The Extra Mile, Aug. 14: Turning Amex Credits Into Movie Theater Popcorn, A Look at Delta’s Playbook & More

🇫🇷 Delta Just Said ‘Bonjour’ in a Big Way

Delta just threw down the gauntlet in Austin, Texas (AUS).

After months of leaks and rumors, the Atlanta-based carrier finally confirmed yesterday that it’s adding a nonstop transatlantic flight to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG) next year. Daily flights will run through the summer, starting March 27, and on one of Delta’s nicest Airbus A330-900neos, to boot.

Flights are expected to go on sale tomorrow.

Another nonstop route to one of the biggest cities in Europe is no big deal, right? But this isn’t one of Delta’s big hubs: Austin is not Atlanta (ATL), Detroit (DTW), or Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP) – not to Delta, at least.

But the airline clearly wants it to be.

This is Delta making a major move on one of the fastest-growing cities in an area of the country where Delta doesn’t have much of a foothold. Perhaps more importantly, it’s a massive tech hub with a ton of wealth – and surely lots of spending on credit cards, which is what Delta really wants.

Case in point: It’s not stopping with a summer seasonal flight to Paris.

Delta’s also adding a nonstop from Austin to San Diego (SAN) next spring. And adding a second daily flight to San Jose (SJC) – the gateway to Silicon Valley. And beefing up flights down to Cancún (CUN). And building a second Delta Sky Club.

Even before these additions, Delta was already on track to be twice the size in Austin as it was back before the pandemic. Now, they’re tripling down.

Don’t call it a hub … but maybe a mini-hub? A hublet? Is that a thing?

Read our full story here

– Kyle Potter, executive editor

🤝 Deal of the Day: Delta Flights to Ireland from 33K Points RT!

Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥

Why we love it: Book a nonstop Delta flight to Ireland this year or next with this widespread availability!

Use Flying Blue or Virgin Atlantic miles to secure the seats for a fraction of the cost of SkyMiles in most cases.

Fly from five Delta hubs to Dublin (DUB) or from New York (JFK) to Shannon (SNN) this fall through next Spring!

Sign up now to get all the details on this deal & don’t miss the next flight deal alert.

Already a member? Log in to see all your deals. (Not seeing it? Remove your airport filters to see every deal.)

– Gunnar Olson, Thrifty Traveler Premium deal analyst

📡 On Our Radar

Welcome to On Our Radar – a weekly look at the news and trends we’re watching lately!

😡 Delta Bullies Competitor, Cuts Flights, & Can’t Fill Planes

Look … I’m going to write about this again, because I’m really worked up about Delta’s tactics here at my home airport of Minneapolis (MSP). I truly hope it’s the last time I write about this, and that Delta won’t do what I suspect they will.

If you’re not up to speed, Delta spent the last two years bullying Aer Lingus at MSP by drowning the Irish airline in capacity. Delta offered more flights and lower prices to drive out the competition. It worked, and Aer Lingus recently announced its departure in October.

On the Thrifty Traveler Podcast last week, I ranted and raved about this, predicting that Delta would start cutting flights on that route now that the bullying had worked.

It did. Delta quietly cut frequencies on MSP to Dublin (DUB) in November, December, February, and March … which just so happens to be right after Aer Lingus leaves.

So, what’s the next logical move for Delta? Well, to cut this Dublin flight altogether, of course. After all, Delta only added the flight literally hours after Aer Lingus announced the MSP route renewal with the expressed intent of guarding its position at MSP.

You might be thinking: Well, who’s to say that Delta won’t continue operating the route? Maybe it’s going well for them and is profitable?

To that, I point to a Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alert from yesterday that highlighted the ability to use Flying Blue and Virgin points to book the Delta nonstop flights to Dublin (A way better deal than using SkyMiles in most cases). And here, I present to you the list of dates Delta has released to its partners – a tell-tale sign that bookings are soft and seat maps are empty.

This isn’t just the availability; it’s damn near the entire schedule!

I cross-checked the available dates against the number of scheduled flights between October and May, and I could only find 10 or so that didn’t have availability in this deal.

That means Delta is NOT running full flights on the A330s it’s scheduled to fly to and from Dublin this year and next. Which, unfortunately, means I think it’s only a matter of time before this route goes kaput or is at least neutered to just the June – August summer season.

If you’re interested in flying this route sometime yet this year, I’d still say you should book this deal. If Delta cancels the flight, you’ll either get a full refund or be rebooked through another Delta hub to DUB for your trip. But I wouldn’t book this for 2027 unless you’re OK with the rebooking, because we’ve seen this movie before.

Thanks for nothing, Delta. Sincerely,

– A Disgruntled Hub Captive in Minneapolis (i.e., Gunnar Olson, travel reporter)

🍿 Turn Your Credit Card Perks Into Movie Theater Snacks

Our chief flight deal analyst and resident movie aficionado, Jon Shallbetter, tipped me off to this one, and I thought it was worth sharing with all of our Extra Mile readers.

If you’ve got an American Express Platinum Card® or the American Express® Gold Card (or both if you’re a true points sicko like me), you’re sitting on a monthly stipend of Uber Cash. You get up to $15 a month on the Platinum Card (and up to $35 in December), and up to $10 a month with the Gold Card.

Like most people with these credits, I typically use them for Uber rides or an overpriced restaurant delivery order via Uber Eats once a month. But here’s an outside-the-box way to put them to use that you may not know about: spend it on movie theater popcorn, candy, and snacks instead.

AMC Theatres has expanded its delivery partnerships, and that means you can order concessions like popcorn, nachos, candy, pretzel bites, or even a hot dog through Uber Eats or DoorDash, either for pickup once you get to the theater or delivered straight to your house if you happen to be craving some AMC nachos on a random Tuesday.

Since it’s a normal Uber Eats or DoorDash order, your card credits will apply:

• Amex Platinum or Gold: Up to $15 with the Platinum or up to $10 with the Gold (or up to $25 each month if you hold them both)
• Even the Chase Sapphire Reserve® gets in on the action: Your $5 monthly DoorDash restaurant credit applies too, since AMC orders through DoorDash code as a restaurant order

This obviously only works if there’s an AMC near you – but if there is, it’s a genuinely clever way to use up these annoying credits and take some of the cost out of your next trip to the movies.

Have you tried this move? Let us know.

– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder

🎙️ On the Pod: Airfare Absurdities, the Battle for Seattle, & More

📻 From a bizarre (and arguably absurd) Delta flight pricing quirk, new and disappearing Alaska Atmos redemptions, American’s late premium push, or the ongoing “Battle for Seattle,” there’s no shortage of travel news for Gunnar and Kyle to break down on the show this week.

Tune in now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts!

🇬🇧 Mini Review: British Airways Club Suites

Overall Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️½

Service: ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Food: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was a tough review to write, because … it was just fine.

I flew British Airways’ Club Suites home from London earlier this year, and nothing about it was bad, exactly. It just didn’t leave much of a mark.

BA’s Club Suites are still a solid seat – a big step up from the airline’s old business class cabin – even if there are some signs of wear-and-tear starting to show. Service and food were both solid, just not memorable. The amenity kit was thin, and the Wi-Fi never worked, though the entertainment system helped make up for it. On the plus side, the seat itself was comfortable in both upright and bed mode.

British Airways nailed the fundamentals – it just didn’t leave much of a lasting impression.

✅ What I liked: The food was mostly solid – especially the stuffed chicken breast entrée, which had good flavor and surprisingly stayed moist when re-heated.

The seat itself was the real star of the show. It’s spacious, well-padded, and converts into one of the more comfortable beds I’ve slept on at 35,000 feet. If sleep is your #1 priority on an overnight flight to Europe, I wouldn’t hesitate to book BA again.

❌ Where it fell short: The afternoon tea service, if I’m honest, was a letdown. A few (mediocre at best) finger sandwiches and a scone don’t exactly qualify as a second meal on a nine-hour flight. Service was attentive throughout – I was checked on plenty – but it was sloooow, and never all that warm (more matter-of-fact than anything).

😉 Pro tip: Snag a bulkhead seat if you can. Bulkhead rows get a bit more room and a bigger footwell – just know you’re trading that for extra galley/lav foot traffic.

💰 How I booked it: I booked roundtrip business class flights to London for ~$1,500, thanks to a crazy mistake fare from Thrifty Traveler Premium back in October.

This was really the best part and helped make up for any of the shortcomings.

📝 Bottom line: When compared to other business class options crossing the Atlantic, British Airways wouldn’t be my first choice. Shockingly (to me at least), I enjoyed the business class experience on fellow Avios airlines – Aer Lingus and Iberia – way more than the seemingly more premium British Airways.

Check out my review for a full recap and waaay more pictures!

– Jackson Newman, senior editor

✈️ Other Travel Tidbits

• 🫠 US Bank pulled Flying Blue and Qantas from its Altitude Reserve transfer partner list less than a day after launching them. Reports suggest the pullback stems from failed transfers rather than a deliberate cut. (Frequent Miler)
• 💳 We’ve rounded up the 9 best travel credit card offers for the month of August, with offers up to 175,000 points.
• ✈️ Tickets for Allegiant’s new “Allegiant First” premium seating just went on sale — and they’re not cheap, according to aviation blogger Enilria. (Enilria, via X)
• ⏳ The limited-time offer on The World of Hyatt Credit Card is ending at 7 a.m. ET on Aug. 20. Earn 45,000 points after spending $5,000 in the first 3 months, plus up to 30,000 more points by earning double points on up to $15,000 in bonus-category spending during your first 6 months (75,000 points total).

Featured image by Felipe Bustillo, via Unsplash