From leaked dispatch notes revealing Delta's real problem to a hotel policy that's leaving confirmed guests stranded, today's newsletter covers the stories that matter most as we close out 2025. Plus, a frighteningly close call at Houston and your last 48 hours to squeeze value from card credits about to expire.

Here's what really happened: New York weather cleared up, United and American resumed normal operations, but Delta kept cancelling hundreds of flights yesterday. Leaked dispatch notes obtained by View from the Wing reveal the uncomfortable truth—Delta simply couldn't cover crews even after the storm passed.

The internal communications show dispatchers scrambling to find flight attendants and pilots for aircraft that were ready to fly. While competitors recovered within hours of improved conditions, Delta's operational meltdown extended well into the next day. This echoes the airline's 2022 summer operational struggles and raises questions about crew scheduling practices heading into peak travel season.

If you're booked on Delta through mid-January, consider checking alternate routing options. The crew shortage issues that surfaced during this storm suggest systemic problems that won't resolve overnight. For all our Delta coverage, including operational updates and recovery strategies, check our Delta stories.

A confirmed reservation vanished because the guest had a local address. The Hampton Inn cancelled citing a policy that bans anyone living within 50 miles of the property, with management specifically mentioning concerns about "homeless" guests. The policy, while more common than many realize, is getting attention after a frustrated traveler shared the experience on social media.

What makes this particularly troubling: the guest had legitimate reasons for the stay—home renovations that required temporary accommodation. But the blanket policy doesn't distinguish between scenarios. Many hotel chains employ similar restrictions, though enforcement varies wildly by property. Some require additional ID verification, others apply manager discretion, and a few automatically flag local addresses in their systems.

The practical takeaway: if you need to book a hotel near home for any legitimate reason, call ahead to confirm their local address policy before putting down a deposit. Some properties will make exceptions with advance notice and explanation. Using a business address or confirming through corporate customer service can sometimes bypass automated flags.

December 18th at Houston Intercontinental could have been catastrophic. A United regional jet departing on one runway got an automated collision warning—a TCAS resolution advisory, the last line of defense before midair collision—when a Volaris aircraft on the parallel runway turned directly into its departure path.

The United crew was still low and climbing when the alert triggered. Audio recordings show the pilot error was immediate: the Volaris aircraft made an unauthorized turn that violated the departure procedure. The air traffic controller's response came seconds later, but by then the TCAS system had already intervened. Both aircraft maneuvered to avoid collision, with passengers likely feeling the sudden altitude change.

These near-misses are becoming disturbingly common. The FAA has documented several serious incidents in recent months, from runway incursions to communication breakdowns. While commercial aviation remains statistically safe, the frequency of close calls suggests systemic pressure on the air traffic control system and pilot workload that deserves attention.

Your Chase, Amex, and Citi premium card credits reset on January 1st—that's Wednesday morning. If you haven't tapped your 2025 allowances, here's what readers are doing right now to extract value without changing their plans or buying things they don't need.

Chase Sapphire Reserve holders are hitting the $300 travel credit with gift card purchases at airline websites—many carriers let you buy future travel credits that never expire. United and American both work, and readers report instant credit posting. The dining credit is trickier, but DoorDash gift cards purchased through qualifying merchants have worked for some cardholders.

Amex Platinum cardholders are maxing out Uber credits with Uber Eats orders—the credit works for food delivery, not just rides. The annual hotel credit requires actual bookings through Amex Travel, but you can book a refundable stay in early 2026 and decide later. Citi Prestige holders report similar strategies with the $250 travel credit, though airline gift cards sometimes require manual review before posting.

The key insight: many premium credit card benefits are more flexible than the marketing suggests. Gift cards, advance bookings, and creative merchant coding let you preserve value without forcing purchases. Just verify the credit posts before midnight Wednesday—some transactions take 24-48 hours to process, which means today is realistically your deadline.

A Southwest crew member is making headlines for transforming the beverage service into a creative experience. Her signature moves: "Dirty Dr Pepper" (Dr Pepper with coconut) and "Pink Drink" (Sprite with cranberry juice and lime). But it's her attitude on longer flights that's resonating—she literally tells passengers to "put me to work" and requests custom orders to stay entertained.

The viral moment captures something airlines have lost in recent years: personality and genuine service enthusiasm. While premium cabin passengers get elaborate cocktail menus, economy flyers rarely see crew members willing to mix custom drinks or engage beyond the scripted service. This Southwest attendant's approach costs nothing extra but creates memorable moments that passengers share across social media.

It's also a reminder that some of the best travel experiences come from crew attitude rather than hardware. You can fly Emirates first class suites and get robotic service, or grab a Southwest economy seat and have a flight attendant genuinely excited to make your flight enjoyable. The latter often creates better memories.

American Airlines just expanded scheduling for its Airbus A321XLR through summer 2026, giving us a clearer picture of the carrier's long-haul narrowbody strategy. The aircraft—which completed its first revenue flight in December—will primarily operate from East Coast hubs to secondary European and Latin American cities where demand doesn't justify widebody service.

The extended range (up to 4,700 nautical miles) lets American reach destinations like Barcelona, Dublin, and certain South American markets with better economics than 787s or 777s. Premium cabin availability on these routes will be limited—the A321XLR configuration prioritizes economy to maximize profitability. For those chasing business class awards, widebody routes will still offer better redemption options and more comfortable hard products.

The real winner here: passengers in markets that previously had no nonstop service to Europe or South America. The A321XLR opens routes that would never work with larger aircraft. Just temper expectations about the onboard experience—this is narrowbody premium seating on 7-8 hour flights, not lie-flat suites. Plan award searches accordingly.

Several notable opportunities closing out 2025:

Virgin Atlantic Flying Club is offering a 70% bonus on purchased miles through tomorrow (December 31st) at 1.47¢ per mile. That's potentially valuable for Delta One award bookings where Virgin pricing beats SkyMiles. The Virgin Atlantic sweet spots include transatlantic business class and certain partner awards, but run the math before buying—you'll need a specific redemption in mind to justify the purchase.

JetBlue TrueBlue has a 130% transfer bonus also ending tomorrow at 1.4¢ per point. Useful primarily for Mint class bookings to the Caribbean or transcon routes where award availability is wide open. Standard economy redemptions rarely justify buying points at these rates.

Transfer bonus alert: Select American Express Membership Rewards cardholders are seeing targeted 40% bonuses to Virgin Atlantic Flying Club. Check your Amex account—this stacks beautifully with Virgin's Delta partnership for booking premium cabin awards when SkyMiles pricing is outrageous.

For comprehensive award searches across all these programs, Award Travel Finder remains the essential tool for comparing availability and pricing before you transfer or buy points.

As 2025 closes, three themes emerge: operational challenges at major carriers aren't resolving quickly, hotel policies can surprise even experienced travelers, and your premium card benefits require active management to extract full value. The Delta crew shortages, United's near-miss, and hotel local address bans all point to systems under stress.

Your move for tomorrow: verify those card credits are actually used, not just attempted. Check your online accounts for pending transactions. And if you're flying Delta in January, build in extra buffer time and have backup routing options ready.

See you in 2026.

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: