Happy Monday. Here is your miles, points, deals, and travel news for August 24, 2026.
Citi refreshed the AAdvantage Executive card with a 125,000-mile bonus
American and Citi just refreshed the AAdvantage Executive card. It is now the Citi / AAdvantage Executive World Legend Mastercard, replacing the old World Elite version. The refresh went live August 23.
The headline offer is 125,000 miles after $15,000 in purchases in the first five months. That is the biggest public bonus this card has carried. The last strong public offer was 100,000 miles after $10,000 in three months, so you get more miles, but you also have a higher spend hurdle and two extra months to meet it. New cardmembers pay $695 a year, up from $595.
The product is still built around Admirals Club. A standalone club membership now runs about $1,200 to $1,400, so the card is the cheaper way in if you would pay for lounge access anyway. Primary cardmembers get membership plus guests, and authorized users get lounge access too. The refresh also adds up to $500 a year in American Airlines Vacations credits for packages and experiences (not regular airfare), split $250 from January through June and $250 from July through December, plus up to $100 back on inflight and eligible Admirals Club spend.
Existing cardmembers get the new benefits now. The $695 fee does not hit everyone on the same day. It applies immediately to new applicants and to current holders on a rolling anniversary. The usual 48-month same-product bonus language still applies, including if you converted another Citi card into an Executive account after earning a bonus.
This is worth a look if you fly American enough to use Admirals Club, or if you have been waiting for a better Executive bonus. It is a tough sell if you do not value the lounge, because $695 is a lot of annual fee to make back on miles alone.
JetBlue opens a second BlueHouse lounge in Boston
JetBlue is opening its second BlueHouse lounge at Boston Logan on Thursday, August 27, at 5:00 a.m. Eastern in Terminal C. The first BlueHouse opened at JFK Terminal 5 in December 2025. Boston is the bigger room, about 12,000 square feet.
The more useful news is who gets in. Until now, complimentary Mint access was limited to transatlantic Mint customers. Starting Thursday, that expands at both Boston and New York to anyone departing on a confirmed Mint or Mint Flex fare, domestic or international, plus Mosaic 4 members and JetBlue Premier cardholders. You need a same-day boarding pass and can enter up to three hours before departure. Access is still space-available.
Everyone else who qualifies can buy a one-time pass at the desk: $59 for Mosaic 3, and $79 for Mosaic 1–2 and the Plus and Business cards, pending space. Mosaic 4 and Premier cardmembers get one free guest; Mint customers pay $39 a guest.
There is a catch coming. In the coming weeks JetBlue will sell a cheaper Mint Base fare that does not include BlueHouse access, complimentary advance seats, or fee-free changes and cancellations. If the lounge is why you are paying for Mint, book Mint or Mint Flex, not Mint Base, once that fare shows up.
Rakuten’s Amex is paying $200 through Tuesday
Rakuten’s no-annual-fee American Express card has a $200 welcome bonus through Tuesday, August 25. You need $2,000 in purchases in the first 90 days. You also have to be a Rakuten member to apply, which is free.
The $200 posts as Rakuten cash back, but you can turn it into 20,000 Membership Rewards or Bilt points if you set your Rakuten payout that way before it pays out. That is the version worth grabbing if you already collect either currency.
The card itself is a shopping add-on, not a travel card. It pays extra Cash Back on Rakuten purchases and Rakuten Dining, then 2% on groceries and restaurants and 1% everywhere else. There is no annual fee, so the decision is mostly whether you will hit $2,000 in 90 days and whether you already use Rakuten. This is a real card welcome offer, not an Amex Offers tab deal.
American opens Flagship Dining to business class
Flagship Dining is the sit-down restaurant inside American’s Flagship lounges at Dallas/Fort Worth and Miami. It has been a Flagship First perk, with Flagship Business Plus getting in on some itineraries. Starting September 15, Flagship Business and Flagship Business Plus passengers can use it at DFW and Miami on qualifying long-haul international, premium transcon, and Hawaii Flagship flights.
It is not a walk-in lounge seat. You check in with the host stand, and if there is no table you go on an electronic waitlist. Elite status by itself does not get you in. Los Angeles Flagship Dining has been closed since the pandemic and is supposed to reopen later in 2026.
This is American trying to keep a first-class ground perk in the mix as it sunsets Flagship First and leans on Flagship Business. If you already buy those business fares out of DFW or Miami, the restaurant is a real upgrade to the regular Flagship lounge buffet. It is not a reason to book American over Polaris or Delta One on its own.
Alaska adds Seattle–Athens and Seattle–Paris
Alaska is putting two new 787-9 routes on sale from Seattle: Athens and Paris for summer 2027. Seattle–Athens starts May 12, 2027, three times a week, and will be Alaska’s longest flight and the only nonstop from the West Coast to Athens. Seattle–Paris starts May 25, 2027, five times a week. Both are seasonal through October 2027.
Intro Main Cabin round-trips start at $999 if you buy on Alaska in the U.S. by August 26. Award space is also loading, so this is the week to search cash and Atmos Rewards if either city is on your list. After Wednesday the intro fare can disappear even if the flights stay on sale.
Emirates shortens Skywards expiry in 2027
Emirates is tightening expiry on new Skywards miles, not on the balance you already have. Miles earned on or after June 1, 2027, will expire three years from the earning activity, rounded to the end of that month. Today, unused miles can stretch to your next birth month after that three-year mark, which can add almost a year.
Miles already in your account, and anything earned before June 1, 2027, keep the old clock. You do not need to burn a pile of miles this week. If you earn a lot of Skywards on paid Emirates flights or transfers, the change just means those future miles will need activity on a tighter three-year cycle.
Citi has a 25% transfer bonus to Leading Hotels
Citi is offering a 25% bonus on ThankYou transfers to Leading Hotels of the World Leaders Club through September 19. Premium cards (Strata Elite, Strata Premier, Prestige, AT&T Access More) move 1,000 ThankYou points to 250 LHW points, up from 200. Other ThankYou cards move 1,000 to 175.
LHW points are basically a cash credit at member hotels, often around 8 cents each, so the bonus only matters if you already have a stay you would pay cash for. There is no transfer cap, and the bonus is built into the ratio when you transfer. Skip it if you are moving points speculatively. LHW’s footprint is small, and parking points there without a booking is a weak use of ThankYou.
On the radar
- Frontier applied to fly daily Orlando (MCO) to Bogotá (BOG), Medellín (MDE), Cartagena (CTG), and Cali (CLO).
- Israir got FAA approval for U.S. flying and is targeting a first Tel Aviv (TLV) to New York flight on October 19, 2026, with tickets not yet on sale.
- United will announce 2027 international routes Tuesday at 7:00 a.m. Eastern; destinations are still unconfirmed.
- Allegiant First is now on sale for March 2027 flying from Punta Gorda.
- Starlux is raising Taipei (TPE) to Ontario (ONT) from 4x to 5x weekly starting December 1, 2026.
- Southwest’s Low Fare Calendar still says June 2, 2027, flying opens Thursday, August 27.
- Breeze is selling one-ways from $35 for travel September 8 through October 8, book by August 27.
- Targeted IHG Points + Cash discounts book through tonight for stays through September 7.
- Hilton Honors members can now earn and redeem points at YOTEL Boston as of August 22.
