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Summer air travel is a record that’s seemingly broken every year — and 2017 is expected to be no different. But it’s not just summer travel that’s reached record highs. For the first six months of 2017, the commercial airline industry experienced a record first half load factor of 80.7% and a 12-year high in traffic growth.The International Air Transport (IATA) shared new data today showing that global demand for air travel rose by 7....

On Friday, two American tourists were victims of a stabbing attack in Amsterdam’s central railway station. US ambassador to the Netherlands Pete Hoekstra confirmed on Saturday that the victims were US citizens visiting the country.Dutch authorities are investing the incident they say had a “terrorist motive.” The main suspect is a 19-year-old Afghan national, whom Dutch authorities will only name as Jawed S. due to privacy laws.Police shot and wounded the suspect after he allegedly stabbed the two Americans....

If you read other miles and points blogs, you almost certainly have read something about the American Express Bluebird product that came out within the last week. However, if you haven’t seen those others posts (or skipped them because you had no clue what they were talking about), I’ll cover a few basics on why miles and points junkies care about this prepaid/reloadable Amex product, and I’ll point out why you may want to “stay in the nest” for a while instead of diving right into this card’s potential....

In honor of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s big wedding day, British Airways is bringing the royal treatment to passengers on Saturday. The airline will operate a royal wedding-themed flight from London Heathrow Airport (LHR) to Toronto Airport (YYZ).In addition to specialty food, drinks and entertainment centered around the nuptials, the flight’s crew will be staffed exclusively by employees named Harry and Meghan. Two Harrys, seven Megans and one Meghan will staff the cabin of the Boeing 787, with Senior First Officer Harry Blake at the plane’s controls next to the captain....

American Airlines’ Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft have been in service since November 2017, and I’ve yet to see a report of a positive experience in economy. Legroom is squeezed throughout the plane with 30 inches of pitch in standard economy and only 33 in “Main Cabin Extra” extra-legroom economy.As a sign of how bad it is, AA even has less pitch on its 737 MAX than ultra-low-cost Ryanair will have....

WOW. At this point, words can’t describe how outstanding Emirates’ new first-class suite really is. So until I can gather my thoughts, all I can say is… WOW.I just had a chance to tour the airline’s brand-new Boeing 777-300ER on Sunday at the Dubai Air Show, and it’s absolutely incredible. First class, that is — business maintains the subpar 2-3-2 configuration, and economy is super tight with 3-4-3 seating throughout. But these first-class Suites are just out of this world....

At the time of writing this post, I’m about 70 followers away from 5,000, so if you haven’t done so, please follow me! If you don’t have a Twitter account, get one here.If you are sick of hearing about Twitter and think it’s a stupid fad that’s going away, you should actually check out some of the benefits:1) I usually respond to people pretty quickly when they Tweet me (including @thepointsguy in a Tweet)....

Paris may be one of the most romantic cities in the world, but there’s a big difference between spending time in the City of Light with someone you love and being harassed on the street by a stranger. While the French accent may make it sound more alluring than your usual American catcall, it’s still a behavior that we’d all be happier to see disappear completely.Now, it looks like France is getting ready to make that happen....

Earlier today, I shared my thoughts on the United incident and how CEO Oscar Munoz’s letter to employees fell short of the apology that was needed. Now, United’s released a new apology (see below) promising a full investigation by April 30th. Who this investigation is being done by, I don’t know. But it’s a step in the right direction.April 11, 2017The truly horrific event that occurred on this flight has elicited many responses from all of us: outrage, anger, disappointment....

While still a common offering on many international carriers, once United ends international first-class service on June 20, American will be the sole US airline to offer a cabin above business on long-haul flights.International airlines have been making cuts, too — Emirates and Singapore are obviously still going strong, but carriers like Lufthansa have cut back on its first-class offerings in response to reduced demand. Jet Airways is now the latest carrier to trim its premium service — with superior biz-class products like Qatar’s Qsuite competing on India-Europe flights, there’s less incentive for customers to spring for an older first-class suite....

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.Now through October 19, shoppers who connect to online retailers through Aeroplan’s shopping portal will earn 5x miles on all purchases.While some mainstream shopping bonuses go as high as 10x, 5x points on all purchases is a pretty lucrative proposition, especially if you’re getting ahead on your holiday shopping....

Navy Federal Credit Union has announced a comprehensive upgrade to its Visa Signature Flagship Rewards Credit Card. Beginning today, the card will earn 3x points in a rather generous travel and entertainment category and 2x points on all other purchases. Each point is worth 1 cent regardless of the way the points are redeemed.In order to qualify for Navy Federal Credit Union membership, you can be active duty, a veteran, National Guard, DOD contractor or civilian, retired from any of those positions or be within two generations of any of those individuals....

Flying Blue, the frequent flyer program of Skyteam partners Air France and KLM runs 50% off promo awards all year long, changing them every two months. This means you can fly roundtrip from certain North American cities to Europe and beyond for as low as 25,000 miles in coach and 50,000 miles in business class roundtrip. Flying Blue is a 1:1 instant transfer partner of American Express Membership Rewards, so it’s a great way to stretch the value of your Amex points....

Saudi Arabian billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal was released from detention at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh on Saturday, after having been held there along with roughly 200 other Saudi princes and high-level politicians since November in what government authorities termed a crackdown on corruption but critics deemed a consolidation of power by ruling Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.Prince Alwaleed, who has strong ties to the US as an investor in companies such as Twitter, Apple, Lyft, Citigroup, Four Seasons and Fairmont, took reporters on a tour of his suite at the Ritz-Carlton Riyadh just hours before he was released....

Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group, is expanding his brand even more: the second-ever Virgin Hotel has been just been announced for Washington, DC. The new location, slated for Fall 2019, will open next to Union Market in a neighborhood that’s fast becoming a culinary and cultural destination.“Washington, DC is in the midst of a cultural renaissance, further establishing itself as a diverse global city that we feel will embrace the Virgin Hotel ethos and lifestyle,” said Dennis B....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Citi AAdvantage Executive World Elite MastercardTPG reader Mike needs a new credit card. He’s a US Airways flyer, but is thinking ahead to the merger with American. Here’s his question:“Wondering if you would post about which credit card to get (US Airways or American). I have lot of upcoming travel and typically fly US Airways up and down the east coast....

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.Now that Southwest’s reservation system is fully switched over to Amadeus, the airline can now start planning flights and routes that it hasn’t been able to operate in the past. High on the priority list: flights to Hawaii....

For last week’s Thursday Giveaway contest, I decided to give one lucky reader the cool swag bag I got while attending the US Open and visiting the Starwood Preferred Guest suite at the USTA including a cute Kate Spade tote.The items in the prize include:Kate Spade “Love is in the Air” Starwood toteStarwood Preferred Guest UmbrellaStarwood Preferred Guest Resort Member Favorites HardcoverSPG iPhone CoverLacoste Tennis HatLacoste SweatbandsEucerin SPF 30 MoisturizerAquaphor Lip RepairCommemorative Oversize US Open Tennis BallPlus 1,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points deposited directly into your SPG account....

I recently wrote about why I used British Airways Avios to book a last minute flight for my aunt to go help out with a family emergency. One of the main reasons I used Avios to book a flight on American Airlines is that there are no last minute booking fees to do so. Many carriers charge you a fee to book an award flight within 21 days or so of departure (including a $75 fee if I had booked her flight on American Airlines using American miles)....

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.Late yesterday afternoon, United’s posted their initial response on Flyertalk in regards to their 4 mile award sale I posted about on Sunday. I’m not really shocked and don’t plan on fighting this, but my reservations do still show “This reservation has been ticketed and confirmed”, so I hope to hear from them directly soon....