Happy Friday from NYC!

I’m not sure about you, but this feels like one of the longest weeks I’ve had in a while. (Thankfully, Monday is a holiday in the U.S., and all From the Tray Table employees — aka just me — are going to be enjoying a three-day weekend.)

Maybe the week has felt so long because I’ve expended too much mental energy trying to wrap my head around the (confusing) new Bilt 2.0 program.

If you’re still trying to digest everything, here’s my handy guide, as well as the recording of my Q&A Instagram Live session with @pointsbyj. As always, reply to this email with any lingering questions or to just share your strategy. I’m all ears.

Aside from Bilt, there’s a ton happening in the travel world.

From Delta going basic to a new cheap rideshare app to a simple double-dip opportunity, catch everything you need to know below.

If all goes according to plan, I’ll be heading to the nation’s capital this weekend. It’s been a while since I’ve been in D.C., and it feels like an easy enough destination for a family weekend getaway.

I’ll report back.

Splurge on a business-class ticket, and then get stuck in a center seat? That very well may become the reality on Delta.

The airline is pioneering the introduction of basic economy-style restrictions across its premium cabins.

It already rolled out Comfort Basic fares, which strip out the ability to select a seat, make free changes and cancellations, award fewer miles, and more.

Put simply, you’ll likely end up in a middle seat when you pay for the cheapest extra-legroom ticket. (A hard pass in my book, but Delta executives say the rollout and uptake have been successful.)

Soon, these basic fares will make their way to first class, Premium Select, and likely even Delta One.

It’s all part of a segmentation strategy to get people to spend more and buy higher-fare options. Good for Delta’s bottom line, bad for you and me — especially when other airlines start playing the monkey see, monkey do game.

It’s the start of a new year, which means that the annual credits on the best credit cards have reset.

But before you go spend your Lululemon, StubHub, and Dell credits, did you know that you can actually make money when using those credits?

Here’s how.

Didn’t I promise this newsletter would make you savvier?

Can I be honest for a second?

I’ve never been the guy to proudly display my airline-branded elite luggage tags as if it’s some sort of medal. (That would’ve been different if I’d ever earned invite-only status.)

But that might be about to change.

United just launched the ability to personalize your luggage tag with whatever name you’d like. I was thinking of ordering mine with either “From the Tray Table” or “if lost, find zachgriff on IG” written on it.

You could even be so ballsy as to include your phone number. The good news is that this works for all my fellow plebes (aka regular Premier members), not just the cool ones with Global Services status.

That definitely isn’t what you want to see when you pick up your Rimowa bag at baggage claim.

But it just happened to me on my first flight of 2026.

I love reporting on my first-hand experiences, and boy, has this been a fun one. I’ll share an update soon — let’s just say I’ve been surprised by how it’s gone thus far.

A friend tipped me to a new rideshare app called Empower a few months ago.

Fares are consistently 20% lower than Uber and Lyft. The cars aren’t always the newest, but I’d rather save than ride in style.

Empower has now become the first app I check when I’m looking for a ride around NYC (including airports). It’s available in NYC, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and Winston-Salem/Greensboro, and launching shortly in Miami.

If you haven’t downloaded it yet, do so here and use my referral code ZACH when signing up to get $10 in ride credit — double the standard amount.

Hilton is entering the apartment lodging business with its latest brand, Apartment Collection by Hilton. The chain is essentially white-labeling units from Placemakr, a furnished-apartment rental company.

This isn’t necessarily an innovative move (recall the short-lived tie-up between Marriott and Sonder), but it’s one I actually like.

During the pandemic, my wife and I rented a long-term apartment in Miami from an unaffiliated hotel brand. It came with hotel amenities, but we also enjoyed the unit's kitchen, office area, and laundry room.

Nowadays, when we travel with our daughter, we prioritize larger spaces. Recently, that’s been easy with Hyatt’s confirmed suite upgrades, but this is an interesting alternative.

Speaking of hotels, the trend of installing half-shower doors is quickly becoming one of my biggest travel pet peeves.

It makes for an uncomfortable exit from the shower when you quickly get a rush of cold air. Plus, you have to be careful not to slip on all the water that landed on the bathroom floor during your shower.

It sounds like hotel owners are the ones to blame for this decision. They’re trying to minimize construction and maintenance costs by only installing a half door.

And as much as I hate the decision, it’s not like I’m going to book a different hotel because of the bathroom arrangement. Or should I?

United stole the show with a bunch of small updates this week. Here they are.