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Airlines around the world launch and announce dozens of new flight routes and service changes every month. Today, we’ll share just a few of the latest flights that will take to the skies this month or in the near future. Keep in mind that exact flight details (like schedules and aircraft, among other things) may change.NEW ROUTES LAUNCHED IN FEBRUARY 2018Fly from Oakland to Rome on Norwegian Air (launched February 6)The always impressive Roman Colosseum....

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.Make no mistake — the Airbus A220 (formerly known as the Bombardier C Series) is going to be a massive improvement for Delta, both from a fuel consumption and passenger comfort standpoint, on the routes it begins to run in early 2019....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – IHG Rewards Club Select Credit CardOne of the best features of the IHG Rewards Club Select Credit Card is the free night you’ll earn after your account renewal date. Below, TPG Senior Points & Miles Contributor Nick Ewen explains how to use and maximize this perk.There are many reasons to carry travel rewards credit cards in your wallet beyond the first year....

American Airlines is known for being exceptionally stingy when it comes to releasing award seats for business and first-class seats on its own aircraft, so we tend to get very excited when a large number of “free” seats become available — such as today!AA is currently offering award (and upgrade) space to many European destinations, including the most premium routes operated by the airline’s new 777-300ER, such as New York and Los Angeles to London....

On September 8 at Las Vegas’ McCarran Airport (LAS), British Airways flight 2276 experienced an aborted take-off due to an engine fire, and the aircraft’s subsequent evacuation garnered praise for its cabin crew — despite the fact that many passengers didn’t follow their directions. TPG Insider Carrie A. Trey, a flight attendant with a major airline, shares what crew are trained to do in this type of emergency, and what you as a passenger should do in a similar situation....

I’ll readily admit I’m a Target Girl and not a Walmart Girl. Not that being a “Target Girl” is high-end or anything, but Target just feels more like home than Walmart. No offense Walmart, but Target does have a Starbucks, and you have, well, a McDonalds.Given my Target leaning tendencies, it is no shocker that the new prepaid Target REDcard is immediately interesting for our family both for the points earning opportunities and its Target availability and discounts....

TPG Contributor Jason Steele used the occasion of a family train vacation to delve into Amtrak’s Guest Rewards loyalty program. Today he begins with how to maximize your Amtrak Guest Rewards earning potential.Most people think of points and miles solely in terms of airline and hotel awards, but Amtrak also has a loyalty points program with some valuable travel redemptions and partnerships that make it worth a closer look.Earning Amtrak Guest RewardsAmtrak’s Guest Rewards program that is more similar to a hotel loyalty program than an airline frequent flier program in that normally, passengers earn points for each dollar spent on train tickets (though obviously that’s how Virgin America, Southwest and JetBlue’s programs work as well)....

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.The world will have to wait a bit longer for the first commercial flight of the newest Airbus, the A350-1000, Qatar Airways, the launch customer of the bigger version of the A350, said on Wednesday that the first flight has been delayed because of its innovative business class, the new Qsuites product....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Chase Sapphire ReserveSingapore Airlines is expanding its route network — this time, between Indonesia and Australia. Beginning November 23, 2016 (pending regulatory approval), the carrier will launch Jakarta (CGK) to Sydney (SYD) service, while at the same time increasing the number of flights on its current Singapore (SIN) to Jakarta (CGK) route to eight flights per week....

American Airlines is in the midst of a massive investment in new premium products. From retrofitting its fleet with top-notch business class seats to leading US carriers in installing premium economy to lounge renovations — some of which haven’t gone so smoothly — the airline is trying to make its premium offerings top among US carriers. While AA’s operations still have some way to go to catch up with Delta, at least you’ll be able to wait for your flight’s gate to open up in a nice seat or wait out a delay in a sharp new lounge....

If you were born in May, Delta may have a bonus for you. You can get 2,000 miles on your next round-trip flight when you book by May 31, 2011 and travel by June 30, 2011. This is targeted, but it should work if your birthday is in your SkyMiles profile and you opt-in for marketing promotions. Registration link here.Hat tip to TPG reader Athan!GET READY TO GET AWAYYOUR BIRTHDAY GIFTS MAKE IT POSSIBLE....

An airline passenger with a medical emergency was in luck on Wednesday when the United States Surgeon General was on board the same Delta flight and able to assist.According to Surgeon General Jerome M. Adams, crew on board the Delta flight asked passengers if there was a doctor on board to help with a medical emergency. “Why yes — yes there was,” Adams tweeted. Adams, who has been the Surgeon General since September 2017, added, “Like a good USPHS officer, I was glad to be able to assist!...

Airplanes don’t make money sitting on the ground.That’s why the time from landing to takeoff is an efficiently choreographed dance of people and equipment. Known as a turnaround, or “turn” in industry parlance, it’s an airline’s version of a Formula One or NASCAR pit stop. The goal is to get an airliner back in the air as quickly as possible.Early in its operation, Southwest Airlines was legendary for incredibly fast turnarounds....

South African Airways recently placed an order for five new Airbus A330-300’s, a twin-engine long-haul aircraft. Despite the airline’s very public financial difficulty, it began introducing the new plane on its existing route network, with the new A330-300 flying from Johannesburg (JNB) to Lagos (LOS), São Paulo (GRU), Washington, DC (IAD) via Dakar (DKR) and Munich (MUC).With the order, South African Airways, together with seat manufacturers Thompson Aerospace and London-based design consultants Priestmangoode developed a new business-class and economy cabin....

Air Niugini confirmed Monday that the body of a missing passenger had been found by divers in the lagoon next to Micronesia’s Chuuk International Airport (TKK), where Flight 73 crashed last Friday.The statement read:It is with deep sadness I confirm that the body of a male passenger was discovered by divers today as they conducted a further search of P2-PXE and the surrounding area in the Chuuk Lagoon.This is the unaccounted passenger from the aircraft....

Club Carlson, the loyalty program for Radisson and Country Inn & Suites, has been on the rise recently. With the launch of many new Radisson and Radisson Blu upscale properties, they are heavily promoting their loyalty program.They even recently launched a new program to buy points. Historically, the only way to get points was by hotel stays or partner activities, though now they are selling points at .7 cents a piece ($7 for 1,000)....

In case you needed another reason to book a trip to Rome, we just found one: you can now experience the Opening Games at the Colosseum just like the Ancient Romans did.On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays through October 27, you’ll be able to go back in time thanks to some of the best special effects technology has to offer. Think: Holograms, intricate lighting and intense sound effects that are going to make you feel like you took a trip to the year 80 AD....

This is an installment in my series on my January 2012 trip to China. Posts include: Help Me Plan My Trip To China, Flight Review: American Airlines 777 International Business Class to Beijing, Hotel Review: St. Regis Beijing, Beijing Overview: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Peking Deck, A Great Day at the Great Wall of China, Flight Review: Air China 777 Domestic Business Class, Hotel Review: Andaz Shanghai, Trip Report: Terra Cotta Warriors and a Wild Goose Pagoda in Xian, Hotel Review: Sheraton Xian, and My China Trip Wrap Up: China Eastern, Hainan Airlines and the Westin Beijing....

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.Thanks to a low unemployment rate and a rise in competition for good talent, potential job candidates are finding themselves with the leverage they need to negotiate for extra travel benefits, including premium-cabin travel and the right to select itineraries that aren’t entirely based on the lowest price....

TPG reader Doug sent me a message on Facebook to ask about Star Alliance elite status:“Does United distinguish between Star Alliance Gold and Million Miler lifetime Premier Gold?”Airline alliances offer a lot of opportunities to award travelers, including more ways to earn and redeem miles, and the chance to earn elite benefits across multiple carriers. However, alliance status doesn’t necessarily translate to the same perks you’d get from equivalent status with a member airline....