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For frequent flyers who love nothing more than the cool, refreshing feel of one of those little blue United pillows, this week didn’t seem like it could get any better. But wait, there’s more!On Wednesday, I got to tour United’s latest (and second-ever) Polaris Lounge, located near the “G” gates at San Francisco International Airport (SFO). MileagePlus members will get a sneak peek on Friday, but long-haul business and first-class passengers traveling on a Star Alliance carrier will have access beginning on Monday, April 30 (see “Access” at the bottom of this post for more details on who can get in)....

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 May 31, 2013, American Airlines is offering discounted economy awards to Las Vegas. Normally domestic awards cost 12,500 miles each way, or 25,000 miles round-trip, but with this special offer, they are only 10,000 miles each way meaning you can save 5,000 miles per round-trip when heading to Vegas....

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.Update: bonus is now 25,000 points.Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow (Sunday August 7, 2011) is the last day to apply for the Chase Southwest Premier Visa.I did an analysis on the offer here and overall, if you fly Southwest on Wanna Get Away fares, this card could bonus translates into $833 towards flights, which isn’t bas since it only has a $99 annual fee (but awards 6,000 points a year year renewal bonus)....

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.Amex is currently running a status match promotion with Delta. You receive a $200 American Express Gift Card along with your matched status when you register, book a qualifying Delta flight, and fly by 1/31/12. Delta normally makes you fly 8,000-26,000 miles within 90 days to get your challenged status, so this is a way easier and more lucrative way....

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.Saying goodbye to the Queen of the Skies was harder for some than expected. At United Airlines’ Family Day and 747 farewell, TPG readers, United employees and AvGeeks flocked to get a last look at two of the big birds, awing at their grandeur....

This episode was bittersweet — we never thought Alaska Airlines would stealth-devalue those redemptions before it could air. The fact still remains, though, that Emirates as a standalone product is really good. Is it better than Etihad’s First Class Apartment? No. Is it better than the Qatar Airways A380, which I flew last summer? Yes. Check out our latest episode of TPGtv, below, for a closer look at Emirates’ first-class product....

A New York-based start-up that’s partnered with ride-hailing drivers to sell riders snacks and accessories has inked a deal with Uber. Cargo announced Thursday that it’s joining with the ride-hailing giant to offer its services to drivers in an official capacity.Cargo, launched in 2017, has been a way for ride-sharing drivers to make a little more cash on the side. It gives drivers free boxes filled with items like chips, gum, granola bars, candy, phone chargers and more to sell to 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.An English couple on vacation in Egypt died in August from illnesses linked to E. coli bacteria while staying at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada, Egypt’s Prosecutor Nabil Sadek confirmed Wednesday.On Aug. 21, John and Susan Cooper died within hours of each other after staying at the five-star Steigenberger Aqua Magic hotel, which they had booked through the travel agency Thomas Cook Group Plc....

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.While United and Continental are officially on the way to become a hopefully united new United, there’s a lot to be done to implement one unified airline to the outside world. Some major changes to come:1) Repainting planes to match one standard new United logo2) Getting rid of continental....

TPG reader Angie emailed me to ask:“In 2013 I hit Platinum status in both Delta and Starwood. However, I was pregnant and hardly going to be traveling in 2014. I called Delta to ask if I could suspend my status until 2015; they said that wasn’t possible, but that they might be able to extend it. They recommended that I call again closer to the end of the year. I’m back in the game now, but won’t be traveling much until next year, and I feel like I’ve wasted my status....

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.UPDATE: Deal DeadVayama.com is currently running a sale on European fares and several savvy Slickdeal and Flyertalk members have uncovered super cheap fares to Brussels from multple US cities including NYC, Boston, Washington, Chicago and LA.I plugged in a random date and got $337 total, which is pretty good for European fares these days....

The Trump Administration said Tuesday that one country, the African nation of Chad, has been removed from the US travel ban list. The removal from the list means that Chadian citizens are now eligible to receive passport visas to visit the US.According to US officials, Chad was originally placed under the ban because the country was unable to provide terrorism and safety information used to screen foreign citizens entering the US, and it was also unable to provide recent samples of its passport to the Department of Homeland Security due to an office glitch....

A woman traveling on United from Houston to Washington, DC, said she was bumped from her first-class seat and forced to fly in coach because flight attendants were kowtowing to US Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee.Jean-Marie Simon said flight attendants said her first-class seat was not available when she showed up at boarding at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) on Dec. 18, according to the Houston Chronicle. They told her that her ticket had been “unreserved” and her seat had already been given away to another passenger, even though Simon was already in possession of a boarding pass for seat 1A on the flight....

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.Wow, this is a very cool move from Delta — and, uhh, it couldn’t have come at a better time. Beginning this Sunday, October 1, the carrier will offer free messaging on all of its Gogo-equipped planes.Passengers will be able to chat with their friends, clients and loved ones for free using iMessage, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger....

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.Update 6/1/17: Delta Platinum members now have access as well:Update 3/29/17: As TPG reader Frank points out in the comments below, Diamond members can once again access LHR’s Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse. From Delta:Effective February 16, 2017, Diamond Medallion Members plus one guest who are traveling in Delta Main Cabin, Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy or Virgin Atlantic Economy cabin are able to access the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse located in Terminal 3 in London-Heathrow....

Kenny Bachman opted to take an Uber home after a night of drinking with friends last Friday in West Virginia. Instead of returning to his friends’ place in Morgantown, West Virginia, the 21-year-old accidentally put his address in Gloucester County, New Jersey— a 300-mile journey that cost him a hefty $1,635.93.After Bachman got into the Uber, he passed out in the passenger seat, and two hours into the ride, he woke up to the driver telling him they were on their way to New Jersey....

Last July, Delta Flight 2845 from Minneapolis (MSP) to Rapid City (RAP) ended up landing on a runway about seven miles away — at Ellsworth Air Force Base (RCA). And now, just about a year later, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is blaming pilot error for the wrong airport landing.The two South Dakota airports — Rapid City and Ellsworth Air Force Base — are located close to each other and, according to the Associated Press, the airfields have runways that nearly line up....

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.Tomorrow I’ll be launching a Holiday Gift Guide for Travelers which I’ll be updating until the end of the year. The theme of the guide will be by travelers for travelers.I have my go-to items, but I want your ideas as well....

Whether you’re filling out a familiar blue customs declaration form or tapping the screen of an Automated Passport Control or Global Entry kiosk, you’re going to have to answer Question 11, Part A.Are you bringing fruits, vegetables, plants, seeds, food or insects into the United States?Admit it. Even as a frequent flier, you’ve paused here to consider the in-flight peanuts stowed in your purse or the loose orange you snagged at the airport lounge....

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.When they’re not in space, telescopes work best at altitude. Some of the world’s most prominent land-based telescopes — from the Mauna Kea observatories in Hawaii to the research centers scattered throughout Chile’s mountains and Atacama Desert — sit far from population centers, often far above sea level....