The end of the year is quickly approaching. Now is the perfect time to ensure you’ve completed your annual points and miles tasks before it’s too late. With many loyalty programs and credit card benefits, the end of the year is an important time to maximize every opportunity before the next year hits. Here are…
One of the great allures of cruising is that a lot is included in the fare. Those $599-a-week rates that you see advertised from low-cost brands such as Carnival Cruise Line include not just a room on a ship but also meals and entertainment. The ship also acts as your transportation — it gets you…
Each holiday season, some consumers find that they have no extra money for gifts. If you’re in this situation, you could put your holiday purchases on a 0% interest credit card if you know you can pay the charges off during the introductory period. However, if you have points or miles tucked away in your…
One of the glitziest hotels in the IHG Hotels & Resorts orbit hosted VIP — very important poultry — guests over the weekend prior to their high-profile pardon from U.S. President Joe Biden. Peach and Blossom, the turkeys Biden pardoned Monday ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, enjoyed a luxe stay at the Willard InterContinental,…
In recent years, Clear Plus has proven invaluable for saving time at the airport. The expedited security program can help you breeze through the Transportation Security Administration screening process at 58 U.S. airports, especially when paired with TSA PreCheck. Clear members can utilize a separate, typically shorter, security lane and verify their identity using a…
British Airways has unveiled a brand-new first-class suite that will be available starting in 2026 on board the world’s largest passenger aircraft, the Airbus A380. This will be the first update to British Airways’ first-class offering since 2020, when it rolled out an upgraded seat on several aircraft in its Boeing 777 fleet. This iteration…
It’s been years in the making, and the finish line is now within sight: The transformed John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) is just a little more than a year away from opening. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which manages and oversees the airport, has undertaken a massive $19 billion transformation…
The Transportation Security Administration is fully staffed and ready for more record-breaking crowds this holiday season. That’s the word from TSA administrator David Pekoske, who spoke to TPG in a wide-ranging interview about the future of the TSA as well as his own future under the incoming Trump administration. TSA expects the Tuesday and Wednesday…
American Airlines is making some noteworthy network changes. The Fort Worth-based carrier filed plans over the weekend to launch three new domestic routes, as first seen in Cirium schedules and later confirmed by a carrier spokesperson. The routes include: Chicago to Bismarck, North Dakota Chicago to Boise, Idaho Phoenix to Appleton, Wisconsin All three of…
Your resident Chicagoan is back for another local hotel review. For this review, I went east toward Lake Michigan and north toward Lincoln Park for a two-night stay at the Thompson Chicago, a Category 5 Hyatt property. The Thompson sits on the corner of Rush Street and East Bellevue Place in Gold Coast, one of…