LoyaltyLobby

A LoyaltyLobby reader was kind enough to share their experience flying with Qatar Airways from Cape Town last week, amid the airline’s significant expansion and efforts to rebuild its network. Qatar Airways was the last of the big 3 Gulf airlines (Emirates & Etihad) to restart operations and is currently at roughly 40% of pre-Iran War levels, compared to 70% to 80% for the other two. You can access Qatar Airways here. Here’s the reader’s report: First of all I would like to thank Joh

It has been more than a month since the start of Israel’s and the US’s war against Iran, which has created chaos in the Middle East and around the Gulf. Emirates was the quickest of the three major Gulf airlines to resume flights, and it is now getting closer 80% of its pre-Iran War levels. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Flydubai have all restarted operations, albeit with trimmed schedules. Gulf Air, based in Bahrain, has temporarily relocated its hub to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. I decided t

Etihad really started to ramp up operations the other week, after flying a very limited schedule at the start of the Iran War. Etihad has been increasing the number of flights it operates from its Abu Dhabi hub, but it no longer publishes a daily flight list. The airline is operating 93 passenger flights this Monday (April 6, 2026) from its Abu Dhabi hub, a significant increase from last week. You can access Etihad here. Etihad Recent Passenger Flights ex-Abu Dhabi: March 27: 62 flights March

Qatar Airways significantly increased its passenger flights last week after grounding them entirely at the beginning of the Iran War, now in its sixth week. The airline began slowly increasing its flight activity from March 18 and will operate roughly 80 departing passenger flights ex-Doha this Monday (April 6, 2026). You can access Qatar Airways here. Qatar’s Recent Passenger Flight Departures ex-Doha: March 30: 60 flights March 31: 51 flights April 1: 71 flights (+2 delayed from March 3

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a comment about the business class immigration fast track situation at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, which doesn’t look promising. Have a mishap, a loyalty story, or something else travel-related to share? Please send it to us at john@loyaltylobby.com for a possible feature. Here’s the reader’s comment: I just arrived now in BKK and everyone with a business‑class ticket was sent to the regular immigration line. No more priority lane. A lot of people were clearly

A LoyaltyLobby reader sent us a comment last month about a rodent infestation (read more here) at the Sheraton Schiphol hotel in Amsterdam that the hotel had been unable to resolve. Have a mishap, a loyalty story, or something else travel-related to share? Please send it to us at john@loyaltylobby.com for a possible feature. When the reader sent us this case, I asked for a comment from the local authority in Nerherlands who deals with these, and their reply was that came after we had published

Select Novotel hotels worldwide have launched a “Oh My Greens!” plan-forward menu that comes with bonus points in April 2026. ALL Accor members who order from this Plat Forward menu can earn a one-time bonus of 100 points that are in addition to the points that you earn from dining at an Accor-affiliated hotel. You can access this offer on Accor’s website here. READ MORE: ALL Accor Rate & Bonus Points Offers A Greener Choice, A Reward for You As an existing ALL Accor member, your plant‑fo

Lufthansa Miles&More has extended its unusual way of selling miles, and the March offer, which comes with 50% bonus miles on top of the bundles, has now been extended to April 6, 2026. You can purchase up to 250,000 miles in a calendar year using bundles, excluding the bonus. There is a 50% limited-time bonus available to all members until April 6, 2026 (after extension). You can access this offer on the Miles&More website here (EUR), here (GBP), or here (USD). If you have missed the d

Japan Airlines has launched a promotion to drive passengers to use its Frankfurt route this summer. JAL Mileage Bank members can earn double miles on flights between Tokyo and Frankfurt if they register for this offer and fly from May 19 until August 31, 2026. You can access this offer on JAL’s website here. About the Promotion Earn double miles on eligible flights when you pre-register for the campaign! Bonus miles are equal to your standard flight miles earned and will be credited autom

Emirates has now updated its Flexible Rebooking & Refund policy, which is valid for flights until April 30, 2026 (read more here). There is additional flexibility for tickets issued on or after April 2, 2026, that now allow one complimentary date change in all cabins. There is no end date on this policy. You can access Emirates here. Emirates Update: To provide further peace of mind, customers who book flights from 2 April will also be offered one complimentary date change, across all cabin

Etihad has really started to ramp up operations last week, after flying a very limited schedule for a couple of weeks at the start of the Iran War. Etihad has been increasing the number of flights it operates from its Abu Dhabi hub, but it no longer publishes a daily flight list. The airline is operating 88 passenger flights this Sunday (April 5, 2026) from its Abu Dhabi hub, a significant increase from last week. You can access Etihad here. Etihad Recent Passenger Flights ex-Abu Dhabi: March

Qatar Airways has significantly increased its passenger flights this week after grounding them entirely at the beginning of the Iran War, now in its sixth week. The airline began slowly increasing its flight activity from March 18 and will operate roughly 81 departing passenger flights ex-Doha this Sunday (April 5, 2026). You can access Qatar Airways here. Qatar’s Recent Passenger Flight Departures ex-Doha: March 26: 40 flights March 27: 38 flights March 28: 41 flights March 29: 50 flight

Hyatt and Chase have launched a bonus opportunity for cobranded cardholders who stay at 14 Under Canvas locations, as well as ULUM Moab, The Fields of Michigan, and Bar N Ranch between June 1 and September 8, 2026. World of Hyatt members can earn an additional 11 points per USD if they register for this offer by June 12 and stay within the promotional period. You can access this offer on Hyatt’s website here. READ MORE: World of Hyatt Rate & Bonus Points Offers There is an additional 2K bon

Businesses usually try to bury bad news in releases that they do on Fridays ahead of a long weekend, and United Airlines is no different. The airline announced yesterday that it will roll out Basic Economy-type no-frills fares into its Premium Economy and Business class cabins, essentially a substantial price increase for those who wish to choose their seats and use United’s international Polaris lounges, which are now off-limits. You can access United here. Change: These new “basic” fares fo

Etihad has today updated its flexible rebooking and cancellation policy for travel until April 15, 2026, for tickets issued on or before February 28. You can rebook Etihad-operated flights free of charge until JUNE 15 (previously May 15), or request a refund even if your travel has not been disrupted (which is unlikely). You can access Etihad here. Note that from April 16, there is no flexible cancellation policy in place, but there is free change (a possible fare difference may apply) for thos

Passengers with upcoming bookings from the UK might notice something oddly expensive as the infamous Air Passenger Duty (APD) was just increased again as of April 1, 2026. The most expensive hit will be for passengers in premium tickets on long-haul flights, where the APD per segment ex-UK now ranges from 244-253 GBP. Passengers who are impacted by this are those originating at UK Airports on a variety of commercial tickets and also private jets, which are taxed even higher (though these passen

It has been more than a month since the start of Israel’s and the US’s war against Iran, which has created chaos in the Middle East and around the Gulf. Emirates was the quickest of the three major Gulf airlines to resume flights, and it is now inching towards 80% of its pre-Iran War levels. Emirates, Etihad, Qatar Airways, and Flydubai have all restarted operations, albeit with trimmed schedules. Gulf Air, based in Bahrain, has temporarily relocated its hub to Dammam, Saudi Arabia. Etihad, E

Qatar Airways has significantly increased its passenger flights this week after grounding them entirely at the beginning of the Iran War, now in its fifth week. The airline began slowly increasing its flight activity from March 18 and will operate roughly 79 departing passenger flights ex-Doha this Saturday (April 4, 2026). You can access Qatar Airways here. Qatar’s Recent Passenger Flight Departures ex-Doha: March 26: 40 flights March 27: 38 flights March 28: 41 flights March 29: 50 flig

Etihad has really started to ramp up operations this week, after flying a very limited schedule for a couple of weeks at the start of the Iran War. Etihad has been increasing the number of flights it operates from its Abu Dhabi hub, but it no longer publishes a daily flight list. The airline is operating 86 passenger flights this Saturday (April 4, 2026) from its Abu Dhabi hub, a significant increase from last week. You can access Etihad here. Etihad Recent Passenger Flights ex-Abu Dhabi: Marc

I tend to stay in Japan around Sakura time every year, which is sometimes a challenge because the dates always shift a bit, though I managed to time it perfectly this year. I had already made a booking for the recently opened Park Hyatt Tokyo sometime last year, starting on March 25, and I began looking at options for getting there from Dubai in late February. American Airlines: Etihad & JAL Combo American Airlines awards from the Middle East are a very good value for Europe and Asia. This