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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 CEO Doug Parker made a small, but significant announcement at APEX Expo in Boston on Monday.Parker told the crowd that the airline will no longer provide Bose noise-cancelling headphones to international business and first class passengers....

TPG reader Kenneth sent me a message on Facebook to ask about Marriott Hotel + Air packages:“I’m thinking of booking a Marriott Hotel + Air package to get the Southwest Companion Pass, but I don’t have any upcoming stays planned. Can I buy the package, get the Companion Pass, and then redeem the hotel portion later?”Marriott’s Hotel + Air Packages are among the most lucrative ways to redeem Marriott Rewards points, as they effectively allow you to swap for more valuable airline miles when you redeem for a seven-night hotel stay....

The pilot of a China Eastern flight traveling from Shanghai (PVG) to New York (JFK) on Friday made the decision to dump 30 tons of fuel before diverting to Anchorage (ANC) after a medical emergency was declared on board.According to the Straits Times, a 60-year-old woman on China Eastern Flight 587 began to feel unwell and complained of difficulty breathing. As the situation grew more critical, and the woman reportedly slipped in and out of consciousness, crew moved her from her economy seat to business class and attempted to perform basic first aid....

Check out the week in travel contests and sweepstakes for your chance to win a wine trip to France, win thousands of Air France miles, see relax in Puerto Rico, eat your way through Palm Beach & tour London.Can you beat Mr. Miles to win Flying Blue Air France miles?Win Thousands of Miles From Air FrancePlay the Mr. Miles game and have a chance to win several packages of Flying Blue miles (in total, Air France plans to give away five million miles to many lucky winners)....

It hasn’t been a great couple of months for United. But that wasn’t going to stop me from experiencing some of the company’s latest products. I was actually in the middle of a head-to-head comparative review between Lufthansa and United, and learned the hard way that — oh my — what a difference there is between customer-service experiences.You can read my full face-off in the coming weeks, but I couldn’t resist sharing my most recent experience because it showed me just how rotten to the core United’s customer service really is....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Chase Sapphire ReserveUpdate 12/19/16: This promo is no longer available.Uber is once again offering $20 off your next ride, for existing customers as well. However, this time the promo is only available in New York City.Head to your payments tab and enter code LIGHTNYC16 immediately — these deals tend to last only a few minutes, so expect it to be unavailable very soon....

With what passengers heard as a loud pop, Southwest flight 1380’s left engine exploded at 30,000 feet, sending shrapnel crashing through the Boeing 737’s window and nearly sucking a passenger out of the plane, who later died from her injuries. It’s a pretty safe bet that there is going to be a forthcoming lawsuit.But a top aviation personal injury lawyer says that it is not just the family of Jennifer Riordan, the woman who died on board Southwest 1380, who could have a viable case....

“Seventy-four. Order number seventy-four.” The cashier’s call rolled over the hungry patrons of the crowded In-N-Out as another wave of Angelenos poured through the doors. It wasn’t my burger, and I was getting impatient: there were places to be, and airplanes to see. Looking up at the sound of a jet engine roaring, I caught a fellow patron’s gaze, gawking at my massive camera, probably wondering why I needed a lens longer than a child’s forearm to take burger photos....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week — Mondays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.The United States is one of the largest credit card markets in the world, with roughly 7 out of every 10 Americans having at least one credit card. So if you’re living overseas, can you apply for US cards? That’s what TPG reader Ariel asked us in a Facebook message…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Ariel”]If I am living overseas but am a US citizen that still has a US address and a US bank account, can I still open up a rewards card?...

It’s no secret that JetBlue has been eyeing expansion at its home airport of New York Kennedy (JFK). And as of Monday, the carrier has moved one step closer to a multibillion-dollar terminal expansion by selecting Vantage Airport Group and RXR Realty LLC to lead the effort.The New York-based carrier’s expansion at JFK, which is estimated to cost between $2 billion and $3 billion, will play up its partnerships, providing travelers with a more seamless airport experience when connecting between a JetBlue flight and one with a partner airline....

Good news for budget-conscious flyers: There’s about to be a new ultra-low-cost option in North America. Startup Canada Jetlines plans to begin service next year with base fares that, its CEO promised, will cost “about the same cost as a pair of jeans.“Jetlines will begin flying on June 1, 2018, with service only between Canadian cities, expanding to US leisure destinations later next year. The carrier plans to roll out its route network in three phases, beginning with six Boeing 737 aircraft during its first year:June - July 2018Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Halifax (YHZ)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Winnipeg (YWG)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Calgary (YYC)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Edmonton (YEG)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Vancouver (YVR)August - October 2018Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Orlando (MCO)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — Las Vegas (LAS)Hamilton/Waterloo (YHM) — St....

For my year-end vacation to South America, I specifically saved the best for last: two nights at the esteemed Park Hyatt Buenos Aires. Since the hotel was selling base rooms for over $500 a night on the dates I wanted to stay there, I decided to redeem 30,000 Hyatt points for two nights, which is quite a bargain if you ask me. However, since I redeemed my points last April, Hyatt has increased the points required for this property to 18,000 a night....

Qatar Airways has been in the news a lot lately, from introducing a game-changing new business class product to being banned from flying to/through multiple neighboring Middle East countries. Now, Qatar is making waves again by refusing to accept over $1 billion of new Airbus A350 aircraft — which are reportedly already manufactured and fit for delivery to the airline.When asked about the situation, Airbus noted that Qatar’s “A350 contract includes a clause allowing it to scrap handovers that are delayed beyond a certain point....

Gulf Air is set to be the newest Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner operator, featuring a rather amazing business class product. The airline’s version of the 789 Dreamliner is arranged 2-2-2 with Apex Suites seating.The Bahrain-based airline announced that the launch of this new aircraft would be on June 15 between Bahrain (BAH) and London’s Heathrow (LHR). But, according to Routes Online, that inaugural has been moved up almost a month and changed to a new route....

I’m flying less this year for a variety of reasons, and when I do fly I am more and more feeling the pull to book based on price and price alone. Of course when I’m not flying using miles, I’ve always booked based on price as a primary driver, but other things did factor into play at least to some extent.Since I strongly prefer nonstop flights and live in Houston, I have been pretty darn loyal to United the last several years....

My dad, Buddy, AKA “Grandpa Points” has a love for travel as fierce as mine, yet our travel patterns are distinctly different. He and my mom are now in their mid-60’s, are (mostly) retired, and are ticking off “bucket list” destinations quicker than they ever thought possible thanks to miles, points, and travel deals. They have an intense love of this country, of its National Parks and treasures, and have no problem with a clean budget hotel room and an economy seat as long as it gets them where they want to be....

Different cultures have different expectations of what is and isn’t culturally appropriate — whether it’s what hand signals are offensive, which hand you use to pay or what clothes you’re expected to wear. When flying, we’ve heard of dress codes for non-revenue passengers (remember LeggingGate?) but dress codes for passengers seem like a thing of the distant past. While you may be judged for what you wear, passengers seem to wear whatever they feel is most comfortable....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Platinum Card® from American ExpressEach Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week:Find out which cards made the top ten best for May....

One of the main questions folks had before the massive United award devaluation that went into effect earlier this week was whether awards they booked at pre-devaluation prices would be repriced at post-devaluation rates if they made changes to their bookings.The reason this was important is because a lot of people were hoping to lock in specific awards on United and its partners that were going up drastically in price, such as business or first class to Europe or Asia, wherever they could find them and then change their tickets to different dates that opened up closer to their actual desired travel times....

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.Starwood is running a special promo for stays booked today (11/11/11) through 11/21/11 for over 400 properties in North America. Rate details are still TBD, but by the time this post goes live, they should be available here....