There's a rotisserie chicken being carried through TSA security in a backpack right now - and that's somehow not even today's most chaotic travel story.

Let's start with what actually matters for your travel plans.

Today's question: United Airlines is flooding Chicago O'Hare with a record number of flights this summer. Approximately how many daily flights is United planning to operate from O'Hare at its peak?

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

If you have travel booked to Puerto Vallarta, Guadalajara, or Manzanillo right now, stop what you're doing and check your flight status.

Yesterday, Mexican government forces killed Nemesio 'El Mencho' Oseguera Cervantes - the head of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG), one of Mexico's most powerful and violent criminal organizations. The retaliation was swift and severe. Cartel members launched narco blockades across the Jalisco region, triggering widespread violence that has disrupted airport operations and led to flight cancellations across all three major western Mexico airports.

Multiple airlines have already canceled flights into the affected airports, and the situation remains fluid. The violence extends beyond the airports themselves - road blockades mean that even if your flight operates, ground transportation to and from the terminals could be severely disrupted.

If you have travel to this region in the next few days, contact your airline directly. Most carriers are waiving change and cancellation fees for affected routes. Check your travel insurance policy as well - events like this may qualify as covered disruptions depending on when you purchased coverage.

For all our ongoing travel safety coverage, keep an eye on our travel safety stories at milesandpointsdaily.com/t/travel-safety.

Something doesn't quite add up - but United Airlines is pressing forward anyway.

United is planning to operate up to 750 daily flights from Chicago O'Hare this summer - its biggest schedule ever at the airport. On the surface, that sounds like an aggressive growth move. But leaked internal slides tell a very different story: revenue per seat mile at O'Hare is already falling 2.7 times faster than at United's other hubs.

The strategy appears to be deliberate attrition. United seems to be betting that American Airlines - which has its own major hub at O'Hare - cannot afford to match this level of aggressive, money-losing competition. By flooding the market with capacity, United is essentially daring American to either match the pricing (and bleed alongside them) or cede ground at one of the country's most important airports.

For travelers, this fare war could mean genuinely cheap flights out of Chicago this summer. If you're flexible and can plan ahead, it's worth watching fares closely. Not an award booker? Friday Flight Deals tracks the best cash fare drops - including exactly these kinds of competitive pricing situations - every week at fridayflightdeals.com.

For all our United Airlines coverage, check out our United stories at milesandpointsdaily.com/t/united-airlines.

If you've been on the fence about the World of Hyatt Credit Card, the welcome offer that's currently live may be the nudge you needed - but the clock is ticking.

The card is currently offering up to 5 free nights as part of its welcome bonus. For context, Hyatt is consistently ranked as offering some of the best award redemption rates in the hotel loyalty space. Five free nights at a Park Hyatt or Andaz property could easily represent $1,500+ in value depending on where you want to stay.

Unlike some programs that have quietly devalued over the years, Hyatt has maintained strong redemption rates. The World of Hyatt program uses a category-based pricing system that still allows you to find genuine sweet spots - properties where the cash rate far outpaces the points cost.

If you're planning any hotel stays this year and want to maximize the value, this offer deserves serious consideration before it disappears. Award Travel Finder also tracks Hyatt award availability daily, so you can find the best properties to redeem those nights at awardtravelfinder.com.

For more on the Hyatt program and how to make the most of it, browse our Hyatt coverage at milesandpointsdaily.com/t/hyatt.

Every now and then, a Rakuten deal comes along that makes you do a double-take at the math. This is one of those.

Right now, Rakuten is offering 97x points (or 97% cash back) on NordVPN purchases through their portal. The specifics: you're looking at the NordVPN Basic plan through a bundled subscription, and the Plus plan is running at $93.36 for 2 years - which comes with a $20 Amazon gift card. The estimated points return on that purchase is around 7,893 points, or roughly $78.93 in cash back. Important caveat: this is limited to once per lifetime per Rakuten account.

If you were already considering a VPN subscription, this stacks up remarkably well. But here's the bigger picture: Rakuten points transfer to American Express Membership Rewards, which opens up a world of airline and hotel transfer options. If you've built up Rakuten points over time, now is a good moment to think about how they fit into your broader strategy.

There's also a Lifelock offer running at 85x through Rakuten for those who need identity protection services. Neither of these are purchases you should make purely for the points - but if you were already in the market, the numbers are hard to ignore.

New to Rakuten? Sign up through our referral link and get a bonus to start.

A quick deal worth knowing about before it disappears: Office Depot and OfficeMax stores are currently running a promotion where you can buy $300 or more in Visa gift cards and get $15 off instantly at the register.

The deal runs through February 28th and has a limit of 10 per household or business (though individual store managers sometimes apply their own limits). For manufactured spending enthusiasts or anyone who regularly uses Visa gift cards for bill pay, this is a reliable way to extract value. The math works out to a 5% instant discount on the gift card face value.

Best approach: buy a $200 and a $100 card, or two $200 cards, to hit the $300 threshold cleanly. Check your local store inventory before making the trip.

You may have heard that JFK air traffic controllers have a bit of a reputation. A new audio clip making the rounds drives that point home.

A Delta pilot made a wrong turn at JFK recently, prompting a memorable exchange with an ATC controller that reportedly included the lines 'Don't freak out on me' and 'I make mistakes.' The clip has been circulating widely - and if you've ever flown through JFK and wondered why the radio chatter sounds more intense than at other airports, this gives you a pretty clear picture.

No passengers were in danger, and the incident was resolved without incident. But it does highlight something worth knowing if you travel through JFK regularly: if you're ever curious about estimated wait times at JFK security or passport control before your trip, FlightQueue tracks that in real time at flightqueue.com/airport/JFK.

We would be doing you a disservice if we didn't mention this.

A Spirit Airlines passenger carried a rotisserie chicken through TSA security in a clear pet backpack, telling agents it was his emotional support animal. TSA, apparently unfazed, let it through. The passenger then proceeded to eat the chicken on board. Fellow passengers were reportedly amused. Staff were stunned. TSA remains officially silent on their policy regarding poultry, cooked or otherwise.

There is no points angle here. We just thought you deserved to know.

The answer is 🅾️ 750 daily flights. United Airlines is planning to operate up to 750 daily flights from Chicago O'Hare this summer - its largest ever schedule at the airport - even as internal data shows revenue per seat mile there is already falling 2.7 times faster than at its other hubs. It's a bold, expensive bet that American Airlines won't be able to keep up.

That's all for today - stay safe out there, and we'll see you tomorrow with more!

Looking to redeem your points? Here's what's available right now:

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.

The points and miles world is unusually quiet today - no major transfer bonuses or buy points promotions to report. Sometimes patience pays off in this game.

Friday Flight Deals finds the best flight deals when paying cash beats using points.

Browse all deals at FridayFlightDeals.com →