✈ Airline Changes Coming in the New Year, TPG’s Credit Card Experts Predict 2026 Trends & More From TPG ✈

Also: 12 New Year's travel resolutions

December 29, 2025 View in browser         TOGETHER WITH     TOGETHER WITH

Fasten your seat belt ... by Sean Cudahy, Senior Aviation Reporter Big changes are coming to aviation in 2026, from a lounge access crackdown at one of the nicest new club networks to spiffy new business-class seats at major airlines and budget airlines alike. If you want to get the latest airline news in your inbox, sign up for our biweekly aviation newsletter, penned by TPG's aviation expert Ben Mutzabaugh. Here's what to know as we head into the new year: Capital One Lounge access changes: Starting Feb. 1, additional cardholders will no longer have access to these beautiful outposts. You'll have to pay $125 per card to get those additional cardmembers in. Details here. The big airlines are spiffing up their business-class cabins: If you liked the look of American Airlines' brand-new Flagship Suites, get ready to see them on a lot more planes in 2026. Meanwhile, United Airlines is preparing to launch its next-generation Polaris concept, which will eventually include caviar service in some seats. It's not just the Big Three: Budget carrier Frontier Airlines expects its new first class to launch in the next couple of months. Meanwhile, JetBlue will roll out domestic first class later this year — on the heels of opening its first-ever airport lounge just over a week ago. Southwest Airlines' true reboot is here: We've been talking for many, many months about all the changes coming to Southwest Airlines. But the biggest one is just weeks away: On Jan. 27, the carrier will make its much-talked-about shift to assigned seating. Goodbye to walking on board and picking a seat. The onboard digital detox truly ends: American will make its onboard Wi-Fi free next month, joining a major industry march toward making inflight internet free of charge. In 2026, we'll say good riddance to these fees, for the most part … while bidding a fonder farewell to email-free travels. That is, as long as you have a frequent flyer account. Here's what else to know about flying in 2026: The gap between premium and budget experiences is widening American Airlines brings its new Flagship Suites to JFK — with more on the way The true Southwest Airlines reboot is almost here — and it may be just the beginning TSA to charge travelers $45 if they don’t have Real ID starting in 2026 Delta now has free Wi-Fi on 1,000 planes, with rest of fleet coming in 2026 And remember to sign up for TPG’s biweekly aviation newsletter for more. Posts in this newsletter contains references to products from one or more of our advertisers. We may receive compensation when you click on links to those products, and this may impact how or where they appear. For an explanation of our Advertising Policy, visit this page. Photo Credit: SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUY.

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