Citi just added Japan Airlines as a transfer partner, with a 30% bonus running through Oct. 24. We break down why that’s a big deal for the most valuable mileage program around right now. Also today: a rundown of the 2026 SkyTrax airline rankings, and details on Chase’s next Sapphire Lounge, a massive 16,000-square-foot build in Seattle.
- 🇯🇵 Another Way to Earn Japan Airlines Miles … With a Bonus!
- 🤝 Deal of the Day: Nonstop Flights to Ireland from $440 Roundtrip!
- 🔥 Chase Is Building a Massive New Sapphire Lounge in Seattle
- 🏆 Breaking Down the 2026 SkyTrax Airline Rankings
- 🎥 This Is Why We Skipped Business Class to Europe. Was It a Mistake?
- ✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
🇯🇵 Another Way to Earn Japan Airlines Miles … With a Bonus!
Just last week, I was singing shouting screaming the praises of Japan Airlines Mileage Bank for some unreal redemptions. If you ask me, it’s the most valuable mileage program on the planet right now.
And there’s a brand-new way to earn a ton of them.
Over the weekend, Citi added JAL as its newest transfer partner. Better yet, the bank is offering an introductory 30% transfer bonus all the way through Oct. 24.
That means you could send miles from the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card or the Citi Strata Elite℠ Card straight to JAL and book some amazing deals for even less, including:
- JAL business class (shown above – it’s as incredible as it looks) to Tokyo for as low as just 43,000 Citi points
- British Airways business class to London from just 33,000 points – our Thrifty Traveler Premium members got an alert for this in their inboxes just yesterday!
- Or lie flat on Air France from 33,000 points … and just $5.60 in taxes and fees!
- Roundtrip redemptions to Europe, South America, and all across the globe for a fraction of what every other airline charges.
Citi joins the list of ways to easily earn JAL miles alongside Bilt, Capital One, and Rove. One important note: If you have a no-annual-fee Citi card, those points won’t transfer to JAL on a 1:1 basis (though this transfer bonus gets you pretty close).
Honestly, I’m starting to worry that JAL is going too far with this. With how many options there suddenly are to earn these miles, it’s only a matter of time before the airline drops the hammer on some of these redemptions.
So get in on the action while the gettin’ is good, travelers!
– Kyle Potter, executive editor
🤝 Deal of the Day: Nonstop Flights to Ireland from $440 Roundtrip!
Heat scale (out of 3): 🔥🔥
Why we love it: Flight prices to Dublin (DUB) and Shannon (SNN) just dropped!
Best availability this November and next winter and spring, with fares under $550 roundtrip from 18 different U.S. cities!
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
🔥 Chase Is Building a Massive New Sapphire Lounge in Seattle
Chase’s Sapphire Lounge network is about to get one of its biggest locations yet.
The bank is planning a 16,000-square-foot Chase Sapphire Lounge at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) – one of the largest in the entire network, according to View from the Wing.
Port of Seattle commissioners vote on the 15-year lease tomorrow, Tuesday, September 22, and Chase is putting $70 million behind the build-out and a future refurbishment.
There’s no planned opening date yet.
Construction can’t start until a chain of lounge moves plays out first. United is finishing its own new, expanded club at SEA and vacating its current one. That frees up space for the Priority Pass lounge, The Club to relocate there, which then clears out The Club’s old spot (plus some shelved expansion space next door) for Chase to move in.
Nothing on that timeline has been publicly nailed down, so this is likely a multi-year wait before you’re walking through the doors.
As for what you’ll find inside: Chase hasn’t released amenity details for Seattle specifically yet, but if its other Sapphire Lounges are any indication, expect the usual playbook – a full bar, a real sit-down food menu, and increasingly elaborate extras depending on the market.
Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) has whiskey tastings and facials. Las Vegas (LAS) has a champagne parlor. Philadelphia (PHL) went with a beer garden and an arcade.
Once it opens, this will be Chase’s 12th Sapphire Lounge, joining Boston (BOS), Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW), Las Vegas (LAS), New York (JFK and LaGuardia), Philadelphia (PHL), Phoenix (PHX), San Diego (SAN), and Washington Dulles (IAD). Plus, Los Angeles (LAX) and Miami (MIA) are also in the pipeline.
Access, as always, comes down to your card: *chase sapphire reserve* cardholders (personal and business) get in free with up to two guests, and kids 2 and under are free.
More information and renderings of the design can be found in section 10a on the Port of Seattle website.
– Nick Serati, Thrifty Traveler co-founder
🏆 Breaking Down the 2026 SkyTrax Airline Rankings
Singapore Airlines grabbed the top spot in the coveted (but flawed) SkyTrax World Airline Rankings, just beating out Qatar Airways.
Rightfully so, no U.S. airline even sniffed the top 20 in the world, with Delta coming in at #25 and United finishing #45 in the world. Up north, Air Canada rose to #17, and Porter finished at #34.
It’s important to note that SkyTrax is also a consulting group, meaning there’s a “pay-to-play” element at play here, so you should take these rankings with a grain of salt. But we agree with many of their rankings. Here are some of the most interesting ones:
🥇 Top 10 Airlines in the World: 1) Singapore, 2) Qatar, 3) Cathay Pacific, 4) ANA, 5) Turkish, 6) Emirates, 7) Air France, 8) Hainan, 9) Japan Airlines, 10) Korean
Our take: No qualms here … except maybe Hainan Airlines beating out some of the others. The Asian and Middle Eastern carriers are superior, plain and simple.
🇺🇸🇨🇦 Top 10 Airlines in North America: 1) Air Canada, 2) Delta, 3) Porter, 4) United, 5) Alaska, 6) JetBlue, 7) Air Transat, 8) Allegiant, 9) American, 10) Breeze
Our take: A surprisingly big jump from Canadian carriers while Delta and United slide.
💸 Best Low-Cost Airlines in North America: 1) Allegiant, 2) Sun Country, 3) Southwest, 4) Air Canada Rouge, 5) Frontier
Our take: Allegiant and Sun Country top the list and will become one airline for next year.
🧳 Best Economy: 1) Singapore, 2) Cathay Pacific, 3) Qatar, 4) EVA, 5) ANA, 10) Delta
Our take: Japan Airlines falling out of the top 5 (still 6th) is a shock.
💺 Best Premium Economy: 1) EVA, 2) Emirates, 3) Singapore, 4) Cathay Pacific, 5) Virgin, 7) Delta
Our take: Delta Premium Select is rather ordinary, so its top 10 spot was a surprise to us.
🥂 Best Business Class: 1) Qatar QSuites, 2) Singapore, 3) Cathay Pacific, 4) ANA, 5) Hainan
Our take: QSuites is a no-brainer, but Cathay edging ANA and JAL is a surprise.
🛋️ Best Business Class Lounges: 1) Qatar DOH, 2) Air Canada YYZ, 3) Cathay Pacific HKG, 4) Virgin LHR, 5) Singapore SIN, 7) Delta One Lounge JFK, 10) United Polaris ORD
Our take: Good to see three North American lounges crack the top 10 here.
🎩 Best First Class: 1) Air France, 2) Singapore, 3) Lufthansa, 4) Emirates, 5) Cathay Pacific
Our take: In a shocker, Etihad’s famous Apartment Suites don’t crack the top 10!
Check out the full rankings and our breakdown on the website.
– Gunnar Olson, flight deal analyst, travel reporter, and host of the Thrifty Traveler Podcast
🎥 This Is Why We Skipped Business Class to Europe. Was It a Mistake?
💺 Do you really need business class to Europe? Gunnar and I put Delta Premium Select and KLM Premium Comfort head to head to find out which airline we’d book again, and whether skipping the lie-flat seat was worth the savings.
👀 Watch it now on YouTube for our full review!
– Kyle Thomas, Thrifty Traveler Content Creator
✈️ Other Travel Tidbits
- 🏨 Hilton’s new “More Points to Play” promotion runs Oct. 15 through Dec. 31, offering 1,000 bonus points per stay – or 3,000 at luxury, lifestyle, and resort properties. Registration is required before checkout. (Hilton)
- ✈️ Delta is planning its largest-ever LAX schedule for summer 2027, with more than 200 daily departures to nearly 70 destinations. (Delta Air Lines)
- 🛋️ Capital One’s Dulles lounge is back to full service as of Friday, wrapping up two-plus months of construction that stripped it down to grab-and-go options.
- 🎟️ Today only, Viator is offering up to 30x miles or 35% back through Capital One Shopping and Capital One Offers. (Frequent Miler)
- 💳 Citi has moved to once-per-lifetime bonus eligibility on all three Strata cards – Strata, Strata Premier, and Strata Elite – replacing the old 48-month rule. (Danny the Deal Guru)
