Greetings from Austin! After ringing in the new year in Tulum, we’re finally getting to spend a couple of relaxing weekends at home before hitting the road again. While it was a short week for me, we flew home on Monday, there was a lot that happened on the travel front.
American Airlines led the news with multiple stories, including the (not so great) rollout of free onboard Wi-Fi and announcing that they were keeping loyalty program requirements the same for a third year in a row. We got more information on what to expect from the new Austin Airport and Hilton found themselves in the middle of a scandal.
All of that and more in the ATX Jetsetter weekly recap for the week ended January 10, 2026.
American Airlines is Keeping AAdvantage Status Requirements the Same for Third Year in a Row
American Airlines is keeping its status qualification requirements the same for the third year in a row. Members of its AAdvantage loyalty program will just have to meet the existing tiers for another year, while gaining a few additional benefits. Unfortunately these days, keeping tiers the same is about as much as we can hope for. Certainly beats an increase!
Hilton Severs Ties with Hampton Inn in Minneapolis Accused of Refusing Rooms to ICE
A Hampton Inn property in Minneapolis has had its franchise agreement terminated after news surfaced that the property was denying service to DHS, ICE, and other members of law enforcement.
The property is independently owned and operated under a franchise agreement from Hilton Hotels and the company has conformed that the specific property’s stance is not one that it shares. Unfortunately, the Hilton brand as a whole is being impacted by this and it will be interesting to see what affect in bookings, positive or negative, this has on the company.
American Airlines Announced Free Wi-Fi was Beginning This Week but, The Rollout is Struggling
As of January 6, 2026, American Airlines introduced free Wi-Fi for AAdvantage members traveling on its narrowbody and two cabin regional jets. However, the rollout of the service is not going as well as expected.
American has indicated that it may take until March to get all of its narrowbody and two cabin regional jets online. This is a far cry from what was in the press release and puts American’s ability to have “almost all” of its planes equipped with the offering, including some widebodies, in early spring.
Austin Airport Expansion Details: Who is Going Where?
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is getting 32 new gates as part of a massive expansion plan intended to alleviate congestion and allow for more airline capacity at the Central Texas Airport. The airport plans to add 32 new gates, including a 26 gate second concourse of which Southwest will be the anchor tenant, as part of its improvements.
Capital One is Building Its Largest Airport Lounge in Charlotte (CLT)
Capital One is opening a new lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport. While timing is not known it is expected that the new lounge will be the largest in Capital One’s lounge network at 14,000 square feet. The new lounge will provide some much needed capacity to the crowded airport.
Review: Tokaido Shinkansen Nozomi Ordinary Car (Tokyo-Kyoto)
While riding on the Tokaido Shinkansen was an extremely cool experience, I was a little surprised by how low frills it was. On one hand this mode of transportation is meant to transport passengers as quickly and efficiently as possible, but the lack of any sort of buy on board food for Ordinary Car passengers was a bit of a head scratcher.
Booked: A 72 Hour Dash Across Europe
My first major trip for 2026 is finally out of the planning stages. A college friend and I are heading out for an insane 72 hours of flying to Europe and back thanks to some expiring American Airlines systemwide upgrades and some dirt cheap fares. This should give me quite a few new products and lounges to review!
Summary
While it was a short week for me work wise, that didn’t stop the news cycle from churning. There were plenty of stories this week and I appreciate you all checking out the weekly recap for the week ended January 10, 2026!