Points Miles and Bling
Cathay Pacific returns to SEA with five flights per week, and DFW route becomes daily
Cathay Pacific has announced the return of its non-stop passenger service between Hong Kong (HKG) and Seattle (SEA), beginning 30 March 2026. The addition of SEA makes it the ninth destination in North America. The new flights will operate five times weekly, using the Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Cathay Pacific North America...
Points Miles and Bling
RBC Provides Clarification on WestJet Free Checked Bag Benefit
Starting November 5, 2025, the WestJet RBC Mastercard portfolio will undergo significant changes, as covered in detail here. One of the critical updates relates to the free checked bag benefit, which has long been a key feature for the RBC WestJet World Elite Mastercard. Under the new rules, effective November 5,...
Points Miles and Bling
Review: Four Points Flex by Sheraton Kyoto Oike
Every year, I set a personal goal to visit at least one country I’ve never been to. This year, that destination was Japan. In June, I spent two incredible weeks exploring Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. For my three-night stay in Kyoto, I chose the Four Points Flex by Sheraton Kyoto...
Points Miles and Bling
Upcoming Changes to the WestJet RBC Mastercard Portfolio
Starting November 5, 2025, the WestJet RBC® Mastercard portfolio will undergo a set of changes aimed at expanding everyday earning opportunities, adding flexibility to the popular Companion Voucher, and strengthening insurance coverage. Let’s look at the details of the upcoming changes. Upcoming Changes to WestJet RBC World Elite Mastercard Annual Fee and...
Also on BoardingArea
One Mile at a Time
Delta Flight Attendant Scolds Teen For Ordering Milk With Warm Cookie
A Delta passenger shared an interesting experience on Reddit, which got me thinking… Delta flight attendant insists milk is for coffee and tea A traveler was flying with Delta from Rome (FCO) to New York (JFK), sitting next to a “pretty geeky kid” who was in his late teens or early 20s....
Economondo
Flying Korea’s Interestingly Named LCC: Seoul to Jeju on Air Seoul
Background Operating just six Airbus A321s to 21 destinations across East Asia, Air Seoul is one of Korea’s smallest low cost carriers. Yet despite its comparatively small size, the airline has arguably been able to punch above its weight when it comes to making a name for itself in lands both...
The Bulkhead Seat
Spirit Airlines Adds Two Free Checked Bags Benefit to Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard®
Spirit Airlines is adding a new checked baggage benefit to its Free Spirit Travel More Mastercard®. Starting today, primary cardholders can enjoy up to two free checked bags on every Spirit flight booked with their eligible card. This is one of the most valuable perks offered in the airline’s loyalty...
One Mile at a Time
Capital One Adds Japan Airlines Mileage Bank As Transfer Partner
The Capital One mileage program has just added three new transfer partners — Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer, and Qatar Airways Privilege Club. While there’s value to all of those, in this post I’d like to focus specifically on Japan Airlines, as this is a...
One Mile at a Time
Horrifyingly Close Call, As EasyJet & Nouvelair A320s Have Runway Mixup
We constantly hear about close calls in aviation. I think it’s easy to become desensitized to these, and wonder which are actually dangerous, and which are just a bit too close for comfort. Along those lines, on Monday night we saw what’s easily one of the closest calls we’ve seen...
View from the Wing
Why This 239-Mile Coach Flight Costs $4,000—And How To Fly It For Just 30,000 Points Roundtrip
I find aviation in Canada fascinating, although I know comparatively little about it. So I wound up heading down a rabbit hole over an online complaint about the high cost of Arctic flying. The 239-mile flight from Grise Fiort (YGZ) to Resolute (YRB) was pricing out at CAD$3,793.99...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Underrated Margitsziget in Budapest is Full of Surprises
Athough the Park Inn by Radisson Budapest hotel property is located significantly north of central Budapest, I decided to walk because I read about the historic water tower on Margitsziget — which is known in English as Margaret Island — and its observation deck which is supposed to treat you to...
Frequent Miler
Capital One has 3 new transfer partners: Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways & Preferred Hotels
It feels like it’s transferable points currency week. We’ve had Citi launching three new bonuses – 50% to Turkish Miles & Smiles, 30% to Virgin Atlantic, and 25% to LifeMiles – when transferring ThankYou points, as well as Rove launching a 20% transfer bonus to both Finnair and Air France/KLM...
View from the Wing
Capital One Adds Three Transfer Partners — Qatar And JAL Lead The List
Capital One Venture, Venture X (which is the one I carry), Venture X business as well as VentureOne and Spark Miles let you transfer their miles to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs. They’ve just added (3) new transfer partners: Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and...
Live and Let’s Fly
Fiji Airways Cuts Business Class Amenity Kits, Claims They Are Wasteful
Fiji Airways has quietly taken a bold step in business class by eliminating traditional amenity kits. The airline argues that many kits go unused or discarded, and that offering items individually makes more sense. Is this a reasonable change or just cost-cutting? Fiji Airways Drops Business Class Amenity Kits To Reduce...
One Mile at a Time
Amex Platinum Card Review: More Expensive & Valuable Than Ever Before
Link: Learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express While premium cards are incredibly popular nowadays, this is really a market that Amex started, with The Platinum Card® from American Express. We’ve recently seen this card undergo a major refresh, whereby the annual fee was increased, but more perks were...
The Points of Life
Approved! Amex Business Platinum: 200k MRs, $895 Annual Fee
Can you imagine paying 2k for an iPhone? It is a reality coming to an Apple Store near you. Can you imagine paying an annual fee of $895? It is a reality I had to accept as the trade-off for being approved for the American Express Business Card. Why am...
Miles For Family
4 New Transfer Bonuses Just Added!
Some new transfer bonuses just came out this week. I’ve updated the September 2025 Transfer Bonuses post to reflect these additions. New: Citi 50% Transfer Bonus to Turkish Airlines Through October 18, 2025, get 50% transfer bonus from Citi to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program. This is a rare transfer bonus...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Denmark Heavily Hints That Russia Could Be Behind Drone Attack That Shut Down Copenhagen And Oslo Airports
The Danish Prime Minister has heavily hinted that Russia could be behind a coordinated drone ‘attack’ that shuttered Copenhagen and Oslo airports for several hours on Monday night. “Of course, we are not ruling out any possibility as to who is behind it,” Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday, adding that the...
TravelUpdate
5 reasons why the miles and points game getting tougher?
Earlier this year, I wrote about how this is going to be the year of premium credit cards. A lot of new issuers have stepped into the ring, launching premium offerings this year. Issuers like Chase and Amex have also refreshed their products. In a nutshell, customers have a lot...
One Mile at a Time
Wild: Massive Drone Attack Shuts Down Copenhagen Airport
Once in a while we’ll hear of airport operations being interrupted by unauthorized drones. However, last night we saw what seems to be a pretty unprecedented drone attack on a major airport. Drones cause operational issues at Copenhagen Airport On the evening of Monday, September 22, 2025, Copenhagen Airport (CPH) was shut...
View from the Wing
The Airline Demanded He Pay $5 For A Boarding Pass. He Refused, And Police Took Him To Jail Instead
Police were called to Allegiant Airlines check-in at Punta Gorda, Florida last month. Bodycam footage shows why. A passenger didn’t have a boarding pass, but had a reservation. They went to the check-in counter and were told about the airline’s $5 fee for printing a boarding pass at the...
Wild About Travel
My Twelve Hotel Commandments
  From five stars in Singapore to a rickety bed and breakfast in Blackpool, a tree house in Zimbabwe, a 747 parked at Stockholm airport, a draughty youth hostel in nirehn Scootkanbd and everything ij betweemn means I ahve sleopt in a lot of hotel beds.   Thou shalt know where thy hotel...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
13-Year-Old Stowaway Who Hid In Plane’s Landing Gear ‘Out Of Curiosity’ Miracously Survives Flight
A 13-year-old Afghan boy survived a flight from Kabul to New Delhi in the landing gear of an Airbus A340 jet that flew at altitudes of 35,000 feet, and apparently, he did it “out of curiosity.” The boy’s miraculous survival occurred on Sunday morning when he snuck past security at Kabul...
Eye of the Flyer
Worried About Your Fine Hotels Credits Expiring Soon? What If You Already Spent Your $200?
A potentially big benefit for some travel rewards card users debuted last week — but some might be scrambling to use it when they probably don’t need to. Fine Hotels + Resorts Statement Credit: Up to $600 As part of its Platinum-palooza last week, American Express increased The Platinum Card® from American...
One Mile at a Time
Spirit Airlines Slashing Capacity By 25%, Furloughing Pilots & Flight Attendants
It’s a tough time for Spirit Airlines. Several weeks ago, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in a matter of months, in a move that should’ve surprised no one (well, except the company’s management, seemingly). While Spirit kind of squandered its first Chapter 11 bankruptcy (by...
Live and Let’s Fly
British Airways Eliminates Hot Breakfast In Business Class, Offers Cold Snack In Latest “Trial”
British Airways is back at it with cost-cutting in Club Europe, this time eliminating hot breakfast from the menu on domestic flights. Passengers traveling in business class on routes within the UK will now find a far less impressive spread awaiting them onboard as BA “trials” a new reduced menu. British...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Tunisian Airline Blames Bad Weather For Incident At Nice Airport That Nearly Ended In Catastrophe
A Tunisian airline, which was involved in a near-catastrophic incident at Nice Airport in the South of France when one of its planes nearly landed on top of a packed EasyJet aircraft on Sunday night, has pinned the blame on bad weather and low visibility. In its first public statement following...
Monkey Miles
Transfer Citi Thank You to Turkish with 50% bonus
The coincides with a massive amount of award space that was just released by Turkish ( which is bookable on partner point programs as well ), but if you have Citi Thank You points sitting around that you were looking to use for a trip – this could be a...
Points Miles and Bling
September – Top 5 credit cards that deserve your attention
Why These 5 Cards? I can’t tire of repeating this – every family and individual has unique requirements and aspirations. For some, the ideal credit card is the one that unlocks luxury travel experiences. For others, it’s the simple satisfaction of seeing cashback rewards ease the burden of yearly expenses. The...
Points Miles and Bling
Review – Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Regina YQR
Maple Leaf Lounge Regina YQR On my return journey from Regina, Saskatchewan, I was flying in the economy cabin on Air Canada. Thanks to a premium Aeroplan credit card, I had access to the Maple Leaf Lounge (MLL) at Regina International Airport (YQR). This lounge is notable for being the smallest...
Points Miles and Bling
Review: Air India First Class from Delhi to Washington DC, on 777-300ER
Air India First Class 777-300 ER This trip was part of a mixed-itinerary journey from Raipur (RPR) to Delhi (DEL), onwards to Washington, DC (IAD), and finally Ottawa (YOW). I redeemed 115,000 Aeroplan points and $103 CAD in taxes for the ticket, which placed me in First Class on Air India’s...
Points Miles and Bling
Rakuten Canada Offering 100% Cashback on NordVPN
Rakuten Canada is currently offering a fantastic promotion that provides NordVPN at nearly a 95% discount to new customers. Through Rakuten’s cashback platform (referral link), members can receive 100% cashback on NordVPN purchases when signing up for the 2-Year Basic Plan. Given that VPN services are a crucial digital tool for...
Points Miles and Bling
Review – The Hotel Saskatchewan, Autograph Collection
Weekend in Regina, Saskatchewan Visiting all of Canada’s provinces had been a long-standing goal of mine, and I was excited to add Saskatchewan to my list. When I told friends I was headed to Regina, their reactions ranged from confusion to amusement, with the question, “Why?” But I was determined to...
Points Miles and Bling
Aeroplan and Air Inuit announce new partnership
Starting October 1, 2025, Air Inuit (3H) passengers will be able to earn Aeroplan points when booking flights with the airline, across Nunavik and beyond, who rely on air transport for essential connections. Air Inuit was founded in 1978 by the Inuit of Nunavik and connects Nunavik’s 14 coastal villages...
Points Miles and Bling
First and Business Class Booking Strategies on JAL and ANA
Japan has surged in popularity since reopening its borders in 2022, and with it, the race to secure premium award seats on Japan Airlines (JAL) and All Nippon Airways (ANA) has never been fiercer. These airlines not only showcase Japan’s world-class service but also connect travellers seamlessly across Asia, making...
Points Miles and Bling
Elevated Offer: Get up to 55,000 bonus with RBC Avion Visa Infinite card
RBC has brought back the elevated offer on the RBC® Avion Visa Infinite‡ Card. The card now comes with a bonus of up to 55,000 Avion points^ for new cardmembers. Avion points are some of the most flexible and transferable travel points for casual and frequent travellers. I enjoy the...