Hello from Los Angeles!

I crossed the country last night in advance of one of the most anticipated events in aviation and travel.

But first, I just built a free, live TSA wait-time tracker that you should bookmark and share. You’ll find all the details on that — and much more — below.

As for what I’m doing in my second-favorite U.S. city, United will be unveiling its long-awaited next-generation Polaris seat and first-ever Polaris Studio product here, and I’ll be bringing you the latest from the ground.

Rumors are also swirling about what else United might be gearing up to announce, so keep an eye on your inbox — and follow me on Instagram for a live look.

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Everyone — and I mean everyone — has been asking me when they should arrive at the airport given all the TSA staffing issues.

Well, I’ve got good news: I built a dashboard that tracks live security wait times by checkpoint at 19 of the busiest airports in the country. And it’s free.

Here’s the link: https://tsa.fromthetraytable.com/

Most of the existing tools online — including the TSA’s own MyTSA app — publish estimated wait times at the airport level. That doesn’t actually help when you’re trying to figure out how long the line at your specific checkpoint might be.

So I sourced the data directly from the airports and built a dashboard you can bookmark and use whenever you travel.

You’ll notice a few major airports are missing, including Boston Logan, Chicago O’Hare, Las Vegas, and San Diego. That’s because those airports don’t currently publish live checkpoint data.

At times, you might also see “unknown” or “N/A” for a given checkpoint. That usually means the airport isn’t feeding the data.

For example, on Sunday afternoon, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey temporarily stopped publishing data for LaGuardia and Newark because the posted wait times significantly understated the actual lines, which stretched into the parking garage.

This is my first time building something like this, so I’d love your feedback.

My wait-time tracker can only help so much.

If you’re traveling over the next few weeks, make sure you have TSA PreCheck — and opt in to Touchless ID with every airline you fly.

Touchless ID remains the fastest and most reliable way to skip the lines. It’s free to use, and all you need to do is add your Trusted Traveler number and passport information to your frequent flyer profile.

The catch: you need to do this with every airline you fly.

Another helpful tip: enroll in Clear.

In my recent travels, Clear rarely saves more time than Touchless ID. But with lines this bad, it’s a worthwhile insurance policy.

And finally, pack your patience. It’s rough out there — including for TSA officers, many of whom are missing paychecks.

Today is the first day that ICE officers will begin helping TSA at airports.

It’s unclear if they’ll actually improve throughput or reduce the crazy lines, but the expectation is that Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will take on supporting roles, such as guarding entry and exit points to secure areas.

We still don’t know how many officers will be deployed or which airports they’ll be assigned to, but — at a bare minimum — I hope it helps shorten the lines.

If you’re traveling this week and spot ICE officers at the airport, I’d love to hear what you’re seeing — especially if it seems to be helping.

Starting May 17, Citi will no longer allow you to share points between accounts.

Historically, I’ve loved being able to share up to 100,000 ThankYou Points between cardholders. The shared points expire after 90 days, but I’ve used this feature plenty of times to top off an account for a last-minute award booking.

At least Citi is giving about two months’ notice, but this is still a clear devaluation of the ThankYou ecosystem.

Capital One remains the most flexible issuer when it comes to sharing miles. There are very few restrictions, and it’s one of the reasons why I’m such a fan of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card and the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card.

Citi is also devaluing the transfer ratios to Choice Privileges and I Prefer Points starting April 19. I’m less bothered by those changes because I’ve never found much value in either one.

I usually start each month with a roundup of the latest transfer bonuses, but Citi just launched two new offers that are worth a look.

As always, if you’re considering a new card, check out my top recommended cards page. (I appreciate your support when you use my links.)

When airlines announce news about oil prices on a Friday evening, it’s usually not a great sign.

United, however, is trying to frame the moment differently: as a chance to invest through a possible downturn.

CEO Scott Kirby penned a letter saying that he’s planning for oil to hit $175 per barrel and not fall back to $100 until the end of next year.

In response, United plans to cut five points of capacity from its network.

Three points will come from trimming off-peak flying, including redeyes and service on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. Another point will come from Chicago, tied to the FAA’s upcoming schedule reductions. The final point will come from suspending service to Tel Aviv and Dubai.

At the same time, United says it will continue investing in technology, new aircraft deliveries, and staffing — with no furloughs and no outsourcing to regional jets.

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