Germán Ceballos

Award seats are no longer free, even for the airlines that give them away. That was the clearest message from the loyalty track at World Aviation Festival 2026 in Lisbon. A former Miles & More managing director said award seats used to be worth zero to revenue managers, and Flying Blue showed a slide giving its most loyal members first access to the cheapest seats.

Delta is refreshing Delta One dining and service this fall, starting on transoceanic departures from Los Angeles and expanding across its network in 2027. The October announcement includes new menus, more meal choices before departure, and updated amenities.

British Airways has revealed its refurbished A380 cabins, with 106 Club Suites occupying the upper deck and 12 new First suites. The announcement says the first refurbished aircraft is expected in the coming months, without naming an inaugural flight.

Booking flights with points gets harder when the whole family is traveling. You need seats for everyone on the same flight. With dynamic pricing, searching for four people instead of one can raise the price for everyone.

Alaska and Hawaiian have announced new premium cabins, including lie-flat seats on select Alaska 737 MAX 10s, enclosed suites for Hawaiian’s A330s, and a separate Premium Economy cabin called Premium Reserve.

United recently announced that from January 1, 2027, Premier qualifying flights (PQF) no longer count toward status. You’ll qualify only with Premier qualifying points (PQP), and Premier 1K goes up from 28,000 to 32,000 PQP.