Here’s your travel, points, and deals news for today:
Emirates Drops From Chase
Chase Ultimate Rewards will end its partnership with Emirates Skywards on October 16 at 12 a.m. EDT, removing one of the program’s 11 airline transfer partners.
Emirates has experienced multiple devaluations this year, with Citi ThankYou lowering its transfer ratio from 1:1 to 5:4 in July and American Express Membership Rewards following suit effective September 16, plus the airline now restricts first-class award redemptions to elite members only.
You can still transfer Bilt Rewards Points and Capital One miles to Emirates at a 1:1 ratio, but experts don’t recommend transferring Chase points before the deadline unless you have a specific redemption planned and confirmed award availability.
Southwest Cuts 30 Routes
Southwest Airlines will eliminate up to 30 routes from its network starting March 2026, marking a significant shift toward a hub-and-spoke model with more connecting flights.
Denver International Airport and St. Louis Lambert International Airport face the biggest impact, each losing seven routes, while Atlanta loses high-profile nonstops to LaGuardia and Raleigh-Durham.
Key route cuts include:
- Denver to Albany, Buffalo, Hartford, Charleston, Charlotte, Norfolk, and Providence
- St. Louis to Burbank, Charlotte, Des Moines, Little Rock, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and Wichita
- Atlanta to LaGuardia and Raleigh-Durham (permanent cuts)
The airline is simultaneously adding short connection-focused routes like Chicago Midway to Milwaukee and Nashville to Knoxville, plus introducing McGhee Tyson Airport near Knoxville as a new destination.
Chase IHG Transfer Bonus
Chase Ultimate Rewards is offering a 100% bonus when transferring points to IHG One Rewards between August 16 and September 4, 2025, converting the usual 1,000:1,000 ratio to 1,000:2,000 with unlimited transfers.
This marks the highest transfer bonus ever offered between these programs, surpassing the typical 50% to 80% bonuses that usually appear twice yearly.
Despite the generous bonus, you’re still better off avoiding this promotion since IHG points are valued at approximately 0.5 cents each while Chase points are worth around 1.7 cents, meaning you’d only receive 1.0 cent of value per transferred Chase point even with the doubled bonus.
100% IHG Points Bonus
IHG is offering a 100% bonus when you purchase 5,000 or more points through August 28, 2025, bringing the effective cost down to 0.5 cents per point.
You can buy up to 200,000 points per calendar year, and the purchase won’t code as travel, so use a card that earns at least 2% on everyday purchases to maximize your return.
Air Canada Strike Continues
Negotiations between Air Canada and the union representing 10,000 striking flight attendants resumed Monday evening after Canada’s labor relations board declared the walkout illegal and ordered workers back by noon.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees defied the back-to-work order, with national president Mark Hancock stating the strike will continue despite potential fines and jail time for union leadership, as the dispute has already canceled flights for 500,000 passengers since Saturday.
The union is demanding full pay for pre- and post-flight work that flight attendants currently perform unpaid (estimated at 35 hours monthly), while Air Canada offers half the normal wage rate for these duties, with Canada’s labor minister now investigating this unpaid work practice.
Frontier Friends Fly Free Returns
Frontier Airlines brought back its “Friends Fly Free” promotion exclusively for Discount Den members, allowing them to bring a travel companion at no additional airfare cost on select flights from September 2-30 during a two-day booking window ending August 19th at 11:59 PM MDT.
Non-members can join Discount Den for free (normally $99) when signing up during this promotion, with the offer requiring bookings for groups of two or more on the same reservation at least 14 days before travel, though taxes and fees starting at $10.10 per person still apply.
Qatar Opens First US Lounge
Qatar Airways will open its first U.S. airport lounge at JFK’s new Terminal One in 2026, featuring 15,000 square feet with direct boarding, premium dining, relaxation rooms, and children’s play areas.
The move from Terminal 8 to Terminal One will create a less convenient connecting experience for travelers, as they’ll need to clear security and take the AirTrain between terminals instead of staying within the current Oneworld hub.
Terminal One will house 18 international airlines including Air France, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Korean Air, EVA Air, and Philippine Airlines, while most Oneworld carriers will remain at Terminal 8.
U.S. Bank Cuts Smartly Rates
U.S. Bank recently dropped the public Smartly Savings rate from 3.60% to 3.00% APY and is now mailing letters to select customers informing them they’ll receive just 0.05% APY going forward.
The bank may be planning to reserve the 3.00% rate exclusively for new customers while pushing existing account holders to the drastically lower rate.
American Partners With Starlux
American Airlines and Taiwan’s premium Starlux Airlines launched a new interline agreement that lets you book connecting itineraries between the two carriers with automatic baggage transfers.
The partnership opens up new routing options, especially once Starlux begins Phoenix service on January 15, 2026, allowing connections from American’s domestic network to Starlux’s Taiwan hub.
This basic cooperation falls short of a full alliance partnership, meaning you can’t earn or redeem AAdvantage miles on Starlux flights or enjoy elite status benefits across both airlines.
