Today's lineup includes flight cuts hitting 40 airports right now, a surprising new partnership that turns online shopping into Bilt points, Qatar Airways quietly adding fees to business class awards, and a status surprise for Chase Sapphire cardholders. Let's dive in.

The FAA's mandatory 10% flight reduction went into effect yesterday, and airlines have already canceled over 720 flights for today. Controller shortages during the government shutdown are forcing cuts at nearly every major hub from New York to Los Angeles, Atlanta to Dallas.

If you're traveling this weekend, check your flight status religiously. Airlines are handling this differently: some are proactively rebooking passengers, while others are waiting until the last minute. The smart move? Book backup options on different carriers if your flight is at a busy hub during peak hours. And remember, if the airline cancels your flight, you're entitled to a full refund under DOT rules, not just a voucher.

This changes everything for online shoppers. Rakuten now lets you earn Bilt points instead of cash back, and for the next six months, every $1 of Rakuten rewards converts to 100 Bilt points. That's a 1:1 ratio on top of whatever your credit card earns.

Here's why this matters: Bilt points are arguably the most valuable transferable currency right now. They transfer 1:1 to Hyatt, United, American, Alaska, and nine other partners. Plus, Bilt runs frequent transfer bonuses—they just wrapped up a massive promotion to Virgin Atlantic. Suddenly your holiday shopping at 8% back through Rakuten becomes 8,000 Bilt points per $100 spent, which could be worth $160+ in premium cabin flights.

Qatar Airways quietly started charging for advance seat selection on business class award tickets booked in 'U' class starting November 3rd. This hits both Avios redemptions and award upgrades—basically any business class award ticket.

The escape hatches: oneworld Sapphire and Emerald elite members still get free selection, and everyone can pick seats for free at check-in (24 hours before departure). But that's a risky game on QSuites flights where the best seats disappear instantly. If you're booking Qatar business with Avios or transferring points from Citi or Capital One, factor this new fee into your calculation or make sure you've got oneworld status.

British Airways and sister airline Iberia both announced yesterday they're installing free Starlink Wi-Fi across their entire fleets starting in 2026. Not slow, patchy satellite internet—we're talking actual high-speed connectivity courtesy of SpaceX.

This matters because British Airways has been charging £4.99-£8.99 for Wi-Fi on long-haul flights, and the service has been notoriously unreliable. Free Starlink puts BA in the same category as airlines like Hawaiian, Qatar, and United (which are all rolling out similar systems). For anyone booking transatlantic awards with Avios or transferring from Amex or Chase, this tilts the value calculation further toward BA.

Here's an unexpected perk: select Chase Sapphire Reserve cardholders will soon earn World of Hyatt Explorist status automatically. This is mid-tier status that includes suite upgrades, club lounge access, late checkout, and bonus points on stays.

The catch is it's going to "select top-spending" Sapphire cardholders first, though details on spend thresholds aren't clear yet. Chase is also launching new cobranded Hyatt cards alongside this announcement. If you're sitting on a Sapphire Reserve and spend heavily, watch your email—this could be a seriously valuable addition given how useful mid-tier Hyatt status is for domestic travel.

Delta is testing a new 'Comfort Basic' fare that strips out benefits from Delta Comfort+ seats. You'll pay extra for extra legroom but get stuck with a middle seat and no advance selection, no free bags, and restricted changes—basically all the pain of basic economy plus a few inches of legroom.

This is the airline industry's next frontier: unbundling premium cabins just like they did with economy. Delta's already planning a similar 'business basic' product. For points and miles folks, this means paying closer attention to fare classes when booking awards. That Delta SkyMiles redemption might not include the perks you expect if it's in a restricted booking class.

Beyond today's news, there's solid value in current promotions. United is offering a 30% discount on purchased miles through December 31st at 2.63¢ per mile—worth considering for topping off an award. And don't forget that Rakuten-Bilt partnership we covered earlier; it's live now for six months.

The key takeaway today: protection matters more than optimization. With flight cuts hitting 40 airports and fee creep spreading to award tickets, having backup plans and elite status is becoming more valuable than finding that perfect sweet spot redemption. Stay flexible, keep checking your bookings, and remember that manufactured spending through portals like Rakuten can accelerate your points balance when travel gets complicated.

Safe travels, and check those flight statuses.

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: