JetBlue Introducing BlueFirst

JetBlue shared the following announcement today:

BlueFirst™

Arriving soon, our newest take on premium travel, on non-Mint flights.

More information: https://www.jetblue.com/flying-with-us/fares-simplified

MileagePlus Dining Offer for Extra Miles

I received the following offer today to earn an additional 2x bonus miles through Mileage Plus Dining:

Dine at participating restaurants through August 13, 2026 and review your experiences.

Did anyone else get it? 

Airbnb Adjusting Service Fee

Did anyone else receive this email update?

Today, hosts and guests both pay service fees. As a result, you set one price, but guests see a higher price that includes their service fee. Many hosts tell us this makes pricing difficult.

To simplify pricing, we’re combining both fees into a single 15.5% service fee on September 15. The 15.5% fee is based on Airbnb’s global average service fees.

End of OneWorld Sapphire Status

Back in October 2025 I wrote about an opportunity to confirm OneWorld Sapphire status with Royal Jordanian as a Gold Sparrow - this has been very helpful over the last months whenever I fly American Airlines as it gets me access to AA Flagship Lounges.  The lounge at O'hare has been a favorite stop!

Unfortunately my access and status ends this week.  It's been a good run and I'll miss the stopovers!

Qatar Airways Changes Awards Redemption Rules

Kudos to OneMileAtaTime for sharing information about a change implemented by Qatar Airways related to use of Avios.  It has been possible for individuals to book awards for others from their accounts - now Qatar Airways has introduced the following rules:

1. The member’s Privilege Club account must have been active for a minimum 30 days
2. The main member must have completed at least one qualifying activity;
   1. A flown flight accrual with Qatar Airways or any partner airline
   2. At least one eligible co-branded credit card accrual transaction

You can find more information and the article here: https://onemileatatime.com/news/qatar-airways-restricts-award-bookings-others-absurd-new-rule/

I'm disappointed since using Avios has been a great way to plan trips in business to the Middle East and Maldives.  I'll need to see whether it works to credit a flight and meet the requirement.