When your credit card portal charges you for benefits you're supposed to get for free, that's not just annoying - it's potentially costing you hundreds of dollars. Today we're digging into a Chase portal issue that's hitting Hyatt Globalists where it hurts, plus the surprisingly simple fix to get your money back.

Which airline just revealed it's considering adding Cape Town to its route network?

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

If you've booked a Hyatt property through the Chase travel portal using your points, and you're a Globalist, there's a good chance you paid resort fees you shouldn't have. Here's what's happening - and more importantly, how to fix it.

Hyatt Globalist members - the program's top tier - receive resort fee waivers as a status benefit. Book directly with Hyatt or through most channels, and those fees disappear from your bill. But Chase's travel portal doesn't recognize this benefit, meaning you're paying $50, $75, sometimes over $100 per night in fees that should be waived.

The issue affects both cash and points bookings through Chase Ultimate Rewards, including Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Preferred cardholders who might assume the portal respects elite status benefits. It doesn't - at least not automatically.

The good news? Hyatt will refund the resort fees after your stay. Call Hyatt's customer service, explain you're a Globalist and were charged resort fees through a third-party booking, and provide your confirmation number. Multiple reports confirm refunds are processed within 7-10 business days, credited back to the original payment method.

For anyone debating between booking through Chase for the portal's occasional better point value versus booking direct for immediate status recognition, this adds another data point to consider. The refund process works, but it's an extra step that shouldn't be necessary.

Remember when we talked about United's massive cabin overhaul? Well, the first aircraft with the new premium-heavy configuration is expected to be delivered within the next few weeks - and the details are even more interesting than expected.

United unveiled its United Elevate cabins last May, but we're now seeing concrete delivery dates for the first 787 Dreamliners featuring the new Polaris business class seats. More significantly, these aircraft will have a dramatically different cabin configuration - far more business class and premium economy seats than the current fleet.

While United hasn't disclosed exact seat counts yet, industry watchers expect a configuration similar to what we've seen from other carriers going premium-heavy: potentially 50+ Polaris seats compared to the current 44-48 on most 787-9s, with a corresponding reduction in standard economy. This isn't just a soft product refresh - it's a fundamental bet that premium demand will sustain higher density up front.

United expects to take delivery of 16 of these ultra-premium 787s in 2026, with the first entering service likely on a domestic route for crew training before shifting to international. If you're booking United long-haul business class, there's no way to specifically request these new cabins yet, but keep an eye on equipment swaps as the year progresses.

For award bookings, this could mean Award Travel Finder spotting more Polaris availability as these aircraft come online - though United has been known to keep availability tight on premium products. The new seats feature doors at every business class seat, which is a meaningful upgrade from the current alternating configuration.

Two weeks ago, American Airlines flight attendants demanded management change after the carrier's underwhelming 2025 earnings. Yesterday, they escalated dramatically: the Association of Professional Flight Attendants issued a formal vote of no confidence in CEO Robert Isom.

This isn't just union posturing. A vote of no confidence from a major employee group is extraordinarily rare in the airline industry - think once-a-decade rare. The union's statement didn't mince words, calling out what they described as a 'downward spiral' under Isom's leadership and pointing to operational metrics, employee morale, and customer satisfaction as evidence.

American's operational struggles over the past year aren't abstract. Flight attendants sitting on lavatory doors due to crew seat shortages. Pilots overwhelmingly supporting a no-confidence measure weeks ago. Maintenance issues causing cancellations. These aren't unrelated incidents - they're symptoms of deeper organizational problems that directly impact your travel experience.

If you're sitting on AAdvantage miles or considering American for upcoming travel, this is context worth having. Labor unrest this severe often precedes service disruptions, though American's board has shown no indication they're considering leadership changes. The union is demanding a meeting with the board - a request that was denied after the pilots' no-confidence vote last month.

Marriott Bonvoy just opened registration for its first quarterly promotion of 2026, and while it's not the program's most generous offer ever, Q1 promos tend to be the best of the year - so this sets the baseline for what's coming.

Register now through April, and you'll earn 2,500 bonus Bonvoy points per stay, plus bonus elite nights. For anyone working toward or maintaining status, those elite nights matter - especially if you're close to a tier threshold and want to preserve or elevate your standing for 2027.

The promotion runs through April 27, 2026, giving you roughly two and a half months to accumulate stays. At 2,500 points per stay, you're looking at five stays to reach 12,500 points - enough for a free night at a Category 1-3 property. Not groundbreaking, but for frequent Marriott guests, it's free money you wouldn't otherwise earn.

Registration is required, so if you've got any Marriott stays booked between now and late April, take 30 seconds to register. The bonus elite nights are automatic once you're enrolled, and they count toward annual thresholds - meaning they could push you over the edge to the next tier if you're close.

During an internal leadership event, American Airlines displayed potential new international routes including Cape Town, Casablanca, and Mallorca. Employees could vote on which destinations they'd like to see added. Whether any of these materialize is another question - American has a history of floating route ideas that never launch - but Cape Town in particular would be a significant addition to Star Alliance partner networks for award redemptions.

Lufthansa is reportedly planning to install proper recliner-style business class seats on some Airbus A320 aircraft, moving away from the standard European short-haul configuration of economy seats with blocked middles. CEO Carsten Spohr hinted at the change in recent comments to German media. If implemented, this would put Lufthansa's short-haul business class on par with what U.S. carriers offer domestically - a meaningful upgrade for intra-Europe premium travel.

An air traffic controller at San Francisco International cleared two United aircraft to take off simultaneously on parallel runways shortly after midnight on January 31, putting them on dangerously converging paths. What's remarkable isn't the initial error - humans make mistakes - but what happened next: the controller seemed confused about how both planes received takeoff clearance, asking 'I don't know how you guys both got takeoff clearances.' The incident is under FAA investigation.

Which airline just revealed it's considering adding Cape Town to its route network?

🇺🇸 American Airlines displayed Cape Town as a potential new route during an internal leadership event, along with Casablanca and Mallorca. Employees were encouraged to vote on which destinations they'd like to see added. Whether American actually launches service to Cape Town remains to be seen - the airline has a mixed track record on turning internal polling into actual routes.

Hit reply and let me know - I read every response and love hearing your stories about navigating these situations. The Chase portal issue is just one example, but I'm curious how common this is across different programs and booking channels.

That's it for today, my friends. Keep those Globalist benefits in mind next time you're booking through a portal, and if you've already been charged resort fees you shouldn't have paid, that phone call to Hyatt might be worth your time.

See you tomorrow with more.

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