Here's a story that deserves more attention than it's getting.

Documents obtained through a public records request reveal that Southwest Airlines has committed to building a massive lounge at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. We're talking 40,000 square feet - that is not a small crew room. That's a full-scale premium lounge operation.

Southwest's official position? It's just for crew. A 40,000 square foot facility. For crew. At one of their fastest-growing hubs, right as the airline is pivoting hard toward a premium experience with assigned seating, overhead bin policies, and early boarding perks.

This comes on the heels of previous reporting suggesting Southwest is moving in the lounge direction - and the timing fits perfectly with their broader transformation away from the no-frills brand they built their name on. If you've been following Southwest's evolution, none of this should be surprising. But the fact that they appear to be actively obscuring their plans is genuinely interesting.

For Southwest travelers keeping tabs on all of this, our

United just took delivery of its first premium-heavy Boeing 787-9 configured with the new long-haul interior - and internal photos shared with employees are now giving us the clearest picture yet of what "United Elevated" actually means in practice.

The jet features the new Polaris Studio suite - United's answer to competitors' private suites - alongside a self-serve snack bar and a completely rebalanced 222-seat layout that deliberately shifts space away from coach and into premium cabins. That's a meaningful philosophical shift for a carrier that spent years chasing volume.

The jet is already set for its March debut on long-haul routes, which means real passengers will be in these seats very soon. If you're planning a long-haul redemption on United, this is the configuration you want to be on.

Award Travel Finder has been tracking United Polaris availability - worth checking if a long-haul redemption is on your radar for 2026.

For all our United coverage and the latest on their fleet changes, check out

If you're working toward AAdvantage status this year, American just gave you a reason to register in your account before April 30.

The new promo awards 500 bonus Loyalty Points per flown segment on March and April flights, with a cap of 5,000 total - meaning 10 segments gets you to the maximum. That's not going to single-handedly push you to a new tier, but for anyone already in the thick of a status run, it's free points that stack on top of everything else you're already earning.

There are additional bonuses available on select Mexico and Caribbean routes, and for segments booked through AAdvantage Business or Corporate accounts. If your spring travel already includes anything in that region, this promo is essentially free money toward status.

The registration deadline is April 30, and flights need to be in March or April to qualify. Head to your AAdvantage account to register - you won't earn the bonus if you fly without registering first.

For more on all things AAdvantage, from status strategies to upgrade policies, our

This one's worth flagging because of how it unfolded. A United Boeing 787-9 bound for Newark turned back to Los Angeles just 36 minutes after takeoff yesterday, after the left engine began smoking.

Fire crews met the aircraft on the runway, and passengers were evacuated via emergency slides onto the taxiway. LAX issued a ground stop while the situation was assessed. No serious injuries were reported.

Separately, if you're flying through LAX anytime soon, it's always worth checking

Air Canada's Aeroplan program is running one of the better buy-points promotions in the market right now. Through March 19, you can purchase Aeroplan points with a 90% bonus, bringing the cost down to just 1.44 cents per point.

Aeroplan is one of the more versatile programs out there - it still uses published award charts for most partner flights, allows stopovers on one-way tickets, and charges relatively low carrier fees. For business class redemptions across Star Alliance partners, that 1.44 cent cost can represent serious value if you're targeting premium cabin flights that would otherwise cost thousands in cash.

The math changes depending on where you want to go, so before pulling the trigger, it's worth running your specific redemption through our

For a full rundown of every buy-points promotion currently live, including Air France Flying Blue (80% bonus ending March 5 - that one closes very soon), United MileagePlus (95% bonus through March 30), and more, check out our

That's all for today - see you tomorrow with more! And if a friend forwarded this to you, you can subscribe and get it every morning by visiting milesandpointsdaily.com.

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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.

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