Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

The Amex Offers program frequently has promotions for hotel stays, which can save you money or earn you bonus points for stays you’d make anyway. Amex has just rolled out its latest targeted hotel offer, which could be worth it for a stay at a boutique luxury property. I’d consider this to be especially lucrative, given the opportunity to earn bonus Membership Rewards points, rather than bonus cash back. Spend $700+ with LHW, earn 15K bonus pointsThere’s a targeted Amex Offers deal for stays at Leading Hotels of the World (LHW) properties:Earn 15,000 bonus Membership Rewards points when you spend…

JetBlue has launched a new long-haul international route, linking Boston-Logan (BOS) to Barcelona-El Prat (BCN) nonstop on a daily basis.  The inaugural commercial service departed Boston at 20.04 on April 16, 2026. Seven hours and 17 minutes later, it arrived in the Catalan capital, where a welcome ceremony was held.  During this reception – attended by senior JetBlue staff, representatives of local institutions and the media – JetBlue’s President, Marty St.George, highlighted that the new service will enable a whole range of connectivity options in the United States through the airline’s Boston hub.  In this regard (and in response to…

As Chinese warships and fighter jets staged massive drills around Taiwan in December, a parallel action was unfolding on smartphone screens.On Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, a news outlet run by the Chinese Communist Party posted a 51-second video of Taiwan opposition leader Cheng Li-wun accusing President Lai Ching-te of inviting Chinese aggression. Lai, Cheng said, was “dragging all 23 million of us” in Taiwan into a “dead end, a road to death” by pursuing independence. The clip quickly surfaced on Facebook, YouTube and other platforms popular in Taiwan.Chinese state media outlets are increasingly amplifying Taiwanese critics of the island’s…

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has certified the Pratt & Whitney GTF Advantage engine to power Airbus A20neo family aircraft, paving the way for production engine deliveries. On April 17, 2026, Pratt & Whitney owners RTX confirmed that, following Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification in February 2025 and EASA validating the engine’s type certification in October 2025, the GTF Advantage was now ready to enter commercial service. “The GTF engine delivers the lowest fuel consumption for single-aisle aircraft,” said Rick Deurloo, president of Commercial Engines at Pratt & Whitney. “The GTF Advantage engine extends that lead—offering up to double…

ROME — Spanish defense firm Indra has signed to become the lead integrator in Spain’s purchase of the amphibious vehicles now in use by the U.S. MarineCorps.After Spain selected the wheeled vehicle, known in the U.S. as the Amphibious Combat Vehicle, Indra struck its deal with Italy’s IDV, which is the design authority, intellectual property owner and supplier of core components on the vehicle.IDV teamed with BAE Systems to supply the vehicle, known in Italy as Superav, to the U.S. Marines. The Italian military has since become the second customer for the vehicle.In Spain, Indra’s deal envisages integration of systems…

While we’ll have to mark this as “developing” for now, here’s some news that most people will probably consider to be positive… United now offering free Wi-Fi on Viasat & Panasonic jets? United Airlines is currently aggressively rolling out free Starlink Wi-Fi throughout its fleet, and installation is supposed to be complete by the end of 2027. Starlink is an absolute game changer in terms of the speeds that it can offer. The issue, of course, is that Starlink isn’t yet available on most planes. So those traveling on non-Starlink aircraft have been not only dealing with slower Wi-Fi speeds,…

The United States has informed several European countries that previously contracted weapons deliveries are likely to be delayed as the war against Iran continues to consume US munitions stockpiles.  The affected countries include nations in the Baltic region and Scandinavia, Reuters reported, citing five sources familiar with the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the communications were not public. Some of the countries share a border with Russia, and the sources asked that their names be withheld, noting that the pace and timing of weapons deliveries to such states could be considered sensitive defense information.  Lithuania’s Defense Ministry has confirmed the…

This strikes me as being spectacularly bad judgment on so many levels… Air India pilot deported over marijuana possession An Air India pilot has been deported from the United States after he was allegedly found to be carrying marijuana in his luggage. The pilot was traveling on official business, as he was deadheading, so he wasn’t flying the plane. He was supposed to work a flight out of San Francisco (SFO) two days later to Kolkata (CCU), as the route had been suspended for a number of days, hence the need to reposition pilots. Given that authorities found marijuana on…

Etihad Airways is offering a limited-time discount on its Pets Onboard service, giving travelers a chance to fly with their cats and dogs at a reduced rate through the end of May 2026. The Abu Dhabi based carrier is the only airline in the UAE that allows pets to travel inside the cabin with their owners. Other airlines in the region require animals to be transported within cargo holds. Until May 31, 2026, passengers who book and travel with pets will pay USD 399 per flight segment. The offer applies to small cats and dogs traveling in an approved carrier.…

PARIS — Dutch regional broadcaster Omroep Gelderland was able to track the Royal Netherlands Navy air-defense frigate Evertsen in real time by sending a Bluetooth tracker to the ship by military mail. The frigate is part of the carrier strike group around France’s Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier currently deployed in the Mediterranean Sea.The tracker was discovered while sorting mail on board, though only after Omroep Gelderland had been tracking the Evertsen for 24 hours, the broadcaster wrote on its website on Thursday. The Dutch Ministry of Defence said it’s taking measures in response, according to the broadcaster.The tracker incident…