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My parents have shared some of their budget traveling stories here before, and thankfully were willing to do so again. Their travel style is slightly different than mine. They prefer domestic trips, and are totally okay with modest airline and hotel accommodations. They leverage miles and points to make their budget travels even more affordable on their retirement budget, while at the same time marveling in some of the natural beauty of this country....

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.After a couple of great stays at some of Tokyo’s best properties — the Park Hyatt, Grand Hyatt and the Andaz — it was time to check out what Osaka had to offer with a stay at the St....

At around 8pm Pacific time on August 10, 2018, a Bombardier Dash-8 Q400 aircraft was commandeered, started and stolen from one of the world’s busiest airports. The obvious question beckons: how on Earth is this even possible?Among the many, many things that travelers take for granted is the concept of ownership and order at major international hubs. While aircraft have been hijacked mid-flight, having one stolen while on the ground is a rare occurrence....

TPG Contributor “Patrick Down” is presently employed as a TSA officer at a US airport. In this installment of our Insider Series, he answers a question he’s frequently asked: What does it take to become a TSA officer?The general requirements for being a TSA officer (TSO) are a high school diploma or GED, a clean criminal history and a fair credit score. You also can’t be color blind or deaf, and you have to be able to lift 50 pounds — but that’s pretty much it....

JetBlue is running another “All You Can Jet” pass for travel from Sept 7-Oct 6. There are two typesAYCJ-7: $699* for 30 days of unlimited travel Sold outAYCJ-5: $499* for 30 days of unlimited travel (excludes Fridays and Sundays)If interested, sign up for their TrueBlue frequent flyer program and then purchase the pass here.Pros-1) No blackout/capacity controls- if a seat is available for sale, its available for use with the pass....

Last year, Delta partnered with LA-based chef duo Jon Shook and Vinny Dotolo — whose ventures include Animal, Jon & Vinny’s and Son of a Gun — to create new seasonal menus for Delta One (business class) on transcontinental flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK) and Washington, DC (DCA).The menu preview took place at Animal.The pair joined an illustrious roster of chef and restaurant partnerships the airline has forged over the years, including ongoing ones with Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group, Atlanta-based Linton Hopkins and Japanese chef Masatoshi Ishimoto, among others....

Aviation gurus and frequent flyers tend to focus on the front of the plane — lie-flat beds, enclosed suites and onboard showers are fun to talk about, while the differences between business-class and first-class products can be fairly dramatic. By contrast, all of economy just seems like the same uncomfortable seat in a different color, right? Not quite. When it comes to flying across the US in coach, all birds are not created equal....

The head of the Transportation Security Administration said the agency has nixed the much-criticized idea of getting rid of security checkpoints at smaller airports in the US, saying it was always just a hypothetical situation.In a statement on Tuesday and a meeting with the USA Today editorial board Wednesday, TSA Administrator David Pekoske said that the idea of doing away with security screening for airports that served planes of 60 passengers or fewer was just a thought exercise the agency played with to come up with ways to make the organization’s budget healthier....

United continues to take delivery of new 777-300ER aircraft with Polaris seats installed, even though the airline has reportedly had issues with its seat manufacturer Zodiac. A few months ago we wrote that several additional international cities were expected to get Polaris cabins by the end of the year, and now United has set official dates for three of those routes.According to Routes Online, the next city pairs to see United’s new 777-300ERs with Polaris seats will be:San Francisco (SFO) — Beijing (PEK) beginning September 6, 2017San Francisco (SFO) — Frankfurt (FRA) beginning October 6, 2017Newark (EWR) — Tokyo/Narita (NRT) beginning October 28, 2017All three of these routes are already operated on a daily basis by United — the two San Francisco routes currently utilize a 747-400 while the Newark-Tokyo/Narita route is served at the moment by a 777-200ER....

TPG reader Jaquelyn sent me a message on Facebook to ask about Global Entry:“The only thing that’s held me back from applying for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck is my travel patterns. I’ve been to the Middle East quite a few times in the past 10 years; will that affect my interview and my chances of being approved?”I’m a big fan of Global Entry, and I’d encourage anyone who travels regularly to consider signing up, especially since you can get a credit to cover the cost of applying....

There might soon be a new airline in Africa — well, not quite new, more like the revival of a defunct one. And it may also buy an Airbus plane that no one else wants.Uganda Airlines has been grounded since May 2001, but that’s not keeping Ugandan officials from making big plans for its revival. Indeed, the government is planning to order six new aircraft and start flying again by the end of 2018....

Spanair is a Madrid based Star Alliance carrier that does not fly to the US. However, they do file codeshares with their US based Star Alliance partners and from time to time their codeshared flights can be very cheap. It seems like they’ve loaded some extra cheap fares that may be of interest to many of you.So far I’ve found total roundtrip prices from the following cities:Boston: $356 on OrbitzNew Orleans: $396Los Angeles: $502Seattle:$569San Diego: $551Most flights are operated by US Airways, which actually has a pretty solid transatlantic Airbuss 330 product (with personal TVs at each seat in coach)....

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.Citibank has developed a test version of its own digital currency, currently called CitiCoin. According to an article in the International Business Times, Citi’s currency was inspired by bitcoin, the popular yet controversial currency used for anonymous digital transactions....

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.For the past couple summers, Costco has teamed up with Hyatt to provide their members with solid discounts. This year the offer is 10% off and the third night free for stays 3 days or longer.“Enjoy 10% off the Hyatt Daily Rate plus your third night free at participating Hyatt Hotels & Resorts in the U....

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.In celebration of its new daily flight to Miami, Turkish Airlines is currently offering deals from Miami to various European destinations for as little as $636 round-trip in economy. The fares are valid for departures from October 25, 2015 to March 10, 2016, with blackout dates from December 17 to December 26, 2015....

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.For those thinking about some fall travel plans, Delta is having a sale on travel to the Latin America and the Caribbean. This applies to both paid tickets as well as award redemptions. This is valid for travel from September 3 – December 13, 2013 for economy tickets only....

In a world where threats of violence are all too common, reports of an attack can’t be taken lightly, even when unconfirmed. And that’s what happened on Sunday night when terror spread through Terminal 8 and Terminal 1 at New York’s JFK Airport. Thankfully, a few hours after original reports of gunfire, the airport has been cleared with no reports of injuries or arrests.At around 9:30pm on Sunday night, there were several reports of gunfire inside JFK’s Terminal 8....

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.When it comes to Google Flights, well, the times they are a-changin’.When Google Flights introduced a new interface a couple months ago, it added a feature at the bottom of the page that, when clicked, allowed users to revert back to its original and, arguably, more intuitive interface....

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 ground stop was declared at Hamburg Airport (HAM) earlier today when over 50 people at northern Germany’s largest air terminal reported signs of nausea and discomfort from breathing the air.The incident began around 12:30pm local time (6:30am Eastern time), when passengers and airport staff working in the central security check area between Terminals 1 and 2 began reporting symptoms of nausea and discomfort....

I think a point that often gets lost in all the discussion of points and miles is that loyalty programs are a two-way street. We, as consumers, give our time and money to certain brands, and in return, they reward us with discounts, perks and free things. In the best of circumstances, this involves a lot of talking and listening on both sides.Consumers tell brands what they want, how they want it, and what they’ll pay for it; and brands tell consumers what they can do in terms of pricing, benefits and rewards....