New Partnerships, Premium Cabin Updates, and More

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If you've been keeping a close eye, you might have noticed the weekly news roundup skipped a week. That's because, although there was a lot of breaking news, there wasn't much other relevant news to report. So, instead of sending a filler post, we saved everything for an extra-special edition this week.

Here's all the travel news you might've missed in the past two weeks, including new airline partnerships, new routes, and more.

Emirates To Pause My Family Program in 2027

Emirates announced plans to enhance the My Family program. We love improvements, but apparently, to make these enhancements, Emirates needs to temporarily pause the program. Starting January 2027, My Family will be paused — creating or closing accounts, adding or removing family members, miles pooling, and spending from My Family accounts will all be unavailable.

If you have miles remaining in your My Family account, they will be transferred to the Family Head's individual Skywards account within seven to 14 days. Luckily, the Family Head will continue to be able to spend these miles on travel for all family members. Any miles earned during the transition will remain in your individual account.

According to Emirates, My Family will offer more rewarding ways for families to earn, share, and use miles together — but we have no clue what that might look like.

Uber Launches Uber Parking

Uber acquired SpotHero and announced Uber Parking, making it easy to find, compare, and reserve parking in the Uber app. SpotHero adds more than 13,000 garages, lots, and valet locations across 400 cities in the U.S. and Canada to Uber.

Tap the new “Parking” icon on the Uber home screen, enter your destination, and select the date and time you need parking. Then, explore available parking options, including pricing for nearby lots and garages. You can filter by self-parking or valet, garages or surface lots, and amenities.

To complete your booking, enter your vehicle information (make, model, and license plate number). Once your booking is confirmed, you can enter the lot either using a QR code in the Uber app or using license plate recognition. The nice part is that you can extend your reservation in the Uber app if your plans change — no need to run back to a parking meter to add more time.

If you are an Uber One member, you can earn 10% back in Uber One credits on eligible completed parking reservations and can use those credits on future Uber Ride and Uber Eats orders.

British Airways Signs Codeshare Agreement With Viva

British Airways and Viva announced a new codeshare partnership. You'll now be able to book connecting itineraries to or from 13 destinations across Mexico served by Viva when traveling via Mexico City (MEX) and Cancun (CUN) to London:

Connecting from Mexico City to:

Guadalajara (GDL)
Veracruz (VER)
Monterrey (MTY)
Oaxaca (OAX)
Cancun (CUN)
Mérida (MID)
San José del Cabo (SJD)
Chihuahua (CUU)
Hermosillo (HMO)
Puerto Vallarta (PVR)
Tijuana (TIJ)

And connect from Cancun to:

Veracruz (VER)
León (BJX)
Guadalajara (GDL)
Monterrey (MTY)
Querétaro (QRO)
Chihuahua (CUU)
Tijuana (TIJ)

Each destination operated by Viva will be bookable under a British Airways flight code, and you'll earn Avios and tier points on these tickets. Viva is a low-cost Mexican carrier, so it's somewhat surprising to see a partnership with an airline like British Airways. However, this is great news for anyone traveling between Mexico and Europe, as it lets you earn Avios and simplify your travel.

British Airways and Viva planes in the sky

Air Tahiti Nui To Offer Starlink in 2027

Air Tahiti Nui is the latest airline to announce that Starlink is coming in 2027. It will be free for travelers in all travel classes and will be installed across Air Tahiti Nui's entire fleet. If you're unfamiliar, Starlink offers ultra-high-speed, low-latency connectivity and can eliminate dead zones on long-haul flights that are common with standard Wi-Fi networks.

BofA Rewards Launches Free Erewhon Membership

If you are a BofA Rewards™ Preferred Honors and Premier member, you can now receive a complimentary 90-day Erewhon Membership. This membership includes 10% back in-store, up to 25% off select in-store brands, 10% off online purchases, a complimentary monthly member drink, and exclusive offers from leading lifestyle brands.

And if you are a BofA Rewards Premier tier member, you can also choose from three welcome gifts: an Erewhon Traveler Bag in Bank of America colors, a collection of Erewhon pantry favorites, or a curated assortment of health and wellness favorites.

You can access the offer through Lifestyle Benefits in your BofA Rewards hub. If you're shopping in store, you can provide the phone number associated with your Erewhon membership at checkout to get your discount.

To become a Preferred Honors member, you need a combined average balance of $100,000 in a Bank of America deposit or Merrill investment account. To become a Premier member, you need a combined average balance of $1 million.

Michelin Guide Partners With American Airlines AAdvantage^®

American Airlines announced a new partnership with the Michelin Guide, giving you the opportunity to redeem miles for chef-led events and one-of-a-kind travel experiences.

Here's what's in store:

Exclusive dining experiences that offer access to Michelin-starred restaurant collaborations. The first three experiences are planned for:
- February 2027 in Los Angeles
- April 2027 in Miami
- June 2027 in Chicago
Redeem miles for bespoke culinary travel experiences designed in collaboration with the Michelin Guide. Each journey will provide access to chefs, hotels, and wineries through customized itineraries. The inaugural culinary journey will be to Porto, Portugal, in September 2027.

American Express To Make Pay Over Time Permanent in 2027

American Express announced changes to Pay Over Time, beginning February 1, 2027. It will be permanently set to “Active,” and you won't be able to change the setting. Any new charges will be added to your Pay Over Time balance, up to your Pay Over Time limit.

If your setting is set to Active before February 1, 2027, there will be no changes to your current payment options. However, if your setting is set to Inactive, you will see an additional payment option — Minimum Payment Due — each month starting with your next billing statement. You can choose to pay your balance in full, the minimum payment due, or any amount in between.

American Express has historically offered targeted bonuses of up to 20,000 bonus points when you enroll in Pay Over Time, but this ends in February.

Interesting Premium Cabin Updates From Several Airlines

United First Base

United has officially launched a First Base product for domestic travel. This isn't very surprising, as United was one of the first airlines to launch basic business class on its long-haul routes earlier this year. As you'd expect, a United First Base ticket is non-refundable, doesn't allow changes, and doesn't include seat selection. You'll still be able to take one checked bag and one carry-on, and you'll earn some Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs), but you won't earn any MileagePlus miles.

On this one-way flight from New York (EWR) to Chicago (ORD) in March 2027, the difference between a Base and Standard ticket is about $70, while the difference between Base and Flexible is $230. Regardless, $541 to $771 for a one-way, three-hour-long flight is astronomical.

Comparison of United's three fare First Class fare buckets

Frontier First Class

In more exciting news, Frontier's first class tickets are finally on sale. Installation has already begun and is expected to be complete on March 5, 2027. We first reported that Frontier would launch a first class product at the end of 2024, so it's great to finally get an idea of what it will look like.

Passengers will enjoy a 2-2 configuration with up to 37 inches of pitch. The seats look quite comfortable, but they won't recline, and you won't receive first class amenities like free food that you might be used to on other airlines. It's still Frontier, after all.

Introductory pricing starts at $129 one-way for a First bundle, which includes two checked bags, a carry-on bag, and Board First priority boarding. You can take advantage of this pricing through 11:59 p.m. ET on November 16, 2026, for nonstop domestic travel on select days of the week from March 5, 2027, through April 5, 2027.

If you are an elite member, you will be eligible for first class upgrades as long as you purchase an economy or premium bundle. And as we previously reported, Frontier will introduce Starlink in 2027. Traveling with Frontier will soon look very different.

Singapore Airlines First Class

Finally, on the international front, Singapore Airlines revealed its new first and business class seats, and the reception has been overwhelmingly positive.

The new cabin products will be available on retrofitted Airbus A350-900 long-haul and A350-900 ultra-long-haul aircraft, along with its new Boeing 777-9 fleet.

First class seats offer Poltrona Frau leather upholstery, dedicated storage, a large table for dining or working, and a 32-inch 4K touchscreen. Individual beds measure 80 inches in length, but if you are traveling as a couple in the center seats, you can lower the privacy divider to create the “largest double bed in commercial aviation.” When you're ready to sleep, flight attendants will make up the bed with linens, a duvet, and a selection of pillows, along with a new mattress topper.

You can also enjoy enhanced seat position and lighting settings, including side wings, upper and lower lumbar support, armrests, a leg rest, and an ottoman, which you can save in your profile for future journeys.

If you're in business class, you'll now have closing doors for added privacy. Your lie-flat bed will measure 79 inches long and 24 inches wide, and you can enjoy a new 22-inch 4K touchscreen entertainment system. Some center seats can also transform into a double bed, complete with memory foam padded seat covers.

Alaska Launches Invite-Only Elite Status

According to reports on Reddit, some lucky Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards members have been invited to an all-new invite-only elite status: Atmos Global Concierge. This is likely modeled after American's invite-only status, Concierge Key.

If you get invited, you receive a complimentary upgrade to Alaska's top-tier Titanium status, and a membership in Atmos Global Concierge that lasts until December 31, 2027. This membership gives you special perks on Europe, Asia, and Oceania flights, including direct access to a concierge team, proactive itinerary monitoring, next-flight guarantees, arrival assistance, car transfers for short connections in London Heathrow, upgrade priority on global flights, a CLEAR+ membership, and Avis Chairman's Club status.

We don't know how Alaska determines who gets invited, but it appears that people who frequently book paid international business-class tickets get priority. Since this is an invite-only status and no one on the AwardWallet team has been invited, we're basing this information on what we've seen on Reddit, so take it with a grain of salt.

Alaska Airlines International Business Class

La Compagnie Extends Nice Service Through Winter

La Compagnie, the all-business-class airline, announced it would continue its New York (EWR) to Nice (NCE) service twice weekly over the winter season for the first time. It will be the only airline to offer direct flights between New York and Nice this winter, with flights departing from Newark on Mondays and Thursdays and departing from Nice on Tuesdays and Fridays. It's flown on the Airbus A321neo aircraft with 76 fully lie-flat seats, free high-speed Wi-Fi, complimentary amenity kits, and seasonal menus with a curated wine program.

Bottom Line

That's a lot of news from the past couple of weeks. Most of it is good — new partnerships, expanded routes, and invite-only elite statuses are always exciting updates for frequent travelers. However, the lapse in Emirates' My Family program is frustrating, and Amex making Pay Over Time permanent will certainly be frustrating for some cardholders. Luckily, you have plenty of time before most of these changes take effect.

Make sure to check out the past few weekly news roundups for anything else you might have missed: