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As many of you have let me know, I’ve been pretty harsh on Air India. Following my 777-300ER flight to New York-JFK, it certainly seemed justified, but as disappointing as my experience was, it sounds like plenty of customers have actually enjoyed themselves, particularly onboard the airline’s 787.So when I needed to get to London to kick off my latest round-the-world reviews adventure — and Air India offered by far the most competitive business-class fare — I decided to bite the bullet and give the carrier a second chance....

While travelers in the Northeast are stranded from Winter Storm Quinn, American Airlines passengers to the south found themselves delayed over something a little more heated.AA Flight 930 was canceled Wednesday, March 7, after its pilot attacked a ground crew member at São Paulo International Airport (GRU) in Guarulhos, Brazil.According to local officials, the pilot and the operations agent got into a heated disagreement over the positioning of the jet bridge....

Per The Flight Deal, TAM airlines has some incredible fares to Buenos Aires (via Sao Paulo) in March- June of 2013 from as low as $339 total roundtrip from multiple US cities:Miami to Santiago, Chile $337 (March 6-11 sample dates): $337 total roundtripMiami to Buenos Aires (March 14-17 sample dates): $339 total roundtripNew York to Buenos Aires (March 9-14 sample dates): $386NYC- EZE for $386 total roundtrip on orbits.comLos Angeles to Santiago $350 (sample dates March 7-13)LAX-SCL March 7-13 for $350It seems like these super low fares are only available from New York, Miami and Los Angeles, but if you find any others, feel free to share....

Since it first took place on November 27, 2010, American Express’s annual Small Business Saturday has become a part of the “post-Thanksgiving” shopping craze, joining Black Friday and Cyber Monday as one of the busiest shopping days of the year, and one on which merchants welcome shoppers with arms wide open in the hopes of spurring a record holiday sales season.Contrary to the eye-catching ads and doorbuster sales of the big box stores, the purpose of Small Business Saturday is to draw attention to the many brick and mortar businesses in customers’ own towns that frequently get overlooked by giving Amex cardholders a $25 statement credit when they used an American Express card – personal or business – at a participating business....

Cape Town is currently in the midst of a severe drought crisis, the worst in over a century. In recent weeks, city officials implemented a water restriction policy which limited each resident to 87 liters (or 23 gallons) of household water usage per day.Beginning February 1, Cape Town residents and visitors will be limited to a daily maximum of 50 liters (13 gallons) of water use per person. The Western Cape city is currently facing the reality of running out of water in three months....

Following the British Airways Queen’s Jubilee fare sale from mid-May where all the other carriers matched BA’s amazing business class pricing for flights from the US to United Kingdon, the airline announced another business class fare sale. However, this time for flights originating in the UK and coming to North America. Many others seemed to have matched as well, including Delta, United, American and Virgin Atlantic.Reservations must be made by June 14, 2012, and though the special fares are supposedly good until mid-May of next year, most of the special fares seem to be for travel between the end of July and the beginning of September....

Major US credit card companies are severing ties with extremists and hate groups, after backlash from activists alleging that those groups’ websites were able to raise funds using credit card payments, Bloomberg reported on Wednesday.The companies taking action include Discover, Visa and MasterCard. In emailed statements to The Points Guy, spokespersons for both Visa and MasterCard said that the companies reviewed lists of groups they found objectionable and then made the decision to end ties with the groups....

The “ME3” Middle-Eastern airlines — Emirates, Etihad and Qatar — are known for their premium products, especially in first class. All three of these airlines even provide a decent economy experience, which has rankled US carriers so much they’ve launched a crybaby coalition to complain about “unfair” competition.Until last month, I had only had an opportunity to fly first class on Emirates, but a few weeks ago I decided to complete the ME-3 trifecta....

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.Next month, frequent flyer enthusiasts and bloggers alike will gather at the Holiday Inn Elk Grove Village just around the corner from ORD for the annual Chicago Seminars conference. Unfortunately TPG won’t be speaking this year, but we will have several staffers on hand — and you’ll have an opportunity to join them for a weekend-long deep dive into the world of miles and points, with presentations covering topics that range from ExpertFlyer to top rewards credit cards....

There are endless theories out there claiming to have found the best time to book air travel, and rightfully so — airfares change multiple times within the day as airlines employ sophisticated dynamic pricing techniques to maximize its revenue based on demand and supply.In fact, Kayak suggests that there is a magic set of travel dates to score the best travel deal for the Independence Day holiday — flying out on July 2 and back on July 5....

Years ago, there was a genuine risk of having your passport stolen abroad — snatched out of a pocket, taken from a backpack or even brazenly swiped from a hotel room. Thieves could discreetly open up the laminated photo page and swap in someone else’s photo, then use the book to travel internationally, or perhaps even assume your identity, since a passport is almost always accepted as an official form of identification....

When most Americans think of Malaysia Airlines, our thoughts immediately go to the airline’s terrible losses in 2014. After all, the disappearance of MH370 and shooting down of MH17 are hard to forget.However, the airline has moved on from those tragedies — going from being “technically bankrupt” in 2015 to an airline that’s growing once again. Those of us who’ve flown Malaysia aren’t surprised. On long-haul and short-haul routes, we’ve experienced friendly service and good food....

Update: Delta confirms this new revenue based Medallion program, beginning in 2014.I recently wrote about changes I suspected were going to happen with the SkyMiles program and while some of you called me crazy, Delta today published (and then quickly retracted) a quick glimpse at the new program potentially launching March 1, 2013.The post relates to elite status, but I bet more changes are going to come - especially with award redemptions....

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.Usually, taking pictures on planes isn’t an issue. If you want to document the cabin, your seat, in-flight meals and the entertainment options for your personal record, or, perhaps for a flight review, photography isn’t an issue in most cases....

TPG Reader Max emailed me to ask about choosing a new airline for work travel:“I recently moved to Seattle, and my new job has me flying almost every week around the US. I’ve read about the battle over SeaTac between Delta and Alaska, but I’m not sure which airline to go with. I’d like to earn miles and elite status, and put myself in position to get upgrades quickly. Do you have any recommendations?...

It turns out that in-air concerts are becoming a thing. Earlier this year, Kenny G used his sax-ual talents to raise almost $2,000 for Relay for Life on-board a Delta flight. Now, Southwest is giving its “Live at 35” in-air concert series a fresh boost.To celebrate being named the Warner Music Nashville label’s “Airline of Record,” Southwest took to the skies Thursday to “surprise and delight” a flight from Nashville (BNA) to Philadelphia (PHL) with an in-air concert....

On a recent trip to London we decided to try out the Hyatt Regency Churchill for the first time, and it did not disappoint. Our crew of five split up between a standard room and an Executive Suite, which you can read all about here. While the room, and especially the suite, were fantastic places to relax and rest, a standout of the property had to be the Regency Club on the 8th floor....

On the heels of our annual comprehensive report ranking the Best and Worst US Airlines in 2018 using objective data gleamed from dozens of different sources, last week we asked TPG readers to chime in with their own thoughts on the best domestic airline. After several thousand votes, we’ve tabulated the results and not unexpectedly, there’s some agreement but also some debate…While our study placed Alaska Airlines at the top for the second year in a row, our readers went in a different direction, selecting Delta as their number one US airline....

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 that encountered a mechanical issue was forced to make an emergency landing at Dover Air Force Base on Monday night.The pilot of United Flight 1559, which was headed from Newark (EWR) to Palm Beach (PBI), declared an emergency and began descending toward Dover Air Force Base about 40 minutes after takeoff....

You’re really going to hope your upgrade clears on United’s refreshed 777-200s. The carrier recently relaunched its first updated 767, and now it’ll 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.That means anyone not traveling up front will end up in a 17-inch-wide coach seat with an ultra-dense arrangement that’s even being adopted by international carriers known for offering excellent service in economy, such as Cathay Pacific and Qatar....