Loyalty Program News for Frequent Flyers

United Airlines is expanding its global reach with three new nonstop routes from San Francisco to Auckland, New Zealand; Xi’an, China; and Tel Aviv, Israel.

JetBlue has set its sights on Music City, USA, with the announcement that it will fly to Nashville from Boston and Fort Lauderdale. The nonstop flights will begin on May 5, 2016.

The Airbus A380 is a massive wide-body jet that is the world’s largest passenger airliner. Since we last reported on who was flying it, Asiana Airlines and Qatar Airways have added the A380 to their fleets.

American Airlines is changing how you earn miles and qualify for elite status, as well as adjusting some of its redemption rates for award flights. These changes, which have been rumored for months, will hit the AAdvantage program starting in March 2016.

Just in time for Christmas getaways, Porter Airlines is introducing nonstop flights from Toronto to sunny Orlando, the home of Disney World and all things Mickey Mouse. The new route starts on December 19.

Delta has announced that it will be rolling out two new trans-Atlantic routes from the Midwest to Italy and Germany. The new flights are from Minneapolis-St. Paul to Rome, and Detroit to Munich. Both are slated to start on May 26, 2016.

The winter in Windsor, Ontario, gets mighty cold, so enjoying some fun in the sun can definitely take the edge off. Beginning on December 15, travelers in the area will have more choices, with a new year-round route between Orlando and Windsor from National Airlines.

The Airbus A350 XWB is the latest commercial airliner from Airbus Industries. The aircraft seats from 325 to 440 passengers, depending on what the airline needs, and includes many new features to improve passenger comfort. The XWB in the aircraft’s name stands for Extra Wide Body, as it’s larger than some of the other wide-body models from the company.

Delta Air Lines, in a partnership with Virgin Atlantic, is launching two new routes across the pond—a nonstop flight between Salt Lake City and London, and another from New York to Edinburgh. The new routes will start in May 2016.

Alaska Airlines’ expansion continues. In addition to introducing new routes, signing codeshare deals and brokering lounge partnerships, the airline is building more airport lounges. Its newest one, the Board Room, is opening in Seattle in mid-November.

A new study commissioned by the Marriott Rewards credit card from Chase gave travelers the opportunity to stretch their imaginations by asking them to predict what travel would look like in 2030. They did not disappoint, saying that they expect to be able to vacation in space, engage holographic personal trainers and book stays at underwater hotels.

Delta is adding four new weekly flights between its hub in New York and Tel Aviv. These nonstop flights will start on May 26, 2016, just in time for next summer. Tickets are on sale now.

When the U.S. eased travel restrictions to Cuba earlier this year, JetBlue was the first to introduce charter flights from New York to Havana. Now it has added a second flight a week to this hot destination.

United’s frequent flyer program, MileagePlus, puts Mexico, the Caribbean and Central America into one region. That means that you can fly from the U.S. to anywhere in the region for 35,000 miles in economy. United also lets you take one free stopover per roundtrip, so you can visit two destinations in this region for the same amount of miles.

Qatar Airways is reinstating its nonstop flights from Doha to Nagpur, an emerging trade and business hub in India, on December 1. With the expanded service, the airline’s total weekly flights to over a dozen destinations in India will increase from 95 to 102.

Alaska Airlines’ new route from Orange County to Puerto Vallarta has gone live, with year-round service to the popular resort town. More than just fantastic beaches, Puerto Vallarta has a thriving culinary scene, bustling nightlife, nearby jungle adventures and a historic downtown that’s ready for you to explore.

American Airlines will be heading out to Mérida from Dallas starting on March 3, 2016. There will be five weekly nonstop flights to this vibrant and charming Mexican city, which offers a fascinating mix of Mayan heritage and European colonial influences.

This winter, there’s a new way for Syracuse residents to escape the notoriously snowy and cold upstate New York winters. JetBlue is offering a new seasonal nonstop route between Syracuse and Fort Lauderdale. So get ready for some beaches and sunshine.

Southwest Airlines—known for its no-frills, low-cost approach to flying—has opened a new international concourse in Houston’s Hobby Airport. Passengers using the Houston hub now have more options, as this previously domestic-only airport goes international with five new gates.

Last week we published the first part of our Plane Spotting series, covering the latest airlines to fly the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. So many airlines have added the aircraft to their fleets since we reported on this topic a year ago that we had to split our update into two parts.