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Memorial Day weekend is a time for barbecues, spending time with family and, apparently, devaluing award charts. On the heels of Qatar’s no-notice increase of up to 77% in award prices, Japan Airlines has quietly posted a new set of columns on its Mileage Bank distance-based partner award chart (thanks to TPG reader Derrick for the heads up). Beginning November 20, any award bookings made after 9:00am Japan time (7:00pm Eastern time on November 19) will utilize a new award chart that determines the price of your partner operated award ticket:Overall, while most distance bands are not increased substantially and there are a few zones with slight decreases, many premium class redemption zones do take a large hit, with price increases of as much as 31%....

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.Just a quick reminder if you find yourself in NYC these next couple of days, make sure to get in on the British Airways NYC Michelin Promotion before it ends on December 31st.You can get $50 free at any NYC Michelin starred restaurant when you use your British Airways Visa and spend a minimum of $50 per dine....

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.I did my first weekend $150 jaunt to Stockholm and had an absolutely terrific time. Although exhausting, I really enjoyed my 24 hours in the city and was able to cover a lot of ground. Saturday was a sunny, gorgeous day so I walked for miles exploring the old city and taking in the Stockholm vibe....

A passenger’s safety tether wrapped around an emergency fuel shutoff lever might have caused the engine failure of the helicopter that crashed into New York City’s East River and killed the five passengers on board, according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board released Monday.A portion of the front seat passenger’s safety tether was found underneath the lever, which was in the “off” position as the helicopter went into engine failure, according to the NTSB’s interview of the helicopter pilot, who was the crash’s sole survivor....

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.Today’s the final weekend of the NFL regular season, which means that this may be your final chance to earn 1,000 free Marriott points with the chain’s “Extra Points Sundays” promotion. After Marriott Rewards took a week off for the holidays last Sunday, it has now posted today’s question on Twitter, which you’ll need to answer by 8pm Eastern tonight — Sunday, December 31 — in order to get your free points:There’s actually been some confusion over this answer....

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.This week during SXSW, Gogo flew its 737-500 “inflight connectivity laboratory” from Chicago to Austin for a couple of media demo flights. I had a chance to spend 90 minutes in the air with the company’s new 2Ku satellite Wi-Fi, while also exploring the “Jimmy Ray,” Gogo’s very own “private” 737....

There are many ways to save some dough when booking flights, including flying into (or out of) alternate airports that offer cheaper alternatives. But what happens if you don’t want to actually fly the entire itinerary? TPG reader Jason wants to help his aunt, who lives in Michigan but booked a connecting flight to Europe out of Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) instead of a nonstop out of Detroit (DTW), saving over $1,000 on the round-trip ticket…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Jason”]On the way back, she connects/clears customs in Detroit....

Long-time AvGeeks, rejoice. World Airways, which was founded in the 1940s and ceased operations in 2014, was acquired on Wednesday by investment firm 777 Partners. In effect, you could see the famed World Airways livery on a tarmac near you in the future.On Wednesday, the firm announced that it had acquired the intellectual properties of World Airways, Inc. As of now, we already know that it plans to relaunch World Airways as a long-haul, low-cost carrier, flying the most modern aircraft in the sky — none other than the Boeing 787 Dreamliner....

If you’re planning to visit Myanmar, you’re already journeying well outside mainstream itineraries — those hoping to find all-inclusive resorts and hotels that take Starpoints should look elsewhere (until the Sheraton opens in July anyway). Traveling to this country is like stepping back in time, a capsule sealed for decades by diplomatic isolation and military dictatorship. But the light of Myanmar is now visible to the world, and what a beautiful light it is — the entire country drips with a seemingly divine glow that cameras and photographs can only attempt to capture....

Vietnam is an incredible country to visit, full of rich history, wonderful food and reasonable prices. Free-wheeling Ho Chi Minh City is typically the jumping off point for many travelers starting in the south and heading up through Hoi An, Hue, Hanoi or Ha Long Bay, or the grand finale city if you’re doing it the other way around. Here are seven things you should consider before you head there.1. Use the New eVisa OptionVietnam has always had an interesting visa process, but it seems to be getting simpler now, thanks to the new eVisa option, which is valid whether you’re flying into the country, crossing over land borders or arriving by sea....

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.US airlines were thrilled when they learned that they’d be allowed to fly to Cuba and immediately launched dozens of routes between the former adversary. However, it’s become clear that travelers aren’t booking as many trips to the island as anticipated and airlines have been forced to scale back substantially in the less than two years since they’ve relaunched service....

On Friday, Berlin will begin excavating a recently discovered World War II bomb. All buildings within about a half-mile radius of the bomb will be evacuated Friday morning, including the city’s central train station, Economy Ministry, the Natural History Museum and part of a hospital.Berlin’s Tegel Airport (TXL), which authorities originally thought would be affected, will not have to evacuate, and flights will not be re-routed during the excavation.On Thursday, air traffic control authorities announced that usual takeoff and landing routes will not be affected, but a spokeswoman did say that airlines “may need to fly with greater separation between planes than usual during that time,” according to Reuters....

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.Okay, just kidding, but I thought I’d point out that Delta is very friendly towards the booze-lovin’ crowd! Not only is there unlimited free sauce in the lounges, but you also get 4+ drink coupons with Medallion membership so you can enjoy complimentary beverages even when you have to sit in coach....

Emirates Airline announced that it’ll suspend its nonstop Dubai (DXB) to Newark (EWR) route between April 16 and May 30, 2019, in anticipation of Dubai International Airport’s scheduled runway closure, Routes Online reported. Flight EK223 (DXB-EWR) and EK224 (EWR-DXB) are unavailable for booking on the Emirates website during the closure period. The daily fifth-freedom route departing Dubai, which stops in Athens (ATH) on the way to Newark remains available.Other US routes that will be affected during the same time period include:Dubai (DXB) – Boston (BOS) — Reduce from 7 to 6 weeklyDubai (DXB) – Chicago O’Hare (ORD) — Reduce from 7 to 6 weeklyDubai (DXB) – Dallas/Ft....

Back in 2014, Four Seasons partnered with TCS World Travel, a luxury tour operator, to create the Four Seasons Jet. The specially configured Boeing 757, leased from TAG Aviation and bearing the UK registration G-TCSX, has since been taking travelers on adventures around the world with stays in Four Seasons properties along the way.Despite the high price tags, the trips have been extremely popular. A 2018 edition, “World of Adventures,” is already sold out and has garnered so much interest that Four Seasons has decided to offer it again in the fall of 2019 — with a double-occupancy price of $143,000 per person, or $157,300 if you’re traveling solo....

A woman is asking for the power of social media to help her find a lost item that fell out of her bag on her Sunday morning flight into New York’s JFK Aiport: her wallet containing her diamond wedding band and engagement rings.Kate Hollanda, associate director and stage manager at NBC and ABC News, flew into JFK on American Airlines Flight 974 from Rio de Janeiro (GIG), where her wallet slipped out of her bag....

After being closed for nearly a year, Emirates has reopened the doors to its business and first-class lounge at New York’s JFK Airport this week with a completely new look. Given how spectacular fellow Emirati carrier Etihad’s lounge at JFK is, we couldn’t wait to see how Emirates’ would measure up.The lounge is located in the same space as its former version in Terminal 4, where Emirates’ three daily flights to its hub in Dubai (DXB) and one daily fifth freedom flight to Milan (MXP) depart from, above gate A5....

Hilton is giving 500 free nights away to Twitter and Facebook followers who participate in their scavenger hunts that will take place in different cities each day this week. The contest begins at 12:00noon Eastern time today and Washington, DC is the first city.“Cities, tasks and exact locations will be revealed to the public via the HHonors Twitter and Facebook pages at 12:00 p.m. throughout the week. The first 100 people to complete the assigned city-specific task and find the treasure hunt team in each city will be awarded with a free night certificate, redeemable at any property in the Hilton Worldwide portfolio of brands (which includes the luxurious Waldorf Astoria, Conrad, etc....

When Hurricane Irma first set sights on potentially making a land fall in South Florida last weekend, the state went on alert. Food, gas, plywood, batteries and flashlights were the hot commodity for most people and they became hard to find. For me, my American Airlines AAdvantage were my hot commodity and thankfully I have an emergency stash for times just like this.Image by Roberto Faccenda / Flickr.On Monday, I began looking for flights to New York City, or to Boston to be closer to family....

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.Boeing said on Thursday that it had formally “booked” an order from the United States Air Force for two of its 747-8 aircraft that will be converted into the future Air Force One.Details of the final cost of the order weren’t released, but the official list price for one 747-8 is $351....