Daily Points: New Airlines Routes

RJ Expands US Network: Royal Jordanian will launch 3x-weekly Boeing 787-8 flights between Amman and Washington Dulles starting summer 2025, adding to its existing North American routes from Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and New York.

Oakland-Kona Route Ends: Southwest Airlines will terminate its daily service between Oakland International Airport and Kona International Airport effective March 5, 2025, a route that averaged only 60 daily passengers in 2023.

Oakland Airport Name Blocked: A federal judge has halted Oakland International Airport’s attempt to rebrand as “San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport” through an injunction ruling, finding the new name infringes on SFO’s trademark and could cause consumer confusion.

Lufthansa Expands North American Routes: Lufthansa Group will launch 4 new North American routes in 2025, with Discover Airlines operating Munich to Calgary and Orlando services starting March/April 2025, while Edelweiss Air will connect Zurich to Halifax and Seattle beginning June/July 2025 – all routes will be operated by widebody aircraft including A330s and A340s. Additionally, Lufthansa will continue operating A380 service from Munich to Boston, Los Angeles, New York JFK, and Washington DC during Summer 2025 before switching to smaller aircraft like the A350 for the winter season.

BermudAir Adds Three Routes: BermudAir will launch flights from Bermuda to Charleston (CHS), Hartford (BDL), and Raleigh-Durham (RDU) starting April 2025, operating 2x weekly to Hartford (Thursdays/Sundays) and Raleigh (Mondays/Fridays), plus 1x weekly to Charleston (Saturdays). The expansion builds on BermudAir’s existing network of seven destinations (Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Westchester, Baltimore, Orlando, Halifax, and Toronto), with all routes operated by their fleet of two Embraer E175 aircraft featuring 88 seats in a 2-2 configuration, where business class passengers receive an empty adjacent seat and enhanced service.

Virgin Cancels Cape Town: Virgin Atlantic is canceling its extended Cape Town flight schedule for April 2025 due to ongoing Boeing 787 issues, with the service now ending in March 2025 and resuming in October 2025 instead of running through April as previously planned.

Alaska’s West Coast Upgrades: Starting November 20, 2024, Alaska Airlines will introduce Straightaway Nitro Espresso Martinis and Lagunitas Hoppy Refreshed (non-alcoholic) as complimentary beverages for first class and Premium Class passengers, while also adding new Filson blankets in first class for longer flights beginning December 2024. The airline will further enhance its soft product by introducing Salt & Stone soap and lotion featuring bergamot, grapefruit, and orange blossom notes in all Alaska Lounges and onboard lavatories.

SIA’s Exclusive Cristal 2015: Singapore Airlines will become the only airline serving Cristal 2015 Champagne in First Class and Suites starting December 1, 2024, initially available on flights between Singapore and eight major destinations (Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Shanghai, Sydney, and Tokyo) before rotating to other routes quarterly.

Pepper Points Now Expire: Points in the Pepper mobile payment and rewards app expire after 60 days of inactivity starting November 15, 2024 (February 1, 2025 for existing users with purchases). The app, which functions as a digital payment platform and gift card marketplace with substantial rewards on purchases.