It was a shock this morning to find out that my friend Lindsey Graham has died. He was a man who loved his work, his country, and his family. He didn’t have an easy life growing up and to me that explained a lot about him as well as his devotion to his remaining family members including his sister. It also explained his almost kid-like exuberance about his job and the responsibilities he was given (even in his sixties he would get off a plane in a foreign land with a twinkle in his eye and look at me as if to say, can you believe we are actually here and doing this?). Lindsey was loyal to friends and causes. He was willing to work on gnarly issues and take on (at times) political risks for the right reasons. It is fitting that he died shortly after visiting Ukraine, one of those causes he would stand up for through thick and thin. Much will be said in the coming days about his relationships with others—President Trump and John McCain for instance—but what can’t be forgotten is the reason why so many people he worked with—from senators to staff—will mourn his loss: Lindsey had a zest for life and the Senate that made you want to get to work on a bill with him or at least debate him. He brought joy to his job. Lindsey Graham was the one who was willing to work with me (when so few would) on helping the Afghan refugees. I remember standing outside of a little phone booth in the Republican cloakroom last year as he spoke with the Vice President, holding up a sign that said “Save the Afghans” and he put the phone on hold and said “OK OK I will go on your bill even if it gets me in trouble.” Or his early willingness to lead on big tech bills, including repealing the provision that protects them from consumer suits. But mostly my fond memories of spending time with Lindsey (and we travelled the world with John McCain) was not about the ups and downs of his policy positions. It was about his love for the world, his loyalty to hard causes and his friends, and the pure joy he brought to life. I will miss him.

Travelers pay the 9/11 security fee every time they fly. Congress must stop diverting those dollars away from @TSA and the air travel system. Thank you @RepDaleStrong & @RepTimKennedy for introducing the SAFEGUARDS Act, ending diversion & investing in the security tech American airports need.

Travelers pay the 9/11 security fee every time they fly. Congress must stop diverting those dollars away from @TSA and the air travel system. Thank you @RepDaleStrong & @RepTimKennedy for introducing the SAFEGUARDS Act, ending diversion & investing in the security tech American airports need.

Your miles are worth less than they were a year ago. Six major airline loyalty programs noticably cut value since 2024. Some raised the cost of award redemptions. American Airlines stopped letting Basic Economy passengers earn miles at all. The miles you have buy less travel either way. ANA: US-Japan business class up 18-25%. Flying Blue: transatlantic awards up 14-25%. Qantas: up to +20%, some routes over 30%. Singapore KrisFlyer: all cabins +5-15%. American AAdvantage: Basic Economy now earns zero miles. British Airways: +8-14% across the board. To put that in perspective: A trip that used to cost 60,000 miles can now run you up to 78,000 - that could be an extra year of credit card spending just to get the same seat! The trend has been steady for years. Expect more of the same. What to do about it: don't hoard miles. If you have a balance and a trip in mind, book it. Sitting on points is volunteering for the next devaluation. When the points pay less, the cash price matters more. AirfareWatchdog watches the cash price full-time so you don't have to. Free to set up → airfarewatchdog.com/signup/?… #AirlineMiles #FrequentFlyer #LoyaltyPrograms #AwardTravel #AirfareWatchdog

Spirit Airlines, the ultra-low-cost flyer that shut down operations last weekend, was often the butt of jokes. But while it may have been the laughingstock of the skies, a raft of heartfelt tributes rolled in after Spirit announced its closure — even from former naysayers. There was plenty of concern for Spirit’s newly unemployed airline workers; nearly 17,000 people lost their jobs. There was also genuine mourning for an airline that filled an essential economic niche. With its infamously no-frills policies, Spirit offered a lifeline for travelers who otherwise couldn’t afford to fly. “I shared in the mourning,” writes Vanessa Ogle. “I grew up next to a Superfund site, and my mom and I both worked in fast food. I moved to New York as a teenager, and when I could afford to travel home on my Domino’s salary, it was courtesy of Spirit. It’s the airline I took in college to afford visits home to rural Michigan, and the airline I took when I visited my mom in the hospital just before she unexpectedly passed away.” Read Ogle on how Spirit’s closure is going to have very real consequences for many Americans who simply may not be able to fly without another low-cost alternative: nymag.visitlink.me/WCSbiL