Fast-growing Porter Airlines is expanding its footprint on the U.S. West Coast.
Last week, the Toronto-based carrier announced it would add new nonstop flights from Montreal-Trudeau International Airport (YUL) in Canada to California’s two largest cities.
Starting in late June, Porter will offer seasonal service between Montreal and both Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
The announcement comes less than two months after the carrier first commenced service to both West Coast cities from Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ).
It’s also part of a larger growth strategy that has seen the airline dramatically increase its U.S. presence of late.
“These Montreal routes connect to destinations across the globe with Porter’s strategic partners, providing more options that travelers crave,” Porter president Kevin Jackson said in a statement announcing the news.
The airline touts its inflight service, which includes free alcoholic beverages in glassware (not plastic or paper cups) for all passengers. It also offers free Wi-Fi.
PORTER AIRLINES
Larger growth plans
This West Coast scale-up is the latest in a series of steps Porter has taken to increase its presence in the U.S. — particularly out west.
On top of the two Toronto-to-California nonstops launched in January, the carrier also launched inaugural service earlier this month from Toronto to Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas.
— Harry Reid International Airport (@LASairport) March 6, 2024
All told, the carrier will fly nearly 70% more seats to the U.S. over the next six months versus the same period last year, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
CIRIUM
The airline also notes these new routes will improve its connectivity. That’s thanks, in part, to a recently launched interline agreement with Alaska Airlines. The arrangement allows passengers to book trips with seamless connections between the two carriers (for certain itineraries). It also allows Mileage Plan members to earn miles on certain Porter flights.
2023 was the safest year ever for commercial air travel, but after several high-profile aviation incidents in 2024, the general public is paying closer attention to airline safety.
The occurrence of several attention-grabbing events over the past few weeks, in particular, prompted United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby to address the topic of airline safety in a memo to customers on Monday.
In his first public comments on the recent spate of safety-related situations, some of which have involved United jets, Kirby said that safety was the airline’s top priority, but acknowledged that United had experienced “a number” of incidents in a short period.
“While they are all unrelated, I want you to know that these incidents have our attention and have sharpened our focus,” Kirby wrote. “Our team is reviewing the details of each case to understand what happened and using those insights to inform our safety training and procedures across all employee groups.”
Kirby added that the airline was already in the process of implementing several safety enhancements that were planned before the recent episodes, including adding an extra day of training for pilots and creating a new centralized training curriculum for maintenance technicians.
“I’m confident that we’ll learn the right lessons from these recent incidents and continue to run an operation that puts safety first and makes our employees and customers proud,” Kirby added.
Since then, a number of incidents involving Boeing aircraft have garnered significant attention, while several episodes involving United flights, specifically, have put the airline at the center of the public discussion
Earlier this month, a United Airlines 737 MAX rolled off a runway into the grass at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston (IAH), causing part of its landing gear to collapse. A day earlier, a tire fell from a Boeing 777-200 flown by United as it departed from San Francisco International Airport (SFO), damaging cars in an employee parking lot below.
Also earlier this month, a United Airbus A320 en route from San Francisco International Airport to Mexico City International Airport (MEX) made an emergency landing at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) after an issue with a hydraulics system.
Although it did not involve United, the latest Boeing-related incident occurred on Friday when a 25-year-old United Boeing 737-800 was found to be missing an external panel that covers mechanical equipment on the underside of the plane during a routine inspection after completing a flight to Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (MFR) in Oregon.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Wyndham Rewards offers a three-tier award chart, with award nights costing 7,500, 15,000 or 30,000 points per night. This award chart means you can get a lot of value from Wyndham Rewards points, especially on peak travel dates.
The Wyndham portfolio includes brands ranging from Days Inn and Super 8 to Wyndham Grand and the Trademark Collection. You can also book select Caesars Rewards properties, Wyndham vacation club properties and Vacasa vacation rentals with Wyndham points.
Even if you don’t stay with Wyndham properties frequently, it’s worth knowing how to earn Wyndham points for when you discover an award stay you want to book. Here’s a closer look at how to earn Wyndham points.
Earn Wyndham points on hotel stays
You’ll earn 10 points per dollar spent or 1,000 points — whichever is more — on qualifying stays at Wyndham vacation club resorts and participating Wyndham brands, Wyndham destinations and Caesars Rewards properties.
Usually, you’ll earn points on the room rate you pay, but at Dolce Hotels and Resorts, Wyndham Grand, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts (including Viva Wyndham properties) and Wyndham Garden, you’ll earn points on your total charges. When you book Go Fast awards, you can earn points on the cash part of your redemption.
TRYP BY WYNDHAM NEW YORK CITY TIMES SQUARE/MIDTOWN/FACEBOOK
You’ll only earn Wyndham points on qualifying stays. Specifically, you can earn points when you book through Wyndham’s call centers, websites, mobile app or at a hotel. You won’t earn points if you book through a third-party website, and you won’t earn points at:
Wyndham Concorde Resort Isla Margarita, The H Hotel and the Bank of Montreal Institute for Learning
Echo Suites Extended Stay by Wyndham hotels
Travelodge properties outside the U.S., Canada and Mexico
Wyndham Rewards has four membership levels. At enrollment, you’ll be an entry-level Blue member, but you’ll earn Gold elite status after five nights, Platinum after 15 nights and Diamond after 40 nights.
Wyndham Rewards elite members get bonus points on most stays (excluding Go Fast awards) as follows:
Gold members: 10% of base points (11 points per dollar in total)
Platinum members: 15% of base points (15 points per dollar in total)
Diamond members: 20% of base points (20 points per dollar in total)
Wyndham adds these bonus points to your base points before calculating the 1,000-point per stay minimum. So, Wyndham will only round your points up to 1,000 points per stay if your base points plus your bonus points are less than 1,000.
Wyndham and Barclays offer several Wyndham Rewards credit cards. Here’s a quick comparison of these cards’ sign-up bonuses, earning rates and annual fees.
Card
Sign-up bonus
Earning rates
Annual fee
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Card
75,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months
5 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases made at Hotels by Wyndham, as well as on qualifying gas purchases
2 points per dollar spent on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart)
1 point per dollar spent on other purchases
None
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Plus Card
100,000 bonus points after spending $2,000 on purchases in the first six months
6 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases made at Hotels by Wyndham, as well as on qualifying gas purchases
4 points per dollar spent on eligible dining and grocery store purchases (excluding Target and Walmart)
1 point per dollar spent on other purchases
$75
Wyndham Rewards Earner® Business Card
50,000 bonus points after spending $4,000 on purchases in the first 90 days, plus 50,000 bonus points after spending $15,000 on purchases within the first 12 months
8 points per dollar spent on eligible purchases made at Hotels by Wyndham, as well as on qualifying gas purchases
5 points per dollar spent on eligible marketing, advertising and utilities purchases
1 point per dollar spent on other purchases
$95
The information for the Wyndham Earner, Wyndham Earner Plus and Wyndham Business Earner has been collected independently by The Points Guy. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.
You can transfer three main travel currencies to Wyndham Rewards: Capital One miles, Citi ThankYou Rewards points and Caesars Rewards reward credits. Let’s take a closer look at these transfer options.
You can also transfer Citi ThankYou Rewards points to Wyndham Rewards. However, the ratio at which you can transfer points to Wyndham depends on your specific Citi ThankYou card.
You can transfer Caesars Rewards reward credits to Wyndham Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. However, you can only transfer reward credits in increments of 5,000, and you can only transfer up to 60,000 reward credits to Wyndham Rewards per year. Transfers may take six to eight weeks to process.
Note that these Wyndham points are on top of any rewards you’d earn from the merchant or the credit card you use for the purchase.
Wyndham Business rewards
Wyndham offers business travel and event planning rewards. Whether you manage company travel, plan events professionally or are planning a one-off event, you may be able to earn some extra Wyndham points.
Small and medium businesses
If you manage company travel, you may earn extra rewards and discounts by enrolling your company at the Wyndham Business website. For example, registered small and medium businesses can get up to 22% off the best available rate if they qualify for a volume-based discount. Business accounts can also earn 4 points per dollar when booking stays for groups of crew members.
Wyndham’s Go Meet program
Through Wyndham’s Go Meet program, you can earn 1 point per dollar when you plan an event. Specifically, you can earn points on:
Guest sleeping rooms, but only when 10 or more rooms are booked on at least one night of your event
Event space cost
Event food and beverage charges
You won’t earn points on taxes, resort fees, facility fees, incidental charges, gratuities and related charges.
Not all Wyndham Rewards hotels participate in the Go Meet program. Some Wyndham Rewards properties offer different bonuses to event planners, so look closely at how you’ll earn before signing an event contract.
WYNDHAM GRAND ORLANDO RESORT BONNET CREEK/IAN DAWSON/WYNDHAM
Earn Wyndham points on tours and activities
When you book tours and activities through Wyndham Rewards Experiences, you can earn 10 Wyndham points per dollar spent on your booking. Viator powers the tours and activities bookable through Wyndham Rewards Experiences. So, you can earn Wyndham points on Viator activities, tours and experiences worldwide.
Earn Wyndham points by taking surveys
You can earn Wyndham points when you join Opinion Rewards Panel and take surveys. Specifically, when you join through Wyndham’s link, you’ll earn 500 Wyndham Rewards points after completing your first survey. You’ll also earn points for every additional survey you take, presumably at much lower rates.
Buy Wyndham points
Finally, you can also buy Wyndham points for yourself or others in increments of 1,000. Wyndham Rewards points cost $13 per 1,000 points, which equals 1.3 cents per point. TPG’s valuations peg the value of Wyndham points at 1.1 cents each. So, buying points usually won’t make sense unless you have a specific high-value redemption in mind.
If you decide to buy Wyndham points, use one of the best credit cards for buying points. When you buy points, they should post within 72 hours. Each Wyndham Rewards account can only receive up to 100,000 points per calendar year from buying or gifting.
WYNDHAM GRAND RIO MAR PUERTO RICO GOLF & BEACH RESORT/WYNDHAM
Bottom line
As you can see, there are many ways to earn Wyndham points besides staying at Wyndham hotels. Perhaps you’ve found it easy to get good value from Wyndham points and want to earn more. Or, maybe you need to top off your balance for an upcoming redemption.
Either way, you can earn more Wyndham points using one or more methods described in this guide.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
If you want extra room or perks on an upcoming Hyatt stay, you may be able to redeem points for a club room or suite. Club rooms and suites aren’t available at all World of Hyatt properties and may not be bookable with points for your stay even if the property offers these room types.
However, if the property has club rooms or suites, you may be able to book an upgraded accommodation type using points or a mixture of points and cash. You can also upgrade some paid stays using points even after booking. Here’s what you need to know.
When you look at the World of Hyatt award charts, you’ll see standard room, club room, standard suite and premium suite award pricing. So, if you want to redeem Hyatt points for a club room or suite, you may be able to do so by selecting an upgraded room type.
How to redeem points for club rooms and suites
As mentioned above, just because a World of Hyatt property offers club rooms or suites doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be able to book them with points. So, the first step is to check the options available for the property you want to book on the dates you want to travel.
Search for an award stay as you typically would, and select the property you want to visit. Then, you’ll see the room types bookable with points.
HYATT.COM
You can click on the “Suites” tab to see suites you can book with Hyatt points. If the “Suites” tab isn’t visible, it means no suites are bookable with points on your dates.
HYATT.COM
Note that you can sometimes choose whether to book club rooms or suites with points or points plus cash. Points plus cash rates cost 50% of the points required for a free night plus 30% to 50% of the standard rate for the room type. In the below example, you’d need to decide which option offers better value based on how you value Hyatt points.
HYATT.COM
Before making your decision, click through to see the cash copay, including any taxes and fees. Before using points to upgrade to a club room, consider whether you know any World of Hyatt members who might be willing to gift you a club lounge access award for your stay.
You can also sometimes redeem Hyatt points to upgrade paid stays. The upgrade cost is 3,000 points per night for a club upgrade, 6,000 points per night for a standard suite upgrade and 9,000 points per night for a premium suite upgrade.
You can often upgrade paid nights during booking; the option may show up as “Club Upgrade With Points” for club upgrades, “Lp Suite Pts Upgr” for standard suite upgrades and “Upgrade Premium Suite” for premium suite upgrades. To use points to upgrade to a club room or suite at a Hyatt resort, you may need to pay at least the standard rate for a deluxe room.
You can also call Hyatt to inquire about upgrading an existing stay. Not all stays will be eligible, but it’s worth calling to check if you want more space or perks on an upcoming stay.
The World of Hyatt Credit Card and the World of Hyatt Business Credit Card are great ways to earn Hyatt points if you don’t need them immediately. These cards also offer useful perks for Hyatt loyalists, including earning elite night credits as you reach credit card spending thresholds during the calendar year.
World of Hyatt offers reasonable rates if you want to redeem Hyatt points for upgraded rooms and suites. However, you won’t always see options to upgrade with points, even if the property offers upgraded rooms or suites.
If you have Hyatt Globalist status, you may not be compelled to redeem points for upgrades. After all, Hyatt Globalist members get club access and space-available upgrades up to standard suites. But, if you want a premium suite — or want to guarantee a standard suite — redeeming points for an upgrade can make a lot of sense, even if you have Globalist status.
A United Airlines jet was found to be missing an external panel after completing a scheduled flight to southern Oregon on Friday.
The Boeing 737-800, operating as United Flight 433, landed at Rogue Valley International Medford Airport (MFR) shortly before noon after an hour-long flight from San Francisco International Airport (SFO).
There was no mid-flight emergency, a United spokesperson said, nor anything else to suggest that there was damage during what appeared to be a routine flight. The missing panel was only discovered after the flight arrived and passengers disembarked. There were no injuries reported among the 139 passengers and six crewmembers.
After arriving at the gate, a routine inspection found a missing panel on the underside of the aircraft, near where the wing meets the body of the plane, airline and airport officials said. A photo first published by the Rogue Valley Times showed a jagged piece of metal plating appearing as if a piece of it had been torn away. The panel covered mechanical parts next to where the landing gear deploys.
Quite a sight as United #433 lands at Medford Airport this afternoon after panel apparently lost in-flight from San Francisco. No injuries, all safe, per updates coming in from our reporters. Plane is a 25-year-old Boeing 737-824 More coming soon from@RogueValTimes
newsroom. pic.twitter.com/IlN7c1d5mF
In a statement provided to TPG, United said it was investigating the incident.
“We’ll conduct a thorough examination of the plane and perform all the needed repairs before it returns to service,” the airline said. “We’ll also conduct an investigation to better understand how this damage occurred.”
The older “Next Generation” 737 was first delivered to Continental Airlines in 1998, according to Airfleets.net, and became part of United’s fleet when the two airlines merged in 2012.
It was also the latest among several incidents that have involved United.
Last week, a United Airlines 737 MAX rolled off of a runway into the grass at IAH, causing part of its landing gear to collapse. A day earlier, a tire fell from a Boeing 777-200 flown by United as it departed from San Francisco International Airport, damaging cars in an employee parking lot.
In an email Friday night, a Boeing spokesperson referred questions to United.
We’ll have more on this developing story as warranted.
Qatar Airways is developing a new first-class product to introduce aboard its aircraft, according to a new CNBC report.
The airline is also redesigning its award-winning QSuite, which has been broadly considered among the best business-class products in the world since its debut in 2017.
New Qatar Airways CEO Badr Mohammed Al Meer, in an interview with CNBC on Thursday, said that the new cabins represented a shift in strategy to align with “a new era.”
The new business class offering will debut at the Farnborough International Airshow, which is slated to run July 22-26 outside of London. It was not immediately clear when the first class cabin would be unveiled; Al Meer told CNBC that the design was “70-80%” complete and “hopefully we will be able to announce it very soon.”
Qatar Airways currently offers a first-class cabin on its Airbus A380, which operates on some frequencies between the airline’s Doha hub and Bangkok, Paris, London, Sydney and Perth, Australia.
Qatar had planned to phase out the A380s under Al Baker, but Al Meer said the airline would keep the jets active.
The current first-class hard product, while more spacious than the business-class seats, is fairly dated compared to the offerings on Persian Gulf rivals Emirates and Etihad. It’s also missing some features from the QSuites, including closing doors for added privacy.
There were no details available on what the new product would entail. Al Meer told CNBC that the airline was looking to build a product comparable to flying private.
“We wanted to combine the experience of flying commercial and flying on a private jet and develop something new,” he said.
QSuites is available on some of Qatar’s Boeing 777 and Airbus A350 aircraft. Other aircraft — including the A380, the Airbus A330, the Boeing 787 and some of the airline’s 777s and A350s — have older business-class seats. However, they offer an identical “soft product” — or service items like food options, on-demand service and other amenities.
Al Meer said that the airline is in talks with Airbus and Boeing for a “big” new aircraft order. However, it was not immediately clear whether the new first and business-class seats would be retrofitted on existing aircraft or only installed on newly ordered jets.
Qatar initially seemed inclined to phase out its first class altogether and instead enhance its onboard business class by introducing QSuites along with elevated dining options and top-tier service; numerous flight attendants would enable customized options like dining on demand instead of during a single meal service.
Emirates and Etihad, on the other hand, have kept the high-yielding top cabin and used it to distinguish themselves among travelers crossing the globe; the branding benefits from the opulence of first class — private suites, caviar, even on-board showers — trickle down to boost the airlines’ reputations across all of their service classes.
Timing on the new products remains unclear, but they could debut on Qatar’s first Boeing 777X. The airline has 74 of Boeing’s newest jet series on order. The 777X is still undergoing the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification process, and timing for the already-delayed airplane remains unclear. Also unclear is whether the current crisis at Boeing surrounding the 737 MAX will impact the 777X program’s development. But, Al Meer said that the airline expects to receive the first of the new planes by the end of 2025.
TPG founder Brian Kelly is a Bilt adviser and investor.
Bilt Rewards keeps adding enhancements and transfer partners at a pace unmatched by most other credit card rewards programs. Now, Bilt Rewards has announced a new strategic partnership with Alaska Airlines.
Effective immediately, Bilt Rewards members can transfer points to Alaska Mileage Plan at a 1:1 ratio. This is huge news for award travelers, as Marriott Bonvoy points are the only other major transferable currency that transfers to Alaska Mileage Plan.
The partnership between Bilt Rewards and Alaska Airlines extends beyond point transfers, though. Later this spring, Alaska Airlines cardholders will start earning 3 miles per dollar spent (on up to $50,000 annually) when using their Alaska Airlines Visa® credit card to pay rent through Bilt. That’s even better than the 1 point per dollar spent on rent payments (up to 100,000 points per calendar year) offered by the Bilt Mastercard® (see rates and fees). You must use the card five times each statement period to earn points (see rewards and benefits).
You can read more about this partnership on Bilt’s website. Brett Catlin, vice president of loyalty at Alaska Airlines, stated via press release:
We have a rich history of connecting communities across the United States. This extraordinary new partnership with Bilt will reward our guests where they live while also connecting them to Alaska Airlines and our oneworld partners’ 1,000+ destinations across the globe.
ALASKA AIRLINES
Meanwhile, Bilt Rewards CEO Ankur Jain commented via press release:
From the Northwestern tip of Alaska to the most southeastern point of Florida, at Bilt we want to continuously reward our members no matter where they live in the United States. As one of the most loved brands in aviation, this first-of-its-kind partnership with Alaska Airlines not only broadens Bilt’s members’ ability to travel everywhere Alaska and its partners fly but also exemplifies our commitment to providing Americans with more valuable ways to earn and redeem rewards on their largest monthly expense, rent, and within their local neighborhood.
This new partnership is one more reason to utilize the Bilt Rewards program. If you pay rent, it may also be worth adding the Alaska Airlines Visa credit card to your wallet to earn 3 miles per dollar spent when paying rent through Bilt starting later this spring. Check out our Alaska Airlines Visa credit card review to learn more about this card.
For rates and fees of the Bilt Mastercard, click here. For rewards and benefits of the Bilt Mastercard, click here.
There’s a newly reopened upscale lounge option for passengers flying out of Dulles International Airport (IAD) near Washington, D.C. It’s now available, free of charge, for travelers who carry the Chase Sapphire Reserve® card.
Last week, Etihad Airways‘ Dulles lounge quietly reopened following a major face-lift — one that appears to bring it into Chase’s growing portfolio of Sapphire Lounges.
Officially, the club remains known as an Etihad Lounge. The airline’s logo remains on prominent display as you enter the space along Dulles’ A concourse.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
But Etihad’s website notes the space is a collaboration with JPMorgan Chase and airport lounge operator Airport Dimensions.
Throughout the two-level facility, you’ll find plenty of similarities to other clubs in Chase’s Sapphire Lounge portfolio, from impressive food and drink offerings to a family room and reflection space.
In fact, the front desk itself is adorned with a logo that says “Sapphire Lounge by The Club.” This is the official name of some other Chase lounges, such as the ones at Boston Logan International Airport (BOS) and New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA).
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
In an unusual twist, though, this lounge opened with little fanfare and no formal announcement from Chase, Etihad or Priority Pass.
So, last weekend, I shuffled my travel plans and booked a flight through Dulles to check out the space for myself.
Here’s what I found.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Dulles location
The new Etihad-Chase collaboration lounge is in Dulles’ Terminal A — specifically, near Gate A14.
After you clear security and take the AeroTrain to the terminal, the lounge is just to the left as you enter the concourse.
The lounge’s location puts it in close proximity to many international carriers’ gates at Dulles.
You should also be able to reach the lounge within minutes if you’re departing from a B gate on another U.S. carrier like American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Southwest Airlines or JetBlue.
SKYHOBO/GETTY IMAGES
Notably, the lounge is quite far from a majority of the gates used by United Airlines, which operates a hub at Dulles.
You can technically move between all Dulles gates airside, but it’ll be more of a hike to get to the lounge from terminals C and D, where a majority of United’s gates are.
The lounge is open daily from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Dulles access
As with the other Sapphire Lounge locations, Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders receive unlimited complimentary access for themselves and up to two guests per visit. Just make sure you’ve activated your Priority Pass membership through this card, as that’s what they’ll check to admit you to the lounge.
You’ll also get access if you’re flying in business or first class on an Etihad flight or if you have Gold or Platinum elite status with Etihad Guest.
Additionally, travelers who earn Priority Pass through a different card will receive one complimentary visit to any Sapphire Lounge per year. This is an especially great option for Capital One Venture X cardholders who are turned away from the Dulles Capital One Lounge when it’s full.
Additional guest visits and any visit above the one allowed will cost $75 each.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Dulles layout
Despite the lack of fanfare for this lounge’s reopening, it’s a beautiful space.
It’s a far cry from the massive 21,000-square-foot location at LaGuardia, but this didn’t come as a huge surprise. We expected this space to be similar in size to the Sapphire Lounge at John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK), which is also a revamped Etihad Lounge.
However, it’s a mere 5,200 square feet, according to the Washington Business Journal, meaning it’s actually much smaller than the 7,600-square-foot space in JFK.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
Immediately upon entering, it feels like you’re in a Sapphire Lounge — in no small part because of the sign that says so at the welcome desk.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
The color motif and seating areas are precisely what we’ve come to expect from a Sapphire-branded space.
From the reception area, you’ll notice the bar immediately to your right.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
Along the windows straight ahead, you can choose a cozy chair to settle in for some work or to do some planespotting. It was rainy and dark when I was there, but the floor-to-ceiling windows along the back wall mean you can enjoy some great plane views from multiple areas in the lounge.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
To your right, you’ll see a stairwell that leads to the second floor and two entrances into the small dining area. Don’t forget to turn all the way to your left to see the space’s most eye-catching, library-themed area.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
The shower, meditation room and bathrooms are all on the far side of the dining room.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
Upstairs, you’ll find various seating options, including a large center banquette with built-in outlets to charge your devices while you work. It also has its own small snack area.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
In such a small space, overcrowding could become a concern. However, the distinct spaces and ample seating throughout the lounge will likely help mitigate the issue significantly.
Chase Sapphire Lounge Dulles amenities
There are fewer amenity offerings here than what you’ll find in the Sapphire Lounge at LaGuardia. Don’t expect to make a facial appointment during your layover here.
Still, the space offers several amenities to make your stay more comfortable.
Just through the dining room, you’ll find three gender-neutral restrooms, a backlit vanity with two stools, a reflection room and a shower. The separate vanity is especially nice for those who need to refresh their hair or makeup, allowing you to do so without taking up one of the limited restrooms.
If you want to use the shower or reflection room, you’ll need to make a reservation at the reception desk or by scanning the QR code on any of the tables.
Additionally, there is a family area just off the bar. It is somewhat small but includes some games and an area for children to run around in a contained space.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
Chase Sapphire Lounge Dulles food and drinks
As with its other lounge locations, Chase offers an impressive selection of food and beverages in this lounge.
You can order a drink at the bar or by scanning the QR code on any of the tables on the first level. There are several signature cocktails, including the locally inspired “In Bloom,” which is a cherry blossom take on a mimosa.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
As you enter the dining area, you’ll find a grab-and-go section to your left with canned seltzers and soft drinks, espresso machines, locally roasted coffee and a few snacks. Farther back is the hot bar, which offers a variety of individually plated selections.
I was there during breakfast, and the options included a cheese plate, overnight oats, yogurt parfait, shakshuka, brioche French toast and curry potatoes. I highly recommend the shakshuka, which has pomegranate seeds that add an unexpected bright pop to the savory dish.
Additionally, you can scan the QR code on any of the tables on the first floor to order a dish from the made-to-order menu. At breakfast, the choices include breakfast bao, salmon Benedict, gluten-free bagel and gluten-free muffin. This is especially good news for those who just want to walk in and settle in the bar or a corner seating area without venturing into the dining room.
On the second level, you’ll find a smaller snack bar with water, coffee and a few small bites. However, you don’t have the option to order food from the second level. You may want to get some more substantive snacks and a drink to bring up with you if you plan to settle up there.
EMILY THOMPSON/THE POINTS GUY
The staff was extremely friendly and attentive without being overbearing. If you’re like me and can’t decide what to order or want a recommendation on the best spot to get some work done, don’t hesitate to ask.
Bottom line
This lounge opened quietly in early March. But whatever the reason why Chase and Priority Pass did not give it more lip service, the lounge will be a welcome addition to flyers traveling out of Dulles’ A gates.
If you’re a Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholder or Priority Pass member, don’t skip it the next time you find yourself passing through.
Editor’s note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.
Citi is a TPG advertising partner.
If you’re looking to boost your summer travel with a nice haul of transferable points, you might want to think about one of Citi’s most viable cards on the market.
The Citi Premier® Card (see rates and fees) is offering 60,000 ThankYou points after you spend $4,000 on purchases within the first three months of account opening. According to TPG valuations that peg ThankYou points at 1.8 cents apiece, that’s a bonus worth $1,080.
In the past, Citi has offered up to 80,000 ThankYou bonus points — and while that’s a pretty solid deal, 60,000 ThankYou points also offer tons of value. Let’s dive deeper into Citi’s Premier Card to see what other perks it offers.
THE POINTS GUY
Aside from the potential points haul the sign-up bonus offers, the Citi Premier is one of the best earners among rewards credit cards thanks to its various bonus categories. They include:
Currently, Citi is offering 10 points per dollar on airfare, hotel and car rental bookings when booked through the Citi Travel portal on ThankYou.com through June 30, 2024. You’ll also receive 1 point per dollar on all other purchases.
After you meet the initial spending requirement of $4,000 in the first three months, you’ll have at least 60,000 ThankYou points — and even more, if you’ve spent in the bonus categories listed above — that you can use to book travel that includes flights and hotels.
QATAR AIRWAYS/FACEBOOK
If you value simplicity, the 60,000-point sign-up bonus will let you book $600 of paid travel directly through the Citi ThankYou travel portal. You’ll earn miles and elite status on these flights by redeeming points this way, and you don’t have to worry about award availability. You could also redeem your points for $600 in gift cards.
TPG credit card writer Danyal Ahmed is a huge fan of the Citi Premier and utilizes his points exclusively by transferring them to some of Citi’s transfer partners.
He finds value in programs such as Air France-KLM Flying Blue, thanks to their standardized award chart between the U.S. and Europe, which offers business-class tickets for 50,000 points one-way while having the ability to add a free stopover.
Before its devaluation, Danyal often transferred his Citi ThankYou points to Turkish Airlines Miles&Smiles to secure business-class seats for as little as 47,000 miles one-way to the Middle East. However, another phenomenal use of Citi points is to transfer them to Qatar Airways Privilege Club to book the renowned QSuite business-class product.
Between the sign-up bonus, earning 3 points per dollar on a wide range of popular bonus categories, and valuable transfer partners, the Citi Premier Card is a great travel rewards credit card.
You can easily rack up ThankYou points through everyday spending on gas, groceries and dining purchases without a cap on how many points you can earn.
Editor’s note: TPG’s Gene Sloan accepted a free trip from Princess Cruises to get an early look at Sun Princess. The opinions expressed below are entirely his and weren’t subject to review by the line.
Apparently, I’m not the only cruiser who doesn’t always have the stamina for the drawn-out ship dinners in main dining rooms.
That, or Princess Cruises has just made a colossal mistake with its newest vessel.
As I’m seeing this week during an early look at the still-not-quite-finished Sun Princess, the line has reserved the top level of the ship’s elegant three-deck-high main dining room for passengers looking for a quicker sit-down meal than is typical in a main dining room.
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It’s also changed up the menu for just this one level, offering a set and simple lineup of the sort of comfort food items you find in a diner: a bacon cheeseburger, fish and chips, chicken wings and fried chicken, to name a few.
Renamed Americana by the line, this top floor of the main dining room also offers a solid array of dinerlike breakfast dishes, including made-to-order omelets, a breakfast burrito and a “diner’s hash” made with salt beef or halloumi served with home-style potatoes, fried eggs, roasted bell peppers and griddled onions.
TPG’s Gene Sloan orders breakfast in the afternoon at Americana. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
All of the dishes, including the breakfast items, are available all day.
So, yeah, on Princess, you now can have breakfast for dinner — and in an elegant venue, to boot.
To which I say: Fabulous. Bravo, Princess. Who doesn’t love breakfast for dinner? And who doesn’t sometimes want a quicker dinner on a cruise ship that isn’t just a trip to the ship’s buffet?
As I am learning this week, dining at Americana is a much more relaxing alternative to dining at the buffet on Sun Princess — whether it’s at breakfast time, lunchtime or dinnertime.
It’s early days still for Sun Princess, but the ship’s buffet, called The Eatery, has been a madhouse with crowded corridors, slow served-by-staff buffet lines and too few seats — a recipe for frustration. Hopefully, it’ll improve as the currently Mediterranean-based ship sails in warmer climates and more passengers move to outside venues and seating areas for meals.
The all-day breakfast menu at Americana would be right at home at an American diner. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
Note that if you want a traditional main dining room dinner, you’ll find that on the two lower levels of the main dining room. The middle level (called Horizons) offers come-anytime-you-want dining with the normal drawn-out service. The lower level (also called Horizons) offers the more traditional fixed-seating dinner format that once was de rigueur at Princess.
Both of those levels offer a classic main dining room menu with such dishes as Norwegian salmon with creamy mashed potatoes, carrots and lemon-caper butter, and grilled New York strip steak with garlic-herb butter and vegetables.
In my one visit to Americana so far, I found the dishes a bit hit or miss. (Again, I’m hoping this will all be worked out in the coming weeks as the ship comes into its own.)
It’s hard to mess up a breakfast burrito too badly, for instance, but the chefs at Americana managed to do just that with the one I ordered for a late lunch — breakfast for lunch, after all, is almost as good as breakfast for dinner.
The burrito came out filled with the same uninspired vat-cooked eggs that are in the buffet line at The Eatery, plus a smattering of tofu and black beans. It was billed as “spicy,” but there was no spice to it at all. The relatively tasteless salsa that came on the side wasn’t much help. Plus, the whole thing was oddly tiny.
Isn’t this a little small for a cruise ship burrito? GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
Memo to Princess: Call up the chefs at your lower-priced sister brand Carnival Cruise Line, which has the always reliable Mexican-serving fast food outlet BlueIguana Cantina on ships, to find out how shipboard burritos should be done.
Lest you think I revel in being critical, I’ll say that I was delighted with the loaded French fries that I ordered as a side. They came smothered in buffalo sauce and huge chunks of blue cheese.
Now that’s more like it. GENE SLOAN/THE POINTS GUY
The burgers and sticky pork ribs that the family at the table next to me were noshing on looked great, too, as did the made-to-order banana splits. Possibly, I just ordered the wrong thing.
The good news: I have a couple more days left on this trip to give it all a try.
