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News Roundup
This is a roundup of news and other interesting pieces that I’ve come across over the last few days. Read about the new extension for expired passports, JetBlue canceling 1,280 flights, Santander mistakenly deposited £130m into 75,000 accounts, Bank of America Amtrak Cards no longer available, American Airlines unveils list of Loyalty Point-qualifying partners.
Expired passport? No problem. You can still get home thanks to State Department extension
Americans overseas whose passports expired during the COVID-19 pandemic will still be allowed to return to the U.S., the State Department said Tuesday.
Customs and Border Protection officers will accept U.S. passports that expired on or after Jan. 1, 2020, for return travel until March 31.
The State Department extended the exception for travelers returning from overseas travel on expired passports, which had been set to expire Friday.
JetBlue is canceling 1,280 flights as Omicron cases surge
JetBlue Airways is reducing its schedule by about 1,280 flights from Thursday through January 13 because a growing number of crew members are falling sick from Covid infections.
“We expect the number of Covid cases in the northeast — where most of our crewmembers are based — to continue to surge for the next week or two,” a JetBlue spokesperson said in an emailed statement to Reuters. “This means there is a high likelihood of additional cancellations until case counts start to come down.”
The 1,280 flights amount to about 10% of JetBlue’s schedule.
Santander: Bank hands out £130m in Christmas blunder
The bank mistakenly deposited £130m into 75,000 accounts on 25 December.
Santander’s staff are now rushing to claw back the money, although the job is being made more difficult because much of it was deposited in accounts at rival banks, according to The Times.
The error occurred when payments from 2,000 business accounts were made twice.
Bank of America Amtrak Cards No Longer Available
Bank of America Amtrak Cards are no longer being displayed on the Bank of America or Amtrak websites. Amtrak could be switching issuers.
American Airlines unveils its list of Loyalty Point-qualifying partners
If you’re planning on earning American Airlines AAdvantage elite status next year, there’s now a list of partners where you can earn those coveted Loyalty Points.
Loyalty Points is the new elite status-qualifying currency that’s being rolled out next year that completely changes the way you earn AAdvantage status. Generally speaking, one AAdvantage mile equals one Loyalty Point.
