Hello from Midtown Manhattan during one of my least favorite weeks as a New Yorker.

It's the priciest week of the year for New York hotels. For locals, the traffic and subway delays can feel interminable. (That’s because the UN General Assembly and Climate Week are both in town, along with a slew of other conferences.)

I've spent the week bouncing between events, and the highlight has been speaking on a Clios panel about the future of media and my journey going independent.

Between it all, I found a moment to put together today's jam-packed edition. Enjoy!

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

(This section is presented by BWH Hotels.)

I flew to Vancouver last week to cross off a bucket-list destination and experience. The destination? Tofino, British Columbia. The experience? Flying there on a seaplane from downtown Vancouver.

But there was so much more to this trip, which turned out to be the perfect way to usher in fall. (It helped that the temps were in the 60s during my trip.)

The city half

My trip started in Vancouver, where I had a day to explore the city before heading off to Tofino.

I’ve been to Vancouver a few times over the years, and every time I’m there (when the weather is nice), I’m reminded of how underrated it is. This visit was no exception: I woke up with a fantastic run around Stanley Park, took the Aquabus to Granville Island, and walked around the shops on Robson Street.

There’s more to explore in Vancouver, but this let me hit the highlights.

I stayed at the Georgian Court Hotel, WorldHotels Elite property, which is an independent property that’s part of BWH Hotels’ luxury portfolio. I was really impressed by the suite, found the bed super comfortable, and had no trouble catching up on work in the supremely spacious living room with floor-to-ceiling views of downtown Vancouver.

The coast half

The next stop was Tofino.

Getting there involved an hour-long Harbour Air seaplane ride from Vancouver Harbour. It’s been years since I’ve taken a seaplane, and the thrill of taking off from the water never gets old.

Neither do the views — I was mesmerized by everything I saw on both sides of the Turbine Otter.

We landed in Tofino, and I grabbed a ride to the Best Western Plus Tin Wis Resort, which far exceeded my expectations.

The town of Tofino is about 1.5 miles away from the property, but there’s a beautiful beach walk or paved recreational path you can take. You can always ride on a complimentary shuttle, or just rent a car.

The oceanfront property couldn’t have been more relaxing and peaceful — Tin Wis literally means calm waters in the Nuu-chah-nulth language — and I found it quite modern and charming. Cozying up with a book on that oceanfront balcony was a highlight.

Tofino is absolutely worth a visit. Whether you’re looking for nature walks, strolls on endless beaches, whale watching, surfing, or even just a good meal, I did all of that and more during my two nights there. (I’d highly recommend trying Tacofino and Ombre if you’re in town — they’re absolutely worth a visit.)

The points and value angle

Here’s the most interesting part.

Both properties are part of the Best Western Rewards loyalty program. I like the program because points don’t expire, elite status starts at just five qualifying nights, and you can even status match any elite status from another program.

Even if you don’t go the points route, you’ll find the properties to offer a ton of value — paid rates in Tin Wis start around $200. You don't often find a beachfront room in a bucket-list destination at that price.

The coolest bag of the year is here.

American's centennial collection with July just launched, and many of the bags are already backordered.

In case you missed it, I'm currently giving away a Flagship Navy carry-on bag. To enter, just comment on my Instagram post.

I'll announce the winner in Friday’s newsletter.

If you don't want to wait (or aren't feeling lucky), the bags retail for $345. Here’s the link to grab one.

It's clearly the season for new headphone drops.

I just tested the new Beats 360 over-ear headphones on a flight, and the noise cancellation impressed me.

Beats 360 is the company's new push into mass-market over-ear headphones for everyday wear. They retail for $349.99, and you can even swap the ear and headband cushions to customize your look.

In many ways, they fill the gap between earbuds and pricier premium pairs like AirPods Max.

Personally, I still prefer earbuds for portability. But if you're shopping for new noise-canceling travel headphones, these are worth a look.

At long last, your inflight Wi-Fi should get a speed boost.

Viasat — the Wi-Fi provider on most American and Delta jets, plus every JetBlue plane — just activated its next-generation satellite over the Americas. That should ease the bandwidth crunch on the busiest routes.

Last night, I caught up with Nat Pieper, American's relatively new chief commercial officer.

The conversation was off the record, but it got me thinking about the airline's latest premium push.

It's no secret that American has lagged behind Delta and United for years.

When United announced seatback screens, free Starlink Wi-Fi, better tech, and posh new planes earlier this decade, it was clear the airline was gunning to unseat Delta as the country's top premium carrier.

American, meanwhile, passed on many of these passenger-facing upgrades and doubled down on its Sun Belt strategy, adding domestic flights at fortress hubs like Charlotte and Dallas to beef up its schedule.

But with Pieper — a Northwest, Delta, and Alaska veteran — running the commercial side for the past nearly 11 months, American seems to have woken from its slumber.

The airline just rolled out its most premium plane ever, announced Starlink Wi-Fi, unveiled a retrofit plan to add seatback screens, expanded its lounge portfolio, and more. (Plus, I love the airline’s underrated catering.)

It's too early to tell whether these moves will convince travelers and investors that American is turning around. But at least American has a plan.

My next challenge to Pieper and his team is to pursue passenger-experience innovation, not just copy what’s been working for rivals.

Bilt just added a rare new transfer partner: Amtrak Guest Rewards.

That said, don't rush to move your points. First, they transfer at a 2:1 ratio. Second, I value Amtrak points at about 2.7 cents apiece, which means you're getting just 1.35 cents of value per Bilt point.

You can do better with flights and hotels. But if you're looking to top off your Amtrak account (or simply offload Bilt points), this is a new, easy option.

Citi just added a new — and potentially lucrative — transfer partner: Japan Airlines.

ThankYou points transfer 1:1 to JAL from eligible Citi cards with an annual fee. Eligible no-annual-fee cards transfer at a 1:0.7 ratio. (The only other points that transfer 1:1 to JAL are Bilt Rewards and Rove.)

Better yet, there's a limited-time 30% transfer bonus to JAL through Oct. 24.

JAL Mileage Bank has three standout sweet spots:

JAL does have some weird quirks. Award availability can be tough to search on its website, and you need to be a member for at least seven days before transferring points.

I love bags that fold into small pouches.

On longer trips, I always pack a small extra duffel in case I come home with more goodies than I left with. It stays folded unless I need it.

Dagne Dover — which, to me, was previously synonymous with our diaper bag — just launched soft bags that convert into pouches.

It's a departure from the brand's signature neoprene, but I think it's on to something.

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.