celebrate our unique passions. In these 11 festivals around the country, people gather to honor the wacky and the wonderful. From rolling in grits and running away from roller derby girls, to floats praising duct tape, fungus and aliens, there’s a fascinating event happening every month.APRIL World Grits FestivalSt. George, SC is considered the world capital of grits and rightfully so....

Kyoto isn’t just temples and shrines.Indeed, the ancient Japanese capital is rapidly becoming a victim of its own popularity, having been named by numerous media outlets the “best city to visit in the world.” As a result of the accolades, massive crowds from many nations fill its streets, narrow alleys, gewgaw shops, Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. On top of the congestion, the city is in real danger of losing its identity....

UPDATE: DEAL IS DEADThe Delta SkyMall isn’t the finest online retailer, but they are offering a whopping 25,000 SkyMile bonus when you spend $500. This is a great bonus - especially if you can knock out any holiday shopping or buy merchandise that you can sell resell easily.Even conservatively valued, Skymiles are worth at least a cent a piece so a 25,000 mile bonus is at least worth $250. A 50% return on spend these days is pretty incredible - especially if you can use your Skymiles for unbelievable trips like I take every summer in business class to Seychelles/Mauritius and Europe in business class for only 120,000 Skymiles....

August and September are notoriously big months for shopping and dining for NYers - everyone returns from their summer getaways and gets back to business. Many are going back to school and the fashion crowd ramps up for Fashion Week.Capitalizing on all that primed buying power, American Express is now offering 3x Membership Rewards points for shopping and dining at over 200 retailers and restaurants from August 1- September 15, 2011....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here - Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Business Credit Card from American Express, Premier Rewards Gold Card from American ExpressFlying Blue, the mileage program of SkyTeam partners Air France, KLM and Air Europa, offers discounted Promo Awards where you can book award flights for as much as 50% of the miles normally needed....

These days, it’s all about “authentic” travel. Hotels, tour companies, even Airbnb are now concerned about the travel experience you’re having — not just what you do or where you stay. But what does that really mean? And how can you travel authentically? Here at TPG we suggest using some apps that will help you to travel like, or even with a local. After all, there’s no better way to explore a destination than with those who live 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.Many US and Europe-based passengers bound for the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East and southern Africa choose Middle Eastern carriers like Emirates, Etihad, Turkish and Qatar due to the convenient position of those airlines’ hubs, the great reputations all of them have with respect to service and amenities and often price....

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.Airbnb launched its Pay Less Up Front feature today, which allows guests to split payment into two installments: a partial deposit (usually 50%) up-front, and the remainder of the balance at a later date.Pay Less Up Front is available on both mobile and desktop, for all bookings that meet the following requirements:The total stay must cost $250 or moreThe trip has to be booked at least 14 days before the check-in dateAirbnb will notify guests three days before auto-charging the card on file for the second payment....

Not long after Alaska Airlines announced a new partnership with low-cost carrier Condor, the carrier’s unveiling a new partnership with Finnair. The new deal allows travelers to earn reciprocal frequent flyer miles when flying with either of the two carriers. Beginning today, Alaska Mileage Plan members can earn miles when flying on Finnair and Finnair Plus members can earn miles and redeem for award tickets when traveling with Alaska.Welcome our newest Mileage Plan partner, @Finnair....

Per JakeRyan1 on Flyertalk, United has some amazing fares from Hawaii to Paris good for travel this fall and next spring. I priced out a Honolulu to Paris (via Newark/Dulles/Houston to maximize the miles) for $665, which nets 18,031 Elite Qualifying Miles, so a total of 3.7 cents per mile- pretty awesome. Unfortunately these fares don’t work in the other direction (Paris- Hawaii- Paris is over double the price) and I checked other European destinations and none come close to these prices....

The first 787-10 Dreamliner has been completed with much fanfare at Boeing’s South Carolina plant. In a full ceremony, the manufacturer showed off the first aircraft of the series, which will begin flight testing later this year.As the third member of the Dreamliner family, the 787-10 is the largest composite aircraft manufactured by Boeing to date. According to a company fact sheet, the 787-10 variation will have a total capacity of 330 passengers — 36% more than the 787-8 and 14% over the 787-9....

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.Not to be mistaken with the airline-unfriendly Galaxy Note 7, the Galaxy S7 Edge is Samsung’s other flagship smartphone. While the phone is a bit smaller overall, the S7 Edge’s display is identical in size to what you’ll get with the Apple iPhone 7 Plus, and most customers in the market for a higher-end smartphone will opt to purchase one of these two devices....

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.Just a quick note to say if you have been toying with the idea of heading to Europe in the next several months, today is the day to check airfare prices as they are under $400 round trip in some cases, and a few hundred dollars more in others....

I’m sure you get tons of ‘junk email’ every day, and it can be very hard to differentiate the real email from the garbage. An email related to British Airways Avios was just sent out to many in the miles and points community, and you do not want to accidentally overlook it.The email was informing that if you have had a valid United States address on file with the British Airways Executive Club, and you redeemed British Airways Avios for an award ticket from November 9, 2006 - April 17, 2013, then you may be able to claim some Avios or even cash as part of a class action settlement....