Southwest Airlines is considering making major changes to its seating process. The airline is researching “transformational options” surrounding its storied single-class, open-cabin format, CEO Bob Jordan said Thursday, as the airline seeks to form new streams of revenue and boost existing ones. Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter. Speaking during an earnings conference call with investors and media, Jordan and other airline executives were purposefully vague about the possible changes, noting that they were studying customer preferences al ..read more

Seven years after it was first announced, the wait is finally over. Lufthansa’s first aircraft equipped with the carrier’s new “Allegris” cabin has landed, with new seats in all classes. TPG got a sneak peek Thursday in Munich. The inaugural flight featuring the new Lufthansa cabin is scheduled to depart Wednesday from Munich Airport (MUC) to Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Canada. Service on Allegris aircraft will continue to roll out in the coming months to Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport (ORD), Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG) and Sa ..read more

In 2023, Hyatt acquired Mr & Mrs Smith hotels — a portfolio comprising more than 700 luxury and boutique hotels. This exciting new partnership adds 20-plus countries, including Fiji, Namibia and the British Virgin Islands, to Hyatt’s global portfolio. On Wednesday, the independent properties began being integrated into World of Hyatt‘s network, meaning travelers can start redeeming Hyatt points when booking at nearly 100 Mr & Mrs Smith hotels (based on Hyatt’s map of participating properties). However, unlike Hyatt’s traditional way of booking hotels using an award chart to track how m ..read more

Witnessing the elusive northern lights flickering across the sky might cause you to gasp because it’s actually that cool. The colorful ribbons of green look like something from outer space — and they are. Auroras appear when charged particles collide with Earth’s atmosphere. Seeing the ethereal display, also known as the aurora borealis, is a bucket-list experience for many travelers. Cruise ships can take you to destinations where your chances of catching Mother Nature’s special light show are improved. For cruise news, reviews and tips, sign up for TPG’s cruise newsletter. Remember that seei ..read more

Rooms To Go Credit Card overview The Rooms To Go Credit Card offers appealing interest-free financing options for both new and existing cardholders, but with few other perks and no rewards, most customers will be better off with other options. Card Rating*: ⭐⭐ *Card Rating is based on the opinion of TPG’s editors and is not influenced by the card issuer. As a general rule of thumb, store credit cards aren’t great options for most readers. They tend to offer very limited perks, and, in many cases, you can only use them at the retailers with which they are associated. While this is true of ..read more

Southwest Airlines is shrinking its route map. The carrier will ax four cites from its route map in August and will reduce its presence in two other major airports, the Dallas-based carrier announced Thursday in its quarterly earnings report. The airports that will lose Southwest service are: Want more airline-specific news? Sign up for TPG’s free biweekly Aviation newsletter. Bellingham International Airport (BLI) in Washington Cozumel International Airport (CZM) in Mexico Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) Syracuse Hancock International Airport (SYR) The move to exit a ma ..read more

Want a credit card that’s made from a piece of storied aviation history? If so, you may want to strongly consider getting a Delta SkyMiles® Reserve American Express Card or Delta SkyMiles® Reserve Business American Express Card with the limited-edition Boeing 747 design made from two retired Delta Air Lines Boeing 747 aircraft. Delta and American Express have partnered to release a limited-edition card design made with 33% metal from two retired 747 Queen of the Skies aircraft. This sleek card is available to both new and existing Delta Amex cardmembers. Consider this your chance to hold a pie ..read more

We’ve spotlighted a few sales with great prices on flights to Rome, but this time, we’ve found a sweet deal for travel to other much-desired destinations in Italy. Airfare to Venice, Milan, Naples, Bari, Genoa, and Turin is now available at substantial discounts. You can depart from a number of East Coast cities, including Boston, Miami, New York City and Washington, D.C. There are even some sale fares from San Francisco. The travel window for this deal is primarily from November through March 2025. You may get lucky and find some sale fares for last-minute travel in late April and May this ye ..read more

Marriott International, with more than 30 brands under its belt, is the undisputed leader in the world’s hotel orbit. However, Hilton leaders Wednesday morning outlined a growth strategy signaling why their cross-town rival in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area shouldn’t get too complacent in its lofty perch. The hotel giant behind brands like Waldorf Astoria, Conrad and Home2 Suites has an array of new brands and partnerships that should add thousands of new hotels and Hilton Honors loyalty program engagement in the years to come. Hilton’s development pipeline of 472,000 hotel rooms worl ..read more

Avianca Airlines just dropped a flash sale on awards tickets from select U.S. cities to Central and South American destinations. The Colombian carrier is offering awards tickets at up to a 30% discount to San Jose, Costa Rica; San Salvador, El Salvador; and Bogota, Colombia. With a couple of routes, you can book one-way fares for as few as 2,200 miles. You have to act fast to take advantage of this sale, as it only applies to flights booked by April 25. The sale fares apply to travel between now and March 2025. Another thing: To find the sale fares, you must go to the airline’s LifeMiles websi ..read more