Business class just got a glow-up

Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop, the Costco sample tray of newsletters. It’s free, unexpectedly satisfying, and somehow, you keep coming back for more.

Here’s what’s on today’s tray:

• ✈️ American Airlines’ EPIC new plane

• ⚡️ Southwest flash sale (today only)

• 💳 Marriott card eligibility, explained

• 😭 More Emirates drama

✈️ American Airlines’ EPIC new plane

At Daily Drop, we love a good business-class seat. Especially world-class products on airlines like Emirates, Singapore, Qatar, and… American…?

Yep, you read that right. American Airlines just unveiled its brand new Boeing 787-9P Dreamliners, complete with EPIC new business-class suites, upgraded tech, and more.

Oh, and we got a sneak peek. 😉

Our very own travel savant, Daniel, flew to Dallas to check out every corner of this new plane and give you all the lowdown on what to expect.

Here are some highlights:

• 51 (yes, really) premium suites with closing doors

• Updated economy and premium economy cabins

• New high-tech IFE screens (in all cabins)

• Upgraded bedding, pillows, and amenity kits

The plane officially entered service today, serving two routes to begin:

• Chicago (ORD) to Los Angeles (LAX)

• Chicago (ORD) to London Heathrow (LHR)

Later this year, we’ll see these jets enter service on the following routes as well:

• Philadelphia (PHL) to London Heathrow (LHR) (starting Aug. 6, 2025)

• Philadelphia (PHL) to Zurich (ZRH) (starting Sept. 3, 2025)

• Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW) to Brisbane (BNE) (starting Oct. 26, 2025)

As Daniel points out in his article, you could fly these fancy new seats on the Chicago-Los Angeles route for as few as 26,500 American miles and $5.60 in taxes and fees:

Like in the screenshot above, make sure you book the correct aircraft type, as this is the only one with the new fancy seats.

Anyway, this is all just the tip of the iceberg… for a more in-depth look, check out our full article 👇

⚡️ Southwest flash sale (today only)

Southwest is back with another flash sale, and this one’s better than the last.

It’s almost like it gutted its program and now nobody wants to fly with the airline, so it needs to offer us a 50% discount on flights:

Here’s the deal:

If you book flights by TONIGHT, you can get a 50% discount on both cash and award flights booked through Southwest using the promo code WOWZERS.

Although the booking window is tight, the travel window is a whopping four months, though it varies slightly based on the region and route:

• Continental U.S.: August 12 through December 17

• International, Hawaii, Puerto Rico: August 17 through December 11

• Inter-island Hawaii: June 24 through October 1

There are plenty of good deals to be found here. Even with Southwest’s negative changes, it could be worth locking in some of these dirt-cheap fares.

This flight from New York (LGA) to Los Angeles (LAX) is only $82 or 4,500 points one way, for example:

There are some blackout dates to be aware of, which you can find more details about on the sale page.

As usual, my recommendation is to go to Southwest’s site, toss in the promo code, and play around with dates and routes to see what you find.

💳 Marriott card eligibility, explained

Trying to figure out if you're eligible for a new Marriott credit card feels like solving the Wordle when there’s a double letter. 

Like, no offense, but WTF? 

But seriously… if you’ve ever been hit with a “Sorry, not eligible” message after applying for a card, then this one’s for you.

Both Chase and American Express issue co-branded hotel cards, and each issuer has its own set of confusing (and sometimes overlapping) rules. 

That means your eligibility for a welcome offer could depend on a card you opened two years ago and forgot you even had.

Fun, right?

We made a simple guide that breaks down who’s eligible for each of this hotel’s co-branded credit cards, like the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless® Credit Card, for example. 

There’s even a mini guide on which card is best for you, depending on whether you’re chasing Platinum status, just want a free night certificate, or need a chill way to keep your Bonvoy points alive.

So before you hit apply… or give up completely, take a minute to skim through these deets. 

It could prevent you from missing out on a huge offer or help you make a smarter move, like changing products or pairing with a business card. 

😭 More Emirates drama

Welp. We all saw this coming…

As you may know, a few U.S. banks recently put a temporary hold on points transfers to Emirates, and we weren’t quite sure why.

Well, now Capital One miles and ThankYou points have joined in and also halted points transfers to Emirates, leaving us without any transfer options.

This is definitely a bummer, but at least there’s an explanation (I think).

Earlier today, I got this email from Emirates saying that it’ll be upgrading its system from June 9 to 11, which coincides with all of the transfer outages:

So, the good news is that there’s a chance many of these transfers could be back up and running within a couple of weeks.

As things stand now, however, here are the planned outage dates by bank:

I just transferred 18,000 Capital One miles to Emirates a few days ago to upgrade myself to first class for a cool flight I have coming up (more on that in a future newsletter 😉), which I’m definitely relieved about…

But Capital One also seems to be the option that will come back online the soonest.

If you have any plans to fly Emirates, consult the chart above and keep an eye on your points accounts to take advantage of the transfers when they become available again.

That’s all for today, my friends! I hope you enjoyed today’s content, and I look forward to seeing you tomorrow to finish off the week.

Take care,

35.0116° N, 135.7681° E