Greetings from Austin! We’re spending one final weekend at home before embarking on an adventure to Japan for my birthday with a group of our friends. While last week was dominated by credit card news, this week is all about crazy frequent flyer mile promotions.
JetBlue and Turkish Airlines both announced huge promotions for members of their frequent flyer programs and Southwest brought back its companion pass promo for the second time this year. All of that and more in the ATX Jetsetter weekly recap for the week ended June 28, 2025.
In this post:
- Fly to Six Continents With Turkish Airlines, Get a Million Miles
- JetBlue is Offering Mosaic Status for 25 Years via a Unique Challenge
- A Gay Bar May be Coming to Chicago O’Hare International Airport
- Delta Announces Two New International Routes from Seattle (SEA)
- Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-200 Business Class (ALA-IST)
- Review: JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus
- Summary
Fly to Six Continents With Turkish Airlines, Get a Million Miles
Turkish Airlines is awarding 1,000,000 Miles&Smiles miles to members who travel to six different continents with the airline. There’s only four months to complete the challenge so you better act fast if you want to boost your mileage totals!
JetBlue is Offering Mosaic Status for 25 Years via a Unique Challenge
JetBlue has launched a unique promotion to celebrate 25 years in business. The New York based carrier is offering TrueBlue members a chance to earn bonus points for flying to 15 or more destinations before the end of the year. Passengers who fly to 25 or more unique destinations will receive complimentary Mosaic 1 status for the next 25 years in addition to the bonus points.
A Gay Bar May be Coming to Chicago O’Hare International Airport
Sidetrack Bar, one of the most popular gay bars in the city of Chicago, is interested in opening a location inside of the airport. Restauranteur Germán González has secured licensing permission from the bar’s owners, Art Johnston and José ‘Pepe’ Peña, to use the name and brand on a new location within the airport.
If approved, Somos Hospitality Group would be the operator of the O’Hare location which would be located in Terminal One. To my knowledge, this would be the only LGBT+ bar in a commercial airport if approved.
Delta Announces Two New International Routes from Seattle (SEA)
Delta Air Lines is launching two new transatlantic routes from Seattle next summer, one of which goes head-to-head against Alaska Airlines. The two carriers are fighting for supremacy at the airport which is giving passengers more options when booking travel.
Review: Turkish Airlines Airbus A330-200 Business Class (ALA-IST)
By international Business Class standards Turkish Airlines does not have a competitive hard product on its Airbus A330-200 aircraft. However, for the majority of the routes the airline deploys this fleet type on, it is still a comfortable ride, especially for shorter trips during the day.
Review: JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus
We had a fantastic stay at the JW Marriott Istanbul Bosphorus. While the room was on the small side the location of the property was fantastic and we were walking distance from most of the major attractions.
Additionally, the staff were fantastic and went out of their way to make sure that we had a good experience. While I always enjoy visiting new properties, I would absolutely stay at this hotel on a future visit to Istanbul.
Summary
With our Japan trip kicking off next week I’m trying to wrap up the rest of our trip to central Asia as fast as possible. Once we’re in the air headed towards Tokyo, I expect things to slow down on the site for a week or so as I try my best to relax and unwind. However, if there is any major news, you’ll be able to find it at ATXJetsetter.com.
Thanks for checking out the June 28, 2025 weekly recap and, I almost forgot, the LSU Tigers are the 2025 NCAA Baseball National Champions!