Greetings from Tulum! The ATX Jetsetter crew rang in the new year south of the border and are currently enjoying the sun and sand before heading back to the real world tomorrow.
Since we’ve been away on vacation, things have been a little slow around here but I did managed to get out a few reviews as well as recap my 2025 travels. All of that and more in the ATX Jetsetter weekly recap for the week ended January 4, 2026.
American Airlines Makes Major Changes to its DFW Hub
American Airlines is making a major investment in its DFW fortress hub with the addition of four new daily flight banks. In addition to the modified schedule, American is making some additional improvements that should help passengers traveling through its largest hub.
While I have done my best to avoid American as much as possible in recent years, I’m still excited to see them making an effort to become a more premium, passenger friendly airline.
Guide to Marriott Bonvoy Choice Benefits
As we ring in the new year, Marriott Bonvoy members with 50 and 75 nights from 2025 need to consider what they want to select for their Annual Choice Benefits. If no selection is made by February 1, 2026, Marriott will automatically apply five Nightly Upgrade Awards to your account, so choose wisely!
American Expands in Chicago With 100 New Daily Departures
American Airlines is adding 100 daily flights from its Chicago O’Hare hub in Spring 2026. This will push the airline’s hub operation to more than 500 daily departures and provide additional connectivity options for passengers.
2025 Travel Year in Review
From multiple trips to Asia to criss-crossing the continent, 2025 was a fantastic travel year. While my number of overall flights is nowhere near my pre-covid levels, the trips have gotten more impressive!
Exploring Tokyo
We had a fantastic five day visit to Tokyo with our Denver and Japan based travel friends. While we were able to conver a lot of ground, there are still large portions of the city we didn;t have a chance to visit. We will absolutely be back for another visit, hopefully sooner rather than later.
Review: Delta Airbus A320 First Class (AUS-CUN)
Delta has a remarkably consistent hard product on its narrowbody jets. Regardless of age, all of the planes feel new and modern on the inside. We had great service from our Austin based crew though not having the ability to pre-order meals in the app was confusing.
Delta is my carrier of choice in Austin and this flight reinforced why I continue to fly with them. I’m looking forward to my next trip in Delta’s First Class cabin on the Airbus A320!
Summary
I hope everyone has had a nice and relaxing holiday break. Hopefully you all have had the opportunity to rest and recharge as we head into 2026. As always, thank you for checking out the weekly recap for the week ended January 4, 2026!