Hello from Buenos Aires!

After spending the weekend in Park City, I met up with the rest of my family in Dallas, and we all flew down to Argentina together.

We’re spending a few days here, and we’re looking forward to enjoying the warmer weather without the jetlag. (A big reason why we chose South America.)

I’ve recapped the journey below, along with a behind-the-scenes look at Amex’s newest lounge, why the A321XLR is such a game-changer, and more.

This is our first family vacation in a while, so unless something major happens in travel, the next time you’ll see me in your inbox will be Friday.

Until then, follow along on Instagram for the latest from Buenos Aires.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

Amex was the first credit card issuer to build an airport lounge. Now it’s the first to introduce a speakeasy-style dining concept, dubbed Sidecar.

(Coincidentally, the first Centurion Lounge and the first Sidecar are both in Las Vegas.)

At first glance, the strategy might seem counterintuitive. The 1,500-square-foot space seats just 33 guests.

That’s clearly not large enough to absorb the lines that often form outside the Las Vegas Centurion Lounge during peak periods.

Nevertheless, Amex believes it’s onto something.

For one, securing 1,500 square feet in a crowded airport is much easier than finding room for a larger lounge. Plus, there’s less competition with other issuers for these smaller footprints.

Secondly, Amex believes there’s a large group of travelers who don’t need the full lounge experience. These in-and-out flyers are exactly who Sidecar is designed for.

And finally, the issuer is focused on Sidecar’s throughput, not capacity.

Want to know what else Amex is planning for the Centurion Lounge network? Here’s everything the president of Amex Travel told me.

American Airlines just filed plans to adjust the capacity on 12 long-haul routes during the winter.

That’s typically when transatlantic demand is the weakest, so why fly a wide-body jet to places like Amsterdam when there’s only enough demand for, say, 150 seats?

That’s where the Airbus A321XLR (extra long range) excels. Sure, it might not be as comfy as a twin-aisle plane, but American is going to deploy the A321XLR on additional transatlantic routes this winter.

The jet will allow American to turn New York to Barcelona into year-round service, while offering more flights in European markets from Philadelphia.

While the A321XLR will fill some gaps over the winter, it’s not all good news. For instance, Miami to Paris won’t fly this winter.

American says that’s because some Boeing 777s are heading into the hangar for retrofits to the airline’s new Flagship Suite product.

As I mentioned, we woke up in Buenos Aires after flying overnight on an American Boeing 777-200.

For years, I’ve tried to avoid these planes because American’s business-class experience can be inconsistent. Some feature alternating forward- and rear-facing seats that rock back and forth.

The good ones have reverse-herringbone Super Diamond pods.

The catch? You don’t know which version you’ll get until about 48 hours before departure, when the aircraft is assigned.

Fortunately, we lucked out. The three of us — my wife, our one-year-old daughter, and I — split two pods.

We decided it wasn’t worth redeeming miles for a third seat since our daughter can’t safely sleep on her own, and booking three premium economy recliners didn’t seem like it would be more comfortable.

I’m happy to report that my daughter and I managed to get seven hours of sleep in our shared pod. We went to bed shortly after takeoff, and she woke me up just as breakfast was being served. (The yogurt and fruit plate hit the spot.)

When we deplaned, a few fellow passengers and crew members told my wife and me that we did a good job, which was all I needed to hear to know the flight was a success.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve found myself turning to Alaska’s Atmos loyalty program for many of my last-minute award bookings.

Even though I’m not based on the West Coast in one of Alaska’s core markets, I’ve been using Atmos points more than any other program lately.

The award rates are often quite generous, and Alaska’s roster of partners makes it easy to redeem without routing through Seattle.

If you’re an American Airlines flyer, it’s especially worth a look. I just redeemed 15,000 points for first class from Salt Lake City to Dallas, and I often help my parents book flights between South Florida and New York for just 7,500 points each way in economy.

Atmos isn’t a transfer partner of the major credit card currencies, but you can get a big boost from signing up for the Atmos™ Rewards Summit Visa Infinite® Credit Card or the Atmos™ Rewards Ascent Visa Signature® Credit Card.

Or simply by transferring points from Bilt.

Last week, Apple unveiled a slew of new laptops, including its cheapest one yet (the $599 MacBook Neo).

I’ve been using the new MacBook Air with the M5 chip since it was announced. While most people are focused on the internal upgrades — especially the faster processor — I noticed something smaller that’s just as interesting: a redesigned keyboard.

The modifier keys now feature new glyphs that match the iPhone keyboard. I’m a big fan of the change because it brings more consistency across Apple devices.

Expect all upcoming Macs to adopt this updated keyboard design.

I’ve taken four American flights in the past week and tried the new free Wi-Fi on three of them.

Honestly, it really impressed me.

For one, I enjoyed high-speed satellite internet on two regional jets, which used to be the worst-case scenario for connectivity. (For years, these planes relied on painfully slow air-to-ground networks.)

The sign-in process was seamless, and I connected multiple devices with my AAdvantage account without an issue.

The big downside is that most long-haul jets still don’t feature free Wi-Fi. American wanted $35 for the (crappy) Panasonic Wi-Fi on the flight down to Argentina.

No thanks.

Question: What’s going on with Air Canada Aeroplan transfers?

Answer: I’ve received several reports from readers who are experiencing delays when transferring points from Amex to Air Canada. (It’s usually instant.)

I haven’t heard anything official from either party, so beware if you’re looking to transfer in the coming days. I’d expect this to resolve itself pretty quickly.

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