Today's lineup includes a major leadership shake-up at Delta, Chase doing the right thing on Points Boost, and a head-scratching design flaw on American's brand-new business class that's forcing flight attendants into an absurd dance every time they serve a meal. Plus, American accidentally leaked its 2026 program changes (then pulled the page), and Mesa Homeowners cards shut down overnight.

Glen Hauenstein—the man who essentially built Delta's premium revenue machine—is stepping down as president on February 28. If you've ever wondered why Delta charges more than everyone else and gets away with it, or how SkyMiles became simultaneously more valuable and more expensive, Hauenstein is your answer.

Network chief Joe Esposito is taking over as EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, inheriting an operation that prioritizes premium cabins, corporate contracts, and pricing discipline over load factor. The question now: does Esposito continue Hauenstein's playbook, or does Delta shift strategy? For those of us watching award availability and upgrade space, this transition matters more than most leadership changes.

Remember when Chase quietly cut Points Boost value on The Edit hotels from 2 cents per point to roughly 1.67 cents? Sapphire Reserve cardholders noticed immediately—and Chase is now walking it back. Book any The Edit property through December 22, 2025, and the bank will credit back the points difference after checkout so you still net 2 cents per point.

This is a rare example of a bank reversing course mid-stream. If you've been eyeing a boutique stay through The Edit, you have until Sunday to lock in the original 2cpp valuation. After December 22, you're back to the lower rate—so this three-day window is your last chance to maximize those Chase Ultimate Rewards points.

American's first Airbus A321XLR entered commercial service this week with the new Flagship Suite—and early passenger reports reveal a surprising problem. Flight attendants can't set the table or serve meals with the swing-out entertainment screens deployed. Every meal service requires passengers to stow screens, get served, then re-deploy them to keep eating.

It's hard to believe no one caught this during testing. The Flagship Suite is American's premium product for transatlantic flights—you'd think someone would have noticed that flight attendants need to interrupt passengers multiple times per meal just to work around the screen position. For American Airlines passengers booking these flights in the months ahead, prepare for an awkward service flow.

American briefly published a 2026 AAdvantage changes page yesterday, then yanked it after screenshots started circulating. The leaked update shows elite thresholds staying flat, but Loyalty Point Rewards getting reshuffled—notably, the 30% bonus at 100,000 points is gone. In its place: merch credits, AA Vacations vouchers, and subscription offers at various higher tiers.

It's a classic move—eliminate the most useful reward (bonus points) and replace it with things that drive ancillary revenue. If you were counting on that 30,000-point windfall at 100K Loyalty Points to top off an award booking, that's now off the table for 2026. American will presumably re-publish the official page soon, but the screenshots tell the story.

Mesa Homeowners closed all credit card accounts effective immediately this week—no advance warning, just an overnight shutdown. If you had points sitting in your account and didn't transfer them out before the system went dark, those points are now being converted to statement credits at 0.6 cents per point.

For anyone who was treating Mesa points as a flexible currency, this is a painful lesson in the risk of orphan programs. Points sitting in small, unproven ecosystems can vanish with zero notice—and the conversion rate Mesa is offering (0.6cpp) is well below what most cardholders were expecting. If you're holding points in niche programs, this is your reminder to either use them or move them to more stable partners.

After multiple delays since its announcement in May 2023, Hyatt's Kennedy 89 property in Frankfurt is finally opening. This is big news for anyone who transits through Frankfurt regularly—the city has been underserved by full-service Hyatt options, and the Kennedy 89 fills that gap as part of the Unbound Collection.

Frankfurt is a major Star Alliance hub, so having a quality Hyatt option near the airport (or downtown, depending on the property's exact location) makes award stays and status nights much easier to rack up. If you're sitting on World of Hyatt points or chasing Globalist status, this is one more bookable property in a city that sees heavy business and leisure traffic year-round.

Emirates is moving up the debut of its Airbus A350 service to the Americas. The Dubai to Montreal route—originally slated for February 1, 2026—will now launch on January 11, 2026, thanks to faster-than-expected aircraft deliveries. This marks the first time the carrier's newest jet will fly transatlantic routes.

For Emirates Skywards or partner award bookings, this opens up award space on a premium product three weeks earlier than planned. Montreal–Dubai is a solid positioning route for onward connections to Asia and Africa, and the A350 cabin is Emirates' most modern offering. If you were eyeing this route, check availability now—award space often opens up when airlines add new aircraft to a schedule.

Alaska Airlines just announced seven new routes split between Anchorage and Portland for summer 2026, fortifying its Pacific Northwest and Alaska hubs with new seasonal service.

Lufthansa's new Allegris Boeing 787s continue flying with just four certified business class seats—the rest remain uncertified by regulators two months after launch. That's a stunning operational challenge for a flagship product rollout.

Rakuten is offering a best-ever $50 bonus (or 5,000 points) for new members referred by existing users through December 31, 2025. Spend $50 and both the referrer and the new member get the bonus—one of the easiest cash-back plays this month.

That's it for today. If you're booking The Edit through Chase, you've got until Sunday to lock in the 2cpp rate. If you're sitting on Mesa points, convert them to statement credits before the system fully shuts down. And if you're flying American's A321XLR in the coming months, prepare to stow your screen a few times mid-meal.

Happy booking,

The Miles & Points Daily Team

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: