It’s hump day, which means that it’s time for another edition of From the Tray Table.

I’m not sure about you, but this winter has felt longer than normal.

Maybe it’s because the temps have been way lower, or because I haven’t been able to do the snowbird thing now that our daughter is too old to shuttle back and forth to Florida.

The good news is that we just booked our first ski vacation of the season. Hopefully, Mother Nature will spread the love a little bit (aka share some of the Northeast snow with Utah).

I’ve been hesitant to book a trip out west until the snow conditions improve, but I don’t want to wait around forever and miss the boat on skiing. I’m curious: if you’re a skier/snowboarder, what have you done about your trips so far this season?

With that out of the way, let’s dive into what’s been going on. It’s a lot, as usual.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

Remember when JetBlue damaged my Rimowa checked bag?

Well, I’ve got a (positive) update. After much back-and-forth, including uploading endless documentation, the airline paid me $1,200 for the bag.

Even if an airline doesn’t make you whole — after all, it’s very possible someone at JetBlue flagged my case for expedited approval — I’ve got another amazing safety net for you: your credit card’s luggage protection. (Don’t forget the new AirTags as well.)

Several (premium) credit cards include this protection, but so does the $95-a-year Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card.

It covers up to $1,500 per incident for lost or damaged luggage. You simply need to pay for the flight with the card and file a claim with the airline first. Coverage is capped at two claims per 12-month period.

Right now, the Capital One Venture card even offers a limited-time sign-up bonus worth more than $1,000. For a $95 annual fee, lucrative earning structure, and valuable benefits, this card is a no-brainer.

One of my most underrated travel hacks just paid dividends yet again.

Yesterday, I woke up to a notification that my American Airlines flight from San Francisco to New York was delayed by 90 minutes. Later in the day, the flight ended up getting canceled.

The thing is: I was nowhere near San Francisco and had no intention of taking the flight. (This was part of my return from my failed Hawaii trip.)

But as I always recommend, you should wait until the last minute to make any changes to your ticket. Why? Because if the airline delays or cancels your flight before departure, you’re entitled to a full refund, not just a travel credit.

American has struggled the most to recover from Winter Storm Fern. Things are looking (slightly) better today: “only” ~30% of the airline’s flights have been delayed or canceled so far.

The last few days have been miserable for American. Even after most of the weather cleared, 80% of American flights were delayed or canceled yesterday.

Beware if you’re flying AA soon.

Remember when I completed the viral JetBlue 25-for-25 challenge last year?

Well, I have 2,369 friends who did it too. More than 10% of them had never even flown JetBlue before.

It’s wild to me that people participated from 43 states, especially given that JetBlue is basically an airline for travelers from Florida, Massachusetts, New York (and Puerto Rico).

JetBlue didn’t say how much it cost, on average, to complete the challenge. I’d bet many people paid more than the $3,300 it took me.

Despite Delta’s premium push (which, in many ways, leads the industry), the airline still offers one of the most outdated international business-class products on its Boeing 767-300s and Airbus A330s.

The good news is that’s about to change — in a big way.

Fresh off the heels of ordering up to 60 Dreamliners, Delta just announced another big wide-body order that includes:

With this order, Delta’s long-haul fleet renewal should be mostly complete. As you would expect, all of these new planes will be delivered with bigger premium cabins, complete with the airline’s signature Delta One Suites product.

When all is said and done, here’s how the Big 3 U.S. airlines stack up in terms of their outstanding wide-body orders. (This doesn’t account for how some of these planes will just replace retiring jets.)

It’s too early to tell which strategy will win, but I have a feeling that the long-haul travel boom is here to stay. What do you think?

Even though I wasn’t there to witness it in person, Southwest officially dropped one of its most unique and controversial policies this week.

Goodbye open seating, and hello to what’s poised to become a big ancillary revenue opportunity: assigned and premium seats.

(With this move, I no longer need to set check-in alarms whenever my friends or family fly Southwest.)

Going forward, all but the basic fare will include a seat assignment. The more expensive tickets (Choice Preferred and Choice Extra fares) include preferred or extra-legroom seats, or you can buy a standard Choice fare and pay to upgrade your seat assignment during or after booking.

On flights from Los Angeles to San Francisco, preferred seats (located toward the front of the plane) are going for ~$20, while extra-legroom seats are ~$35.

Southwest is taking a page from the tried-and-true playbook of other legacy airlines and dynamically adjusting seat prices.

Great for LUV stock; less great for those who like to pretend they’re sick during the boarding process.

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