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Good news for Midwest-based travelers looking for cheap transatlantic flights — today, WOW Air announced that it’s launching nonstop service between Chicago’s O’Hare Airport (ORD) and Reykjavik (KEF), allowing passengers to have the option to then connect to WOW’s network throughout Europe.WOW will launch 4x weekly service from the Windy City to Iceland beginning July 13, 2017, with fares starting at $99 one-way. For example, this one-way fare from ORD to KEF, which costs $99 (including taxes and fees) in September:Flyers originating in Chicago can book flights to other cities throughout Europe, such as London, Paris, Amsterdam, Dublin, Copenhagen and more, via KEF with fares starting at $149 one-way....

Reports of sexual harassment and assault on US commercial flights keep pouring in this year.Add to the list an incident on a Southwest flight Sunday night from Houston to Nashville. Court documents state that the unidentified female passenger briefly spoke to the man sitting next to her, Alfredo Vela IV, who she did not know before the flight. She then fell asleep in her seat, Dallas News reports.An unspecified amount of time later, the woman was awakened by Vela, 30, rubbing her back with his hand....

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.An 8-year-old girl realized she left her favorite stuffed animal at the Norfolk International Airport (ORF), and when it was returned to her by airport police, she got to see all of the adventures the plush puppy Cookie Dough went on while out of her care....

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.An American Airlines regional jet was forced to make an emergency landing after striking a deer during its takeoff roll on a runway at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) today around noon. The plane was headed to Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT) with 44 passengers and four crew members on board....

William Shatner knows a good deal when he sees one — if that wasn’t the case, the legendary actor of “Star Trek” and “Boston Legal” fame would not have been the face of Priceline.com for so many years. Here, the Negotiator himself offers packing advice and proves to be like Dorothy from the “Wizard of Oz” when asked about where he’s always wanted to go.What packing tips do you have?Roll everything up, including the toilet paper....

This is quite the sight: A Boeing 747-200 that looks to be the spitting image of Air Force One is floating on a barge off the coast of Rhode Island right now, slowly making its way south to its destination at National Harbor on the Potomac River in Maryland.Of course, this isn’t really the presidential plane. It’s a replica — a “never-seen-before recreation,” according to the Air Force One Experience, a museum of the presidency and one businessman’s dream to share an icon of democracy....

The fires ravaging Northern California have now claimed at least 11 lives and caused widespread damage across more than 100,000 acres. Residents, tourists and business owners have been forced to evacuate the area, as more than 15 reported fires have continued spreading at a rapid rate because of windy and dry conditions.According to the Washington Post, the Battalion Chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection Jonathan Cox said that the fires are “unprecedented” in how quickly they’ve spread....

Update: Alaska Airlines announced that it will add a basic economy fare later this year. Unlike its competitors’ basic economy products, Alaska’s will feature assigned seats.Alaska Airlines, after finally completing its takeover of Virgin America, may now follow in the footsteps of the big three legacy US carriers. During Alaska’s earning’s call on Thursday, the company hinted that it had been looking at basic economy and unbundling fares, and how those actions could positively affect its revenue....

Every month, TPG updates his points and miles valuations to give you an idea of how much each currency is worth toward travel and other redemptions. But the NFL Extra Points credit card from Barclaycard turns this equation upside down by letting you redeem your points for experiences that you just can’t buy at any price.For the last four days, I’ve been in Houston, experiencing the Super Bowl and many of its surrounding events, along with some of Barclaycard’s NFL Extra Points cardholders....

Today, I want to share a story from TPG reader Jeff, who unexpectedly found himself in economy on an international flight. Here’s what he had to say:I have been a Delta Diamond Medallion for the last six years. I thought I knew all the tricks of the booking system and that mistakes were a thing of the past. Wow was I wrong.I had a tentative business trip planned to Asia in mid 2017, and my wife was finally able to accompany me — Thailand, here we come!...

Dreams of setting sail on the high seas in a cartoon-clad cruise ship will soon be a reality with Cartoon Network’s branded project with Singapore-based Oceanic Group. Turner, the media parent company of Cartoon Network, is partnering with Asia-Pacific’s leading cruise management company to bring some of the most recognized cartoon characters to the ocean on its own cruise liner, Cartoon Network Wave.The ship will not only feature the networks recognizable figures on its livery, but everything from guest rooms to decks will be transformed into a real-life cartoon....

Millennials get a lot of flack for being lazy, entitled, narcissistic and are dogged for spending most of their time pondering what they’re going to post on Instagram next. Although these are the stereotypes that society throws around, the data may not back up those clichés.A recent report from travel giant Expedia said that a large numbers of millennials aren’t taking time off to travel.The 2017 Vacation Deprivation report said millennials are actually the most affected age group in the world, with 62% being “vacation deprived....

Delta just launched a new promotion to earn bonus miles when flying BusinessElite or in full-fare economy to London Heathrow. To be eligible, you must first register then book by January 15, 2013 and fly now through January 31, 2013. There is no limit to the number of bonus miles that Skymiles members may earn with this promotion. To earn the bonuses, you must fly on Delta marketed/operated or KLM marketed/Delta operated flights to London Heathrow....

Africa’s largest airline continues to build its dominance in the region. Ethiopian Airlines has signed on to back a new airline in Zambia.The venture will relaunch Zambia’s flag carrier, Zambia Airways, which has been dormant for more than 23 years.Ethiopian injected $30 million into the project, which expects to operate 12 aircraft by 2028. Reuters reports that the inaugural flight will occur on January 1, 2019 — an ambitious date for an airline that doesn’t have any of its own aircraft....

Yesterday, the members of the FAA advisory committee held a closed-door meeting to discuss the use of electronic devices during flights. It was agreed upon that passengers should now be able to use their smartphones, tablets, e-readers, and other electronic devices during take off and landing as long as they are in airplane mode.Airplane mode for Apple products can be turned on in Settings.Airplane mode means that the device’s signal transmitting functions like calling, texting, and using data are disabled....

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.It’s been two and a half months since we launched the TPG Lounge, and we just surpassed 10,000 members. The Lounge, for those of you who are not yet in the group, is a Facebook space where readers can chat, share tips, offer advice, get access to member-only events, and enter exclusive giveaways....

It’s hard to imagine now, but in-flight Wi-Fi was first introduced by Gogo just eight years ago. In less than a decade, this amenity has gone from being a luxury to a necessity as more and more travelers expect to be always connected. The issue is that some in-flight internet providers haven’t been able to keep up with customer expectations. The growth in demand has outstripped technological advances, and Gogo is scrambling to catch up....

Beaches are for lovers… and not always just for human ones. Thousands upon thousands of tetragnatha extensa spiders have taken over a beach in a Greek town called Aitoliko and have laid filmy connected webs that envelop every square inch of the grassy shoreline.Photo by Giannis Giannakopoulos via Facebook.Local photographer Giannis Giannakopoulos shared photographs of the ghoulish beachfront on his Facebook page.Photo by Giannis Giannakopoulos via Facebook.The spiders are part of a genus known as stretch spiders, with elongated bodies and long legs, which allow them to scurry across the surface of water more quickly than they run on land....

While United’s 2018 class of elite Global Services members likely got the official welcome nod earlier this month, credential kits are just now making their way to the airline’s biggest spenders.TPG reader Gary C. sent in some pictures of his kit, including an assortment of branded items and marketing materials — that alone is nothing special; I even got a fancy membership card and a short stack of customer appreciation vouchers as a lowly American AAdvantage Gold — but Global Services kits have a few special additions....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American ExpressBack in January, Delta announced a drool-worthy offer for New York-based flyers with a fast-track to Platinum Medallion status. Whereas Platinum Medallion status normally requires you fly 75,000 miles or 90 segments (and starting in 2014 that you spend $7,500 on airfare or $25,000 on a co-branded Delta Amex, like the Gold Delta SkyMiles Credit Card from American Express), those flyers targeted for the offer were entitled to the following....