Hope you had a great weekend!

We just got back to a rainy New York City after yet another dramatic flight. Aside from that, it was a picture-perfect weekend in Maine.

This week is starting with a lot to cover. Let’s get right into it.

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We flew Portland to Newark last night on a United Express Embraer E175.

I figured the flight would be memorable because it was my first United one with Starlink. (It was impressive, though I wish United had started the internet retrofit with bigger planes flying longer routes.)

Instead, it became the third domestic flight in a row where I came close to diverting.

About 15 minutes after takeoff, the captain announced a 30-minute hold above Hartford. We had fuel for exactly 30 minutes of holding, and Hartford would be the diversion airport if we couldn't make Newark.

This time I was traveling with my wife and daughter, and diverting would've been a nightmare with the almost 2-year-old.

I immediately started pricing rental cars and Ubers, but our car seat and stroller were gate-checked, and I had little hope of deplaning and getting those items back in a timely manner.

Fortunately, we exited the hold right at the 30-minute mark and made it to Newark, albeit 90 minutes late. (We ended up circling for longer than it takes to fly between Portland and Newark.)

Even worse, my daughter got motion sick from all the laps, which made for a rough night for everyone.

I need to heed my own advice and start flying into New York in the mornings, before afternoon weather snarls everything.

United's fanciest plane — the one with 64 next-generation Polaris suites — is coming to another hub.

Beginning in October, United will deploy the jet on four routes from Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH).

This joins existing flights from San Francisco to London and Singapore. Starting in September, you'll also find the plane flying San Francisco to Seoul and Zurich (for a limited time).

I'm a bit surprised Houston is getting the plane before Los Angeles, though I assume that'll happen soon enough as United takes more deliveries.

(Unfortunately for me, I doubt United is in a rush to fly it from Newark or Chicago, since it already has the high-J Boeing 767s with extra premium capacity in those markets — even if the product itself is aging.)

We spent the weekend at the Canopy by Hilton Portland Waterfront, which opened in 2021.

It was my first stay at a Canopy, one of Hilton's smaller brands, and I came away impressed.

Canopy sits in Hilton's upscale lifestyle tier, and the service was friendly, the rooms were modern, and the food and beverage outlets were good enough that locals were coming in too.

The wildest part, though, is that the Saturday-night room rate topped $1,300 — for a hotel in Portland, Maine!

Upscale and luxury rates have climbed across the country, but at some point, I have to imagine this inflation isn't sustainable.

Fortunately, I used an expiring free night award from the Hilton Honors American Express Aspire Card to book my stay.

For those who didn't see it on Instagram, we took a family trip to Portland to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary.

I came back with tons of recommendations, and I feel like we’re just scratching the surface of what there is to do in Maine.

That said, Portland is a must-visit, and a few spots in the guide I just created rank among the best I've been to anywhere.

As a refresher, I have destination guides for Amsterdam, Rome, Sicily, and now Portland.

American is giving its top-of-the-line credit card a big refresh.

That’s the Citi® / AAdvantage® Executive World Elite Mastercard®, which increases to a $695 annual fee starting on Aug. 23 — $100 more than the current $595.

The good news is that the card keeps complimentary Admirals Club and partner lounge access for the cardholder, plus up to two guests or immediate family members traveling on an eligible flight.

The card is also adding a slew of new credits — Citi pegs the card's total annual value at up to $2,300 — though I'm not especially moved by them. They're either going to be hard to use or duplicative with other premium cards.

More than anything, the card is built for frequent American flyers. There are two new Loyalty Point milestones, doubling the card's maximum bonus Loyalty Points earning potential to 40,000.

My take: if you value Admirals Club access, you need this card more than ever. Read on for why.

Alongside the refreshed card, American is overhauling how lounge membership works.

Beginning Aug. 23, the airline is consolidating Admirals Club memberships and killing off household memberships. Rates are climbing as much as 75%, with a non-elite membership now running $1,400 a year.

American touts recent lounge improvements as the primary reason for the increase, but this move is designed to push you toward the (cheaper) credit card that includes lounge access rather than buying a standalone membership.

After all, a cobranded credit card holder is a lot more profitable on average than someone buying a lounge membership.

(It's wild to think that membership lounges now exist mostly to drive credit card signups.)

August is here, which means it’s time for new credit card transfer bonuses.

The only one I’m particularly eyeing is the 30% Amex to Avios bonus, which makes this a good window to lock in Europe flights.

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