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A long-haul transatlantic flight can seem pretty dull most of the time, but on Friday, British Airways hosted an aerial concert headlined by Nicole Sherzinger of The Pussycat Dolls to celebrate the launch of its upcoming service to New Orleans.Sherzinger performed for the 180 passengers who were aboard the BA flight from London’s Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY). Jazz artist Yolanda Brown also performed — as did Cherise Adams-Burnett, Jamie Brownfield and Quinn Oulton, who won the carrier’s busking competition this winter — while fashion models Jodie Kidd, Danielle Peazer and Emma Louise Connolly and British TV stars Oliver Proudlove and Georgia Toffolo were part of the star-studded flight....

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: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Chase Sapphire Preferred CardFor those of you who are opting out of the 4th of July BBQ, a reminder that this is the first Friday of the month, which means you can earn 3x points on dining purchases with the Chase Sapphire or Sapphire Preferred cards....

While this isn’t quite the airline match of American’s current double EQM promo that I was hoping for, Frontier announced a new promotion where members will earn double elite qualifying EarlyReturns miles for every trip they take on Frontier Airlines from December 1 through December 31, 2012. In order to be eligible, you must register before flying using promo code DBEQM.Frontier Airlines is offering double elite qualifying miles now through December 31st....

Citi is a TPG advertising partner.Editor’s note: This post has been updated with new information.If you are a frequent American Airlines flyer, you have plenty of credit card options to help you earn additional miles and make the most out of every American Airlines flight. While Barclays and Citi both have a cobranded card partnership with American Airlines, Citi is the issuer with the largest number of American Airlines card options....

Jane Garvey, former head of the Federal Aviation Administration, has been appointed chairperson of the board at United Continental Holdings — the first woman to hold this position.Garvey is replacing former Air Canada CEO Robert Milton who served as board chair since 2016. Oscar Munoz — United’s CEO — was originally supposed to become chairman of the board in 2017, but after the disastrous BumpGate incident with Dr. Dao, Munoz was told he would not take over....

We’ve got the scoop on how to take your studies to the next level. If you’re looking to apply to a culinary school this fall— look no further than this Italian ice cream university in Bologna: Carpigiani Gelato University.Gelato lovers from all over the world are signing up for courses in gelato-making. Located in Anzola dell’Emilia (Bologna), the Gelato University (CGU) offers courses about the frozen treat on all levels. From learning how to make gelato to firsthand experience in how to manage a business, Gelato University teaches students all they need to know about making and selling the Italian delicacy....

On the last night of his recent round-the-world trip, TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen found himself in Frankfurt before catching a Lufthansa flight back to Los Angeles. Here’s his review of the Westin Grand Frankfurt.Entering the lobby of the Westin Grand Frankfurt.One Night in FrankfurtFor the last leg of my recent round-the-world trip, I found a great first-class award on Lufthansa from Frankfurt to Los Angeles, where I’m based. The only trouble was that I was actually coming from Amsterdam....

‘Tis the season to light a fire in the fireplace, sip on mulled wine and press play on the holiday movies you’ve waited all year long to watch. But this year, you can do even more to get into the holiday spirit. Put your points to use and visit the cities — and settings — of your favorite holiday classics. Here’s how you can make it happen.The film: Home AloneThe destination: Chicago, ILAfter you take a spin on Hubbard Woods Park rink, enjoy the twinkling lights of Chicago at Christmas....

We’ve covered some pretty wild aviation topics at TPG, from crazy crosswind landings to weapons people try to sneak past the TSA. But this adds a unique entry to the list of wacky travel stories — this one from TPG reader Jesse Rodriguez — who spotted an unusual scene at Washington’s D.C.’s Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) last week.Rodriguez captured this photo in the Delta Sky Club at Washington, D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA), where a couple was hosting their wedding reception:The newlyweds at their reception at the Delta Sky Club lounge in DCA....

Andrew “A.J.” Baker, son of Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker, allegedly assaulted a female passenger on JetBlue Flight 1354 from Washington, DC (DCA) to Boston (BOS) last Wednesday evening, just after the flight departed from Reagan National Airport (DCA).One passenger on board the JetBlue flight told Boston law enforcement that she had seen Baker, 24, “lean over” in the woman’s direction “a couple of times,” while another overheard the “visibly upset” woman tell Baker “don’t do that… don’t do that” before she got up and requested assistance from the flight attendants, according to a police report....

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.KLM has started testing biometric face-scanning technology for the next three months (with the possibility of an extension) at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport (AMS) in an effort to speed up the airline’s boarding process and improve security.Scanners installed just outside the jetway can confirm a passenger’s identity before getting on the plane, eliminating the need to show a boarding pass or passport immediately before boarding....

Airline pricing is a science that I’ll probably never understand. Most of the time I’m frustrated with how much tickets cost (especially last minute tickets), but once in a while amazing deals come along that finally make you feel like you got a great bargain. This year alone I went to Stockholm and Copenhagen on Delta/KLM for $149 total roundtrip and Madrid for $260 on American (and upgraded to business class with systemwide upgrades!...

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.Southwest Airlines coined the phrase, ‘fly for peanuts’, but now you will have to fly Southwest without the peanuts as the airline is going peanut-free as of August 1. This decision was reportedly made in the interest of safety for passengers with peanut allergies....

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.Spring break may evoke visions of beer bongs and college kids, but it doesn’t have to be that way. A spring escape for you and your partner can be relaxing, rejuvenating and most of all, romantic! Here are the top TPG picks for a romantic getaway this spring....

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.Singapore Airlines is now allowing customers to book award flights on its regional subsidiary SilkAir at a 50% discount. Awards are available starting at just 3,750 miles each way between Singapore (SIN) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL), and 6,250 between SIN and Phnom Penh (PNH) and Phuket (HKT)....

Summer may be winding down, but summer Fridays don’t necessarily have to end with the season: Experts now believe that multiple short vacations throughout the year may be more restorative than one longer grand tour.In the past, researchers have suggested that the ideal amount of time off is eight days at a time. But Jonathan Alpert, a Manhattan-based psychotherapist and performance coach, believes that three- or four-day getaways are more refreshing because they typically come with far less planning, expense and hassle than major vacations....

One year following the 17 severe hurricanes that hit the Caribbean, the tourism industry seems to be well on its way to recovery. And according to Airbnb, booking numbers are way up.Based on data Airbnb collected up to September 2018 and measured against future bookings made by guests from November 2018 to March 2019, the accommodation service has created a list of the most frequently booked locations in the Caribbean. According to Airbnb, cities such as Charlotte Amalie in the US Virgin Islands are up 600% in bookings....

Back in October, we profiled Hotelied, a new hotel booking site which offers its users personalized discounts based on users’ social media and travel loyalty status. Hotelied bills itself as the first personalized hotel booking site where travelers can unlock unpublished discounts based on how desirable they are to hotels. The premise is simple, hotels want influential travelers who travel often and can help them spread the word. Therefore, the more active on social media or influential you are in your career, or the higher your loyalty status with airlines and hotel groups, the lower your rates will be....

From now until November 30, 2012 Southwest is offering bonus points for buying Marriott gift cards. A $500 gift card nets 6,000 Southwest points and you can buy up to $1,000 in gift cards through this promotion for a maximum bonus of 12,000 points per account. This is the same promotion they ran last year and is a great way to bank some Southwest points if you have some upcoming Marriott stays or plan to spend money at a Marriott spa/restaurant/shop in the future....

Earlier this summer, Club Carlson roared into the summer promotion game with three big giveaways totaling 138,000 bonus points, but they’re not done yet. Club Carlson just launched yet another promo called the “25 for 25” where folks who complete a two-night stay at a Country Inn & Suites between now and October 14 can earn an additional 25,000 bonus Gold Points.You can register for the promotion here, and just a few more points from the terms and conditions: you can only earn the bonus once per member, the stay must be two or more consecutive nights in a standard room booked at the 25 For 25 Promotion Rate (which is not always the best rate), and the promotion is not valid on existing reservations....