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Last week was a week with a lot of news covering new and returning routes to the US and Europe as well as some key announcements from JetBlue, an update from Hilton, and details of Emirates’ plans to bring its latest cabins to its transatlantic routes.
You’ll find links to all these stories as well as a few other articles in the list below.
Iberia will operate orientation flights with its new A321XLR (book Business Class from 15,000 Avios)
This is the aircraft that has been designed to fly some of the shorter long-haul routes that are currently being operated by larger aircraft, and you can expect to see them operating a significant number of flights across the Atlantic once more airlines start to take delivery.
Qatar Airways is the latest Gulf carrier to add more flights to Europe
We’ve read about Etihad bringing back First Class to Paris and adding more flights to the French capital, and we’ve read about Etihad adding two new routes to Europe and increasing flights to Zurich. Now, we’re hearing that Qatar Airways is about to add more flights to one of its European routes for winter 2024/25.
Hilton is adding the final 102 SLH properties to its booking engine
Back in July, Hilton confirmed the rumors that had been circulating for some time when it announced that it would be adding almost 400 SLH properties (Small Luxury Hotels of the World) to the Hilton Honors program and that in time, all these properties would be bookable via Hilton.com.
Etihad’s expansion continues with 3 more weekly flights to Sydney
Towards the middle of last week, Sydney Airport broke the news that Turkish Airlines is launching a new service to New South Wales (which will go non-stop in 2026), and it has now broken the news that Etihad will be adding more daily flights between Abu Dhabi and Sydney from next year.
Norse Atlantic will bring back its New York – Athens route in 2025
In many ways, Norse Atlantic was created in the image of the Norwegian Airlines that we remember before the pandemic, so it’s no surprise to find the airline offering a low-cost transatlantic product out of a variety of European cities. One of the transatlantic routes that we’ve seen the airline operate this summer was between New York (JFK) and Athens, and this route is set to be suspended after 29 September.
Emirates adds Premium Economy and new Business Class to six US routes
Since August, Emirates has been gradually rolling out its reconfigured 777s on several of its routes, but up until now, its transatlantic routes have missed out. Not, however, for much longer as the airline has now confirmed that it plans to bring the upgraded aircraft to six of its transatlantic routes starting in November.
These are the domestic routes on which Delta currently offers widebody aircraft
Generally speaking, widebody aircraft are configured for long-haul international flying, and this means that the cabins you’ll find onboard are often more comfortable than the cabins offered on the narrowbody aircraft that we usually find operating domestically on short haul routes.
Remember: Having Global Entry membership doesn’t take the place of a United States ESTA
Thanks to the continuing enlargement of the Global Entry program and the US Visa Waiver Program, more people than ever can now enter the United States relatively easily and without having to stand in the seemingly endless lines that some of our international airports have long been known for (I’m looking at you Miami).
JetBlue will introduce airport lounges and some new frequent flyer perks
JetBlue has just announced that in an attempt to offer a more premium offering, it plans to open airport lounges at New York JFK and at Boston Logan, and that alongside a soon-to-be-released new premium credit card, it will also boost some perks that it offers to its more frequent flyers.
Aer Lingus is adding more flights on two US routes
A lot of the route expansion that we have been writing about in the past few weeks seems to have mostly centered outside of the United States (although we did write about British Airways adding more flight to the US in 2025), so it’s good to be able to report that two US cities will be seeing more service from Aer Lingus in summer 2025.
Four key reasons why points are better than Marriott Free Night Certificates
Over the past couple of years, when Chase and American Express have boosted the welcome bonuses on their Marriott co-branded cards, they have sometimes chosen to offer successful new applicants the chance to earn three or more Free Night Certificates instead of the more usual points bonanza.
The devaluations to benefits JetBlue didn’t mention in its press release
During the week, JetBlue made three positive announcements that were welcome news to its frequent flyers and to its premium transatlantic passengers, but as has become normal with press releases nowadays, the airline didn’t bother to mention that while on the one hand it’s making a few positive moves, it’s also making some negative changes that a lot of its customers won’t like.
SAS will bring back two routes between Europe and the United States
When it comes to its US routes, it looks like SAS is keen to feed traffic to SkyTeam’s biggest North American Airline (Delta) as a recent set of schedule updates have seen the Scandinavian carrier bring back two routes that it hasn’t operated for years, and both routes are to key Delta hubs.
How Marriott Bonvoy’s Starbucks partnership works (+ earn 1,000 bonus Bonvoy Points)
Starbucks and Delta have had a loyalty partnership for almost two years, but it was only in June of this year that Starbucks launched a partnership with a hotel loyalty program. That program was Marriott Bonvoy and the partnership with Bonvoy gave U.S. Starbucks Rewards members and US Marriott Bonvoy members cross program earning opportunities for the first time.
Amex is making the redemption of Uber credits a little more irritating
Both the Platinum Card from American Express and the American Express Gold Card offer cardholders Uber/Uber Eats credits that can be used within the United States and up until now, these credits have been easy to use and haven’t required much thought. From November, that’s no longer going to be the case.
Hyatt’s newest Los Angeles property is now part of the World of Hyatt
LA County is home to quite a few Hyatt properties, but a lot of them are in areas that are (how can I put this delicately?) uninspiring, so the fact that we now have a Hyatt west of the 405, not on airport property, and within a short walk of the beach, should be good news.
