Two announcements dropped yesterday that you'll want to know about before you book anything this fall. One closes a chapter on a product that's been promised dead for years. The other opens one that nobody expected to arrive this fast.

Alaska Airlines' Atmos Rewards just updated its lap infant award policy to be the most generous in the industry. But what does Atmos Rewards charge for a lap infant on an international award ticket?

The answer is waiting for you near the bottom of today's newsletter... keep scrolling. 👇

We've known this was coming since 2022, but now American Airlines has finally put a hard date on it. First class on the Boeing 777-300ER will be eliminated for flights departing on or after November 19, 2026. The Airbus A321T first class follows on March 28, 2027.

To be clear, this isn't a surprise devaluation or a quiet policy change - it's the completion of a strategy American announced years ago. The 777-300ER is being reconfigured with 70 lie-flat Flagship Business seats replacing what was a much smaller Flagship First cabin. The Points Guy's YouTube team reviewed the new product this week and noted that while Flagship First may be gone, those 70 business class seats represent a serious upgrade in capacity and consistency.

If you have AAdvantage miles and you've been eyeing Flagship First to Europe or Asia, your window is now concrete. Anything departing before November 19 on a 777-300ER can still be booked in first class while seats remain. After that date, the product simply won't exist - you'll be booking into Flagship Business instead.

The irony is that American is buying points right now at a 40% discount through October 3 - so if you want to top up your AAdvantage balance for a last Flagship First run, this is actually decent timing. Use our American Airlines Miles Calculator to figure out whether buying makes sense for your route.

Book Flagship First before November 19 if it's on your bucket list. After that, American's long-haul premium cabin is business class only - which, honestly, might be a better product for most travelers anyway.

For anyone who thought Southwest would never get a lounge, yesterday was a moment. The airline officially confirmed that airport lounges are coming, with construction already underway at four locations: Austin, Baltimore, Honolulu, and Nashville. Those four are expected to open late next year - 2027.

But the bigger news is scale. Southwest confirmed that at least seven more locations are planned beyond those four, for a total of 11+ lounges. And Chase is involved as a key partner in the program - which opens up some interesting possibilities for how access might eventually be structured around Chase credit cards.

Southwest isn't adding lounges as a luxury afterthought. This is part of a broader transformation that has already included assigned seating, extra legroom tiers, and bag fees. Lounges are the next piece of the puzzle in Southwest's push to compete directly with the legacy carriers on the premium experience side.

We covered Southwest's broader transformation earlier this year, and this lounge announcement is the capstone move. If Chase's involvement means Sapphire Reserve or Sapphire Preferred holders eventually get access, that would be a significant perk expansion for a lot of people. Nothing confirmed on that front yet - but watch this space closely.

Nothing actionable today since the lounges don't open until 2027 - but if you're a Southwest loyalist or a Chase Sapphire cardholder, this is worth tracking. The access terms will be the story when they drop.

Here's one that's been under the radar but deserves a lot more attention. Alaska Airlines' Atmos Rewards program recently updated its lap infant award policy, and it's genuinely the best in the business. The program now charges essentially nothing for lap infants on award tickets - just the taxes and fees, no percentage of the adult award rate.

To put that in context: most programs charge 10% of the adult award rate for international infant awards. On a 60,000-point business class ticket, that's 6,000 extra points per leg, per infant. Atmos charges you zero points. For families who travel with young kids, this is a material difference in how you should be thinking about which program to book through.

This timing connects nicely with another Atmos story running this month. The September Atmos Global Getaways promotion - available for members who book through the first Wednesday of the month - is pricing Tokyo and London routes from just 20,000 points. If you've been watching those routes and have Atmos points sitting around, that combination of pricing and the infant policy is genuinely compelling.

The Upgraded Points podcast this week also flagged that American Airlines premium economy to Europe through Alaska miles runs around 30,000-35,000 miles including taxes - competitive with economy cash pricing for many dates. Atmos is quietly becoming one of the more versatile programs for booking partner awards.

If you're booking an international family trip on award points, run the numbers through Atmos first. The lap infant policy alone could save you 10,000-20,000 points versus other programs on the same flight. Award Travel Finder is the fastest way to check what Atmos availability looks like on your route right now.

Three Avios transfer bonuses are running simultaneously right now, and they're the kind of combination that rarely lines up this cleanly. Amex Membership Rewards transfers to British Airways Avios, Iberia Avios, and Aer Lingus Avios all carry a 30% bonus through September 27 - that's 24 days from today.

The practical effect: 100,000 Amex points becomes 130,000 Avios when you transfer to any of those three programs right now. If you've been building up Membership Rewards for a Qatar Qsuites redemption or a BA partner booking, this is a meaningful uplift. We ran the Qsuites math a few weeks back - at 30% extra, the points cost drops noticeably on short-to-medium haul routes.

UK readers - Smart With Points has a full breakdown of how to use these Avios bonuses for BA redemptions from London, including some routes where the bonus genuinely changes the math on premium cabin bookings.

If Japan is on your radar, Capital One Miles to JAL Mileage Bank is running a 30% bonus through September 30. Japan Airlines is consistently one of the best-value business class redemptions available - and with United's big international expansion announcement this week adding new European and Japanese routes in 2027, now is a smart time to stock up on miles for those corridors.

You can see every live transfer bonus in one place on our transfer bonuses tracker - it's updated daily and shows you what's running, the ratio, and the exact deadline.

Alaska's September Global Getaways promotion is live right now, cutting up to 50% off select award routes for Atmos Rewards members. The headliners are Tokyo and London, both pricing from 20,000 points. These are monthly, first-Wednesday deals - meaning the booking window opened yesterday and runs for a limited time only.

If you've earned Atmos points through the Alaska or Hawaiian Airlines co-brand cards, this is your moment. Pair the discounted award with the infant policy mentioned above for a family trip, and you're looking at one of the better-value redemptions available in the market right now.

A few buy-points promotions worth flagging if you're short on miles for a specific redemption. JetBlue is running a 120% bonus through October 1 - one of the better bonus rates in the industry. Flying Club at Virgin Atlantic has a 70% bonus through October 4. And KLM Flying Blue is at 80% through September 16, which is only 13 days away if you want to top up before the Flying Blue award changes fully settle.

We track all of these on our buy points promotions page with a daily worth-it verdict - Award Travel Finder's buy-points pages now show the live bonus, price per point, and whether it's actually worth it for your redemption target.

The answer is C - basically nothing. Alaska's Atmos Rewards program charges lap infants just the taxes and fees on award tickets, with zero points required beyond what the adult ticket costs. No 10% surcharge, no flat fee per segment. It's a genuinely unique policy in the industry and a strong reason to route family award bookings through Atmos when you have the flexibility.

Have you ever booked an award ticket for a lap infant? If so, which program did you use - and did the points cost surprise you? Hit reply and let me know - I read every response and it genuinely helps shape what we cover next.

That's it for today. The AA first class deadline is the one I'd act on fastest - November 19 will arrive sooner than it feels right now, and those award seats won't be sitting around waiting.

- Jack

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These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

1. Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card: Earn 175,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 on eligible purch... ($5.5/yr)

2. Marriott Bonvoy Brilliant American Express Card: Earn 150,000 Marriott Bonvoy® bonus points plus a $250 statement credit after yo... ($6.5/yr)

3. Hilton Honors American Express Business Card: Earn 130,000 Hilton Honors Bonus Points after you spend $6,000 in purchases on t... ($1.95/yr (waived first year))

Whether you're spending hotel points or airline miles, these are the standout deals right now via Award Travel Finder:

Hotels:

• Wailea Beach Resort - Marriott, Maui - Wailea, HI, US | 1.7cpp value | 88,000 pts/night

• Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Autograph Collection - Kohala Coast, HI, US | 1.6cpp value | 97,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria Seychelles Platte Island - Platte Island, SC | 2.3cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• Waldorf Astoria New York - New York, NY, US | 1.7cpp value | 130,000 pts/night

• InterContinental Hotels Boston - Boston, MA, US | 1.6cpp value | 75,000 pts/night

Status Matches & Challenges:

• Flying Blue Status Match - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue (New Markets) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

• Flying Blue UK (BA Status Holders) - Air France / KLM | SkyTeam

Live Transfer Bonuses:

• Amex Membership Rewards → Aer Lingus Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 24 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → British Airways Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 24 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Hilton: +30% bonus - ends October 14 (in 41 days)

• Amex Membership Rewards → Iberia Avios: +30% bonus - ends September 27 (in 24 days)

• Capital One Miles → JAL (Japan Airlines) Mileage Bank: +30% bonus - ends September 30 (in 27 days)

• Chase Ultimate Rewards → Air Canada Aeroplan: +20% bonus - ends September 30 (in 27 days)

Buy Points & Miles Deals:

• American Airlines (AAdvantage): 40% discount at - ends October 3 (in 30 days)

• Delta Air Lines (SkyMiles): 50% bonus at - ends November 12 (in 70 days)

• Etihad Airways (Etihad Guest): 25% bonus at - ends October 3 (in 30 days)

• Garuda (GarudaMiles): 100% bonus at - ends September 30 (in 27 days)

• JetBlue Airways (TrueBlue): 120% bonus at - ends October 1 (in 28 days)

• KLM (Flying Blue): 80% bonus at - ends Wednesday September 16 (in 13 days)

Full live tracker → milesandpointsdaily.com/buy-points-promotions

Browse every award deal we track at AwardTravelFinder.com →

Friday Flight Deals finds the best flight deals when paying cash beats using points.

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →