What to Know About the Alaska Airlines Merger with Hawaiian Airlines — and Why the Government Approved It

One of the best airline credit cards just got a new and improved offer for new applicants.

Wynn Resorts said Friday it had received the first casino license in the UAE from the country’s General Commercial Gaming Regulatory Authority (GCGRA).

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is once again expanding its TSA PreCheck program by adding two more international airlines.

“It’s a Dall sheep!” the train tour guide exclaims as we swoop past a jagged cliffside dotted with fuzzy white creatures impressively balanced on their rocky perch.

Exploring the West Coast just got easier with new airline routes. 

Amtrak is launching a new route between Chicago and Miami this fall that will whisk passengers from the Midwest to the Sunshine State in 47 hours.

There's been a major development in the merger of Hawaiian Airlines and Alaska Airlines, as the two carriers just launched the ability to transfer miles between their respective loyalty programs. While post-merger plans call for a single, combined loyalty program, this is an important first step — and opens up a lucrative new avenue for those with American Express Membership Rewards points.

Alaska Airlines is simplifying its flight subscription pass, offering just two options.

There are two types of train trip: The long, slow, and often luxurious train journey that takes you through beautiful scenery that you book specifically to spend time on the rails; and the speedy, no-nonsense, cheap train ride you take to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. In the first category, you’ll find grand trips like Australia’s The Ghan, South Africa’s Blue Train, and Britain’s Caledonian Sleeper. In the second, there are trips from London to Brussels in just two hours, from Rome to Venice in four hours, and from Miami to Orlando in three hours. And if you’re a train traveler who belongs to the second category and likes getting places fast without flying, there are plenty of trains in this world that do just that at speeds previously unimaginable on land, including the fastest train in the world and its closest competitors.

When most Americans think of cruises, they probably think of island-hopping in the Caribbean or cruising by glaciers in Alaska from afar. That may be appealing for some people, but for others, the idea of being lazy on a ship of thousands of people for a week doesn’t sound like much of a vacation.

Germany’s got a big secret: It’s got islands. And not the rocky, desolate, and uninhabited kind, but islands with miles of sandy beaches, picturesque cliffs, peaceful, protected forests, and seaside luxury hotels. The Germans obviously are in the know, and because of their geographical locations, the Dutch and Danes are, too. But nobody else in in the world seems to remember that Germany has a coastline on both the North Sea and the Baltic Sea, let alone that this coastline is peppered with dozens of islands. The biggest of all the German islands is Rügen in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, itself a wildly underrated area. While Rügen takes a little effort to get to, the trip is hardly insurmountable, and travelers who want to see Germany away from the big urban centers, internationally known beer festivals, and packed tourist attractions would be remiss to pass on it.

Back in March, Alaska Airlines launched a new subscription service requiring a $5-per-month payment to get early access to Alaska fare sales, a personalized fare page and free Wi-Fi credits — the Seattle-based airline calls the service "Alaska Access." I was excited to test it out since, at the time, Alaska said it would give subscribers advance notice to some of its biggest deals of the year.