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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.Flights Between Major Middle East Countries SuspendedEarly this week, we learned of the somewhat shocking news that a coalition of nations including Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Libya, Yemen and The Maldives had severed diplomatic ties with the State of Qatar....

Update 3/8/17 6:38pm: Check out our exclusive 360° video tour of the quad-design here and now also embedded below.After much fanfare over the past few weeks, Qatar unveiled its new business-class product at ITB Berlin this morning. Named the Qsuite, the 1-2-1 arranged seats promise to deliver “First in Business Class”. Qatar is known to make grand proclamations, so we were curious to find out if it could back up its promises with a truly special product — this time it certainly has....

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.Earlier this week, we informed you that Southwest was targeting some of its Rapid Rewards members with a free Companion Pass after just five round-trip flights. Now, the carrier is targeting more members with a fast track to elite status....

People don’t always have the nicest things to say about Spirit Airlines, but TPG enjoyed his recent flight and the airline really deserves credit for its tremendous relief work this month.Chris Sloan of Airways Magazine — a friend of the site — teamed up with AvGeeks and Spirit Airlines to deliver relief aid to Puerto Rico, and to assist our fellow US citizens in desperate need of evacuation. They’ve now been at it for more than two weeks — you can follow the group’s progress on this Facebook page....

We follow airline websites pretty closely. That’s how we know when to share weather/volcano flight change fee waivers, when United cuts meals and drinks without notice or when American Airlines slashes award earnings on 180 partner fare classes.That’s how we saw a new notice that posted on United’s travel notice page last week:Additional TSA screening of perishable items at San Juan (SJU)TSA has implemented additional security measures at Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) that requires all wet or frozen food items to be removed from carry-on baggage and inspected....

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.Apple’s iPhone 7 was released last week, and as expected, people were clamoring to get their hands on one of the new devices. If you’ve been eyeing the latest and greatest from Apple, then look no further than this week’s Thursday Giveaway — we’re giving away a $500 Apple gift card that can be used for Apple hardware or accessories, perfect for those who want an iPhone 7 or 7 Plus but don’t want to pay full price....

On July 26, TPG sat down with Kevin McAleenan, Acting Commissioner for US Customs and Border Protection, to discuss the future of border security in a Facebook Live session. We’ve edited their conversation down to a 19-minute highlight reel for those who missed the live-stream.Here’s a look at their conversation’s most interesting moments:Biometrics are the futureActing Commissioner McAleenan told TPG that speeding up the entry process with biometric screening is a top priority for the CBP....

The horrific attack in Manchester on Monday has sparked United Kingdom security to be on high alert. In the wake of the attack, the UK government raised the threat level to critical — meaning that “an attack is expected imminently.” Because of this threat, London tourist attractions have shuttered and security across the UK’s cities and airports is especially vigilant.If you’ve got a flight from, to or through the UK, you might be wondering what impact the increased security will have on your travels....

A Vietnam Airlines crew has been suspended after landing an aircraft on the wrong runway at Cam Ranh International Airport (CXR) on Sunday.Vietnam Airlines Flight 7344 was flying from Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) to CXR — a journey that took just 40 minutes. The Airbus A321 (registration VN-A613) took off from SGN on time at 2:00pm local time before landing on the unauthorized runway around 2:55pm — five minutes earlier than scheduled....

Buy discounted Disney tickets here through MickeyVisit.comWalt Disney World hotels will no longer offer complimentary parking for guests staying at the park’s resorts. Starting March 21, guests staying at a Disney World resort will be subject to pay a standard overnight fee that will be applied to their hotel bill upon check-out.According to WDW News Today , nightly rates will vary based on hotel category. Guests staying at a value resort, which includes the All-Star hotels and Pop Century, will be charged $13 per night, while guests staying at moderate tier resorts, such as Port Orleans, will be charged $19 per night....

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.Grab your hiking boots and leave your cash behind! On April 21, admission to all national parks will be free. Saturday is just one of four days this year that the National Park Service will allow the public to enter all National Parks with no fee....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here - Alaska Airlines Visa Signature® Credit CardIf you are like me and have maxed out on Chase and American Express offers, you may want to consider the Bank of America Alaska Airlines Visa with 40,000 mile sign-up bonus.Per their partner award chart, its only 25,000 miles for a domestic award on American/Delta/Alaskan, (or redeem internationally on British Airways, Air France and Cathay Pacific) so the annual fee of $75 pays for itself- at least for the first year....

Getting bumped from a flight can be very lucrative for a passenger when it’s voluntary. Delta shelled out $4,000 to one passenger willing to catch a flight only nine hours later, while United now asks travelers to name their price.Sounds pretty sweet. But lately, the need for bumping has declined — both voluntary and involuntary.According to Reuters, a report released on Thursday from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) reveals that airlines in the United States are not having to bump as many passengers on overbooked flights as they were during the same time period last year....

Late Monday night, American Airlines announced several small, yet still notable changes to its AAdvantage program. Along with adding the functionality to search for and book Malaysia Airlines and Fiji Airways awards on aa.com, the carrier has introduced three other changes AAdvantage flyers should note.Mileage ReinstatementWhile AA will continue to allow members to get their miles back for a canceled ticket, it’s now implementing a stricter timing policy in order to qualify....

About 100 firefighters and 15 fire engines have been called to the Mandarin Oriental hotel in the Knightsbridge neighborhood of London, according to the London Fire Brigade.The cause of the fire in the five-star hotel is still unknown. This is a breaking story, so TPG will update as more information becomes available.Below are images and videos from social media that reportedly show smoke from the fire:H/T: The Irish Times

From now until March 16, 2012 you can get triple points when you register and stay at any participating Carlson (Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn by Radisson and Park Plaza hotels).You normally earn 20 points per dollar spent, but you earn 60 with this promotion. Carlson free nights start at 9,000 points, which normally requires a mere $450 in spend, or 50,000 points for a top tier property, like most Radisson Blu hotels, for $2,500 in spend - which is pretty lucrative in my opinion....

We’ve heard for a couple of weeks now that the US is planning to extend its electronics ban to include flights from Europe. Earlier this week, we got more evidence that the ban is on the horizon and could be implemented within the next few weeks. And today, the Daily Beast is reporting that laptops will, in fact, be banned in all cabins of all flights from Europe to the US....

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.Now through October 31, 2016, you can earn bonus AAdvantage miles when you donate money to the Susan G. Komen Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As part of the Miles for the Cure effort, you’ll get 20 AAdvantage miles for each dollar you donate for a maximum of 600,000 miles ($30,000) in a 12-month period....

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.United is offering a new fall promotion for users to earn up to 1,500 bonus miles when you make purchases through the United MileagePlus Shopping portal.The Autumn Bounty promotion begins Monday, Oct. 1, and runs through Oct. 15....

The end of this relationship has been a long time in coming, but we’re now counting down the final hours of the Delta-Alaska partnership. As previously announced, effective Monday, May 1, the two airlines will no longer have any connection to each other except for an interline agreement, making Sunday their final day together.Much like any long and drawn-out breakup, Sunday is really just the day that makes things official — these two have been on the outs for a very long time....