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The Trump administration announced on Wednesday that it’s imposing new travel and commerce restrictions on Cuba. In all, the new restrictions will make it harder for US citizens to visit the island nation. The new regulations will take effect on Thursday.American citizens will be banned from doing business, including tourism-oriented business, with entities with links to Cuba’s military. You can expect to see restrictions on business dealings from everything from hotels to tourist agencies, rum makers, stores and more....

Officials in New York City are considering a controversial push to limit the number of ride-hailing drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft that are allowed on the road.The New York City Council, concerned that the companies don’t pay drivers fairly and that the advent of Uber and Lyft has added to traffic congestion, is preparing to make a decision on legislation that would put a cap on the amount of ride-hailing vehicles on the city’s streets....

Registration is now open for Hilton’s 2013 Q1 Double Your HHonors Promotion, which runs from January 7 through March 31, 2013. HHonors members can earn double Hilton HHonors points or double miles when they stay at participating hotels and resorts.To earn the double points/miles, you must register prior to check-out of first stay within the promotion period and once you register, your selection cannot be changed.If you choose double points, you will earn double the base points - so no elite bonuses - while if you choose double miles, you must have selected the points + fixed miles or points + variable miles option and designated a preferred carrier....

Here’s a recap of the interesting points and miles news from this week:Earn 2,500 bonus miles at the American Airlines shopping portal.Earn Up To 2,500 Bonus American Airlines Miles Shopping At The AAdvantage Portal: The American Airlines shopping portal is giving you extra incentive to be generous with your holiday shopping this year with the opportunity to earn up to 2,500 bonus miles on purchases made now through December 2, 2013....

It’s been a terrible hurricane season for the Caribbean. Hurricane Irma and Hurricane Maria — both Category 5 storms when they made landfall in the Caribbean — have caused catastrophic damage to the islands.US territories in the Virgin Islands took direct blows from both hurricanes. St. Thomas and St. John were devastated by Irma before Maria passed nearby shortly after. St. Croix missed the worst of Irma, but got a direct hit from Maria, the 10th strongest hurricane ever on record, packing top sustained winds of 175 mph....

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.I’ll be combing through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on during any given week, but if I 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....

Every week, the TSA blogs about items (mostly weapons) that agents have confiscated at airports around the country, and the agency posts some of the crazier ones on its Instagram page. To help inform travelers, TSA has created an “Ask TSA” twitter account where curious travelers can ask if they’re allowed to carry on certain items. Below are the five most ridiculous questions asked this month — at least according to us at Team TPG....

So much has happened since July 15 that it may be hard to believe that Turkey’s attempted military coup took place in the middle of last month. While it once again appears to be business as usual as far as Ataturk Airport and tourism in Istanbul are concerned, until just two weeks ago today, the FAA had banned flights departing Turkey from entering the US, effectively making it impossible for Turkish Airlines to operate service to the United States....

In case you missed it, New York City’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA) is a mess. It originally opened back in 1939 — and certainly feels this old in some parts — and today, handles roughly 30 million passengers a year as one of the three major NYC airports. Due to its age and constant state of disrepair, LGA is in the midst of a $4 billion “redevelopment” project, and while this is generally good news, it’s created an even bigger mess in the meantime....

As I shared a little while back, I have a travel goals 2020 list where I outline where we hope to go each year until 2020, but it’s just a list. God willing at least some of trips on the list will happen, but odds are some of it won’t happen, or at least it won’t happen when and where it is currently penciled in. However, part of the reason some of it might not happen is simply because an idea gets bumped in favor of some other limited time travel opportunity....

If you haven’t been keeping up to date with the alliances, Skyteam has announced several new additions to their alliance. While it will take a while for these airlines to get fully integrated, you could see award redemptions starting to happen within the next year. From a points perspective, it only strengthens the value of your current Skyteam points when new members join the alliance. Here are my takes on the four new scheduled additions to Skyteam:1) Saudi Arabian, which announced the move on January 1oth, fills the middle eastern gap and gives more access to Africa....

The Transport Security Administration is watching you.Not just in line at the airport security checkpoint, but through the airport terminals and even on your flight, too.A new report in the Boston Globe says that Federal Air Marshals, a program that lies under TSA’s umbrella, have been following ordinary Americans not on terrorist watch lists or suspected of other crimes. The air marshals collect notes on US passengers’ behavior and movements. The tracking program – dubbed “Quiet Skies” – is catching widespread criticism from within the aviation agency, the Globe reports....

I constantly preach about dining programs, because there’s no reason not to be a part of them. Even if you don’t have any dining establishments in your town, the list constantly changes and there are generally a lot of participating restaurants in bigger cities.That being said, if you sign up for the Delta program and have a Delta Amex, you get 500 free miles. You get an additional 1,000 after spending $30 within 30 days, which isn’t hard to do in NYC....

Who wouldn’t want to take an Insta-perfect holiday to a quaint European village? Pretty much no one; after all, there’s a reason films like Under the Tuscan Sun, Before Sunrise and Midnight in Paris are so popular. But let’s face it: The journey of self-discovery amidst cobblestone streets is so popular a fantasy that it’s almost become hackneyed at this point. For something a bit more creative, visit one of the villages below, which, despite their European-like charm, are located nowhere near Europe....

The big four-way deal from last year is still on: Air France-KLM, Delta Airlines and Virgin Atlantic signed a new document Tuesday delineating the terms of their expanded trans-Atlantic joint venture. The three airlines hashed out further details on the logistics of the proposed partnership, and now the brief goes before regulators to ensure they receive the appropriate legal approvals.Air France–KLM will acquire a 31% stake in Virgin Atlantic for $297 million, while the Virgin Group will retain a 20% stake and chairmanship of the Virgin brand....

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.American Airlines will retire the last of its Bombardier Dash 8-100 aircraft later this year. According to American Fleet Site on Twitter, the last of the Dash 8-100 flights, AA Flight 4852, will depart from Harrisburg International Airport (MDT) at 10:00am, bound for Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) on November 29, 2017....

We’ve known for a while now that American Airlines and US Airways plan to merge their AAdvantage and Dividend Miles programs in the second quarter of 2015. You could already book saver awards on both airlines using miles from either program (like with most partner airlines). However, it now looks like you can book higher-level American AAnytime awards using US Airways miles and US Airways Standard awards using American Airlines miles....

TPG reader Todd tweeted me to ask:@thepointsguy -“Are award booking services worthwhile? If so, do you have any recommendations?“The Points Guy website actually started out as an award booking service, so before I ever wrote my first blog post, I was helping people book awards. The website had a form for people to explain where they wanted to go and provide all the relevant information (like point balances and elite status)....

An Amtrak passenger train traveling from New York to Florida crashed into a freight train and derailed early Sunday morning in South Carolina. Officials said at least two people died and approximately 116 were injured in the accident.The Amtrak Silver Star, also known as Amtrak Train 91, departed New York City’s Penn Station enroute to Miami at around 11am on Saturday with 139 passengers and eight crew members onboard. The train was traveling through Cayce, South Carolina around 2:35am when it hit a parked CSX freight train....

At least 25 people died on Tuesday when a major highway bridge near the Italian city of Genoa collapsed, police sources say, leading to some vehicles falling about 330 feet.Part of the Morandi Bridge fell during torrential rainfall around 11:30am local time (5:30am ET) Tuesday, authorities said. Sources told the Italian news agency ANSA that several crushed vehicles were underneath the rubble with victims inside.According to the AP, Italian transportation officials said that at least 25 people died and 11 people were injured....