On the Saturday, March 8th, 2025 edition of The Travel Guys… In the Travel News, Southwest makes massive cuts to earnings in its frequent flyer program (more on that subject later in the program); and a United airlines employee is busted in a huge bribery and payola scheme at the Newark Airport. The Smarter Traveler segment of the program addresses the value of taking the "first flight out in the morning." There are ups and downs of getting up before the chickens, and the guys explain why rising early is probably a smart move. Palm Springs is a popular destination for travelers from our area, and Mark shares a host of opinions on restaurants and attractions, plus tells you one hotel you might want to place on your "do not stay" list. Reward and loyalty programs for hotel chains and airlines are big business. But recently, the changes in the number of points needed for rooms and air tickets has been changing, and not in the favor of the traveler. Now Southwest is cutting the number of points you earn in its Rapid Rewards program on its most popular tickets. We'll update you on the state of rewards programs.
