Here is the latest miles, points, and travel news:
BA Devalues Avios December 15
British Airways will devalue Avios on December 15, with award prices increasing across all BA flights and partner airlines — and they’re not sugar-coating it as a “rebalancing” or claiming some prices will drop.
The examples provided show points increasing around 10% while surcharges are jumping even more dramatically, ranging from a few percentage points to 20% or even doubling in some cases, with BA citing “increasing Air Passenger Duty and third-party charges, as well as changing market conditions and ongoing inflation” as justification.
Specific pricing changes include London-New York off-peak roundtrip awards rising from 50,000 to 55,000 Avios in coach, 85,000 to 93,500 in premium economy, and 160,000 to 176,000 in business class, with corresponding surcharge increases from £100 to £120, £305 to £350, and £375 to £399 respectively.
You can change the time or date of pre-existing bookings after December 15 without repricing at the new higher rates as long as the destination, cabin, and seasonality remain unchanged — so you might want to book award flights now for dates far out and adjust them later.
This devaluation follows other major program changes throughout 2025, including rebranding the British Airways Club and switching to a revenue-based elite status model, though BA still refuses to release comprehensive details about the new award pricing until the changes go live.
Turkish Kills Hawaii Sweet Spot
Turkish Airlines’ Miles&Smiles program just eliminated one of the best domestic award redemptions without warning, destroying what used to be an incredible deal for flights to Hawaii on United.
The damage is brutal: Hawaii flights jumped from 10,000/15,000/20,000 miles to 25,000/40,000/50,000 miles one-way for economy/business/first class (increases of 150% to 167%), while mainland domestic flights also increased 50% across the board to 15,000/22,500/30,000 miles.
You can still transfer points from Bilt, Capital One, Citi ThankYou, and Marriott Bonvoy, but there’s basically no reason to use Miles&Smiles for U.S. flights anymore.
HT: Loyalty Lobby.
Chase Opens Vegas Lounge
Chase just opened its ninth Sapphire Lounge at Las Vegas (LAS) today near Gate C23, but at just 4,600 square feet with only 87 seats, it’s the second-smallest location in the network after Phoenix – raising real questions about crowding at an already lounge-packed airport.
The compact space still packs in Chase’s signature touches, including Momofuku partnership dishes like spicy cucumber salad and the famous pork bun, a first-of-its-kind champagne parlor, and local beverage partners like Dark Moon Coffee Roasters, Able Baker Brewery, Nevada Distilling, and High Ground Vodka.
You’ll need a Chase Sapphire Reserve card for unlimited access plus two free guests, or the closed-to-new-applicants Ritz-Carlton Card for unlimited guests, while Priority Pass members from cards like Amex Platinum or Capital One Venture X get just one free visit total per calendar year across all U.S. Chase lounges before paying $75 per visit – and everyone can only enter within three hours of departure unless connecting.
The lounge sits in a concourse dominated by Spirit, Southwest, and Allegiant, which could work in Chase’s favor by keeping premium cardholder traffic lower than other Sapphire Lounges, though the airport’s fully connected airside layout means travelers from any terminal can still make the trek.
Plaza Premium Adds Two DFW Lounges
Plaza Premium is opening two lounges near gate D17 in DFW Terminal D – a standard Plaza Premium Lounge that’ll likely be accessible with your Amex Platinum Card and other premium cards, plus a Plaza Premium First Lounge with upgraded perks like a la carte dining and barista coffee.
The Plaza Premium First Lounge will be the first of its kind in the United States, with the only other location in North America currently operating in Vancouver.
DFW Terminal D continues to expand its already impressive lounge collection, which includes an Amex Centurion Lounge, Capital One Lounge, a Chase Sapphire Lounge opening soon, American Flagship Lounge, Admirals Club, and The Club at DFW.
First Sapphire Lounge Closes
The Chase Sapphire Lounge at Hong Kong International Airport — the first location in the network when it opened in October 2022 — will permanently close on January 5th with no signs of it being temporary.
This location stands out as one of the few that grants unlimited Priority Pass access (unlike the once-per-year cap at most other Sapphire Lounges), and you can still visit alternative lounges at HKG including Kyra Lounge near Gate 23 and three Plaza Premium Lounge locations.
JetBlue’s Big Puerto Rico Bet
JetBlue is adding five new routes from San Juan starting in March 2026, with daily service to Philadelphia launching March 26, along with flights to Jacksonville (4x weekly starting March 13), Norfolk (4x weekly starting March 27), Richmond (3x weekly starting March 26), and Buffalo (4x weekly starting March 27).
This expansion builds on JetBlue’s 16% growth in San Juan departures during 2025 compared to the previous year, reinforcing the carrier’s commitment to Puerto Rico where it’s maintained operations since 2002 and built a strong TrueBlue member base.
Beyond San Juan, JetBlue also unveiled two additional routes: Buffalo to Fort Myers beginning March 26, and Fort Lauderdale to Syracuse starting March 5, continuing the airline’s expansion across New York state and South Florida.
Citi Axes Aeromexico Transfers
Starting January 25, 2026, you won’t be able to transfer Citi ThankYou Points to Aeromexico Rewards anymore — whether you had the 1:1 rate with premium cards or the 10:7 rate with no-fee cards.
You’ve got just over a month to complete any transfers before the cutoff, though this was never your strongest play since Amex Membership Rewards transfers to Aeromexico at 1:1.6 and that option is sticking around.
Capital One Devalues Emirates Transfers
Starting January 13, 2026, Capital One will devalue its Emirates Skywards transfer ratio to 4:3 (meaning 1,000 Capital One miles will get you just 750 Emirates miles), making it the worst ratio among major transferable points currencies.
Capital One joins Citi ThankYou (devalued to 5:4 in July 2025), Amex Membership Rewards (devalued to 5:4 in September 2025), and Chase Ultimate Rewards (removed Emirates entirely in October 2025) in what appears to be Emirates demanding more money from credit card partners across the board.
Frontier Fast-Tracks Elite Status
Frontier is running a promotion where you can score Elite Gold status through the end of 2026 by registering and booking just 2 round-trip flights totaling at least $300 by December 9, 2025, with travel completed by March 11, 2026.
If you want Elite Platinum status (valid through 2027), you’ll need to book 3 or more round-trips totaling at least $750 and fly by September 30, 2026 — Gold status gets you a free carry-on, Preferred Seat selection, Premium Seat upgrades at check-in, UpFront Plus upgrades 4 hours before departure, no change fees, and Group 1 boarding, while Platinum adds unlimited companion travel, free checked bags for everyone on your reservation, Premium Seat upgrades at booking, UpFront Plus upgrades 12 hours before departure, Group 1 boarding for all companions, and 50% off Discount Den membership.
You must register at least 24 hours before departure, and both airfare and add-ons count toward the spending requirement, but taxes, fees, award tickets, and GoWild flights don’t qualify.
Southwest Teams With Condor
Southwest just announced an interline agreement with Condor starting January 19, 2026, allowing you to book connecting itineraries through six transatlantic gateways: Boston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Portland, San Francisco, and Seattle.
This marks Southwest’s fifth partnership (following Icelandair, China Airlines, EVA Air, and Philippine Airlines) and its first with a continental European carrier, though the agreement is pretty bare-bones—you can book connecting tickets and check bags through, but there’s no codeshare or loyalty program reciprocity.
ITA Airways Adds Houston
ITA Airways will launch seasonal service between Rome Fiumicino and Houston starting May 1, 2026, with three weekly flights on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays through May, then ramping up to five weekly flights (adding Mondays and Saturdays) from June 1 through October 24 using an Airbus A330-900.
This marks the first nonstop service between Rome and Houston, making it ITA’s ninth North American destination and connecting its main hub with United’s Houston gateway as the Italian carrier joins Star Alliance and prepares to merge its Volare loyalty program with Lufthansa’s Miles & More by February.
