The Chase Sapphire Reserve is turning 10, and Chase is marking the occasion with several limited-time travel offers and an upgrade to one of the card’s existing benefits.
The most lasting change is coming to its DoorDash perk. Beginning October 1, 2026, the current $5 monthly restaurant credit will increase to $15 and become usable on all eligible DoorDash orders.
Chase is also rolling out limited-time statement credit offers with IHG, Hyatt, JSX, Wander, and SIXT.
Here’s what’s new and what’s on offer.
The DoorDash Credit Is Getting More Useful
Beginning October 1, Sapphire Reserve cardmembers with an eligible DashPass membership will receive a $15 monthly DoorDash credit that can be used on eligible DoorDash orders.
That’s an increase from the current $5 monthly restaurant credit, and the restriction to restaurant orders is going away.
The card’s two existing $10 monthly non-restaurant DoorDash promotions aren’t changing. Combined, that means eligible cardmembers can receive up to $35 in DoorDash value each month.
Chase says the updated benefits will be available through December 31, 2029.
Getting the full $35 in value still means using DoorDash multiple times each month. But the larger and more flexible $15 credit should be easier to use than the benefit it replaces.
Sapphire Reserve Adds Limited-Time Travel Credits
The anniversary also brings several travel offers for existing Sapphire Reserve cardmembers. Activation is required, and each comes with its own spending requirement.
$125 back at IHG Hotels & Resorts after spending at least $500 on an eligible U.S. stay. Payment must be completed by October 16, 2026.
$250 back at Miraval and Alila after spending $1,000 at participating U.S. properties that are part of World of Hyatt. Payment must be completed by December 14, 2026.
$200 back with JSX after spending $200 on a semi-private flight by December 14, 2026.
$350 back with Wander after spending $1,500 on a vacation home by December 14, 2026.
$125 back with SIXT after spending $500 on a premium car rental by December 14, 2026. Chase says this offer is available to eligible cardmembers as of August 25, 2026.
There’s one additional detail to know before booking. These anniversary offers apply when booking or paying directly with the participating partner, not through Chase Travel.
And some of the discounts are sizable if an eligible purchase was already in the plans. The JSX offer covers a $200 purchase entirely, while the IHG and SIXT offers amount to 25% back when spending exactly the required amount.
Chase Is Also Giving Away Ultimate Rewards Points
Chase is also running an anniversary contest from September 16 through November 6.
Cardmembers can share a favorite trip taken since 2016 for a chance to be one of 10 finalists. The grand-prize winner will receive 5.5 million Ultimate Rewards points, while the other nine finalists will each receive 500,000 points.
The contest comes with the biggest number, but the DoorDash change and anniversary travel offers are likely to matter more for most existing cardmembers. The travel offers are temporary and require activation, while the expanded DoorDash benefit begins October 1 and is slated to stick around through the end of 2029.
American Express is bringing a Centurion Lounge to continental Europe for the first time.
The 33rd Centurion Lounge opens Thursday, September 17, at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol (AMS). It’s in the airport’s non-Schengen zone between Concourses E and F. And the entryway is just up the stairs near the Lounge No. 50 sign.
At nearly 6,000 square feet, Amsterdam is far from the largest Centurion Lounge in the issuer’s network. But after walking through the space ahead of its opening, it doesn’t feel quite as small as that number suggests.
Tall ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows bring plenty of natural light into the lounge, while the layout breaks the space into several distinct areas. There’s a dedicated coffee bar, dining area, full-service bar, and different types of seating across the lounge.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Amex also packed quite a bit of the Netherlands into the space.
There are deep greens and blues inspired by Amsterdam’s canals, Dutch florals, locally sourced coffee and tea, work from local artists, and a Delft-style version of Amex’s bulldog mascot.
The goal, according to Vince Carbone, Amex’s director of global lounge design strategy, was to make the lounge distinctly Amsterdam without making the references too “on the nose.”
That’s a pretty good description of what Amex built. It still looks and feels like a Centurion Lounge, but the Amsterdam influence is impossible to miss.
Bringing Amsterdam Into a Centurion Lounge
No two Centurion Lounges are designed to be exactly alike, and much of what distinguishes Amsterdam comes down to the details.
The local references start near the entrance. A painting featuring Sir Charles Frosty Blue (Amex’s mascot, not Dutch royalty) incorporates Delftware and Dutch florals. Work from local artists lines the walls, while flowers and other references to the Dutch landscape decorate tables and shelves.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Color plays an even bigger role.
Deep greens and blues run throughout the space, inspired in large part by Amsterdam’s maze of waterways. Color blocking (which, I learned, is the practice of using distinct areas of color to define a space) also helps separate one part of the lounge from another without making each area feel disconnected.
The ceiling is another integral part of the space, although it isn’t entirely an Amex creation. The lounge was built out of former office space, and the tall, angular ceilings were already there.
Amex incorporated that existing architecture into the design. The triangular forms overhead add dimension, while the ceiling height and floor-to-ceiling windows help make the relatively compact lounge feel a lot more open.
And perhaps a little more upscale.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Moving through the space takes you from general seating to the Blue Roast Coffee Bar, dining area, and eventually the main bar. Additional seating runs along the perimeter beside the windows.
Then there are details that are easier to miss.
For instance, Amex has made a habit of hiding a bulldog statue in its Centurion Lounges. Amsterdam’s version sits above the bar, rendered appropriately in Delft style.
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Coffee Is Getting More Attention
One of the most prominent parts of the lounge isn’t the traditional Centurion bar.
It’s the coffee bar.
Amsterdam is the fourth Centurion Lounge to feature Amex’s Blue Roast Coffee Bar, following Seattle, New York-JFK, and Salt Lake City. The branding carries over, but the coffee and tea are sourced locally and brewed fresh by a barista behind the counter.
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There’s also another reason Amex is putting more emphasis on coffee.
The Global Lounge team said it’s seeing customers drink less alcohol and show more interest in coffee and nonalcoholic beverages. That’s beginning to influence what Amex prioritizes inside its lounges.
The full-service bar isn’t going anywhere, and Amsterdam has one of those, too. But Blue Roast gets its own dedicated space rather than feeling like an extension of the dining area.
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Food is another important part of the Centurion Lounge experience. Amex even went so far as to call it a main draw.
The Amsterdam menu mixes global and European flavors with Dutch staples, like bitterballen. Amex also mentioned herring and eel as examples of regional European dishes that will be served, although it wasn’t clear when or how often those will appear once the lounge opens.
Some dishes are expected to rotate roughly every three weeks, while other staples will stay.
Like the design itself, the food gives Amex another way to make the lounge feel connected to Amsterdam without changing the basic Centurion Lounge formula.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Making the Most of 6,000 Square Feet
The Amsterdam lounge is noticeably smaller than some of the newer Centurion Lounges Amex has opened in the U.S.
There’s a fairly simple reason for that. Airport real estate doesn’t grow on trees. And Amex’s team isn’t shy about saying that lounge development often comes down to what space an airport can make available.
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At Schiphol, space is particularly hard to come by.
The existing architecture ended up working in Amex’s favor. Instead of one large seating area, the lounge progresses through smaller spaces for seating, coffee, dining, and the main bar. Combined with the tall ceilings and natural light, the layout keeps the footprint from feeling compressed.
Patrick McGinley, Amex’s director and design and construction program manager for Centurion Lounges, said the finished product turned out better than he originally expected.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Amex worked closely with Schiphol and Dutch partners to get the lounge built, and indicated that it expects to stay in touch with the airport if opportunities for additional space come along later.
There’s nothing more concrete than that for now. But even ahead of the official opening, Amex isn’t ready to close the loop on what the lounge could eventually become.
Why Amsterdam Makes Sense for Amex
The opening is also another step in taking a Centurion Lounge network that has historically been concentrated in the U.S. farther abroad.
Members of Amex’s Global Lounge team pointed to growth in the company’s international business and demand for lounges in more parts of the world.
Schiphol is important both for people beginning trips in the Netherlands and for those passing through one of Europe’s biggest connecting hubs. Amex expects the lounge to draw a mix of U.S. and international Platinum Card Members, without a necessarily particular tilt toward either group.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
There’s also a notable network effect from the U.S.
Several major U.S. gateways with nonstop service to Amsterdam already have Centurion Lounges. Platinum Card Members have access to a much broader collection of lounges around the world through the American Express Global Lounge Collection, but Amsterdam extends Amex’s own Centurion brand farther along those trips.
Someone leaving a U.S. gateway with a Centurion Lounge, such as Atlanta or New York-JFK, can now see that same Centurion logo again while passing through Schiphol, just as they can in London, Tokyo, and elsewhere.
And at 33 locations, the network is pretty substantial in its own right. The Centurion Lounge footprint rivals or even exceeds the proprietary lounge networks of some airlines.
But that doesn’t mean Amex is about to start opening lounges across Europe or the rest of the world at the same pace it has in the U.S.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
The Global Lounge team was pretty careful on that point. International growth has made additional markets attractive, and there’s demand to put lounges in more places. Over the long term, some additional balance between the domestic and international network makes sense, but Amex isn’t looking to swing too far in either direction.
Expansion isn’t the only focus, either. Lounges in Boston, Newark, and a Sidecar location in Charlotte are on the way, but Amex is also reinvesting in existing locations. Dallas Fort Worth, one of the older outposts in the Centurion network, is getting a revamped and larger lounge as part of that effort.
That mix of new locations and updates to existing ones is shaping the network as it grows. And Amsterdam just happens to be the newest piece and the first in continental Europe.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
But for all the significance Amex places on the opening, the lounge itself isn’t trying particularly hard to make a statement about it. It’s still recognizably a Centurion Lounge. The Amsterdam part comes through in the colors, artwork, coffee, food, and little details scattered around the space.
It’s distinctly Amsterdam, without being too on the nose.
Air France is getting a much bigger home at New York-JFK.
The airline announced September 15 that it will move its JFK flights into the airport’s New Terminal One starting next year. Along with the move, Air France plans to open a new lounge spanning more than 2,700 square meters, or roughly 29,000 square feet.
It will be the largest lounge in Air France’s international network, with more than 400 seats spread across two levels.
Air France already operates a lounge in JFK’s existing Terminal 1, so this isn’t a new addition as much as a major upgrade. The current lounge includes dining, showers, a Clarins treatment area, and dedicated services for La Première passengers.
The new space will take that considerably further.
What to Expect From Air France’s New JFK Lounge
Air France hasn’t revealed every detail of the lounge yet. So far, the airline has released a rendering of the bar along with some early details about what will be inside.
The two-level lounge will include multiple dining areas focused on French cuisine, a bar serving French wines and Champagne, and dedicated spaces for working, relaxing, and beauty treatments.
AIR FRANCE
There will also be an exclusive area for Flying Blue Ultimate members.
La Première passengers will get a separate space of their own, including a dedicated dining experience created for the airline’s first class customers. Air France says the lounge will be part of a more personalized La Première airport experience extending from arrival at New Terminal One through boarding.
Who Will Have Access to the New Lounge?
The lounge will be open to Air France La Première and eligible business class passengers, although Business Light fares won’t include access.
SkyTeam Elite Plus members will also be eligible, along with qualifying passengers flying KLM and other SkyTeam partner airlines.
And Air France has plenty of passengers to accommodate at JFK. During the summer season, the airline operates up to six daily flights between JFK and Paris Charles de Gaulle (CDG), in addition to three flights operated by transatlantic joint-venture partner Delta Air Lines.
Four of those daily Air France flights are operated by Boeing 777-300ERs equipped with the airline’s new La Première cabin.
Air France Is Moving Into JFK’s New Terminal One
The lounge is part of a much larger change underway at JFK.
New Terminal One is being built as part of the airport’s $19 billion redevelopment and will eventually replace the existing Terminal 1. Air France plans to move all of its JFK operations there beginning next year.
For Air France passengers, that also means the existing lounge’s days are numbered. Its replacement will be substantially larger and built around the airline’s latest premium products, including La Première.
There’s still plenty Air France hasn’t shown, including what most of the lounge will actually look like. But at nearly 29,000 square feet and with room for more than 400 guests, the new space will be a major step up from Air France’s current JFK lounge.
Airline elite status usually takes time to earn. A status match can provide a shortcut.
Someone who already has elite status with one airline may be able to use it to get status with another, rather than starting from scratch. That can be useful when switching airlines, moving somewhere served better by a different carrier, or expecting to fly another airline more often.
How Airline Status Matches Work
At its simplest, a status match starts with proof of existing elite status. An airline looks at that status and determines whether it qualifies for a corresponding tier in its own loyalty program.
Many public status matches work as a trial and challenge. An airline grants elite status for a limited period, then sets requirements to keep it longer.
Those requirements might include a certain amount of flying, spending, or both. Complete them during the specified period and the status gets extended. Otherwise, the temporary status expires.
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Not every opportunity is published, though.
Some airlines don’t advertise a status match online but may still consider requests from elite members of other airlines. In those cases, contacting the loyalty program directly and asking about a match is the easiest path forward.
There’s also a paid route. Some airlines work with third-party companies to let eligible members pay for a match, avoiding the flying or spending challenge that often comes with a public offer.
U.S. Airline Status Matches
Most of the largest U.S. airlines have a public status match or challenge program. Applications can be made directly with the airline.
Opportunities also exist outside the U.S. Some international airlines publish status matches, while others may consider requests even without advertising one.
Paid Airline Status Matches
For some airlines, there’s another option.
StatusMatch works with select loyalty programs to offer paid matches. An eligible member provides proof of existing status, selects the available match, and pays the applicable fee.
This can eliminate the challenge portion of the process, although each offer has its own eligibility requirements, price, status tiers, and terms.
Here are some of the paid status matches currently available:
PointsYeah may earn a commission when someone uses an eligible paid status-match offer above.
When a Status Match Makes Sense
Timing matters more than simply having another elite status.
If an upcoming stretch of trips will be on a different airline, a status match can provide benefits right away instead of waiting to earn them from scratch. It can also make sense when switching which airline gets most of the business, particularly if the alternative is spending months flying without status.
But there’s little reason to request a match just because one is available. Before applying, check how long the status will last, what it takes to extend it, and whether there are limits on how often the opportunity can be used.
A status match is most useful when there’s a plan for the status once it arrives.
Korean Air cleared one of the biggest remaining questions surrounding its merger with Asiana Airlines: what happens to all those Asiana Club miles.
Korean Air acquired Asiana as part of a years-long consolidation of South Korea’s two largest airlines. The carriers are still operating separately for now, but Asiana will ultimately be folded into Korean Air, including its loyalty program.
That mileage integration is scheduled for December 17, 2026. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has now given final approval to Korean Air’s plan, which lays out what happens to existing Asiana miles and elite status.
Rather than immediately turning every Asiana mile into a Korean Air SKYPASS mile, members will have plenty of time to decide what to do with them.
Asiana Miles Can Stay Separate for 10 Years
When the programs integrate on December 17, existing Asiana miles will move into Korean Air accounts as a separate “Asiana Mileage” balance alongside any SKYPASS miles already there.
Those miles can remain separate for up to 10 years, although their existing expiration dates won’t change. After the integration, new activity will earn SKYPASS miles instead.
Keeping Asiana miles separate comes with an interesting benefit. They’ll become usable for economy and Prestige Class award tickets across all Korean Air-operated routes while continuing to follow Asiana’s existing redemption chart. That means the miles won’t be limited to destinations Asiana flies today.
For example, a one-way Korean Air Prestige Class award between Korea and North America will cost 62,500 Asiana miles during off-peak dates. Economy on the same routes will start at 35,000 miles one way.
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Asiana miles can also be used for economy-to-Prestige Class upgrades and Korean Air’s Cash and Miles option, which allows miles to cover up to 40% of an eligible fare.
There are some limitations. Separately held Asiana miles won’t be usable for awards on SkyTeam or other partner airlines. And Asiana and SKYPASS miles can’t be combined to book the same award.
To combine the two balances, the Asiana miles have to be converted to SKYPASS. Once that’s done, the decision can’t be reversed.
Not All Asiana Miles Will Convert at the Same Rate
The conversion rate depends on how the Asiana miles were earned.
Miles earned from flying will convert 1:1. Miles earned through Asiana’s non-airline partners, such as credit cards, hotels, and other partners, will convert at a lower rate of 1:0.82.
So, 10,000 Asiana miles earned from flights would become 10,000 SKYPASS miles. If those same 10,000 miles came from partners, they’d become 8,200 SKYPASS miles.
There’s no need to make that decision right away. Asiana miles can be converted at any point during the 10-year period. Anything remaining at the end will automatically convert at the applicable rate.
For partner-earned miles in particular, there’s a reason to think before converting. Keeping them as Asiana miles avoids the 18% reduction while still allowing them to be used for Korean Air flights under Asiana’s redemption chart.
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Asiana Elite Status Is Mapping to Korean Air
Asiana elite members won’t have to start over. Their status will be matched to a Korean Air tier when the airlines integrate.
Asiana status
Korean Air status
Platinum
Million Miler Club
Diamond Plus
Morning Calm Premium Club
Diamond Plus Limited Term
Morning Calm Select Club
Diamond
Morning Calm Select Club
Gold
Morning Calm Club
Morning Calm Select is a new Korean Air tier being created as part of the integration and will include SkyTeam Elite Plus benefits.
Anyone who already has Korean Air status will receive whichever tier is higher after the match. The expiration date on the existing Asiana status will carry over.
Converting Asiana miles could provide another opportunity to move up. At that point, Korean Air will combine eligible flight mileage earned with Asiana with existing Korean Air qualification mileage and reassess the account. If that total qualifies for a higher tier, the member will move up.
Korean Air Is Making Award Availability Commitments Too
The approved plan also includes some unusually specific promises about award availability.
Korean Air says award seats will remain at or above pre-integration levels. On long-haul routes to the Americas, Europe, and Oceania, the airline says it will offer at least as many award seats as the highest levels recorded during the past 10 years.
Korean Air has also committed to making enough award space available for members to redeem at least 20% more miles annually than Korean Air and Asiana members did before the integration.
Whether those commitments translate into noticeably easier award bookings is something to keep an eye on once the programs come together.
For now, anyone with Asiana miles has plenty of time to decide what to do. Those miles can remain separate for up to a decade, retain Asiana’s redemption rates, and become usable across Korean Air’s entire network.
Converting them to SKYPASS will remain an option. But particularly for miles earned through Asiana’s non-airline partners, there’s no reason to rush into taking an 18% reduction.
Southwest has a new sale that could cut the cost of a fall or winter trip, whether paying with cash or points.
Through September 17, Southwest is offering up to 40% off select flights for travel from October 5, 2026, through March 3, 2027. That covers nearly five months of travel, including much of the fall and winter, although Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, and several other busy dates are excluded.
The discount also applies when booking with Rapid Rewards points. So if a discounted flight normally costs 15,000 points, for example, the sale could bring that price down along with the cash fare.
Southwest’s 40% Off Sale
There’s no promo code to enter. Southwest automatically shows the discount on eligible flights.
Book by: September 17, 2026
Travel from: October 5, 2026 through March 3, 2027
Discount: Up to 40% off select flights
Cash and points bookings: Eligible
Interisland Hawaii flights: Excluded
There are some restrictions beyond the holiday blackout dates. Eligible travel days vary by route, and not every flight will be discounted. For trips within the continental U.S., eligible travel is Monday through Saturday.
This Could Make a Fall or Winter Trip Cheaper
The useful part of this sale is that it isn’t limited to cash tickets. Southwest prices flights in both dollars and Rapid Rewards points, and eligible points bookings get the promotional discount too.
That makes it worth checking any fall or winter trip already in the works. Search the dates on Southwest, switch between dollars and points, and compare the options.
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Trips already booked are worth checking, too. Southwest says the promotion applies to new reservations rather than changes to existing ones, but eligible flights can be canceled and rebooked at the lower price. If the new points price is lower, the difference goes back into the Rapid Rewards account.
The booking window is also short. The sale ends September 17, so there are only a few days to see whether the discount lines up with a trip.
Etihad Airways revealed the cabins that will debut on its Airbus A330neo fleet when the aircraft enter service in late 2027.
The airline first announced plans last year to add 15 A330neos over five years. On Monday, September 14, it shared what passengers can expect onboard while also outlining a broader investment push in its aircraft, lounges, and other parts of the travel experience.
Three Cabins, Including Four First Suites
The Airbus A330neo will feature three cabins with four first suites, 24 business class seats, and 252 economy seats.
The first class cabin is the most exclusive, with just four enclosed suites. Each includes a sliding privacy door, space for a companion to dine, wireless charging, a 32-inch entertainment screen, dedicated storage, and a personal vanity.
Behind it are 24 fully lie-flat business class seats arranged in a 1-2-1 configuration, giving every passenger direct aisle access. Each seat includes a sliding privacy door, a 17.3-inch entertainment screen, wireless and wired charging, a large tray table, and additional storage.
ETIHAD
The economy cabin includes 252 seats with 13.3-inch 4K entertainment screens, USB charging, redesigned headrests, and personal device holders. Another 32 seats will be sold as Extra Legroom and will offer roughly four additional inches of pitch.
Etihad says the aircraft will primarily fly regional and medium-haul routes across Europe, Asia, and the Middle East beginning in September 2027.
First Class Is Still Part Of The Plan
While several airlines have reduced or eliminated first class over the past decade, Etihad says it plans to continue expanding the cabin through both new aircraft deliveries and retrofit programs.
The new A330 will have four first suites. That’s more than the airline’s Airbus A321LR, which has just two, but still far fewer than many of its traditional long-haul aircraft. And rather than concentrating first class on a handful of flagship jets, Etihad appears focused on offering it across more of its fleet.
Exactly how those plans will take shape is still unclear. Etihad did not say which existing aircraft types will receive updated cabins or first class as part of its retrofit program.
The Investment Goes Beyond The A330
The new cabins are only one part of a much larger investment.
Etihad says it plans to spend $20 billion on new aircraft and the broader passenger experience, including a $1 billion fleet retrofit program that will update existing aircraft over time.
The investment extends beyond aircraft interiors. The airline says it also plans to refresh lounges, onboard dining, amenities, connectivity, and other parts of the travel experience as it works toward a more consistent experience across its network.
The airline did not identify which aircraft will receive updated cabins or when those retrofits will begin. Even so, the announcement indicates that the new A330neo interiors are intended to be the starting point rather than a one-off cabin design.
Buying hotel points might sound like an unnecessary extra step. After all, if a room is available, why not just pay for it?
Sometimes there’s a good reason. Buying the points needed to book a room can cost less than paying the hotel directly.
Hilton Honors sells points throughout the year and frequently runs promotions that lower their cost. There’s little reason to buy just because a sale is happening. But with a Hilton stay already in mind, it takes only a few seconds to see whether buying points could save money.
Current Hilton Buy Points Offer
Hilton is currently offering up to a 100% bonus when buying points, dropping the purchase price as low as 0.5 cents each.
Current promotion: Up to 100% bonus
Lowest price per point: 0.5 cents
Offer ends: September 25, 2026
Offer purchase limit: 300,000 points before the bonus
Annual purchase limit: 300,000 points before any bonus
Hilton runs points sales fairly regularly, so there’s rarely a reason to buy solely because a promotion is ending. The history below shows how the current offer compares with previous ones. Click the arrow to see past offers.
First, find how many Hilton points a hotel requires. Then figure out how much it would cost to buy those points under the current promotion and compare that with the cash price for the same stay.
The math is simple:
Points needed × current price per point = cost to buy the points
Say Hilton is selling points for 0.5 cents each and a hotel costs 60,000 points per night. Buying 60,000 points would cost $300.
If the same room costs $425 in cash, buying the points could save $125. If the room costs $250, paying cash is the easy choice.
That’s really all there is to it.
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There are a few things that can change the math even more. For example, Hilton elite members get a fifth night free on eligible five-night award stays. This can drop the all-in cost of a stay even more.
There’s little reason to stock up on Hilton points without a stay in mind. As the promotion history above shows, Hilton sells points regularly, and another offer will eventually come along.
Instead, start with the hotel. Check the cash price, check the points price, and calculate what those points would cost to buy. Sometimes cash wins. Sometimes points do.
And when buying the points is cheaper, it’s a pretty easy way to save money on the exact same room.
American Airlines has made no secret of its interest in premium customers of late.
New planes are arriving with private business class suites, existing ones are being reconfigured with more seats up front, and the airline is investing in lounges and other parts of the experience meant to convince people to spend more when they fly.
Which makes the slow disappearance of the Airbus A321T a curious thing to watch.
For more than a decade, American has flown a small number of these unusually configured planes primarily between New York and Los Angeles and San Francisco. There are only 102 seats onboard, and 30 of them turn into beds, an almost absurd amount of space to devote to premium passengers on a narrowbody flying within the United States.
Now they’re disappearing.
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American’s new Airbus A321XLR is taking over more transcontinental flying, and individual A321Ts are already being pulled out to be reconfigured with much more conventional interiors. Earlier this week, yet another flew to El Salvador to begin that process.
The following day, I was sitting in business class on another A321T headed across the country to Los Angeles.
It was a good place to consider what American is replacing, and what it isn’t.
The A321T Was Never Meant to Be Normal
When American introduced the A321T in late 2013, the airline was fighting hard for premium customers flying between New York and California.
Its answer was an airplane built around them.
At the front were 10 first-class seats, each with direct aisle access and enough room to turn into a bed. Behind them were 20 more lie-flat seats in business class. Even economy was unusual, with 36 extra-legroom seats and only 36 standard ones.
It was an extravagant use of an A321, but that was the point.
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American wasn’t alone in lavishing attention on these routes. United and Delta had their own premium transcontinental products, and JetBlue would bring Mint into the fight. But American’s solution was particularly unusual. Nearly a third of the people onboard could go to sleep in a bed.
The result was a narrowbody that felt almost deliberately underfilled.
More than a decade later, American still wants those premium customers. But the airplane built specifically for them is another matter.
But sitting a few rows behind it made the focus on first class seem a little incomplete.
American changed its complimentary elite upgrade policy on August 25. On domestic routes with a distinct premium economy cabin, complimentary upgrades from Main Cabin now stop at premium economy rather than jumping directly to business class. More broadly, complimentary upgrades move passengers forward by one cabin.
The A321T doesn’t have premium economy. It has Main Cabin, business class, and first class, which meant my complimentary upgrade from economy could move me one cabin forward into business, but not into first.
That landed me in what may have been the more interesting cabin all along.
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The A321T has 20 lie-flat business class seats behind first. They gave American a sizable second cabin full of beds without requiring everyone who wanted to lie flat across the country to buy the most expensive ticket on the plane.
By 2026 standards, the seats themselves aren’t particularly cutting-edge. They’re arranged 2-2, so half the cabin lacks direct aisle access, and years of flying back and forth across the country are beginning to show.
Mine certainly had some character.
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A gate agent let me know before boarding that something at the seat wasn’t working correctly, though it was never entirely clear whether she meant the entertainment screen, its remote, or something else. One of the armrests had also developed a considerable amount of bounce.
Once we left New York, though, I put the seat into its lounge position and settled in. Later, it went completely flat.
There are newer and more private ways to cross the country now. But lying there, the thing that stood out about the A321T wasn’t really the seat. It was how many lie-flat seats American had been willing to install.
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Thirty Beds on an Airplane With 102 Seats
That’s what makes the A321T difficult to replace, even with something newer.
American’s A321XLR has plenty going for it. There are 20 Flagship Suites with direct aisle access and privacy doors, plus 12 premium economy seats. The airplane can also fly international routes that were never part of the A321T’s job.
And it carries 155 people.
The comparison says more about the A321T than it does the XLR. For all the attention paid to its first-class cabin, what really made this airplane unusual was the amount of room American was willing to devote to relatively few passengers.
That has practical consequences as these planes disappear. There will be fewer lie-flat seats on each flight. That doesn’t mean awards will suddenly cost more or upgrades will become impossible. There are too many other factors at play. But for anyone accustomed to using miles or status to get into one, there will simply be fewer places to land.
American says Flagship First will stop being sold on transcontinental routes as more XLRs enter the fleet. And unlike a traditional retirement, the A321Ts themselves aren’t necessarily going anywhere. They’re being reconfigured and returned to American’s fleet as much more ordinary A321s.
That’s perhaps the strangest part of watching them disappear. The airplanes will still be around. What made them special won’t be.
American still wants the premium customers the A321T was built to attract. It just doesn’t need an airplane quite this extravagant to get them anymore.
SWISS is about to have a third Airbus A350 in its fleet.
The airline announced that it expects its newest A350-900 to arrive in Zurich on Saturday, September 12, following a delivery flight from Airbus in Toulouse. The aircraft, registered HB-IFC and named Zug, is scheduled to land around 9:30 a.m. local time.
Three airplanes isn’t a huge fleet. But SWISS only has 10 A350s on order, which means 30% of them will have arrived once Zug touches down in Zurich.
SWISS is also bringing its newest cabins to some older aircraft through retrofits. The difference with the A350 is that each one arrives from the factory with the entire new SWISS Senses interior already installed.
SWISS Is Slowly Getting More of Its New Cabins
SWISS introduced the A350 in 2025 with its new SWISS Senses cabins from front to back.
There are just 243 seats onboard, starting with four first-class suites and 45 business class seats. Another 38 seats are in premium economy, followed by 156 in economy.
Every delivery puts another full set of SWISS’s newest seats into service as the airline gradually replaces some of its older long-haul aircraft. And with only 10 A350s planned, the arrival of a third is a meaningful step in what is still a relatively small fleet.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
I’ve seen the new interior firsthand. SWISS showed off its first A350 before it entered service last year, and the cabins are a considerable departure from what can still be found across much of the airline’s long-haul fleet.
The changes aren’t limited to the airplane. SWISS is also updating its experience in Zurich, with two new lounges coming to Dock B in 2027. The roughly 28,000-square-foot project will include separate Business and Senator lounges.
The third A350 will get a small welcome before it reaches the airport. SWISS says the aircraft is expected to circle over Zug, the city whose name it carries, before making its final approach into Zurich.
TYLER GLATT / POINTS INSIDER
Another A350 Becomes Bookable With Points
There’s also a practical reason to keep an eye on aircraft deliveries.
SWISS award seats can be booked through several Star Alliance loyalty programs, including United MileagePlus, Air Canada Aeroplan, and Avianca LifeMiles. That means Miles & More isn’t the only option for booking a SWISS flight with points or miles.
Each new A350 therefore puts another aircraft with SWISS’s newest first, business, premium economy, and economy cabins into the mix when searching for an award with points and miles.
Seven A350s are still to come. But with the third arriving Saturday, SWISS is getting closer to the point where its newest long-haul cabins aren’t quite as difficult to find.
