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Flying business class for the first time? Before you head to the airport, check your baggage allowance and whether your ticket gets you into a lounge. Once you're onboard, there are a few things worth knowing, too. That pre-departure glass of champagne isn't a given, and the rules around the call button can depend on which airline you're flying. If you're offered pajamas, go ahead and change. Just leave your bare feet out of the lavatory.

On the hotel side, Marriott Bonvoy is testing a new upgrade list in its app, giving some members a look at their spot in line and how many upgraded rooms might be available. It’s only at a small number of hotels for now, but Marriott says it’ll expand to more than 250 hotels in the U.S. and Canada by November. We like the transparency, but the app won’t tell you what room you’re actually in line for.

Plus, Margaritaville at Sea is selling an all-you-can-cruise pass for two adults starting at around $2,500, good for unlimited sailings through Dec. 31, 2027. It could be a great deal if you plan to cruise often, but there are some restrictions, and taxes, fees, and gratuities still apply.

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:21 How to Fly Business Class for the First Time

2:03 Marriott's Airline-Style Upgrade List

3:14 Margaritaville at Sea's Unlimited Cruise Pass

4:44 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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Flights from New York to Madrid for $300 round trip, with a checked bag included? Deals like this have become rare, but Thrifty Traveler Premium's cash and points alerts can help you find them. Premium costs about $130 a year, and one or two good deals could cover it if you're flexible about where you go.

Meanwhile, Amex dropped big news for its Centurion Lounge network. Newark's lounge opening has been pushed to 2027, but the delay comes with an upgrade. It'll now be more than 30,000 square feet, making it the largest Centurion Lounge yet, complete with a gelato terrace that might even make flying out of Newark worth it. London Heathrow is also getting a second location, and Houston's lounge is nearly tripling in size. Before any of that opens, though, Philadelphia's lounge closes this week for renovations and isn't expected to reopen until the end of 2027.

Even more surprising, Southwest could be eyeing Dreamliners, wide-body jets built for long-haul routes. It'd be another big shift for an airline that only recently added assigned seats and stopped letting bags fly free. We'll believe a Southwest flight to Rome when we're boarding it. And if you'd rather spend New Year's Eve in flip-flops than snow boots, Andrea Bocelli and Ludacris are both headlining in the Bahamas.

👉 Get $20 off your first year of Thrifty Traveler Premium with code DEPARTUREDIGEST: https://thriftytraveler.com/a/departuredigest

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:17 A $300 Round Trip to Madrid

0:51 How Thrifty Traveler Premium Works

2:14 Amex's Biggest Centurion Lounge Expansion

3:16 Southwest Eyes Long-Haul Routes

4:00 New Year's Eve in the Bahamas

4:33 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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Caviar, champagne, a Caesar salad prepared at your seat, and an $800 Dopp kit all come standard on Blade's semi-private jets to Florida this winter. The service, called BLADEone and run with Aero, starts flying between Westchester and Miami or Palm Beach in November, with only 16 seats and dining from Major Food Group, the team behind Carbone and Sadelle's. The catch is a fare of close to $3,000 each way.

We've flown Blade's Miami shuttle before, and it's as nice as it sounds. But JSX flies the same Westchester-to-South Florida route out of private terminals, with fares that can come in under $1,000, and you can earn United MileagePlus miles or JSX credit along the way. BLADEone is clearly nicer. We're just not sure it's three times nicer.

Heading to wine country instead? Delta will check a case of wine for free on flights from five Northern California airports, following similar programs from Alaska and Southwest. And Southwest's Enter Airplane Mode campaign is handing out Rapid Rewards points for your unread notifications and a quick burnout quiz, while supplies last.

Get $100 off your first JSX flight: https://go.departuredigest.com/jsx

Airplane Mode by Southwest: https://airplanemode.southwest.com/

Timeline

0:00 Start Here

0:19 BLADEone's Semi-Private Flights to Florida

3:07 Delta's Free Wine Case Perk

4:22 Southwest's Airplane Mode Points

4:56 Sign-Off

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Advertiser Disclosure: Departure Digest may receive compensation through our partnership with advertisers when you click on links to offers on this page. Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airlines or hotel chain. Terms apply. The information is valid at the time of posting.

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