☀️ TRENDING MILES & POINTS NEWS

• ✈️ Airline Chaos: Alaska's Rome inaugural has 1,145 passengers on standby—more than 6x the plane's capacity

• 💳 Credit Card News: Flying Blue becomes the next airline card to earn rewards on rent through Bilt—a shortcut to elite status

• ✈️ App Updates: American Airlines rolls out color-coded banners and digital vouchers for irregular operations

• 🏨 Hotel Alert: Choice Privileges offers triple points through March 20th—potentially lucrative for stays

I nearly did a double-take when I saw this number: 1,145 passengers are now on the standby list for Alaska Airlines' inaugural Rome flight. To put that in perspective, the plane only has 186 seats. This has officially moved beyond "viral mistake fare" territory and into full-blown internet phenomenon.

But that's not the only interesting development today. Air France-KLM's Flying Blue card is about to become significantly more valuable for renters, American Airlines just made dealing with flight chaos much easier, and we've got some hotel promotions worth your attention.

Let's dive in.

Which airline program is the next to partner with Bilt for earning rewards on rent?

🇺🇸 American AAdvantage🇫🇷 Air France-KLM Flying Blue🇬🇧 British Airways Executive Club🇦🇺 Qantas Frequent Flyer

The answer is chillin' near the bottom of today's newsletter... keep scrolling. 👇

Just days ago, we reported that 526 people were on the standby list for Alaska's inaugural flight to Rome. Now? That number has more than doubled to 1,145 passengers—literally more than six times the aircraft's total capacity.

Here's the wild part: Alaska is still selling seats on this flight at higher fares while over a thousand people wait on standby. The airline has even started asking passengers to cancel their standby bookings unless they're truly planning to show up, which tells you everything you need to know about how unusual this situation has become.

What started as a pricing quirk has turned into one of the most talked-about inaugural flights in recent memory. Alaska staff are reportedly overwhelmed with the logistics, and the whole thing has become something of a social media spectacle. The moral of the story? Sometimes the best travel stories are the ones where everyone wants to be on the same plane—even if mathematically impossible.

For more Alaska Airlines news and analysis, check out our dedicated coverage page.

Here's where things get interesting for renters. Air France-KLM's Flying Blue credit card is poised to become the next airline card that can earn rewards on rent payments through Bilt Rewards, following the Alaska and United launches earlier this year.

Why does this matter? It's less about the miles themselves and more about what rent payments can do for qualifying spend. Your monthly rent is predictable, high-volume spending that can move you toward Flying Blue elite status without shifting any of your regular purchases away from other bonus category cards.

Think about it: if you're paying $2,000 per month in rent, that's $24,000 in annual spending you can now direct toward Flying Blue status requirements. Combined with a few paid flights on Air France, KLM, or SkyTeam partners, you could be looking at Silver or even Gold status without dramatically changing your travel patterns.

This is part of a larger trend we're seeing in the miles and points world: loyalty programs are getting creative about how you can earn status, and rent is becoming a surprisingly powerful tool for those who don't fly 50+ segments per year.

American Airlines rolled out some genuinely helpful updates to its app and website yesterday, and they're specifically designed for those moments when everything goes sideways with your travel plans.

The new system uses color-coded banners to tell you exactly what's happening with your flight: whether it's delayed or canceled, whether you can self-rebook, or whether American is already automatically reaccommodating you. No more guessing or waiting in endless phone queues to figure out your options.

The website also now offers digital hotel and meal vouchers for eligible delays, which is a step up from the old paper voucher system. It's faster, harder to lose, and more transparent about what you're entitled to receive.

American is also promoting a new feature that can automatically book you a "free" hotel when an overnight delay strands you. Sounds great, right? The demo in their own promotional materials reveals the problem: the airline room you're offered is often the cheapest option available—not necessarily the one you'd choose to sleep in.

If you can front the cost temporarily, you can usually do much better by booking your own hotel and using trip-delay coverage from premium credit cards to get reimbursed. Cards like the Chase Sapphire Reserve or various American Express Platinum cards offer coverage that lets you choose a hotel that's actually comfortable, then submit for reimbursement later.

The automatic booking feature is useful if you have no other options, but don't assume it's always your best move.

Choice Privileges just launched its Q1 2026 promotion, offering triple points on stays between now and March 20th. It's a pretty standard offer from the program, but it has the potential to be surprisingly lucrative if you're strategic about where you stay.

Choice owns brands like Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, and Cambria Hotels—properties that often show up in smaller cities and suburban areas where other hotel chains have limited presence. If you're planning road trips or visiting areas outside major metros, this promotion can generate a solid points haul on stays that would have happened anyway.

The math works out especially well if you're earning bonus points from a co-branded credit card on top of the triple base points. For more on maximizing hotel promotions like this, check out our hotel rewards coverage.

A few other stories worth noting from the past 24 hours:

Qantas is making three separate changes to Emirates first class awards, none of them positive. If you've been thinking about booking Emirates first class with Qantas points, now might be the time to pull the trigger before these changes take effect. The partnership is still valuable, but it's getting more restrictive.

Avianca has reversed course on business class, expanding it to all routes globally. Back in 2022, the airline eliminated business class on flights within the Americas, keeping it only on transatlantic routes. Now they're restoring premium cabins across their entire network—a major win for travelers in Latin America.

Cathay Pacific is reconfiguring its Airbus A321neos with fewer seats and more comfort—a pretty rare move in an industry that's usually going the opposite direction. The airline is adding the changes to make planes more comfortable for both passengers and crew, which suggests they're prioritizing product quality over maximum capacity.

The answer is 🇫🇷 Air France-KLM Flying Blue! The Flying Blue card is set to become the next major airline credit card that can earn rewards on rent payments through Bilt, following Alaska and United. This makes it significantly easier to earn elite status through everyday spending—specifically, that predictable monthly rent payment that most of us are making anyway.

If you're a renter, would you consider getting an airline credit card specifically to earn status through rent payments? Or do you prefer keeping your rent separate from your miles and points strategy? Hit reply and let me know—I read every response and I'm genuinely curious about how people approach this!

That's it for today, my friends. Keep an eye out for more updates tomorrow—this Alaska Rome situation is developing by the hour, and I have a feeling we haven't seen the end of it yet.

Safe travels,

The Miles & Points Daily Team

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Airline programs:

Hotel programs:

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