Spring has finally sprung in New York, and I've been loving every excuse to get outside.

We had a picnic dinner with our daughter in Central Park last night that'll probably go down as the highlight of my week.

But you're here for travel updates — and there are a lot of them today, including one on Europe's frustrating new border system.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

The Chase Sapphire Reserve® is offering 150,000 bonus points after $6,000 in spend in the first 3 months — the biggest public welcome offer it’s ever had.

No other premium card comes close right now.

The limited-time offer is so good that I've gotten countless questions about whether the $795 annual fee is worth it.

Here's the thing: the Reserve is stacked with credits, and you only need to use two of them to come out ahead.

Use just those two, and the card pays for itself. That's before you step foot in a Chase lounge or touch the seven other credits and benefits I broke down in my full review.

And even if you ignore all the credits, 150,000 points can be worth well over $3,000 toward travel (based on 2 cents/point valuation) — offsetting nearly four years of annual fees on its own.

Convinced? Here's my affiliate link.

Still doing the math? Reply with your travel and spending habits, and I'll walk you through it.

I’m not sure about you, but Claude has become an integral part of my life.

It doesn't write my content (and never will), but it copy edits, drafts headlines, suggests ideas, does research, builds itineraries, and even spins up time-saving tools.

I've been hitting my usage limits way faster than before, but I guess that just means I'm becoming a power user (or Anthropic is trying to make more money).

In fact, there are two tools I'd love to see built. If anyone wants to take a swing at them, I'd happily lend my expertise as an advisor and my platform to promote it:

As a self-proclaimed techie, I'm curious how you're using AI in your travel workflow. Reply and let me know.

Summer travel season is nearly here, and the one-month-old European border system is still chaotic.

I’ve heard recent reports from readers who have waited more than two hours in line at major European hubs, like Madrid and Paris.

I compiled a guide to the new Entry/Exit System (EES), including my tips and tricks for beating the system.

One final note: if you’re landing in Europe during a peak morning window, I might suggest booking a longer connection than normal. Worst case, you can spend some time in the lounge.

Airfares are up more than 20% over the past four months, and it doesn't look like the trend will reverse anytime soon.

On top of raising fares, United is making you pay even more for your usual perks.

The latest example is the rollout of basic fares in Premium Plus. These no-frills tickets effectively replace the previous cheaper fare and add the following restrictions:

As annoying as it is, I actually suggest buying the basic fare in certain cases.

If you're reading this newsletter, odds are you're the one making the travel booking decisions for your family and friends. (That's been my role for two decades.)

My brother recently sent me a Google Flights link to an American Airlines flight and asked me to book it for him.

Before I book any American flight, the first thing I do is check award availability via the Alaska Atmos loyalty program.

Lo and behold, I snagged a 7,500-point award for a flight that otherwise would’ve cost $239.

That’s why Atmos remains my favorite loyalty program right now.

Here’s an interesting promo to save $40 on each of your next two Uber rides.

All you need to do is book an extra-legroom seat on a domestic Delta flight (in either Comfort Classic or Comfort Extra).

Flights must be taken on or before July 19, and you need to enroll before booking.

Uber is capping the promo at the first 300,000 enrollments, so I'd suggest signing up now — even if you don't have immediate booking plans.

If you're worried about rising airfares, today's tip is for you.

When you're booking international flights, always search for a round-trip first. (One-way flights are occasionally half the price of a round-trip, but that's often not the case.)

Even if you don't plan to use the return flight, adding it to your itinerary can unlock cheaper fares.

Better yet, you could nest your trips, or hope for a schedule change to get a refund for the unflown segments.

I almost never book a paid one-way long-haul ticket, and you shouldn't either.

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.