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Qantas announced some interesting news yesterday: the Australian airline will be terminating its joint business with British Airways starting March 31, 2013, and beginning a new global partnership with Emirates.The Qantas-British Airways partnership has been in place since 1995, and the two airlines will continue to operate some bilaterally codeshared flights – and Qantas also says is plans to remain a part of the Oneworld alliance – so we won’t see a death match over dominance of the routes between Australia and the UK just yet....

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.Club Carlson isn’t known to be the most rewarding loyalty program. But, with its spring promotion, there’s the opportunity to earn some pretty valuable rewards — in fact, triple points on all stays plus a 5,000-point bonus for select stays between April 3 and June 30, 2017....

Yesterday Marriott shared the basic details of its Cyber Monday promotion, which will get members and non-members alike up to 25% off hotel rates for stays at properties across the globe. Today, its recently acquired hotel chain, Starwood, is revealing its own plans for the holiday shopping frenzy.Starting on November 21 — so, even before Thanksgiving — Starwood will offer up to 30% off rates for stays through Labor Day in September 2017, plus an extra 5% off when SPG members book directly through the Cyber Monday sale site....

They say when you have time to travel you don’t have money, and when you have money you don’t have time. Backpackers are unapologetically in the former category. Often the end of our trip is a threshold on our bank account rather than a date on the calendar. We require a slightly different strategy for travel, one that points and miles can be a great help for. But first, let’s cover the basics in this first post of our Points & Miles Backpacker Column....

2017 has been an unrelenting year for natural disasters. From wildfires to earthquakes to hurricanes, there has been no rest for the weary. Some of our favorite travel destinations worldwide have seen complete devastation — wildfires have ravaged Northern California, hurricanes have completely destroyed parts of Texas and earthquakes proved deadly in Mexico. But in the face of disaster, we’ve seen how people can come together to help those in times of need....

This week marks 20 years since I first redeemed frequent flyer miles — and look how far we’ve come. As a 12-year-old boy, if you had told me that I would have a career in points and miles, I probably would have laughed hysterically and said there was no way because I was going to be a lawyer. Oh, how times have changed!Someone recently asked me on Facebook how I got started as The Points Guy, and it really dates back to 1996....

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.If you’re traveling on a flight to the US as of Thursday, be prepared for potential new security measures. According to Reuters, US-bound flights will have to comply with the government-imposed security measures, which could end up delaying the process for passengers....

Update 08/30/2017: As reported in the Chicago Tribune, United CEO Oscar Munoz has committed to personally matching up to $1 million in donations to the airline’s employee relief fund.As Hurricane Harvey continues to batter Houston and the surrounding areas, many airlines have stepped up to assist in providing relief to those affected by the disaster. The city’s major airports are all shut down, though they are allowing flights with emergency supplies to land....

TPG reader Leon emailed to ask about earning Delta Medallion status:“Will I lose my MQMs if I fail to reach Silver Elite status, or will Delta roll them over to the following calendar year?”While the SkyMiles program hasn’t done itself many favors during the past few years, there are some things Delta gets right. Among them, the airline deserves praise for allowing elite flyers to roll Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) over to the next year — a feature none of the other major carriers offer....

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.A plane landing at Tijuana International Airport (TIJ) resulted in dozens of injuries Wednesday. Volaris Flight 423 coming from Guadalajara, Mexico (GDL) experienced turbulence, and in a rare event, injured nearly 30 people. Aviation authorities in Mexico confirmed that 29 people were hurt: Eight passengers and four flight attendants ended up in the hospital....

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.Hilton has launched a 5th Night Free Escapes promo, where those who book a stay of at least five consecutive nights get their fifth night free at any resort in the Americas. You must book before April 30, 2013, to qualify, for stays between March 15-September 30, 2013....

In a series of escalations Friday, the parliament of Catalonia declared independence from Spain, followed shortly by a vote in the Spanish senate to grant the government in Madrid unprecedented powers to rein in the breakaway region.“We constitute the Catalan Republic, as an independent and sovereign country, under the rule of law,” the resolution to secede read.Catalan legislators took the vote in secret so that no individuals could be singled out for punishment by the central government....

The China aviation market is growing rapidly. Boeing recently estimated that Chinese airlines are going to purchase more than $1 trillion in aircraft in the next 20 years. That equates to a mind-blowing 6,810 new aircraft, or more than 340 new aircraft per year.And one airline group is certainly doing its part to make these numbers a reality. As unveiled in corporate reporting Monday, China Southern Group is expected to take delivery of 309 aircraft by the end of 2020....

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 wrote last week about incredibly discounted roundtrip business class fares (on Delta’s lie-flat beds) from Boston and Miami nonstop to London. Delta has since extended the fare sale to March 16 and now more dates are available, including most peak summer travel and into the fall....

When Delta sneak-previewed spiffy new uniforms by designer and Project Runway judge Zac Posen, it was the first upgrade to the airline’s employee apparel in a decade. To understand needs around look and feel, Posen himself did stints as a flight attendant, gate agent, and Sky Club concierge. Among his changes: A new shade called “Passport Plum,” which blends the brand’s blue and red; sporty, neon-accented clothes for ground crew; and bright-red/navy combos for other staff getups....

A passenger on a recent Air China flight from Beijing (PEK) to Melbourne (MEL) had a rude awakening — after dozing off two hours into her flight, she was woken by sparks, a burning sensation and a loud explosion. As the plastic continued to melt and the device caught fire, she ripped her headphones off and threw them to the floor.“As I went to turn around I felt burning on my face,” she said....

Looking for a last minute vacation? Each week, I’ll note some great deals, including some of the SPG Hot Escapes and other promotions that you can take advantage of to save money on your next getaway.SPG Hot Escapes Top Picks For September 3-6, 2014SPG Hot Escapes is a promotion that offers weekly hotel discounts at Starwood properties. The deals go live every Wednesday at 6:00 am ET, and must be booked by that same Saturday in order to secure the discounted price....

Do you find yourself on flights full of strangers all the time, but never seem to meet anyone new? TPG Contributor Dan Nainan, who’s both a world-traveling comedian and a shy introvert, shares his tips for reaching across the divide/armrest and making a valuable connection with the person in the airplane seat beside you.I think it’s a shame when two people sit next to each other on a flight without saying a word to each other....

“Reader Questions” are answered twice a week — Mondays and Fridays — by TPG Senior Writer Julian Mark Kheel.There’s hidden city ticketing, nested ticketing and even throwaway ticketing. But is it out-and-out illegal to book two flights for the same day and then only fly one of them? That’s what TPG reader Sharam was told by an airline representative…[pullquote source=“TPG Reader Sharam”]I purchased two United tickets for the same route on the same day at different times because I wasn’t sure which flight I could take....

Dreams of living in life-size versions of Monopoly, Scrabble and Jumanji are a reality at this 13-bedroom Airbnb rental in Clermont, Florida. And that’s just the beginning — the creator of this game-themed house, Andrew Greenstein, transformed every nook and cranny of this sprawling “Great Escape Lakeside” home.When visitors roll up to Greenstein’s home-turned-gameshow set, they’re greeted by a Monopoly Man dangling from the roof. From there, the house and its yard become a playground for all ages....