Let’s just say it’s been an eventful weekend.

Personally, I nearly missed my flight home, but I did manage to “hack” my way into an empty middle seat both ways to Salt Lake City. I also checked out a luxe ski resort on points.

Globally, the situation is far more serious. The attacks on Iran have created ripple effects for travelers. Airspace across parts of the Middle East remains closed, and mega-carriers like Emirates and Qatar have effectively suspended operations.

More on all of that — and much more — below.

Most importantly, stay safe, and remain alert if you’re traveling soon.

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This might surprise you, but I’m pretty indifferent between sitting in domestic first class or sitting in economy with an empty middle next to me.

In fact, when I was offered a $230 upgrade from Newark to Salt Lake City, I declined it. I normally would’ve pulled the trigger, but I had another trick up my sleeve.

I was able to practically guarantee that the middle seat next to me would be empty. Here’s how I do it.

This one is simple, but you obviously need to find an aisle or window seat with an empty middle next to it. If the middle next to me is taken, I’ll move myself to another row with an empty middle.

I check the seat map religiously within three hours of departure because that’s when the last-minute seat moves happen.

You won’t end up with an empty middle seat on a full flight. So I always check the loads on my flights (and potential alternatives that fit my schedule) to see what might not fill up.

Here’s the bad news: Airlines don’t publish load factors.

(Non-rev travelers have internal tools to check loads, and there are even airline employee Facebook groups where people trade load intel to improve their standby odds. Sadly, I don’t have access to those.)

Instead, I reverse-engineer the data using publicly available tools.

I use Seats.Aero or ExpertFlyer to check flight availability. (United’s Expert Mode is a free option, but it’s limited to United flights.) You’ll see an alphabet soup of letters and numbers next to each flight.

As a general rule:

Even if a flight looks empty, your biggest competition is the standby list. The longer the list, the lower your odds of keeping that middle seat open.

Whenever possible, I look for flights with the shortest standby lists.

We just checked out of the Waldorf Astoria Park City — one of the most luxurious ski resorts you can book with points.

Don’t be fooled: award nights here don’t come cheap (they typically start at around 110,000 Honors points). That said, a Hilton free night certificate or points from the right credit card can help defray the cost.

As for the resort, the rooms are spacious (and a touch outdated), the service is stellar (love the complimentary nightly hot chocolate and s’mores), and the public areas (gym, pools, and ski valet) are all top-notch.

The property sits in Canyons Village at the base of the Frostwood Gondola, just steps from the slopes. There’s also a complimentary shuttle to Main Street Park City and Deer Valley.

On my way home, I scheduled a Lyft to the Salt Lake City airport for 5:30 a.m.

Lyft advertises an “on-time pickup promise,” and since I was traveling early on a Sunday, I figured scheduling ahead was the safest move.

Well, Lyft completely dropped the ball.

By 5:30 a.m., I still hadn’t been matched with a driver. One finally accepted at 5:33 a.m. — but was 17 minutes away from the hotel.

At that point, I knew I’d miss my flight. I checked Uber, and thankfully, there was a $120 Premier ride just four minutes away.

I had no real choice if I wanted to make my 7 a.m. departure.

Lyft promises that “your driver will be there within 10 minutes of your pickup time, or you'll get up to $100 in credits.”

I received $15. (I would’ve gotten the full $100 if the driver never showed up.)

The major U.S. airport that probably needs the most TLC right now is Miami.

Fortunately, help is on the way, especially if you’re an American Airlines flyer.

The airline and city officials just announced an expansion and modernization of Concourse D. The project includes a new 17-gate concourse that’ll replace Gate D60, accommodate larger aircraft, offer more lounge space, and deliver an overall better passenger experience.

It’s part of Miami International Airport’s broader $9 billion modernization, which sadly doesn’t include a flashy new terminal.

My wife, our one-year-old daughter, and I are heading to Buenos Aires soon.

We were looking for a warm-weather city escape with minimal time zone disruption (to preserve our daughter’s sleep schedule) and good points options.

Buenos Aires fit the bill, and now we need help planning what to do.

I haven’t been in years, so if you have recommendations, just reply to this email. (Bonus points if they’re especially family-friendly.)

It’s a new month, which means that my top credit cards are out with their new limited-time transfer bonuses.

TBH, none of them are especially appealing. (And no, I didn’t transfer Bilt points to Japan Airlines on Sunday.)

Question: What’s the most underrated credit card perk you’re probably not using?

Answer: The lost and damaged baggage benefits included with many top premium cards can be a big money-saver.

I almost used this coverage on my Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card to replace a damaged $1,200 Rimowa bag.

Another top perk you can’t miss is trip delay protection, which is also included with the card.

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