Happy Thursday. Here’s your miles, points, travel, and deals news for December 12, 2024:
Business Platinum Amex Adds Hilton Credits
American Express has improved the Business Platinum Card with quarterly Hilton credits worth up to $200 annually, offering cardholders $50 back each quarter when spending at eligible Hilton properties.
Enrollment in both the card benefit and Hilton for Business program is necessary to access this new perk, which kicks in automatically when spending $50+ at Hilton properties.
The statement credits typically post within days but might take up to 8-12 weeks in some cases. You can split hotel bills across multiple cards, making it easy to maximize this benefit by using your Business Platinum for just $50 of your stay while putting remaining charges on other reward-earning cards.
AA Keeps Elite Status Requirements Steady
American Airlines revealed good news for frequent flyers about their 2025 AAdvantage program changes. The airline will maintain current Loyalty Points thresholds for all elite status tiers, bucking the industry trend of increasing requirements. Members can earn milestone rewards from 15,000 to 5,000,000 Loyalty Points, with status levels remaining at 40,000 points for Gold through 200,000 for Executive Platinum.
The program introduces two significant lifetime status tiers: Platinum Pro at 4 million miles and Executive Platinum at 5 million miles. Starting March 1, 2025, systemwide upgrades will gain extended validity through the end of the membership year, giving members more flexibility in their upgrade planning.
AAdvantage members will soon redeem miles for inflight food, beverages, and WiFi on eligible flights. A new personalized luggage tag option joins the 15,000 Loyalty Points reward choices, while sustainable aviation fuel replaces carbon offsets at the 175,000-point level.
The lack of negative changes sets American apart from competitors like United, which recently announced a 20% increase in status requirements. American’s program year will continue running from March through February, with status valid through March 31 of the following year.
Looking ahead, American plans to expand partner airline benefits, including upcoming Aer Lingus redemptions and the addition of Oman Air to oneworld. No changes to partner award pricing have been announced, maintaining current redemption rates across the network.
Korean Airlines Finalizes Asiana Merger
South Korea’s aviation landscape transforms as Korean Air completes its $1.6 billion acquisition of Asiana Airlines, creating what’s set to become the world’s 10th largest airline. After securing approval from 14 regulatory authorities worldwide, the deal concluded with Korean Air acquiring a 63.88% ownership stake through 131,578,947 newly issued Asiana shares.
Korean Air will emerge as the dominant brand, maintaining SkyTeam alliance membership while further strengthening its joint venture with Delta Air Lines. For U.S. travelers, this means enhanced transpacific connectivity through Korean Air and Delta’s combined 19 daily flights between Seoul and various U.S. destinations.
The integration process spans approximately two years, with network optimization plans requiring maintaining at least 90% of 2019’s total available seats.
Travel and Other News
Southwest’s Florida Route Expansion: Southwest Airlines will launch four new twice-daily intra-Florida routes from Orlando (MCO) to Miami (MIA), Palm Beach (PBI), Sarasota (SRQ), and Fort Myers (RSW) starting August 2025, making it the only carrier offering nonstop service on three of these routes. The expansion significantly strengthens Southwest’s presence in Florida’s leisure market, particularly for theme park visitors, while providing direct competition to existing carriers on the Orlando-Miami route and complementing their current Orlando-Fort Lauderdale service.
Dallas Gets Fiji Flights: Fiji Airways launched thrice-weekly nonstop service between Dallas-Fort Worth and Nadi on its Airbus A350, operating Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays with flight times of DFW 9:55 p.m. – NAN 5:20 a.m. (+2) and NAN 9:15 p.m. – DFW 3:20 p.m. The 6,625-mile route features 33 lie-flat business class seats and 301 economy seats.
Marriott Expands Outdoor Lodging: Marriott announces acquisition of Postcard Cabins (formerly Getaway Outposts) with 29 properties and 1,200 cabins, plus signs long-term agreement with Trailborn featuring 559 rooms across five outdoor destinations, with both brands set to integrate into Marriott Bonvoy’s system in 2025. The expansion will add nature-focused accommodations including tiny homes and cabins within two hours of major metropolitan areas, while Trailborn’s properties are strategically located near national parks including Rocky Mountain and Grand Canyon, with additional locations planned in Wrightsville Beach, NC, and Mendocino, CA.
Free Air Canada WiFi: Air Canada will roll out complimentary WiFi to all Aeroplan members starting May 2025 for North American and Sun routes, expanding to international flights in 2026, with installation across most aircraft including Q400 turboprops at Toronto Billy Bishop Airport. The Bell-sponsored service builds upon existing WiFi offerings like Premium Rouge and free messaging for Aeroplan members.
Aircalin Orders A350 Fleet: New Caledonian carrier Aircalin has ordered two Airbus A350-900 aircraft with deliveries in late 2026 and 2028, enabling enhancement of its Nouméa-Paris via Bangkok route and potential future direct flights. The A350-900s will feature 15% more seats than their A330-900s, including additional business suites, while offering improved fuel efficiency for long-haul operations.
