Business class to Europe is wide open

Good morning and welcome back to Daily Drop — the airport lounge of newsletters: calm, curated, full of perks… and today? Slightly overbooked.

That’s right — we’ve got a lot to cover, including:

• ✨ A brand-new luxury lounge in NYC

• 💼 A summer surge in business-class seats to Europe

• 💳 Say “bonjour” to 70,000 bonus miles

• 😬 A looming devaluation to one of the best points perks

• 🇸🇾 What it’s like to travel to Syria in 2025

• 🔀 Current Transfer Bonuses

✨ A brand-new luxury lounge in NYC

Capital One just unveiled its newest airport lounge — and this one lands at New York JFK’s Terminal 4, one of the busiest international terminals in the country.

The new space is the fourth Capital One Lounge to open (after DFW, IAD, and DEN), and early photos show a beautiful, modern space with thoughtful amenities:

• 🛋️ Comfortable seating zones for work or relaxation

• 🍲 Hot and cold food options, plus craft cocktails

• 🥡 Grab-and-go snacks for when you’re short on time

• 🚿 Shower suites (because yes, JFK will make you sweat)

Access is easy:

• Holders of the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card (or the Capital One Venture X Business) get unlimited free entry

• Holders of the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card or the Capital One Spark Miles for Business can purchase lounge passes for $45 per person

This is a huge win for travelers passing through T4 — a terminal that already houses lounges from other major banks (the ones accessible with the Chase Sapphire Reserve® and the Amex Platinum, to be specific) that can often get crowded or limit entry during peak hours.

While the lounge is officially open as of yesterday, they will offer limited hours before eventually opening 24 hours a day:

• From June 19 through July 2, it will be open from 9:00 am to 9:00 pm

• From July 3-16, it will be open from 6:00 am to 11:00 pm

• From July 17 onward, it will be open 24/7

Bottom line: If you hold the Venture X, this could be your new go-to lounge in New York.

In the meantime, check out our airport lounge guides to see which card and lounge options are best for you.

💼 A summer surge in business-class seats to Europe

If you’ve been itching for a summer trip to Europe but assumed premium cabin award space was long gone… think again.

Flying Blue, the loyalty program for Air France and KLM, appears to be releasing a ton of business-class availability on transatlantic routes to various European cities like Amsterdam (AMS), Paris (CDG), and more.

These seats are priced at the “base” level of 60,000 miles, which is technically the norm — but in practice, we rarely see this price due to Flying Blue’s dynamic pricing.

Even better? There are plenty of dates in July and August, right in the heart of peak season. 👇

And best of all? Flying Blue miles are super easy to earn since you can transfer points there from basically every major bank.

If you’re short on miles, this is a great excuse to scoop up a welcome offer. We’ve rounded up some of the best ones on our Elevated Offers page.

PRESENTED BY AIR FRANCE

💳 Say Bonjour to 70,000 Bonus Miles

Want to fly to Europe in business class without draining your points stash? This card could be your ticket:

The Air France KLM World Elite Mastercard® is offering a limited-time welcome offer of 70,000 Flying Blue Miles + up to 100 Experience Points (XP) when you spend $3,000 in the first 90 days.

Flying Blue miles are crazy versatile — use them on Air France, KLM, and SkyTeam partners like Delta, Korean Air, and more. And thanks to monthly Promo Rewards, you can often book transatlantic flights for as little as 18,750 Miles one-way. 👀

Here’s what else you get:

✅ 3x Miles on Air France, KLM, and other SkyTeam purchases
✅ 1.5x Miles on everything else
✅ 20 XP every year to help you earn elite status faster
✅ No foreign transaction fees
✅ Low $89 annual fee

Whether you're dreaming of sipping wine in Paris or island-hopping in the Caribbean, Flying Blue miles are a sneaky-good way to do it — especially with this limited-time 70,000-Mile bonus!

😬 A devaluation to one of the best points perks

For years, one of the best low-effort ways to use Membership Rewards points has been to book flights through the bank’s travel portal — especially with the 35% rebate on business and first class flights from holding The Business Platinum Card® from American Express.

Here’s how it works:

• Book a flight with your points through the portal (at 1 cent per point)

• Get 35% of those points back if the flight is biz/first class or in any class with your selected U.S. airline

This effectively means you’re getting 1.54 cents per point — without having to mess with award charts, partner programs, or taxes and fees.

But as of September 18, that 35% rebate will be limited only to flights on your selected airline, in any class of service.

This means:

• No more rebate on premium cabins unless it’s your chosen airline

• Big loss for folks who’ve used this for easy biz class redemptions

• Less incentive to hold onto the Amex Business Platinum if you primarily used it for this perk

If you already hold the card, now’s the time to:

• Book any big trips before September 18

• Max out this benefit while it still exists

And if you’ve been eyeing the card, there’s currently a limited-time elevated welcome offer, and any flights booked using this feature before September 18 will still earn the rebate — even if you travel later.

While this news is definitely sad, it comes at a good time.

We know that the Sapphire Reserve is introducing a new feature on June 23 that will allow you to redeem Ultimate Rewards points at up to two cents per point in its portal.

If this ends up working for a good mix of airlines with good availability, it will definitely be worth making the switch.

🇸🇾 How to visit Syria with points and miles

Yep, you read that right — Syria.

I recently took an unforgettable trip there. It’s not on most people’s bucket lists, and yes, there are serious travel advisories. But for the curious traveler, I’d argue it’s worth a closer look.

The country is safer than it has been in years, you can enter without a visa or any fees, and there’s a surprising amount to see and do.

Better yet, you can get there with points and miles. 😏

If you’re curious about the logistics or just want a glimpse into what traveling through modern-day Syria is like, I wrote two guides:

That was a doozy of a newsletter, eh? Before you go study these deals over the weekend, I’m curious to know:

Have a lovely weekend and see you bright and early on Monday,

6.9175° S, 107.6191° E

With contributions by Tiffany Eastham, McKay Moffitt, and Benji Stawski