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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.Once again, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) is the world’s busiest airport by passenger traffic, according to 2017 data released Thursday by Airports Council International. Atlanta has held the uncontested title since 1998 — but it may lose it soon, as air traffic growth keeps booming in China....

First, the good news: Odds are you’re more likely to die from a car accident (one in 114), bee sting (one in 63,225) or lightning strike (one in 161,856) than in an airborne terrorist incident (10,408,947 to one).Now, the bad news: Though exceedingly rare, hijackings happen. On top of that, airline passengers have been freaking out mid-flight with alarming regularity. Recently, a 23-year-old passenger on a Delta flight from Seattle to Beijing attacked a flight attendant and tried to enter the cockpit before passengers and crew subdued him....

Alaska Airlines has long differentiated itself from the other major US carriers through a generous change fee policy, not offering a basic economy product and allowing you to receive a credit if the price of your flight drops. Unfortunately, though, all good things must come to an end. To become more in line with its competitors, in April, Alaska reported a number of (negative) updates, including the introduction of a basic economy product and a tightened change fee policy....

A great feature that used to be offered by both American Express and Chase was the Secure Messaging option, which enabled you to log into your account for either credit card issuer and and easily send either company a message without having to actually call them. This was especially useful if you signed up for a credit card offer and then discovered the sign-up bonus had been raised - via Secure Messaging, you’d be able to quickly request the higher bonus....

“Severe” disruptions to air travel are expected throughout France on Tuesday due to a strike of the country’s air traffic controllers.Several European carriers, including British Airways, Air France, Ryanair and Aer Lingus, have been canceling or amending their operations in the region. Additionally, because Tuesday’s strike involves ATC workers (rather than employees at specific airports or airlines), flights with routes through French airspace will also be affected. French ATC handles more flights than any other European 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.We recently wrote about As You Stay, a new app that allows users to book hotel stays for several hours at a time. Now, Day Use, a new French start-up, is gaining traction in Paris, London, and New York....

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.Great news for Americans wanting to visit Argentina: The South American country is waiving its $160 reciprocity fee for US passport holders entering the country. Following President Obama’s visit earlier this month, the government of Argentina announced last week that it would be suspending the fee for visitors staying less than 90 days for tourist or business purposes for the first time since it was established in 2008....

Great news for California residents — in case you haven’t heard, you can get a Southwest Companion Pass after just one purchase through a spectacular offer from Southwest. If this is old news to you, we have an update. A bunch of TPG readers reported Wednesday that they have successfully gotten their companion passes!Commenter Molly reports that her first purchase was on October 30 and she received an email from Southwest Wednesday (November 15) saying that she’d earned the Pass....

If you are thinking about heading to a beachfront resort, one of the obvious questions on your mind is probably how good is the beach. I’ve stayed at resorts with absolutely perfect beachfront locations and others that may have been located just feet from the water, but it was water you wouldn’t really get in because or rocks, waves, tides, and more. The Park Hyatt St. Kitts is a beautiful beachfront resort and I’m happy to say that you can get in the water, but you can also walk a short distance and dive into an even prettier (and more crowded) beach....

Check out the week in travel contests and sweepstakes for your chance to win a trip to Mexico, an adventure trip to either Costa Rica, Machu Picchu, Mont Blanc or Thailand, a cruise through Canada, a chance to see Oprah in Miami or a gastronomic vacation to France.Win a Trip to Mexico City from iFly KLM MagazineWin plane tickets to Mexico CityWin a trip to see Mexico City from KLM. The grand prize is two round-trip tickets to Mexico City from the city closest to the winner where KLM, Delta or Air France operate flights....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – The Platinum Card® from American Express, Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express, Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, Gold Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American ExpressAmerican Express and the US Travel Association (a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting US travel) have partnered to offer discounts and deals with various travel brands and loyalty programs during the next month, including hotel packages, points/miles purchase promos, rental car discounts and more....

It’s President’s Day weekend and you know what that means: sales on mattresses, cars, etc. For those of us that prefer online shopping, it’s a great chance to rack up a bunch of bonus miles through airline shopping portals.If you want to see all the President’s Day weekend bonus point offers, check out the full list for United MileagePlus Shopping, American AAdvantage eShopping, Alaska Mileage Plan Shopping, Delta SkyMiles Shopping and Southwest Rapid Rewards Shopping....

There’s no doubt that Google Flights is one of the best tools out there for searching for flights. With so many features and ways to customize your searches for near-immediate results, it’s a must when you’re looking to book travel. As of Wednesday, Google Flights are adding two new features: the ability to see specifics on a basic economy fare, plus real-time and predicted flight delays.For frequent travelers, basic economy fares are often the most avoided....

I just decided to take advantage of the Membership Rewards 35% transfer bonus to Virgin Atlantic (which expired tonight!) by transferring 80,000 Amex points into 108,000 Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles, which posted instantly.Virgin Atlantic allows you to transfer miles into Hilton points at a generous 1:2 ratio, but you have to call them to get it done.Number: 1-800-365-9500Hours : 08.30am - 11:00pm seven days a week (assuming Eastern time)Hit option 4 and then 1....

Following last week’s news of a Southwest Airlines passenger who’d been hit on the head by a suitcase falling from an overhead bin suing the carrier for $49,000 in damages, the TPG Team was surprised to learn that there are whole law firms dedicated to airplane accident and flight injury cases. The Points Guy mentioned one such firm, Bohrer & Lukeman, in his coverage of the Southwest story, and TPG Travel Editor Melanie Wynne recently spoke with two of its attorneys—partner Abe Bohrer and associate Erin Applebaum—about the increasingly complex world of aviation law....

Anyone who’s traveled to, from or through New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) has likely noticed that it’s in desperate need of a facelift. That could be soon on the way, but by the sound of it, one aspect that the airport is in desperate need of will be left out — a new runway.The Wall Street Journal is reporting that in the coming weeks, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo is expected to announce the details of a $10 billion renovation for JFK....

Marriott, the international mega hotel chain, fired a low-level social media employee after he accidentally liked a tweet that offended the Chinese government.Roy Jones, a 49-year-old based in Omaha, Nebraska, worked in Marriott’s customer engagement center. On January 14, Jones was fired for liking a tweet from the Marriott Rewards official twitter account.The tweet? A post from a Tibetan separatist group that praised Marriott for calling Tibet a country, instead of a part of China, in an online survey the company had sent out....

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.Flying through Munich Airport? Be sure to stop by Terminal 2 and say hello to Josie the Robot. Josie Pepper is the first humanoid robot ever tested at an airport in Germany. Starting today, February 15, the nearly four-foot-tall robotic helper will welcome travelers to the non-public area of Terminal 2, which is jointly operated by Munich Airport (MUC) and Lufthansa....

Perhaps the thing I love most about running The Points Guy is the discussions I’m able to have with all of you. Even though I’ve only met a handful of you in person (and hope to meet more in the future), I still feel like I “know” many of you. The camaraderie and knowledge sharing continues to amaze me and I personally learn so much from all of you - usually via the comments....

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: A rep from Realtytrac just contacted me to let me know this promotion was unauthorized and they are working to shut it down via the British Airways EShopping Mall. I do not know what this means or whether the points will be honored....