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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 passengers on Tuesday’s Flight 337 from Chicago (MDW) to Albuquerque (ABQ) enjoyed a musical surprise at 35,000 feet when teen musicians from the Chicago Mariachi Project performed an impromptu concert on board.The mariachi band members, who range in age from 13 to 18 years, were en-route to New Mexico to attend the annual Mariachi Spectacular de Albuquerque, an international conference celebrating the cultural art of mariachi....

Dubai has never met a big idea it didn’t want to tackle. Just a few months after announcing the $1.7 billion construction of two artificial islands, it’s poised to build The Floating Venice, the world’s first underwater luxury vessel resort.The brainchild of the Kleindienst Group, a Dubai-based real estate and property developer, The Floating Venice could very well be the most over-the-top accommodation in a city that’s known for its wildly ambitious and very, very tall hotels....

The best vacations are the one where you don’t have to lift a finger — not even that trusty index one that you use for taking photos. Fortunately, hotels around the world have supplied specialty butlers to attend to everything guests might possibly need while traveling, from snapping the perfect selfies to storing that Chinook salmon you spent an hour reeling in. Here are 10 of the world’s most over-the-top hotel butler services you never even knew you needed....

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.Turkish Airlines is offering a 15% discount for any domestic or international flight booked through its mobile app between now and Saturday. The discount applies to both economy or business-class flights purchased between January 18 and 20, for travel between January 20 through December 31, 2018....

Update: With the introduction of a revamped loyalty program, Aeroplan is no longer imposing fuel surcharges on award tickets.One of the biggest surprises people face when redeeming their points and miles for the first time is that those “free” flights we keep talking about aren’t actually 100% free. Experienced award travelers know exactly what I’m talking about: those pesky little taxes, fees and surcharges that accompany nearly every award redemption. These can range from the trivial, like the $5....

The Hawaiian Islands, as you likely know, are volcanic islands. On the Big Island, there are actually five major volcanoes and the famed Volcanoes National Park that is over 500 square miles in size. One of these five major volcanoes on the Big Island is Kilauea, and it is one of the world’s most active volcanoes, with largely continuous eruptions since 1983. All that said, it shouldn’t be a shock that Kilauea is erupting as we speak on the Big Island....

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.Last month, American Airlines announced a partnership with Uber (what brand isn’t partnering with Uber these days?) – one perk of the new arrangement is that AA’s Executive Platinum members will get $25 off an Uber ride (including existing customers, too)....

After being stranded in an airport for two weeks, England native Steve Beard was forced to do the unthinkable: bathe in public toilets. Beard, who had worked in a London metals plant for 30 years, relocated to Russia 10 years ago after meeting his wife, Ruslana Lesyuta, online. With roots firmly planted in the Siberian region of Irkutsk, where he had started a family, Beard intended to make a quick trip back to his native land to “sort out his pension payments,” reported The Sun....

Feeling anxious before a flight is common. Getting to play with a miniature horse in order to ease that anxiety is not. But thanks to a few of the adorable residents of Hamilton, Ohio’s Seven Oaks Farm, travelers making their way through Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) can spend some time bonding with these teensy-weensy equines.While therapy animals have become a common sight at airports around the world — more than two dozen US airports employ therapy dogs, while San Francisco International Airport (SFO) has a therapy pig — mini horses are a new idea....

An Aeromexico aircraft traveling from Durango, Mexico (DGO) to Mexico City (MEX) crashed just after taking off on Tuesday afternoon, but no deaths have been reported among the 101 occupants as a result of the crash, according to Durango officials as well as Aeromexico.Aeromexico Flight 2431 attempted to take off from DGO during bad weather with strong winds, according to Durango state governor José Rosas Aispuro Torres. The Embraer E-190 regional jet attempted to abort the takeoff, the governor said according to Mexican media, but was too late in doing so and went down just after the runway ended, at around 4pm local time....

Online shopping bonuses have been all the rage lately. Many retailers are gearing up for a busy Valentines Day shopping season and it looks like the British Airways e-store and Nordstrom have a whopper of a promotion: 12 Avios per dollar spent normal ratio plus “Triple Avios will be awarded on your 1st qualifying purchase at British Airways eStore of more than $50 in a single transaction at Nordstrom via eStore between 26 January and 14 February 2012....

Over the last few years Norwegian has run three humanitarian aid flights on its 737 decked out with UNICEF livery, bringing aid to the Central African Republic, Jordan and Mali. Norwegian has now partnered with MegaDo for a very similar cause.Norwegian’s 737 with Unicef livery. Image by Anna Zvereva/Wikimedia CommonsThe budget airline is offering a rare opportunity for travelers to fly on its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner (which is also painted in UNICEF colors) and to help out a great cause....

Each Saturday, we round up news stories that you may have missed from the week before, including several that already appeared on The Points Guy, and some more that we haven’t covered yet. If you’re an avid TPG reader, scroll down for the new stuff. Here’s the top miles, points and travel news you may have missed this week.Book British Airways Flights With Asia Miles to Save BigEven those with just a basic knowledge of points and miles probably know that booking award flights with British Airways can be frustrating with the extra fees, taxes and surcharges....

A bomb scare at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) forced more than 200 passengers to evacuate the facility Friday morning.The man who made the false bomb threat was arrested by the local police department, officials said.Authorities said the incident began when the man, John Greenwood, entered the airport at about 6:00am on Friday. At that time he was clothed and carrying a bag. Then he entered a women’s restroom that was under construction, where he stashed his bag in a hole he made in the bathroom wall’s sheetrock, disrobed and exited the restroom in the nude....

An actor known for his role in the Disney Channel show “Wizards of Waverly Place” was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on Monday after attempting to bring a loaded handgun through the security checkpoint.At about 9:05am PT on Monday in LAX’s Terminal 2, David Henrie, best known for playing Justin Russo on the Disney show, was arrested when TSA officers found a firearm after searching his baggage. According to an LAX public information officer, Henrie was booked into the LAPD Pacific Division Jail and has since been released with an Oct....

Now through November 14, transfer Marriott points to American Airlines and receive 20% bonus AAdvantage miles. Both the “airline rewards” and “travel package” (a.k.a. “Hotel + Air Packages”) qualify for this 20% bonus.Get a 20% bonus when converting Marriott points to American Airlines miles.Note that the 20% bonus will be applied by American Airlines once it receives the miles from Marriott. The terms and conditions note that “Bonus miles will be posted by American Airlines to the qualifying AAdvantage member’s account within 7 business days after the initial conversion activity has been posted by Marriott Rewards....

Anyone who has ever flown into New York City’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) knows this to be true: Getting where you need to go from there — be it home, the office or frankly anywhere else in the Big Apple — can be a truly awful experience.And according to data Lyft shared with TPG Thursday morning, it doesn’t just feel like an eternity. It really does take travelers longer to get from JFK to their ultimate destination than it would from any other airport....

While American Airlines is still trying to figure out why its new(ish) uniforms are making employees sick, Hainan Airlines is taking onboard fashion to new heights— about 35,000 feet, to be exact. The China-based airline made a splash this week when it debuted its new uniforms at Paris Couture Week.Designed by Laurence Xu, the uniforms mix classic detailing with a fashion-forward style. The overall design is based on a traditional Chinese dress women wear on special occasions — a Cheongsam — and features colorful patterns meant to remind you of the ocean and mountains, as well as the clouds and sky you’re flying through on Hainan....

Today I want to share a story from TPG reader Juan, who got a good price on a Delta partner award. Here’s what he had to say:My wife and I have been planning a trip to Argentina, and looking at non-stop flights from Atlanta to Buenos Aires on Delta metal. Both legs are overnight 10-hour flights; we don’t mind flying coach on the way down, but we want to fly Delta One on the return so I can sleep and go straight to work the next day....

Update: Some offers mentioned below are no longer available. View the current offers here – Barclaycard Ring MastercardAs an award traveler, I pay close attention to the wide array of benefits offered by travel rewards credit cards. Today, TPG Senior Points & Miles Correspondent Jason Steele discusses one of the more unique benefits you’ll find: a say in your card’s terms and features.I cover the entire credit card industry very closely as part of my job, but at the end of day, I rarely see products offered with anything truly innovative....