Happy Wednesday!

I'm in New York, which means I dodged the thunderstorms that snarled travel across the region. (More than 11,000 flights were delayed or canceled yesterday.)

It's another jam-packed edition, so don't skim this one.

You'll notice the first section covers the expiring offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

I've spilled plenty of ink about the card and its record-high welcome offer, so I'll keep it short.

If you've been even remotely on the fence, this is your last chance. If you have any lingering questions, hit reply — I'm monitoring my inbox.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

I can't believe the day has come. Tomorrow (July 30) at 3 p.m. ET, Chase will pull the 100,000-point welcome offer on the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card.

This is only the third time the bonus has been this high. You'll earn it after spending $5,000 in the first three months.

You've heard plenty from me about why the deal is too good to pass up, especially since the card carries just a $95 annual fee.

I personally took advantage of this offer, as did my brother, and I’m excited to put the 100,000 points to use.

(If you are planning to apply, here’s my referral link. Using it helps keep this content free — thanks for your support!)

In case you missed it, yours truly — and this newsletter — were just lit up on a billboard in Times Square.

Surreal doesn’t even begin to describe how I felt when I saw it for the first time.

I left The Points Guy last year to build this newsletter. From the first edition I wrote in the attic of my in-laws' house right before Thanksgiving, to the 62,000 of you reading three times a week, I couldn't be more grateful for where From the Tray Table is headed.

In the spirit of reflection, here's what going independent has been like:

Here's to the next edition. And if you've enjoyed the work, maybe drop the subscribe link in your favorite travel group chat?

Here it is: https://newsletter.fromthetraytable.com/

American Express just added a new transfer partner, and it's one most of you have never heard of.

Effective immediately, eligible cardmembers can move Membership Rewards points into The Leading Hotels of the World's Leaders Club at a 4:1 ratio.

Some people are calling this a mediocre transfer ratio, but I disagree. It’s a fantastic new use of Amex points, which have historically been quite weak for hotel redemptions.

Leaders Club points price dynamically but average around 8 cents apiece. Divide by four, and you get roughly 2 cents per Amex point, which is pretty strong.

Plus, many of the properties rank among the world's best. (La Mamounia, anyone?)

For the first time, you can lease an iPhone — and most Macs, iPads, and Watches — directly from Apple.

iPhone leases start at $17.99 a month, and after crunching the numbers, most people should take Apple up on it.

Some thoughts on why it works:

The two big caveats are:

Unless I'm missing something, I'm leasing from here on out.

Delta and DraftKings are launching a first-of-its-kind onboard sports game. There's no betting or wagering in SkyPicks — but anyone 21 or older with a SkyMiles account can win Delta gift cards by scoring the highest.

The bigger news is what Ranjan Goswami, Delta's chief marketing and product officer, told me about inflight Wi-Fi.

It's no secret that Viasat, which powers the vast majority of Delta's onboard connectivity, trails Starlink on reliability, speed, and latency. (Starlink runs on low-earth-orbit satellites that sit far closer to airplanes than the geostationary-earth-orbit satellites Viasat relies on.)

Plus, free Viasat Wi-Fi on more airlines has strained the provider's infrastructure even further.

The good news is that Delta expects Viasat's newest satellite, dubbed Viasat-3 Flight 2 (F2), to enter service in August or September.

"That's going to provide more capacity than all of Viasat's existing constellation with just one satellite," Goswami said. "We are super excited about that."

If it goes to plan, Delta's Wi-Fi woes could be old news within weeks.

That said, United is still poised to offer the better experience once free, fleetwide Starlink is fully rolled out — slated for the end of 2027.

JetBlue is gearing up to launch domestic first class, and it finally has a name: BlueFirst. Expect three to four rows of 2-2 recliners starting later this year.

JetBlue also became the latest airline to bring basic fares to every cabin.

That's bad news because today's cheapest fares will likely become tomorrow's restrictive basic fares.

JetBlue isn't launching a basic Mint fare, which is a puzzling choice given that Delta and United just rolled out basic first- and business-class fares.

For years, JetBlue has kept a tight grip on upgrades to its posh Mint cabins.

That’s changing — much to the dismay of non-revenue employees who often clear into Mint when seats go unsold.

JetBlue just quietly rolled out a bidding system for Mint upgrades. Tell the airline what you'd pay, and the highest bidders will move up front.

Airline pricing is wacky. This week, I was booking a flight for my wife and me and considered buying separate tickets. (To leverage some expiring credits that can’t be combined.)

Had I done that, we'd have been out an additional $56. United wanted $237 per person when I searched for two adults, and $265 per person when I searched for one.

So if you're flying alone, compare the fare for one traveler against the fare for two, and buy the cheapest one.

(Reminder: you can always book two passengers and cancel one within the 24-hour free-cancellation window.)

Using these links is the easiest way to support FTTT — and I only recommend what I actually use.

From the Tray Table is part of an affiliate sales network and receives compensation for sending traffic to partner sites. This compensation may impact how and where links appear. Not all financial companies or all available offers are included. The opinions expressed are mine alone. Content is not reviewed or endorsed by an entity.