Recap: This Week’s Biggest Stories and Best Deals

Following is our regular summary of the latest travel news and best frequent traveler promotions reviewed during the past week.

If it was a good deal—or a notably bad deal—from an airline, hotel, or car rental loyalty program, you can read all about it here, and plan your travel accordingly.

How the Government Failed Consumers: The Sad Story of Airline Consolidation

A new report paints a disturbing picture of the airline industry’s successful efforts to push the government to approve the American-US Airways merger.

Of 6 Major Hotel Programs, This 1 Is by Far the Most Generous

A new study shows which hotel loyalty programs give members the highest value in awards for every dollar spent. The results might surprise you.

New Year’s Eve. Las Vegas. Bruno Mars

Four-time Grammy winner Bruno Mars will be funking it up in Las Vegas this New Year’s eve at the 5,300-seat Park Theater. Tickets go on sale this week.

More Upgrades for Delta Silver Elites

Beginning this week, entry-level Delta elites are eligible for upgrades when traveling on award tickets. Nice, but meaningful?

8 Tips for Healthy Living on the Road

It’s hard enough maintaining a healthy lifestyle at home; staying fit on the road is exponentially more challenging. Here are 8 tips to stay on track.

Coming: New York to London in 3 Hours, for $5,000 Roundtrip

A Colorado startup is developing a new supersonic plane that’s faster than the Concorde and, critically, much more economical to operate.

21 Things Flight Attendants Hate About You

Reality-check your own onboard habits against this list of flight attendant gripes. Are you a travel good guy, or a travel bad guy?

TripAdvisor Bans Sales of Tickets to Many Wildlife Attractions

In a first by a major travel site, TripAdvisor will stop selling tickets to attractions “where travelers come into physical contact with captive wild animals…”

Win a 4-Night Disney Cruise to the Bahamas for 4

Enter this sweepstakes to win the grand prize: a four-night Disney Cruise Line cruise for four to the Bahamas, including air, onboard meals, and gratuities.

Somebody has to win, right? Might as well be you.

More from SmarterTravel:

• The Latest Award Discounts for American Air Credit Cardholders
• Were You 1 of 15 Million Victims of Online Hotel Scams?
• Hotel Booking: How to Get the Best Deal

After 20 years working in the travel industry, and 15 years writing about it, Tim Winship knows a thing or two about travel. Follow him on Twitter @twinship.