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Although Hurricane Harvey has dissipated, the effects are still being felt across eastern Texas and Louisiana and the area is still in need of humanitarian efforts and relief operations. On Friday September 1, nearly a week after Harvey’s initial landfall in Texas, American Airlines flew a MD-80 (registration N7548A) into Beaumont, Texas (BPT) to evacuate 134 Hurricane Harvey evacuees to the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The flight operated at AA Flight #9490 with five crew....

US-based airlines love their baggage fees — they’ve racked up over $4 billion per year from these alone. But, effective today, one US airline is taking some weight off your shoulders (both literally and financially) by eliminating one of its checked baggage fees.For tickets purchased after 12:00am Central Time on November 13, American Airlines is dropping the $100 second checked bag fee for certain premium economy tickets. Specifically, this is for tickets “between Europe and U....

In mid-January, Delta cracked down on service and emotional support animals. In early February, United also imposed new restrictions after a passenger tried to bring a peacock on board as an emotional support animal. And then in April, Alaska tightened its own emotional support animal policy. But, there’s been an eerie quiet from American Airlines in the months since. Today, the world’s largest carrier broke that silence.American Airlines announced on Monday a comprehensive set of new restrictions on both service animals and emotional support animals for flights ticketed after July 1, 2018....

Update 5/17/2018: On the day after we confirmed with British Airways and TSA that the airline wasn’t part of PreCheck, British Airways has joined TSA PreCheck.PreCheck’s got 52 airlines, but British Airways ain’t one. That’s right, one of the largest operators of transatlantic flights still isn’t part of the TSA PreCheck program, despite what’s been reported on some blogs and what you might assume based on the airline’s website. Meanwhile, boutique airlines like Dominican Wings, Seaborne Airlines and, well, Boutique Airlines are already part of the program....

Back in February, I wrote about maximizing airlines’ business frequent flyer programs, and it just so happens that Delta’s SkyBonus program is currently running several double points promotion to boost traffic as it builds its new domestic hub at LaGuardia, and its SkyTeam partners launch seasonal services between select destinations.SkyBonus members can earn double points by flying on over a dozen Delta-marketed and operated non-stop routes between LGA and the following cities between now and June 30, 2012:Albany, NY (ALB)Burlington, VT (BTV)Buffalo, NY (BUF)Washington-Dulles (IAD)Manchester, NH (MHT)Rochester, NY (ROC)Syracuse, NY (SYR)Birmingham, AL (BHM)Charleston, SC (CHS)Greensboro, NC (GSO)Norfolk, VA (ORF)Richmond, VA (RIC)Savannah, GA (SAV)Louisville, KY (SDF)Ft....

TPG reader Erica sent me a message on Facebook to ask about million miler status:“I’m about to hit one million miles flown with United, and I’m a little confused about lifetime Premier Gold status. Does this mean that I only have to fly 25,000 miles each year to get to Premier Platinum, or 50,000 miles for Premier 1K?”All three of the US legacy carriers offer million miler elite status to reward frequent flyers for long-term loyalty....

A few weeks ago, we reported how a pilot shortage is forcing Emirates to cut flights. During the Aircraft Interiors Expo in Hamburg, airline group CEO Tim Clark told reporters that the airline would be short-handed by about 100 to 150 pilots.Emirates has generally tried to downplay the situations, with Sir Tim saying that the airline is “a tad short in pilots” but that the pilot numbers should be “alright by September or October....

TO THE POINT: After hearing amazing things about the Emirates business-class experience aboard the A380, I had high expectations and am happy to report the carrier did not disappoint. The pros: comfortable seats, super-friendly service and delicious food. The cons: an overcrowded lounge and seats that showed some wear and tear.After an amazing trip last month to Cape Town for my very first PeaceJam conference with TPG, I had to find a way to get back to New York....

Airline schedules and travel plans aren’t set in stone, and any tool that gives you flexibility on the go can be a huge help. And one of the most convenient tools available is a user-friendly, comprehensive airline app. I’ve often found myself in situations that require me to look quickly for revenue or award flights, find rerouting possibilities due to bad weather or mechanical delays, or complete a simple task like reassign myself to a better seat — situations where a user-friendly app can be your best friend....

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.Rideshare services, most notably Uber and Lyft, have taken the world by storm in the last few years by offering customers a great variety of options for getting around. Often cheaper than taxis, rideshare services are also a great way to earn points to redeem for travel, since you can always pay with a card (and without an additional fee)....

TPG reader Rashmi sent me an email to ask about what to do with small point balances:“I have some leftover Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles. Are there any redemption options that are under the 10,000-mile minimum for transfers to Hilton, or should I just let them go?”Travel rewards come and go in odd numbers, so it’s not easy to get your loyalty account balance to a neat zero. You’ll usually have some points or miles leftover, and since letting them expire is a mistake, it’s important to know what options you have for redeeming small amounts....

Social media is an effective (and speedy) way to engage with airlines, and many carriers see Twitter, Facebook and Instagram as vital parts of their customer engagement and support strategies. Here, TPG Contributor Sid Lipsey shares some of his best tips for engaging with airlines on social media.Great news for flyers with something to say about their air travels: Airlines have made it easier to communicate with them via social media....

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 will be unveiling their newest plane, the Airbus A321 Transcontinental, which customers can begin flying on January 7, 2014 from New York JFK airport to LAX. In an effort to promote their new product and gain some more followers American is holding a sweepstakes on Facebook....

I just booked a client on Budapest-JFK on American for next summer and realized I never wrote about Oneworld’s new transatlantic routes (which have a good amount of award availability)Per their press release"American, British Airways and Iberia also announced four new routes beginning next Spring as a benefit of the new joint business. They are: New York JFK-Budapest and Chicago-Helsinki (operated by American Airlines), London Heathrow-San Diego (operated by British Airways) and Madrid-Los Angeles (operated by Iberia)....

Following the World of Hyatt launch (and a sky-high requirement to stay 60 nights to earn top-tier status), this year I’m focusing most of my hotel stays on Starwood Preferred Guest, so I can requalify for Platinum (which earns me Marriott Platinum as well). But as hard as I try, it’s simply impossible to always book a Starwood hotel, which led me to a handful of Hilton and IHG stays while working my way through New Zealand earlier this year....

For the return flight home from their trip to Madrid, TPG Contributors JT and Katie Genter flew in British Airways’ 777-200 Club World business class from London Heathrow (LHR) to their hometown of Austin (AUS). (All photos by the author unless otherwise noted.)After a wonderful week and a half enjoying Christmas and New Year’s in Spain, it was time to return home and to work. While we weren’t looking forward to leaving after our great experience in British Airways Club World on the outbound leg, we couldn’t wait to try out British Airways’ business-class product again....

TPG Reader Chris emailed me to ask:“I have around 100,000 Amex points, and am considering rolling those over to British Airways because of the current bonus. Is that a good idea considering I live in a United Airlines hub (Houston)?“Through the end of January, American Express is offering U.S. Membership Rewards members a 40% bonus for transferring points to British Airways. This can be an amazing deal if you know how to maximize Avios for short-haul redemptions, or on partners like Aer Lingus and airberlin that don’t add crazy surcharges....

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.Southwest’s inaugural day of service with its new 737 MAX 8 aircraft didn’t quite go as planned. After the the aircraft’s first flight, WN1 from Dallas Love Field (DAL) to Houston Hobby (HOU), a maintenance light came on in the cockpit....

We now have a physical concept of what the interior of a Hyperloop pod may look like. While there are a handful of companies competing to create the first commercial version of the new transportation system, Virgin Hyperloop One may be the closest.The company, in partnership with BMW’s Designworks studio and the Roads and Transport Authority of Dubai (RTA), unveiled details of what the inside of a Hyperloop capsule could look like....

Airlines have been battling some exceptionally strong winds recently. While this has led to transatlantic flight speed records being broken time and again going from west to east, there’s also a downside to these strong winds. Flight schedules are being thrown out of whack by both earlier-than-expected eastbound arrivals and longer-than-scheduled westbound flights.In addition to delaying flights, the strong winds are actually forcing some nonstop flights to make refueling stops. In particular, Virgin America’s transcontinental flights from New York’s JFK, Newark (EWR) and Boston (BOS) to San Francisco (SFO) and Los Angeles (LAX) have been plagued by these fuel stops....