Today's lineup includes American Airlines' radical schedule overhaul aimed at finally running on time, a troubling pattern of overhead bin thefts on premium routes, and a clever Chase offer that just landed for IHG cardholders. Plus, we'll show you how to combine Marriott points between accounts without fees—a trick that comes in handy more often than you'd think.

Starting in April, American Airlines is overhauling its schedules with a focus on actually running on time. The airline is adding more realistic block times—admitting the current schedules were simply too tight—and de-peaking Dallas-Fort Worth to reduce the gate gridlock that cascades into delays.

The changes go beyond just padding the schedule. American is investing in remote deplaning equipment and additional terminal capacity so weather events don't spiral into diversions and mountains of lost bags. The airline says the goal is to cut missed connections and improve baggage handling—two of the most common passenger complaints.

For AAdvantage members, this could mean fewer irregular operations credits and more predictable travel. The April timing also suggests American wants these improvements in place before the busy summer travel season.

A disturbing pattern has emerged on Etihad's Abu Dhabi to Hong Kong flights: passengers report valuables vanishing from bags in overhead bins while the cabin sleeps. Police have repeatedly been waiting at the gate on arrival, suggesting the airline and authorities know there's a problem.

The reports specifically mention items disappearing from overhead bins during the overnight flight, not from checked baggage. This is particularly concerning for premium cabin passengers who often store valuables in carry-on bags. If you're flying this route, keep anything valuable in the seat pocket in front of you or under the seat—not in the overhead bin.

This isn't an isolated incident anymore. When police are meeting the plane regularly, it suggests a coordinated effort that hasn't been stopped yet.

Chase just launched a targeted offer for IHG credit cardholders: spend $499.99 or more on a single airfare purchase directly with an airline and get $50 back. The math works out to exactly 10% back if you hit $499.99, but the maximum rebate is $50 regardless of how much you spend.

The catch? It must be a direct purchase with the airline—no third-party booking sites. Check your Chase account to see if you have this offer, as it appears to be targeted. This could be a nice discount on that spring break flight you've been eyeing, especially if you were already planning to book soon.

Unlike Hilton Honors, which lets you transfer up to 500,000 points instantly online, Marriott Bonvoy makes it slightly more complicated to combine points. But it's still possible—and completely free if you know the rules.

Marriott allows you to transfer points to another member's account, but there are limits: you can only transfer once per 24 hours, and both accounts must be at least 90 days old. The transfer is immediate and there's no fee. This is particularly useful when you're just short of an award night and a family member has extra points sitting unused.

The process is straightforward through your Marriott account dashboard. Just remember that you can't reverse the transfer, so double-check the recipient account before confirming.

An insider leak suggests American Airlines is considering launching service to Porto, Portugal from Philadelphia. With Lisbon effectively capped for growth, Porto represents the obvious next Portuguese destination—and Philadelphia is American's European gateway on the East Coast.

Porto has emerged as a popular alternative to Lisbon, offering wine country access, historic charm, and typically lower hotel prices. If this route launches, it would give AAdvantage members another European award option and potentially better award availability than the saturated Lisbon route.

Peninsula Hotels operates just a dozen properties worldwide, from Chicago to Istanbul to Hong Kong. While they're not cheap, there's a little-known program called Peninsula PenClub that can maximize your value.

PenClub is available through select travel advisors and offers perks like room upgrades, daily breakfast, property credits, and early check-in or late checkout when available. It's similar to Virtuoso or Four Seasons Preferred Partner—you're paying the same rate but getting significantly more value through the advisor relationship.

If you're planning a stay at a Peninsula property, it's worth reaching out to a travel advisor who participates in PenClub rather than booking direct. The benefits easily justify any advisor fee, and in many cases, there isn't one.

With New Year's Eve just days away, you might wonder: does a hotel stay on December 31 count toward 2025 or 2026 elite status? The answer varies by program, but most major chains use your check-out date.

That means if you check in on December 31 and check out on January 1, the stay typically counts toward 2026 elite status, not 2025. This matters if you're just short of your 2025 goal—you'd need to check out by December 31 (so check in December 30 at the latest) for the stay to count toward this year.

The logic makes sense: the hotel processes your payment and completes the transaction when you check out. So for status purposes, that's when the qualifying activity occurs.

Buy Points Opportunities: Frontier is offering 150% bonus at 1.08¢ per point through January 9. JetBlue's 130% bonus at 1.4¢ ends December 31. Virgin Atlantic rounds out the year with a 70% bonus at 1.47¢, also ending December 31.

Transfer Bonuses: Rove Miles is offering a 20% bonus when transferring to Finnair Plus. Some Amex cardholders are seeing a targeted 40% bonus to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club—check your account to see if you're targeted.

That's it for today. American's schedule changes suggest the airline is finally prioritizing operational reliability over aggressive scheduling. And if you're flying Etihad to Hong Kong, keep your valuables close. Safe travels.

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.

Active transfer bonuses worth considering:

Airline programs:

Hotel programs: