Two budget airlines just announced a $1.5 billion merger that could reshape vacation travel. Southwest is finally pulling the plug on open seating after 50+ years. And Marriott just made it harder to get what you need. Plus a fresh transfer bonus worth your attention.

Allegiant Air announced Sunday it's acquiring Sun Country Airlines for $1.5 billion, bringing together two ultra-low-cost carriers focused on leisure routes. The logic is straightforward: Allegiant dominates underserved cities flying to warm-weather destinations, while Sun Country operates from Minneapolis to vacation spots and charters.

The companies believe they can smooth out seasonality issues by cross-selling routes and leveraging complementary networks. But here's the reality: airline mergers are notoriously expensive and complicated. Different aircraft types (Allegiant flies older Airbus A320s while Sun Country operates Boeing 737s), separate work groups, and distinct operational cultures create integration nightmares that often destroy the promised value.

For travelers, expect limited immediate changes. Both airlines will continue operating under their current brands during integration. The combined entity will operate under the Allegiant name long-term. Neither carrier offers a compelling loyalty program, so this isn't a points play—it's about route network access.

After more than 50 years of open seating chaos, Southwest Airlines starts assigned seating on January 27, 2026. This ends decades of strategic boarding position purchases, seat-saving schemes, and the infamous "someone's sitting here" middle seat defense.

The move also eliminates questionable wheelchair preboarding behavior that became rampant in recent years. Passengers who "needed" wheelchairs to board early but miraculously walked off the plane will find that game over. With assigned seats, there's no advantage to boarding first beyond overhead bin access.

Southwest loyalists will mourn losing one of the airline's last quirky features that rewarded savvy travelers. But the reality is most passengers prefer knowing exactly where they'll sit. Expect Southwest to charge for preferred seats—likely aisle and window seats near the front—creating a new revenue stream while maintaining some semblance of the low-fare ethos.

Capital One just activated a 15% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles running through February 11, 2026. This makes LifeMiles one of the more attractive uses for Capital One miles right now, especially given the program's reputation for releasing award availability others don't.

LifeMiles excels at Star Alliance awards with reasonable pricing and frequent availability on partners like United, Lufthansa, and ANA. The program doesn't pass along fuel surcharges on most partner awards, making it particularly valuable for expensive routes to Europe. With the 15% bonus, you're effectively getting United business class tickets at a discount.

The catch? LifeMiles charges for phone bookings and has a clunky online search tool. Use Award Travel Finder to locate availability first, then book through LifeMiles. For Capital One Venture X or Venture cardholders sitting on points, this bonus makes LifeMiles worth transferring to for specific redemptions.

Marriott quietly eliminated the freeform special requests text box from its website, leaving only preset checkboxes for basic needs. Sure, hotels ignored many special requests anyway. But removing the field entirely doesn't eliminate guest needs—it just forces last-minute phone calls and check-in friction.

The move feels like Marriott throwing up its hands rather than fixing communication between guests and properties. Need a room near the elevator for mobility reasons? Want to request connecting rooms for a family trip? Hope you enjoy calling the hotel directly, waiting on hold, and praying the front desk notes your request properly.

For Marriott Bonvoy elite members who specifically requested high floors, quiet rooms away from elevators, or early check-in coordination, this adds unnecessary friction to the booking process. The preset checkboxes cover only the most basic requests. Everything else now requires direct property contact—assuming you remember to call before arrival.

Two coach passengers on an American Airlines flight departing Miami sat in first class and refused to move despite holding coach tickets. Airport police were called, and both women were escorted out in handcuffs—all captured on video that spread across social media yesterday.

Gate agents and flight attendants repeatedly asked the passengers to return to their assigned seats. When they refused, police intervention became necessary. The incident delayed the flight and inconvenienced everyone onboard because two people thought they deserved upgrades they didn't pay for or earn.

This isn't a miles and points strategy—it's theft of services. First class seats cost significantly more or require elite status and upgrade instruments. The entitled behavior wastes everyone's time and creates safety issues when passengers refuse crew instructions. Don't be these people.

EVA Air announced plans to launch 4x weekly service between Taipei and Washington Dulles starting July 2026, using three-cabin Boeing 787-9s. This adds another Star Alliance option for connecting to Asia from the D.C. area and provides an alternative to United's monopoly on the route.

EVA's 787-9 configuration includes lie-flat business class seats that earn high marks for comfort and privacy. The airline consistently ranks among the world's best, and adding Washington Dulles expands premium cabin award availability for United MileagePlus members looking to redeem miles to Asia.

Check Award Travel Finder when the route launches to monitor award space. EVA typically releases decent business class availability to partners, making this a potential sweet spot for MileagePlus or Aeroplan redemptions once schedule opens for booking.

Multiple travelers report hotels advertising premium toiletry brands online—Le Labo, Diptyque, Aesop—then providing generic or different brands in rooms. This bait-and-switch spans major chains including luxury properties that should know better.

Since hotels switched to refillable dispensers, it became easier to misrepresent what's actually in the bottles. Properties promise aspirational brands that influence booking decisions, then fill dispensers with whatever's cheapest. For guests who genuinely care about toiletries (or have sensitive skin requiring specific products), this creates real problems.

The practice is widespread enough to question whether hotels view toiletry listings as decorative marketing rather than actual amenity commitments. If you care about this, call the hotel directly before booking to confirm. Better yet, bring your own products—at least you'll know what you're getting.

What's your take on Southwest ditching open seating after all these years? Are you relieved or disappointed? Hit reply and let me know—I read every response and I'm genuinely curious how the Southwest loyalists feel about this change!

Before we wrap up, I wanted to share some timely opportunities I've been tracking (courtesy of our friends at AwardTravelFinder). These deals won't last long, so let's dive in.

Airline programs:

Hotel programs: