Hope you had a good weekend!

I’m still recovering from last week’s whirlwind. In just four days, I covered:

(If you missed any of my breakdowns, the links above will get you caught up.)

We stayed local this weekend, but our daughter has been sick, so it wasn’t exactly relaxing.

That said, this week is shaping up to be even busier — just in a very different way. It starts with this action-packed newsletter. (Don’t miss my victory lap in today’s Tray Table Tip.)

Advertiser and Editorial Disclosure

Every summer, airlines add a slew of seasonal long-haul routes for jet-setting Americans.

United has been the undisputed leader in these so-called route drops, but American and Delta have joined the party in recent years.

But for summer 2027, a major split is emerging. Just look at the numbers:

Even with last week’s new Boston-to-Reykjavík route, Delta’s summer 2027 expansion still pales in comparison to American and United.

The biggest reason for the split may be a strategic choice: Delta hasn’t ordered the extra-long-range Airbus A321XLR.

That single-aisle jet is driving most of the transatlantic growth, especially to smaller cities that don't have enough demand for bigger planes. (It’s way cheaper to operate an A321XLR than, say, a twin-aisle Boeing 767.)

Delta’s chief commercial officer says the onboard experience on a single-aisle jet can’t match a wide-body. (No matter how fancy American’s and United’s suites are, I concur.)

If you’re one of the many readers wondering why Delta isn’t flying to Vienna or Ibiza, this is a big part of the answer.

Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone hits store shelves this Friday, Oct. 23.

(You needed to win the lottery to score a launch-day delivery. The $1,999-and-up iPhone Duo is now backordered until late January 2027.)

I spent time with the phone when Apple unveiled it last month. Later this week, I’ll get my hands on one and see if it can become my daily driver.

If it can’t, I’ll lean on iPhone Handoff. The new feature lets you instantly switch your number between two iPhones, so you can pick up whichever device works best on a given day.

T-Mobile charges $5 per month for it. Verizon just announced that it’ll charge — unsurprisingly — double. (I think this software-based feature should be free.)

In the meantime, catch up on my iPhone Duo video previews:

American Express is adding a new benefit to The Business Platinum Card® from American Express — without raising the annual fee.

Starting Thursday, Oct. 22, cardmembers get access to clubhouses and shared workspaces in six of the biggest U.S. cities: New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

The perk comes from a new partnership with real estate firm Tishman Speyer, which built these spaces for its tenants.

Now, for the first time, non-tenants get complimentary access.

Here’s how it breaks down:

I love seeing new benefits without anything being taken away.

In perhaps the most surprising route announcement of the year, Lufthansa just revealed plans to fly nonstop between Frankfurt and Columbus, Ohio.

Three-times-weekly service kicks off May 5, 2027, on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.

This is huge news for Columbus, which beat out other mid-sized airports like Kansas City to land nonstop service to continental Europe.

Reading between the lines of the press release, the subsidies Lufthansa is set to receive may outweigh any demand concerns.

For points travelers, I’d expect decent award availability on the route. Better yet, the jet will feature Lufthansa’s latest Allegris cabins.

(Nothing like a New York–Columbus–Frankfurt routing.)

Google Flights is turning 15, and it just hid 15 Easter eggs you might spot while searching for flights.

The company picked 15 routes that defined aviation, and it’s adding short explainers on why each one made the cut.

Some are easy to find, like Singapore to Sydney, the launch route for the Airbus A380.

Others, like Dallas to Jackson, Mississippi, are way harder. (That’s the route that launched what’s now the world’s biggest airline by revenue: Delta.)

I won’t give too much away, but here are a few hints:

Remember when I missed my connection in London this summer because my British Airways flight arrived late?

At first, I figured the silver lining was £520 in compensation, since I reached my final destination more than four hours late.

I filed a claim the next day. British Airways denied it, blaming air traffic control.

That didn’t match what I was told on the plane: We left late because of a customer issue involving an oxygen tank.

I tried explaining that to British Airways customer relations (and its always-helpful media team), but no dice.

So I took BA to mediation, filing a formal dispute through the UK’s Centre for Effective Dispute Resolution (CEDR).

First, I had to wait eight weeks after the initial denial. Then I filled out some paperwork and waited some more.

This week, I got word that BA agreed to pay the £520 it owed. (It offered no explanation for why the outcome changed once I went to mediation instead of dealing with BA directly.)

If an airline ever stonewalls your claim, here are the links to bookmark:

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.