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In this month’s installment of “Sail Away,” TPG Contributor (and expert sailor) Shayne Benowitz shares the scoop on five points properties that offer experiences for your inner sailor. Whether it’s a US Sailing Certified course or a luxurious day sail complete with a butler and chilled Champagne, these far-flung adventures will put the wind into your wanderlust.Sailing on Ruedi Reservoir near Aspen, Colorado1. The St. Regis Aspen, ColoradoIf you thought Aspen’s scenic Rocky Mountains were just for skiing, think again: The The St....

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.Since 2008, fans of Vince Gilligan’s Breaking Bad have only been able to fantasize about what Gus Fring was cooking up at Los Pollos Hermanos, the fast food chain/meth front that was serving up New Mexico’s most addictive chicken....

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.Air Canada is offering 20% off certain flights to Asia. Book by December 28th at midnight and depart by March 31, 2011.To get your exclusive discount, simply enter this promotion code when booking right here at aircanada.com:Promotion code4QNKF9D1ConditionsBook by December 28, 2010 midnight, from your city of departure....

In an effort to “reduce wastage, reduce cost and improve catering service,” Air India has cut meat meal options from its domestic flights — at least in economy. But, the airline is maintaining hot meal service (with vegetarian dishes only) in economy on its domestic flights — good news for Air India passengers.This is foreign to us US flyers, but in other parts of the world, airlines still serve complimentary meals in economy on domestic flights....

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 wait for a ride aboard a Delta-branded A220 is nearing an end. With the first of Delta’s 75 Airbus A220-100s expected to arrive by year-end 2018, and the first departures slated for Q1 2019, the airline is beginning to put structure around where its newest birds will nest....

When Marriott announced in June 2018 that it would make some of its most luxurious hotel properties in the world bookable for only 60,000 points until January 1, 2019, it was widely welcomed by Marriott fans. However, it appears the decision is causing controversy internally, and remains unpopular with some inside Marriott. Compounded by significant confusion between property owners and management, the result of this conflict is that award availability at some top-tier properties remains minimal when it should instead be plentiful....

The $8.5 billion plan to revamp Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD) hit an unexpected obstacle today when American Airlines said it would not sign the lease for the project in its current form.American said in a statement that “a secret provision, inserted at the last minute, awarding additional gates to United,” was preventing the airline from signing on. According to the statement, American had been negotiating with O’Hare for 18 months and was going to support the new lease before the extra United gates were added....

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.TPG reader Kim sent me a message on Facebook asking:“Can I earn miles on flights booked with Amex points?“The answer to this question is maybe; it depends on how you use your points. If you use the Pay With Points option, where Amex basically buys your ticket and you get about one cent per point in value for airfare, then yes, you should earn airline miles when you fly....

We’ve reported about snakes on a plane, a scorpion falling out of an overhead bin and even a mouse forcing the disembarkation of a San Francisco-bound British Airways flight. But until now, we haven’t seen a katsaridaphobic’s worst nightmare: dozens of cockroaches scurrying around an international flight.Just in time for Halloween, that horrifying scenario played out on not one, but two recent China Eastern flights. As reported in the South China Morning Post, a pair of flights arriving in the southern China city of Kunming (KMG) landed with over 100 six-legged stowaways....

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 have to confess something - traveling with my 33 month old is almost easy (no, I don’t normally count in months). There are a bunch of things about caring for my toddler that are not easy at all, but flying with her is insanely simple....

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.Have any travel to Latin America coming up now through Dec, 31, 2010? If so, register and book your trip with Copa Airlines and you’ll receive double Onepass Elite Qualifying miles.Eligible fare classes C,D,Y,H,K,N,B,V,U,Q,I,S,T,L,O, and A.

Even if a loaded handgun is pink and petite, it won’t make it through the TSA checkpoint.That’s the hard-learned lesson one Virginia woman is taking away from her arrest at Richmond International Airport (RIC) on Monday. The woman, who has not been identified, was packing a hot pink 9mm hand gun loaded with one pink-tipped bullet in her carry-on. Transportation Security Administration agents confiscated the weapon and found eight other pink-tipped bullets in her bag....

Most people search for flights by simply entering an origin and destination to see what pops up, but award travel sometimes involves more than just getting from A to B. Today, TPG Contributor Richard Kerr looks at which connection cities give you the best chance to maximize your points and miles.Finding a convenient, stress-free award itinerary can be challenging, especially when it comes to international flights. There are many variables to consider, such as departure times, availability or even which airline to choose, but one factor that’s often overlooked is which airport(s) you transit through en route to your destination....

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.Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program of Air France, KLM, Air Europa, Aircalin, Kenya Airways and Tarom, runs frequent award redemption promotions. These flights can be extraordinary values, especially since Flying Blue is an American Express Membership Rewards direct transfer partner....

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 few weeks ago, Icelandair announced its new stopover buddy service for passengers, a program that pairs guests with a local so you can get out and explore Iceland on your stopover before continuing on to your final destination....

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 number of canceled Lufthansa flights swelled to more than 1,100 on Tuesday, growing from an estimated 800 cancellations, as airport workers across Germany have gone on strike to demand pay increases.The grounded flights will affect about 90,000 passengers....

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.Delta Skymiles are among the hardest frequent flyer miles to use. Their online award engine is egregiously broken and there are multiple a la carte tiers which can jack your award ticket up exponentially. As a Delta Diamond and having redeemed millions of Skymiles, I’ve learned how to finesse the system to get low-level awards....

Social media is increasingly becoming the method airlines, hotels, credit cards and consumers get in touch with one another about the latest news, deals and promotions. Here’s a look at the latest interesting trending topics and more on social media from the week.I’ll be combing through Facebook posts, Tweets, Instagram pics and more to find the most interesting things going on during any given week, but if I miss something you’d like to discuss feel free to:-Post on my Facebook wall-Tweet me @thepointsguy-Instagram me @thepointsguyHere are some of the biggest news stories and promotions that everyone has been tweeting about this week....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here: The Platinum Card from American Express, Premier Rewards Gold Card from American ExpressTPG reader Andrew wrote in this week:“I was wondering whether you could help me with an Amex issue…specifically what to do with my Amex Membership Reward points. I currently have a Premier Rewards Gold Card from American Express and the annual membership fee is due in August 2012....

At the age of 30, Teara Fraser, a Métis woman living in British Columbia, took a flight that changed her life. She immediately enrolled in flying classes, got her pilot license and began flying for a living.Now 47, she just made history by becoming the first indigenous woman in Canada to start her own airline, Iskwew Air, from the Cree word for “woman,” headquartered out of the South Terminal of Vancouver International Airport (YVR) and with a fleet of a single aircraft so far, a 1980 Piper 31-350 Navajo Chieftain....