Record travel expected for Christmas and New Year’s. Here are the days to avoid
Americans are getting ready to hit the road in record numbers this holiday season. More than 122 million people are expected to travel during the year-end period stretching from Dec. 20 to Jan. 1, according to AAA. The association’s forecast of 122.4 million people, which looks at travel at least 50 miles from home during the 13-day stretch, is a 2.2% increase from 2024, which held the previous record with 119.7 million travelers. Read More…
American Airlines enables customers to buy miles and status
American Airlines has introduced AAdvantage Pass, providing instant loyalty status and other perks. The cost of the pass is $5,000. AAdvantage Pass purchasers will be awarded AAdvantage Gold status, which is the program’s entry status level. They also receive 100,000 AAdvantage miles and 15,000 AAdvantage loyalty points. AAdvantage Gold status is typically obtained through the accrual of 40,000 loyalty points, through purchases of flights, and use of a co-branded American Airlines credit card. Read More…
Amex Tops New J.D. Power Airport Lounge Study
Credit card-branded airport lounges performed better than most others in J.D. Power’s inaugural 2025 U.S. Airport Lounge Benchmark, released Wednesday. With a score of 782 out of a possible 1,000 points, American Express Centurion Lounge ranked the highest in customer satisfaction among 1,430 U.S. travelers polled from Sept. 29 to Oct. 14 by J.D. Power who had visited a U.S. airport lounge in the past year. Read More…
IATA Predicts 2026 Profit Increase for Global Air Industry
The global airline industry in 2026 is projected to report an aggregate net profit of $41 billion, up from the $39.5 billion projected for 2025, according to the International Air Transport Association. This figure would set a new record, however the net profit margin is expected to be unchanged from 2025 at 3.9 percent. The net profit and margin are “extremely welcome news considering the headwinds that the industry faces—rising costs from bottlenecks in the aerospace supply chain, geopolitical conflict, sluggish global trade and growing regulatory burdens among them,” IATA director general Willie Walsh said in a statement. Read More…
These Are the 20 Best Places to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in the U.S., According to a New Study
Very soon, we’ll be welcoming a new year. We know, we can’t believe how fast 2025 has gone, either. But think of it this way: a fresh start is right around the corner. All that’s left to do for 2025 is figure out how you want to celebrate its end to usher in 2026. And a new study by WalletHub knows exactly where you should do that across the U.S. On Tuesday, the website shared its list of the top spots to celebrate New Year’s Eve, ranking 100 of the nation’s largest cities across 26 key indicators that all add up to an “epic New Year’s Eve celebration.” That data, WalletHub noted, included everything from the legality of fireworks and the nightlife options per capita to food affordability and even the forecasted precipitation for Dec. 31. Read More…
