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Congress passed its long-delayed reauthorization bill for the Federal Aviation Association this week. The bill, which reauthorizes the aviation body for another five years, passed the House of Representatives in September, was approved by the Senate on Wednesday and has been sent to the White House for final approval.Along with giving the FAA authority to continue overseeing US airlines, Congress drafted some notable mandates included in the bill. The major one – that air passenger advocates have been pushing for – is that the FAA will be required to set seat pitch minimums within a year....

Check out the week in travel contests and sweepstakes for your chance to see Jersey Boys in Las Vegas, walk the red carpet at the Empire Premiere in Los Angeles, win up to $20,000 from Barclaycard, shop in Beverly Hills or sport a new Baume & Mercier watch in Paris.Win up to $20,000 From BarclaycardWin 5K or 20K from BarclaycardWin a first prize of $5,000 for registering or signing into the Barclaycard Travel Community....

Ain’t no mountain high enough to keep this drunk tourist away.That’s what an Estonian tourist, known as Pavel, found out when he mistakenly hiked up the side of the Alps instead of back to his hotel. Pavel reportedly thought he was walking the path back to his hotel in Cervinia — a resort in Italy’s Valle d’Aosta — when he took a wrong turn on the snow-covered street and instead of reaching his hotel lobby, he ended up climbing a ski run up the side of the mountain....

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.Starbucks’ Rewards program isn’t known to be the most rewarding loyalty program. In fact, in April, the program followed in the path of many airline loyalty programs and went revenue-based. But, there is still opportunity to get something back for shopping with the coffee giant — in the form of Starbucks credit....

Today’s guest blog post is from my sister-in-law Danielle, who also happens to be The Points Guy membership liaison or as her occupation is listed on Facebook, “TPG Gal Friday.” Danielle is the mother to my beautiful goddaughter Keira and nephew Conor and the kids flew for the first time last weekend, so this post is all about her experience and tips for success. Even though I’m not a parent, I still found the story entertaining and hope you do too!...

Love traveling the world? Check. Love scavenger hunts? Check. Think “The Amazing Race” would be awesome… if only it weren’t televised? Well, here’s the event you may want to consider.Oh, one more thing: Do you and a traveling partner have $12,500 each to spend, which would pay for international airfare, ground transportation, hotel stays (double occupancy), a portion of your meals (40%) and some travel gear — all with the hope of capturing a $50,000 prize for the winning two-person team?...

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 10-13, 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....

When IT problems struck London’s Gatwick Airport (LGW) on Monday, airport officials rigged up an old school solution. So much so that travelers could have mistaken the North and South terminals for an elementary school classroom.After a technical issue caused departure screens to fail, LGW staffers took out whiteboards to jot down flight information for passengers. Photos posted on social media show travelers crowded around whiteboards in the terminals, watching as staff could be seen manually changing departure information with black, green and red markers....

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.History’s going to have to wait a bit while the tire’s getting changed: The classic Lockheed Starliner en route to New York-JFK’s much-anticipated TWA Hotel had to make a pit stop outside Boston because of a flat tire Wednesday....

The ever-growing low-cost carrier Norwegian Air is expanding yet again — this time, in Florida. Norwegian announced on Monday that it’s set to launch new transatlantic service from Tampa International Airport (TPA) to London Gatwick (LGW).Beginning October 31, 2018, Norwegian will launch 2x weekly service to LGW — on Wednesdays and Saturdays. The routes will be operated by Norwegian’s 787-9 Dreamliners, which, until this point have plagued the carrier’s long-haul network with ongoing engine issues....

It seems hard to believe that it’s now been just over a month since the Marriott, SPG and Ritz-Carlton integration started, but here we are. The merger of these massive hotel loyalty programs was obviously a complicated endeavor, and while it’s undeniable that progress has been made — including the availability of suites-only properties through the app — many TPG readers are still facing issues. Today I want to do a round-up of what we’re hearing from you and what our Marriott contacts have to say....

TPG reader Dwayne sent me a message on Facebook to ask about changing award tickets:“If I book an American Airlines award at the standard level and then saver availability opens up, should I rebook at the lower price?“Most airlines charge a fee for changing award tickets, which can become especially costly when traveling with family or in a group. Each carrier has its own policies, so it’s good to be familiar with all the different strategies for avoiding change and cancellation fees....

We’ve known for several years now that Singapore Airlines was going to restart nonstop flights between the New York area and Singapore (SIN), but we just didn’t know when that was going to happen. Now, however, we have a date that we can circle in our calendars — the airline said on Wednesday morning that it’ll resume its nonstop flights between SIN and Newark (EWR) on October 11, 2018, with the inaugural EWR-SIN leg the next day, October 12....

However you may feel about Donald Trump’s North Korea summit, there’s one fact we can all agree on: It put Sentosa Island and the now-famous Capella Singapore on the world map.Naturally, Capella is looking to capitalize on its newfound fame — the already-pricey hotel recently launched a special “Path to Peace” package, which, in the property’s own words, allows guests to “Relive the moment of a new era where the seeds of peace were planted on 12 June 2018....

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.As a member of the Board of the Directors for Housing Works, one of my favorite events of the year is the Design on a Dime fundraiser in Miami. Each year, the organizers bring together more than 25 of the country’s top interior designers to create one-of-a-kind room vignettes from donated merchandise....

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.For some of us, quality in-flight sleep is possible no matter the destination, and if you’re like me, you can fall asleep on flight within seconds of the seat belt sign coming on. Now thanks to this Airbnb rental in the UK, it’s possible to sleep in a private jet without the hassle of jet-lag, turbulence or disturbance from other passengers....

This week’s Travel Tuesday Top 10 list comes from TPG contributor Sarah Tomlinson, a travel writer who just happens to be a foodie and whose recent travels have included a trip to Bordeaux and the Armagnac region in France. Today she shares some of the exciting things happening in airplane galleys across the globe as we track down the Top 10 celebrity chef airline menus.It’s the best of times and the worst of times—for in-flight airline meals....

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.United is running a unique promotion where flights under 700 miles are now only 8,750 miles each way (17,500 round trip). Book by Aug 31, 2010 for flights until Jan 7, 2011. (I checked award availability and this is already loaded....

United’s next Polaris Lounge will open at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) on Monday, June 4, but you don’t have to wait until then to experience the new hangout for yourself.Just as United did for its SFO location, the airline’s offering MileagePlus members the opportunity to purchase early access for 2,500 miles — worth just $35, based on our most recent valuations.For that price, you’ll get two hours of access on Friday, June 1, the day after United’s media preview, and three days ahead of the official opening date....

This is an installment in my March 2012 Asia Trip Series which includes: A Birthday Present To Myself: Business Class on the World’s Longest Flight for $2.50, Help Me Plan My Asia Trip Starting With Singapore, Flight Review: Singapore Airlines All Business Class Flight From Newark To Singapore, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Singapore, Video Trip Report: Singapore, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Bangkok Avantec Suite, Video Trip Report: Bangkok, Hotel Review: Le Meridien Angkor, Video Trip Report: Siem Reap, Hotel Review: Intercontinental Phnom Penh, Video Trip Report: Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge Killing Fields, Hotel Review: W Hong Kong....