New Hyatt Promo: 3X points on 3-night stays

I just received this new offer from Hyatt:

Qualifying activity must be completed by August 19th. 

British Airways: Upcoming changes to Reward Flight pricing​

...except they don't exactly say what the pricing changes will be!  Figures.

United/Jetblue Partnership Adds Reciprocal Perks

JetBlue announced that reciprocal perks on United are starting this week for Mosaics:

More information can be found here: https://www.jetblue.com/jetblue-united

Spring Trip to Stockholm!

I just returned from a spring trip to Stockholm with mom!  She selected the country although it also worked out for me as it was my first time visiting Sweden.  The weather was perfect and we were able to walk nearly 25 miles over the five days!  Tickets via Lufthansa/United were very reasonable ($679) and we didn't have any fuel cancellations (thankfully). 

Landing to Stockholm is very straightforward although the new EU EES system was a bit of a mess - the kiosks were not all working and lines were not organized.  Once we did the initial checkin we still had to get another round of fingerprints at the gate?  Seems inefficient.  The Arlanda Express train takes about 18 minutes to get into the center of Stockholm and from there we acquired our multi-day city transport pass for the trip.  Our stay was at Hotel Rival and the room was very comfortable (with amazing breakfast).  For dinner the first evening, we decided on a very popular local favorite, Restaurant Kyp In, and luckily they had a table open!

On Friday we visited the City Hall, Royal Palace. and Riddarholmen Church.  Public transportation is easy in Stockholm and we didn't have any problems using the busses and trains.  We were lucky to watch the changing of the guard right after our palace tour was done!  The old town Gamla Stan is a great place to walk with many cobblestone streets, shops, and restaurants.  One place we stopped for drinks and a snack was Cafe Nova - street seating is very popular.  For dinner, we chose one of the highly rated restaurants on the island, Gastabud.  No reservations so you need to arrive early or wait!

For Saturday we decided to train over to Djurgarden where we visited the Vasa Museum and Skansen museums and zoo.  Dinner was at a local bar and restaurant called Akkurat.  So many beer and whiskey choices!

Sunday's (and Mother's Day) plan was exploring Sodermalm with many shops and walkable gardens as well as a special get together in the evening with a classmate from high school!  Henrik was very generous to host us at his home and we enjoyed catching up with a special dinner.  

On Monday we booked an archipelago tour via GetYourGuide that was a 2.5 experience around the islands.  I highly recommend this if you're interested in learning more about how Stockholm developed over time.  After the tour we made our way to the airport and stayed one night onsite due to an early morning departure.  

Overall it was an excellent trip and we can't wait to visit again soon!

Hyatt Award Chart Updates and Property Changes

Hyatt is making changes to their award charts and we finally have news about which properties are changing categories.  The list is here: https://world.hyatt.com/content/gp/en/rewards/award-chart-updates.html

Thankfully I'm not seeing any changes for the places I typically stay!

 

JetBlue Updating Boarding Groups

I wasn't expecting to receive this update - they are moving from letters to numbers and still have 8 groups:

We always like to give our Mosaic members first dibs, and want to let you know that starting next week (April 29), we’re introducing a simplified boarding process. All boarding groups will be numbered (Groups 1–8)—with Mosaic 3 & 4 in Group 1, and Mosaic 1 & 2 in Group 2 (both Groups 1 & 2 board through a dedicated lane).

Following is the new boarding order:

• Group 1: Mosaic 3 & 4 members, Mint customers
• Group 2: Mosaic 1 & 2 members, EvenMore® customers
• Group 3: JetBlue Premier Card Cardmembers, JetBlue Business Cardmembers. Blue Extra fares, Early Boarding Perks You Pick® (excluding Blue Basic fares)
• Courtesy Boarding: Active military, Customers traveling with car seats or strollers
• Group 4: JetBlue Vacations customers and general boarding based on seat location
• Groups 5 - 8: General boarding based on seat location

United in the news

I'm always watching for relevant airline updates and the past bunch of days were significant for United:

-Scott Kirby alludes to a merger with American Airlines

-United possibly rolls out free Wifi across their fleet, then clarifies it's not free! (via Live and Let's Fly)

-Will Jetblue merge with United (or other airlines)?

Many of these would have impacts for travelers!

My Star Alliance Goal - Update

Some time ago I challenged myself to see whether I might be able to fly on all Star Alliance airlines.  This has been an ongoing goal though not specifically a priority given my change in travel patterns over the last few years.  Crossing 1M miles this year was a special milestone! 

However, I was able to add a new airline to the list after flying Singapore Airlines for the first time last week:

• Aegean Airlines A3
• Air Canada AC
• Air China CA
• Air India
• Air New Zealand NZ
• ANA NH
• Asiana Airlines OZ
• Austrian OS
• Avianca AV, TACA Airlines TA
• Brussels Airlines 
• Copa Airlines CM
• Croatia Airlines OU
• EGYPTAIR MS
• Ethiopian Airlines ET
• EVA Air
• LOT Polish Airlines LO
• Lufthansa LH
• Scandinavian Airlines SK
• Shenzhen Airlines ZH
• Singapore Airlines SQ
• South African Airways SA
• Swiss LX
• TAP Portugal TP
• THAI TG
• Turkish Airlines TK
• United UA

The project continues!

Statement from United on Travel

United published a message late in the week from CEO Scott Kirby about the state of operations and fuel costs - it's an interesting read:

https://www.united.com/en/us/newsroom/announcements/cision-125448

I'll be curious to see how flight prices adjust in the upcoming weeks.

Chase and United Months of Miles

Another promotion?  Yes!  This one is focused on spend per month ($1500 in March/April/May):

Probably will not go out of my way for this one.

Updated Spring Break Trip Routing

The new plan for Spring Break is now ready - map courtesy of the Great Circle Mapper:

I was able to adjust flights around the Middle East due to the ongoing conflict.  Thankfully I had enough United miles for an option through Vienna on Austrian.  I'm sad not to get back to Doha this trip, and we'll be unable to do Business the whole way.  It's the safer option right now so we don't have to cancel the whole trip. 

Customer Service Center During Disruption

My British Airways Call Center experience to cancel my booking to Doha:

Website: manage booking form, error and would not complete

1st call: menu, then disconnected

Received survey call 

2nd call: number rang through to a person

Phone transferred to the Club team as Reservations agent can not help me

Club team wants to know where I'm calling from (why?) besides flight info; front-end system allowed them to refund

#persistence

Possible Changes to Spring Break Plan

The world changed a bit this morning as military activities occur across the Middle East.  This is affecting most of the major airports in the region including KWI, DOH, AUH, DXB, BAH, and AMM.  And while it remains to be seen how long these airports will be impacted, I'm preparing for cancellations of flights I've already booked toward/through Doha.  

Making changes to international itineraries within a week of departure is extremely challenging under normal circumstances - it's a greater challenge now given the number of airports that would usually be available for transit but are closed.  

United (and most airlines) would prefer that you avoid overlapping bookings which I was reminded of this morning when I tried to book an alternative staging flight.  Thankfully I was able to find another option via Heathrow using miles that would still get us to Malé though not in Business.  This would also avoid a flight path through the region for the most part. 

I'll be monitoring our booked flights this week to see what the airlines decide to do.  We may need to make more changes or cancel - safety is a priority. 

Spring Break 2026 Adventure: Maldives!

Less than 30 days remain before we are off again on another spring break adventure, this year going back to the Maldives with two city stops along the way.  We're using points and miles for nearly all options which will be a huge savings.  Plus almost every segment will be in Business!  Here's the map via GCMap:

The points and miles breakdown:

Park Hyatt Maldives (4 nights): 140,000 Hyatt points 

We have Globalist status again with breakfast included (as brunch) so dinner is our only expense. 

Overnight LHR and DOH (1 night each): 

We have an evening stopover in London at the T4 Hilton using 51,000 points and then one night at the Park Hyatt Doha for a very low rate.  The extra time in Doha before a 1am departure means we'll have time for the Souq and a fun dinner.

LHR-DOH: We'll be on the Qatar Airways A380 in Business from Heathrow to Doha which only required 86,000 British Airways Avios total for two.

DOH-MLE: One ticket is using 75,000 Alaska miles/Atmos for Business Class, and another ticket uses a combination of 52,500 Avios via Qatar Airways for First Class.  Availability on this route was very limited and I was fortunate to find two premium seats between both programs. 

MLE-SIN-SFO-EWR: I'm excited to be able to fly Singapore for the very first time in Business!  We'll have a brief stop at Changi before flying UA2 in Polaris back to SFO.  This was booked using United miles (395k) which is a lot though worth it to me for the Singapore segment.

Looking forward to the journey and a relaxing week!

United Resumes Flights to LSE

I posted this request on Flyertalk a long time ago hoping that United might resume flights to LSE sometime in the future.  And I was thrilled when I saw the recent announcement!

https://www.wizmnews.com/2026/01/27/united-airlines-adding-daily-chicago-la-crosse-service/

I'm looking forward to this in May and hope that fares overall are competitive. 4x daily is promising! 

New Chase United Offer

These offers are being sent again with some frequency and this one is much better than the last - 3x points on gas/grocery/restaurant is good through March 31st, but there is also a promotion running right now for 5x dining on Freedom.  

When I already have a 3x option to get general points for gas and grocery, this offer is a bit underwhelming.

Hyatt Bonus Journeys 2026

Hyatt has just announced Bonus Journeys for early 2026!  While this will be another point earning moment for some, the number of points possible continues a trend of being reduced and now includes a property distinction as well:

I expect to receive some additional points with stays already planned though will not be able to earn the full amount this year.

New Terminal in MLE

I'm seeing an article from late December that Qatar Airways is now operating out of the new Terminal 1 at MLE airport.  

https://corporatemaldives.com/qatar-airways-begins-operations-from-terminal-1-at-velana-international-airport/

Can't wait to see it in March!

25 years...

...of being a Delta member.  Thank you for the reminder!  :)

Million Mile Flight Success!

I wasn't particularly worried when I was standing in the Group 1 line and saw that we were delayed - no plane at the gate, but the crew was there and ready to go.  Eventually the plane was moved over and boarding started. 

Pre-boarding activities were normal.  The person in front of me, Chris, was fun to chat with about points and miles.  Drink choice to start was a glass of Brut (excellent).  Eventually the purser walked around asking about dinner choices - when she stopped by my seat, I confirmed my choice and quickly said 'I'm also your million miler for the flight'...and she laughed and said 'oh yes! we know, the crew knows, ops knows, you are very well-known for this trip'.  I'm glad that it worked to call earlier in the week and ask for the note on my flight record.  She also mentioned that I would be given something special later in the flight. 

During the meal service I chose to try the 2019 Mascot Cab that was recently highlighted as a special offering by United.  It was excellent! 

I did my best to try and sleep - the flight time estimated my rest to be several hours though I don't feel that I ever really conked out. When I woke up, there was an envelope with my name on the side shelf. It was a nice card with the coin.  The purser mentioned that ops brought over the coin to the flight crew, but she got it from them in order to give to me.  Before landing she made an announcement that I was crossing the million and there was a nice round of applause.  I also quickly thanked the flight crew and Captain Keith on the way off the plane.

Overall it was a fun flight!  

Million Mile Flight!

Today is the day!  I will be departing this evening for a fast weekend adventure that will include my one million mile flight on United.  And of course I had to make the primary segment a trip to Zurich from Newark, because, why not?

I'm going to do my best to note any specific things that occur on the flight - as many have already reported, the experience can vary.  

Another Chase United Offer

I received another spending/miles offer from Chase for my United card, and honestly, it's not great:

That's significant spend for not many miles!  I highly doubt I'll make this one.

Cards in My Wallet Right Now (2026)

Happy New Year!  My card list is relatively the same compared to the last year with just a few updates.  I retired the Chase IHG card and downgraded to the Sapphire Preferred since the Reserve annual fee is significant and I didn't want to deal with keeping track of partner requirements.  I'm still using the United Club card for lounge access.  I can share referral codes for most cards if interested! 

Cards in my Wallet:

Chase Sapphire Preferred - one of the best earning cards with 3x for dining; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Freedom - Quarterly bonus categories give 5x points and pairs with Sapphire

Chase World of Hyatt - 4x Hyatt points per stay make this one of the best for hotel stays, 2x for restaurant/transit; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase United Club Infinite - 4x miles on United, 2x miles on other travel, 2x on dining, United Club membership

Chase Biz Plus (replaced with Business Preferred - my ref link) - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x on gas station and hotel; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase Biz Cash - 5x points at office supply and phone, 2x points on gas stations and restaurants

Chase Marriott Bonvoy Boundless - 6x points at Marriott properties; 3x Gas/Grocery/Dining up to $6k, 1 Elite Night credit per $5k spent; 2x points on other purchases; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Chase British Airways - 3x Avios on BA purchases; 2x on hotels; No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank Strata Premier - 10x hotel and car rental, 3x points on air travel/hotel, 3x on dining/gas/grocery, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Platinum - 2x American Airlines miles on purchases plus free checked bag and priority boarding; 2x on restaurants/gas stations, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Citibank AA Mileup - 2x American Airlines miles on flights, plus 2x miles for grocery purchases, No Annual Fee

Citibank Double Cash - 2% cash back on all purchases, though the transfer option to Citi ThankYou Points makes this card strong for all non-category spend, No Annual Fee

American Express Hilton card - 7x Hilton points on stays, 5x points dining/gas/grocery, 3x all other purchases, complimentary Silver status, No Annual Fee, No Foreign Transaction Fee

Discover It card - 5x points/cash on quarterly bonus categories, link to Amazon.com purchases, No Annual Fee

Bank of America Alaska Airlines Atmos Ascent - 3x miles on Alaska purchases, 2x points on Gas/Streaming/Rideshare, $99 companion fare