Welcome to The Morning Shave for Tuesday, September 9, 2025. Alaska Airlines is teaming up with Icelandair for seasonal flights to Europe, American Airlines is introducing its shortest international flight, and Hyatt is offering 500 bonus points for eligible stays at new properties. Visit BaldThoughts.com/tms to read all the stories.
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The Morning Shave
Why You Should Double Check Your Passport — Right Now.
We literally just encountered this situation with my daughter’s passport last month. We were talking about Christmas and 2026 travel plans when my wife mentioned that Scarlett’s passport may be expiring soon. Sure enough, she was right. With average turnaround times of 4-6 weeks, we hustled out to get updated pictures and book an appointment for a new passport. Passports for kids under 16 expire every five years instead of 10 for adults. Then, you must update your Global Entry when the new passport arrives.
Alaska Airlines and Icelandair expand codeshare to Europe flights.
Alaska continues to add value for its members with expanded access through Hawaiian Airlines and now Icelandair. With the Icelandair agreement, Alaska passengers can now book codeshare flights to Europe, whether they’re booking with cash or miles. Of course, Alaska Airlines miles are a great way to book partner flights on other airlines, but adding Icelandair opens up new opportunities… including free stopovers in Iceland on your way to or from Europe. They’re still working out the details for which European cities they plan on servicing, so check back soon for more details.
American Airlines to Launch First Miami-to-Bimini Route.
Starting next year, American Airlines will offer flights from Miami to South Bimini (BIM). Flights will operate on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays. The flight is just 64 miles, but each plane will offer 12 Business Class seats. Not only is this American’s shortest international flight, but it is the shortest flight overall within its network (beating out the Chicago O’Hare to Milwaukee route by two miles). If you don’t want to book a flight, you can always take a ferry, which is a roughly two-hour ride.
Get 500 Hyatt Points Every Night You Check Out A New Hotel.
Most hotel brands want to boost traffic at newly opened properties to reward investors and introduce travelers to new properties. With this promotion, you can earn 500 World of Hyatt points when booking a qualifying night at new Hyatt properties around the world. Fortunately, you don’t need to activate this promotion. You’ll automatically earn the bonus points when staying at an eligible property. Visit this Hyatt promo link to find out which 43 properties are participating and what dates are eligible for each one.
The TSA Is Now Allowing Some Passengers To Skip This Step.
When returning home from an international flight, you typically have to go clear customs and go through TSA security again. With the introduction of the One Stop Security (OSS) program, your wait time during layovers could be much shorter. At participating airports, your bags will automatically be transferred to your new flight, and you’ll combine the Customs and TSA process into one stop. American Airlines is the first airline to offer OSS at Dallas (DFW) on flights from London Heathrow. The test has gone well so far, reducing connection times by 50% for those passengers.
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