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It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s a…UFO?Audio obtained from the Albuquerque Center Air Traffic Control Communications recorded on February 24, 2018, appears to show not one, but two pilots spotting an unidentified flying object directly over their two aircraft. The recording is unedited and comes from the FAA.The incident, which took place around 3:30pm between the Sonoran Desert National Monument in Southern Arizona and the New Mexico border, reveals the audio between the pilots and air traffic controllers discussing what the pilots saw during their commercial flights....

When it comes to air travel, not all passengers have the same mettle. While some people are perfectly content finding ways to entertain themselves during a five-hour layover, other travelers start to get antsy around the 60-minute mark. But even the most patient travelers would agree that there’s a certain point where a layover becomes a nuisance — and that spending more than 47 years (yes years) at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK) to get from New Zealand to London would not be the most efficient use of one’s time....

Memorial Day is more than just a long weekend and a chance to get together with friends for barbecue and beer - it’s a chance to honor the men and women who have died serving in our armed forces. So for today’s Maximize Monday, I wanted to take a look at opportunities all of us have to give back to those brave folks who dedicate their lives to the nation.**Note: For tax reasons it is much easier to donate cash and take a charity write off than it is to donate miles....

I don’t limit my points and rewards earning to credit cards and travel loyalty programs - probably like many of you I am a frequent collector of burrito stamps, ice cream punch cards, pedicure discount cards, and other store rewards programs. I mean, if I am a regular customer and the store makes it easy to rack up rewards towards free stuff, then who am I to say no?One store where I regularly visit, but have always said no to their rewards program was Nordstrom....

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.If you missed the shot heard ‘round the Chase Ultimate Rewards universe earlier this month, here’s a reminder: Korean Air SkyPass, a member of the SkyTeam alliance, will cease being an Ultimate Rewards transfer partner as of August 25, 2018....

TPG reader Tim sent me a message on Facebook to ask about award redemption strategies:“I currently have a stockpile of AAdvantage miles, but it seems like they’re continuously losing value. Is it okay to hold onto them, or should I try to use them as soon as possible?”I’ve been loyal to American Airlines for years now, and while I still think there’s a lot to love about the AAdvantage program, it seems to be heading in the wrong direction....

In 2014, Bill Murray crashed a bachelor party in Charleston, South Carolina, and gave the groom some unsolicited advice on how travel is the true test of love: “If you have someone that you think is The One, don’t just sort of think in your ordinary mind, ‘Okay, let’s make a date. Let’s plan this and make a party and get married.’ Take that person and travel around the world. Buy a plane ticket for the two of you to travel all around the world, and go to places that are hard to go to and hard to get out of....

Social media is increasingly becoming the method airlines, hotels, credit cards and consumers get in touch with one another about the latest news, deals and promotions. Here’s a look at the latest interesting trending topics and more on social media from the week.Every week, Team TPG combs through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on during any given week, but if we miss something you’d like to discuss feel free to:-Post on my Facebook wall-Tweet me @thepointsguy-Instagram me @thepointsguyHere are some of the biggest news stories and promotions that everyone has been tweeting about this week....

Traveling the world can be a tiring experience, that’s for certain. Which may be why one Spanish company recently launched a nap bar in Madrid’s Azca district, called Siesta & Go.The center operates much like a hostel, offering visitors deals based on their privacy preferences and time constraints, among other variables. You can go all out and splurge on a private room for €14 (~$15) per hour or settle for the bar’s cheapest option, an €8 (~$9) top bunk in a shared room....

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 the holidays fast approaching, the TPG team has been hard at work putting together gift guides and wish lists. We usually try to post fantastic deals, but sometimes we like to indulge. Neiman Marcus recently released its 2016 Fantasy Gifts that includes some mind-blowing luxury items like a week of living at three English country estates for a cool $700,000....

One of the things that makes Uber such an attractive option for travelers is its hassle-free, no-cash-necessary simplicity. (If you don’t already have an Uber account, you can sign up now to receive a free ride [up to $20] from TPG.) When you hail an Uber, you know that it’ll arrive to pick you up, you’ll get in the car and arrive safely at your destination where you’ll proceed to get out of the car without any physical transaction between driver and rider....

United announced Thursday that between February and April, the airline installed personal device entertainment onto more than 200 aircraft. All aircraft equipped with Wi-Fi (any aircraft with more than 70 seats), will have at least one free entertainment option. Aircraft that previously only offered DIRECTV now allow passengers to use a personal laptop or smart phone to access its library of free movies and TV shows with the option to purchase DIRECTV to view live programming....

Air travel can come with myriad concerns: Will my bags get lost? Will I make my connection? But “Will my assigned seat exist?” is not usually high up on the list. While finding someone sitting in your seat may not be that uncommon, it’s pretty rare to board a plane only to find that your seat assignment literally does not exist on that flight.But that’s exactly what happened to Satwika Ika, who was traveling from Palembang to Jakarta, Indonesia, when she boarded a Lion Air flight with a seat assignment of 35F....

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.Signing up for TSA Precheck is about to get a little easier. Staples has announced they will be teaming up with IDEMIA to open TSA Precheck enrollment centers at Staples retail locations throughout the country.Staples will bring IdentoGO, which offers TSA PreCheck enrollment, to 50 Staples locations this summer....

In a surprising announcement Wednesday morning, Air Canada and three financial institutions — TD, CIBC and Visa Canada — have announced a joint offer to buy the Aeroplan loyalty program from its current parent company Aimia for C$250 million (US$191 million) in cash.If the offer is accepted by Aimia management, this will reunite the Aeroplan loyalty program with the airline that spun it off 16 years ago in 2002. Aimia has until August 2 to decide whether or not to accept the offer of C$1....

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.Update- This deal is now dead. It may still be possible to book via united.com and applying this code there. Just to be safe, I’d make a back-up refundable reservation in case Avis tries to not honor thisPer Mr....

Yesterday, Apple made history. It became the first public company to hit a $1 trillion valuation. The company that almost went bankrupt in the 1990s is by far and away the most valuable in the world.Its value is so high that it’s actually larger than the GDP of many large economies like Turkey and the Netherlands.The New York Times did a fascinating study that compared Apple’s valuation to a variety of companies, including the big banks and auto companies....

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.Legendary astronaut Buzz Aldrin flew in style over the weekend as he jetted to Nepal via Dubai on Emirates in the carrier’s first-class suite. Aldrin is on a week-long tour of the country and will be giving a presentation at the Everest Science Center....

“Reader Questions” are answered three days a week — Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.Today we’re diving into a Facebook message from Jeff, who has elite status with United…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Jeff”]I travel for business and have United Silver status. I like to bring my wife with me and use miles to pay for her flight, but I can’t get her Economy Plus seats because she’s on a separate reservation....

The second week of Daily Getaways travel promotions sponsored by American Express and U.S Travel Association, continues with another five daily travel deals which go live at 1:00 pm EDT, and some will have a pre-sale beginning at 12:00 pm EDT which you can access by heading to the Facebook page the day of the sale and getting the pre-sale code.Remember, American Express cardmembers receive an additional 10% off so be sure to use your American Express card....