Fighter jets. Two of them. Scrambled to escort a commercial flight - because someone stole Aeroplan points.

That is the actual story that dropped yesterday, and it is one of the wildest things I have seen in the loyalty space in years. It is also a reminder that points fraud is not just a minor inconvenience - it can escalate in ways nobody expects.

We have a lot to cover today, so let's get into it.

Which Air Canada flight was at the center of yesterday's fighter jet escort incident?

The answer is waiting for you near the bottom of today's newsletter... keep scrolling. 👇

On Wednesday, March 18, 2026, a passenger boarded Air Canada flight AC833 from Brussels to Montreal using a stolen identity - and a booking paid for with stolen Aeroplan points. Somewhere along the way, authorities put the pieces together mid-flight.

The response? Canadian and U.S. fighter jets were scrambled to escort the aircraft into Montreal. The aircraft landed safely, and the passenger was taken into custody.

A passenger traveling under a false identity on an international flight is not treated as a simple fraud case - it triggers full security protocols regardless of the underlying motive. This was not a terrorism situation, but the identity mismatch meant authorities could not rule anything out until the aircraft was on the ground.

For those of us who track our points obsessively - this is exactly why. Account takeovers happen constantly, and they are not always caught in time. Check your Aeroplan account, enable two-factor authentication if you have not already, and set up alerts for any redemptions.

For all our Air Canada and Aeroplan coverage, check out our Air Canada tag page and our Aeroplan coverage here.

For the last year, United has been teasing the most premium domestic-carrier business class product in North America. Yesterday, it became real - tickets for the first Polaris Studio flights are now on sale, with the inaugural departure being flight UA1 from San Francisco, launching in April 2026.

The new Boeing 787-9s have been configured in what United is calling an 'ultra-premium' layout - fewer seats, more space, and a business class product that competes directly with the best Gulf carriers and Asian airlines have to offer.

The Polaris Studio suite comes with direct-aisle access, a full closing door, and caviar service on select routes. Early reviews highlight the Global Services-level treatment, the genuinely impressive food and wine, and the incredible privacy of the suite layout.

The one honest critique that has surfaced from previews: the lavatories. In a cabin this premium, the bathroom situation reportedly does not quite match the overall experience. It is a minor note in an otherwise extraordinary product, but worth knowing before you book.

If you are planning to book on points, use the Award Travel Finder to check availability across programs before you commit - Polaris Studio award space is expected to be limited at launch.

Thinking about the points value here? Run the numbers with our United Miles Calculator to see what your MileagePlus balance is worth against cash fares. For more United coverage, see all our United Airlines stories.

Hilton announced yesterday that YOTEL will become the first brand under its new 'Select by Hilton' umbrella - a fresh tier designed for tech-forward, compact, affordable stays. All YOTEL properties will now be bookable through Hilton channels, and guests can earn and redeem Hilton Honors points at every location.

YOTEL is known for its cleverly engineered small rooms - often under 100 square feet - with motorized beds, smart storage, and a design sensibility that makes you feel like you are staying in a well-designed spaceship. The YOTELAIR concept at airports is particularly clever for layovers.

This is a genuine portfolio expansion for Hilton Honors members. YOTEL has locations in major cities and airports globally, so this adds practical earn-and-redeem options at price points well below a Waldorf or Conrad. If you are building toward Diamond status, these stays count.

The partnership also signals Hilton is going after the budget-smart traveler segment more aggressively. More Hilton Honors news and coverage is available on our tag page, and if you want to calculate what your Hilton points are worth, try our Hilton Points Calculator.

The IHG One Rewards Premier Business Credit Card has quietly returned to its best-ever welcome offer: up to 200,000 bonus points for new cardholders. The card carries a $99 annual fee, which frankly seems almost irrelevant when you do the math on what 200k IHG points can do.

IHG points are not the most valuable currency per point, but in bulk they unlock some genuinely impressive free nights at InterContinental, Kimpton, and Six Senses properties. For context, a free night at a Kimpton in a major city often runs 50,000 to 70,000 points - meaning this bonus alone covers two to four nights at solid properties.

This offer is flagged as limited time, so if you have been considering it, now is the window. Check our IHG credit cards coverage for more context, and see all current IHG Rewards news for the full picture.

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom used investor conversations yesterday to make an unusually direct commitment: AAdvantage miles will remain more valuable for travel redemptions than competing programs. That is not just marketing talk - it is a signal about where the airline is focusing its loyalty strategy.

This comes alongside a fascinating post-mortem from former CEO Doug Parker, who acknowledged that AA made a strategic error in how it accounted for credit card revenue. The airline treated loyalty revenue as generic income, rather than tying it to the specific markets and routes that were actually winning AAdvantage cardholders. New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago suffered as a result - high-value markets where the airline under-invested because the credit card math looked fine on a spreadsheet.

Isom's current approach flips that logic: grow card revenue by making AAdvantage more attractive, not by squeezing redemption value. That is the right philosophy, and it is a hopeful sign for anyone sitting on a pile of AAdvantage miles right now. Want to see what your balance is worth today? Our American Airlines Miles Calculator gives you an instant read. For all our American Airlines coverage, head to our tag page.

The partial government shutdown is now stretching well into spring, and the questions travelers are asking have shifted from 'will this affect me?' to 'how bad will it actually be at my airport?' The honest answer is: it depends on where you are flying from.

Some airports are reporting checkpoint closures at less-trafficked terminals. Others are seeing extended wait times as TSA staffing runs thin. The worst-case scenarios of three-hour security queues are not universal - but they are real at specific locations.

The practical move right now is to check estimated wait times before you leave home. FlightQueue gives you live security and passport control estimates by airport - bookmark it. And if you want the full picture on what the shutdown means for airport operations, we have covered it in depth on our government shutdown tag page and our TSA policies coverage.

Bottom line: give yourself extra time, know your terminal, and check FlightQueue the morning of your flight. Not everything needs to be an award booking either - if you are flexible, Friday Flight Deals tracks cheap cash fares that might let you choose an airport or terminal with shorter queues.

Two transfer bonuses are about to close that deserve your attention before the weekend is over.

First: the Citi ThankYou to Wyndham +25% transfer bonus ends tomorrow, Sunday March 21. If you have ThankYou points and any Wyndham stays on the horizon, tonight is your window. Second: the Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus Avios +20% bonus runs through March 31 - still a week away, but worth acting on if you are planning European travel this year. Our full transfer bonuses page has every active bonus in one place.

UK readers - the Avios angle here is particularly strong right now. Smart With Points has a full breakdown of how to get the most from Avios transfers if you are based in the UK.

The answer is AC833 from Brussels to Montreal - Option A. That was the Air Canada flight at the center of yesterday's fighter jet escort, after authorities identified a passenger traveling under a false identity using stolen Aeroplan points. The flight was escorted safely into Montreal Trudeau International Airport on March 18, 2026.

Has your points account ever been compromised - or do you know someone whose miles were stolen? I am curious how common this actually is among our readers. Hit reply and tell me your experience - I read every single response and this one genuinely has me curious about the scale of the problem.

That is it for today - a wild ride from Brussels to Montreal, a luxury cabin finally on sale, and a hotel brand joining a loyalty program that gives you more places to earn. See you tomorrow!

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now (via Award Travel Finder):

Hotels:

The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo - 1.5cpp value

Zemi Beach House, LXR Hotels & Resorts - 2.3cpp value

See all award deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →

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.

Amex Membership Rewards to Avianca LifeMiles: +15% bonus - ends March 28, 2026

Capital One Miles to Preferred Hotels & Resorts I Prefer: +30% bonus - ends March 31, 2026

Chase Ultimate Rewards to Aer Lingus Avios: +20% bonus - ends March 31, 2026

Chase Ultimate Rewards to British Airways Avios: +20% bonus - ends March 31, 2026

Chase Ultimate Rewards to Iberia Avios: +20% bonus - ends March 31, 2026

Chase Ultimate Rewards to Wyndham: +30% bonus - ends March 31, 2026

Citi ThankYou Rewards to Wyndham: +25% bonus - ends March 21, 2026

Rove Miles to Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) EuroBonus [Targeted]: +20% bonus - ends April 08, 2026

Airline programs:

American Airlines (AAdvantage®): 40% discount at 2.26¢ (expires April 19, 2026)

Avianca (LifeMiles): 160% bonus at 1.27¢ (expires March 22, 2026)

Copa Airlines (ConnectMiles): 60% bonus at 1.88¢ (expires March 27, 2026)

Etihad (Guest): 35% discount at 2.08¢ (expires April 19, 2026)

Finnair (Finnair Plus): 40% discount at 1.3¢ (expires March 30, 2026)

Hotel programs:

Hyatt (World of Hyatt): 20% discount at 2.08¢ (expires April 07, 2026)

Leading Hotels of the World (Leaders Club): 100% bonus at 6.0¢ (expires April 03, 2026)

Marriott (Bonvoy): 40% bonus at 0.89¢ (expires March 26, 2026)

These are the top credit card welcome bonuses we're tracking. Offers change frequently - see all cards.

Business Platinum Card: 200,000 points after spending $20,000 in 3 months ($895/yr)

Chase Sapphire Reserve: 125,000 points after spending $6,000 in 3 months ($795/yr)

Business Gold Card: 100,000 points after spending $15,000 in 3 months ($375/yr)

Ink Business Preferred: 100,000 points after spending $8,000 in 3 months ($95/yr)

Award Travel Finder hunts down the best redemptions so you don't have to.

See all deals at AwardTravelFinder.com →