Happy Friday!

I'm back from yet another whirlwind day trip. (It feels like every brand under the sun is squeezing in its marquee event this October.)

This time, I spent three hours in Dallas (and seven hours in the air) to get the inside scoop on the big changes coming to Southwest Airlines.

I'll dig into the details below, but here's the headline: For most travelers — even those who rarely fly Southwest — this is one of those rare loyalty overhauls that's mostly good news.

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

Need plans this weekend? Listen to me yap about travel and loyalty with my friends at Thrifty Traveler.

I joined their podcast as a guest, and my episode just dropped.

We dig into the latest updates, including what's next for Alaska Airlines, why I'm such a fan of travel tech, and when it makes sense to escape Delta’s fortress hubs.

It's a good one, if I do say so myself.

Southwest just unveiled sweeping changes to Rapid Rewards. Here's what you need to know.

Goodbye, A-List. Hello, precious metals.

Starting Jan. 1, Southwest will have three elite tiers: Silver, Gold, and Platinum.

Silver and Gold are simply rebrands of today's A-List and A-List Preferred, respectively. Platinum is the all-new top tier, and it comes with:

To qualify, you'll need to earn Tier Qualifying Points (TQPs) from eligible activity — including flights and qualifying credit card spending — or take a minimum number of qualifying flights.

Southwest is also adding two Milestone Rewards along the way: one between Member and Silver, and another between Gold and Platinum. That second one comes with three Companion Pass trips.

Southwest's first-ever lounges will be called Icon Lounges. At least 11 locations are in the pipeline, and the airline is starting to share more about what they'll look like.

The concept draws on Southwest icons — founder Herb Kelleher, the original flight attendant uniforms, company culture, and more. How that translates into an actual lounge is still a bit of a mystery, but I got a sneak peek on Thursday.

Think: a music-inspired space in Nashville, with nods to the cocktail napkin Southwest was founded on tucked into the whiskey glasses.

Or the famous Southwest heart greeting you at every lounge entrance.

The first four locations will open late next year in:

Access policies are still under wraps, beyond a new premium credit card launching in 2027 that'll include entry.

Southwest has been quietly building an international partner network, and that work is about to pay off.

Starting next spring, you'll be able to earn and redeem Rapid Rewards on Etihad, China Airlines, and Icelandair, with more partners on the way.

Award rates are still TBD, but this could add serious value to Rapid Rewards — especially if you don't fly Southwest all that often.

These changes feel like the latest chapter of the new-era Southwest, one that looks more and more like every other airline. (That’s not necessarily a bad thing.)

I'm glad to see the Companion Pass sticking around, and I like the addition of Milestone Rewards.

That said, a handful of changes feel like devaluations. The biggest: You'll no longer be able to earn Companion Pass progress from credit card sign-up bonuses. That stings, but it always felt a bit too good to last.

The other changes are smaller, mostly tweaks to how many points you'll earn based on fare type and status. Overall, this is a positive shift for Southwest and its most frequent flyers.

I love it when travel companies roll out tech improvements. Hyatt just did exactly that with a new free online points-transfer tool.

You can now send up to 525,000 points per year to other World of Hyatt members, with minimal restrictions.

Transfers generally post instantly, though Hyatt may delay some if it flags unusual activity.

Hyatt has long allowed free points transfers, but the old process meant emailing (or, gasp, snail-mailing) a form and waiting to see when it’d get processed.

This is a welcome upgrade. Of course, squeezing outsize value from World of Hyatt points is harder than ever since the devaluation.

When Delta unveiled its new business-class experience earlier this week, the most frequent comment in my replies was "Where's Starlink?" (Spend 15 seconds on X these days, and you’ll find someone complaining about Delta Wi-Fi.)

Well, United — the U.S. airline with the most extensive Starlink rollout to date — just found a few more ways to troll Delta and American.

For one, it's extending its fast-track status match for American and Delta elites through Oct. 22.

It also launched a new Starlink tracker, so you can check your odds before you book.

That said, United's rollout comes with a big asterisk.

Most of its longest flights, including premium transcons and transoceanic routes, still use Panasonic Wi-Fi, which rarely works for an entire flight.

JetBlue's long-awaited domestic first class — aka BlueFirst — is officially on sale.

The initial rollout covers 39 routes, mostly centered on Fort Lauderdale, Boston, and New York City. The (sold-out) inaugural departs Boston for Fort Lauderdale on Dec. 8.

First, here's what you can expect onboard:

Now, a few thoughts on the rollout plan:

Rest in peace, Lufthansa Airbus A340-600. When it debuted, this four-engine bird was the world's longest airliner.

Lufthansa will fly its final A340-600 passenger flight on Sunday, from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt.

I've taken plenty of flights on this jet, but the Lufthansa version had the coolest lavatory setup in the sky. (They're down a flight of stairs.)

I read a lot of newsletters (perk of the job), and one I’ve been enjoying lately is Wiser Wallet.

It’s written by Nic Anzalone (left) and Daniel Braun (right). It’s designed to help you optimize your everyday finances and get more out of your travel and experiences.

Nic and Daniel both read my newsletter, and we’ve traded notes a few times over the past couple of months.

They featured From the Tray Table last week, so if that’s how you found me, welcome aboard.

Using these links is the easiest way to support FTTT — and I only recommend what I actually use.

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