Hope you had a great holiday weekend!

First, thanks to everyone who sent feedback on the newsletter. I owe you a bunch of replies, but if you have thoughts you haven't shared, hit reply. I read every one.

Our weekend was spent in the pool, on the beach, and under any shade we could find during some of the hottest days on record in New York.

The heat broke thanks to a massive thunderstorm system that rolled through Saturday night, causing regional travel chaos and leaving my brother and parents with train and flight cancellations.

So I spent much of yesterday playing travel agent. Hopefully, the weather clears this week because I’m on the road again starting tomorrow.

Here's everything you need to know today.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

To get home before the holiday, I took the single best domestic flight in the sky — but I’m not sure I’d do it again.

For starters, no airline does the ground experience better than Delta.

I used the private Delta One check-in facility, which starts with a cold towel, a glass of Taittinger Champagne, and a vitality juice shot, then routes you through a private TSA lane that spits you out into a dedicated elevator bank.

I took that elevator straight up to the Delta One Lounge, where I enjoyed huevos rancheros, an acai bowl, and a mango smoothie with a view of the Hollywood Hills.

In my mind, Delta One Suites is the top domestic product in the sky right now. It beats United Polaris, JetBlue Mint, and American's new and old A321.

Plus, Delta throws in the full long-haul amenity package on this premium transcon. That means stocked Missoni amenity kits, plush duvets, pillows, and mattress pads.

The biggest downside was the catering — surprisingly worse than what American, JetBlue, and United offer on this route. (Where's the ice cream sundae, the bread basket, and the good Champagne?)

Last week, I toured the Qantas hangar at the western edge of LAX.

It's the only hangar in North America big enough to fit an Airbus A380, and the best part of the tour was getting to poke around the double-decker while it was undergoing maintenance.

I've never poked my head out of the flight deck before, done push-ups in the cargo hold, or measured how tall the engines actually are.

But the coolest part? Seeing where the pilots and flight attendants sleep.

Spoiler alert: the crew has 12 berths in the cargo hold, though the pilots have private bedrooms.

(Note: this is a paid partnership.)

I've mostly talked about FoundersCard through a travel lens. But there’s also a ton of value when you’re at home or the office.

The same membership that gets me hotel status and airline discounts also unlocks perks at lifestyle brands I actually use — like Equinox, Barry's, Oura, and many others.

There's serious business value, too — discounts on tools and products from Notion, Lenovo, and more.

So even in a month where I'm home more than usual, the membership can earn its keep.

It's normally $595 a year, but my link gets you a free six-month preview and a $200 discount if you decide to renew.

I can't believe I'm writing this, but I just lost out on over $400 in credit card perks.

Here's what happened.

Last week, I was scrambling to use credit card perks before they expired on June 30. I was on a work trip at the start of the week, and I didn't have time to focus on it until the evening of June 30.

I went out to a Resy restaurant and bought sports tickets that night to use the credits before they expired.

Over the weekend, I checked my credit card statements and noticed all the charges processed on July 1 — meaning my last-minute play didn't count toward the first-half credits. Instead, I burned through the fresh ones that just reset on July 1.

Lesson learned: don't procrastinate like me. Use all your expiring credits at least a few days before they expire.

I'm starting yet another week with a bunch of complaints from readers about inflight Wi-Fi.

These days, there are really two types of onboard Wi-Fi: Starlink and everything else.

Everything else ranges from Panasonic — currently among the least reliable onboard internet providers — to Viasat, which used to be great but now seems unable to keep up with bandwidth demand from every airline turning on free Wi-Fi.

Among U.S. airlines, United and American have the most exposure to the Panasonic issues, since many of their planes are still equipped with this borderline-useless provider.

By now, I've received thousands of reports about Europe's new Entry/Exit System (EES).

Some days, the experience is pure chaos. Others, it's like the good old days when you could get through in minutes.

Airport authorities keep warning that the chaos is here to stay throughout the summer.

One tip no one seems to be discussing: Americans can use the Parafe lanes at France's biggest airports, including CDG.

If you're flying on Air France, your boarding pass should say "PARAFE" if you're eligible to use these fast-track eGates.

If you're flying with another airline but carry a standard U.S. passport, look for the Parafe lanes at the border instead of the standard queue.

New months usually bring fresh transfer bonuses, and July is no exception.

A few are worth considering, especially the Accor bonus.

I usually top up my Virgin Atlantic Flying Club account during bonuses, but the high taxes and fees are keeping me away right now.

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

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