<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ironypoisoning/14370786158/">Flickr/Connie Ma</a></span></p><p class="caption">Escargot to go? Not likely.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Something's missing in the US fast-casual sector.</p><p>Flashy and aromatic flavors found in Mexican food and Asian cuisine are proving immensely popular.</p><p>Even more adventurous fare, such as Middle Eastern and African, is <a href="http://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/News-Research/WhatsHot2016">on the rise</a>.</p><p>But of all the varied and respected global cuisines, there's one glaring omission from the US restaurant market: French food, according to <a href="http://nrn.com/food-trends/why-french-cuisine-missing-us-restaurant-landscape?page=1">Nation's Restaurant News</a>.</p><p>French cooking is renowned the world over; it's synonymous with fine eating.</p><p>And while there's certainly a strong market for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-french-restaurants-in-the-us-2015-5?op=1">upscale French restaurants</a>, there's a conspicuous lack of fast-casual chains focusing on the courtly continental cuisine.</p><p>Why is this? What's the French <em>mis</em>connection?</p><p>There are a few reasons. Current trends lean toward the bright and exotic "ethnic" flavors of South American and Asian cuisine, driven by millennials' ongoing quest for spicy and authentic foods. Typically, the flavors of these cultures are quickly prepared and instantly recognizable.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcpig/2417315604/">Flickr/McPig</a></span></p><p class="caption">Duck confit, one of France's culinary masterpieces, is an incredibly rich, and time-consuming, meal.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>French food, conversely, is a tradition best enjoyed slowly. The tastes are mellow, rich, and luxuriant - savored languidly and cozied up to over time. Bouillabaisse and duck confit are meals that require time and attention that can't be properly served or enjoyed in a fast-casual setting.</p><p>Nor is a steaming plate of escargot the most practical choice for those looking for a quick and filling bite - a burrito is a more viable option. Grab-and-go has become <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/8-trends-taking-over-americas-restaurants-2015-7">the norm</a> in casual American dining.</p><p>Of course there are a handful of exceptions. The café chain Au Bon Pain has met with national success, yet the menu is more broadly based in light American fare than anything truly French.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72861652@N00/1314066273/in/photolist-317W84-8VHMkv-8VLQdU-8VLQwu-8VHLX8-8VHMdD-9JfS4h-dCezt6-7sarxX-7HZXLE-7HZXUA-9H4Pna-9GYMoS-9H2MpW-9H2Hf9-9H2Rwq-9H2HfQ-9H2CUm-9H2Hfw-9H4GXT-9H2Rwm-9H2Hg1-9H2CUf-9H2HeU-9H2CTW-9H2Mqj-9H2Rw7-9H2CUh-9H2Mq7-9H2Rwb-9H2CUq-9H2Mqf-9H2HfC-9JwfBd-7EWCr7-9H2Mqb-9H2Rwd-9H2RvY-9H2MpY-9Jw1T5-9Jw1SL-9H4GYe-9Jw1T3-9H4GY2-9Jw1SW-9JvG33-9JxYaU-9JxYG5-9JxYRG-9JxYkG">Flickr/one2c900d</a></span></p><p class="caption">Au Bon Pain offers the atmosphere of a Parisian café, but with rather typical American fare.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>And Southern chain <a href="http://lamadeleine.com/">La Madeleine</a> has made headway, expanding to 94 locations in 10 states and Washington, DC. But its service model is cafeteria-style and focuses on dining in, and the menu is something of a French-Southern hybrid - no snails here.</p><p>Also of note is that French cuisine, for all its oddities like frog legs and beef tongue, is not as exotic here as one may imagine.</p><p>French culinary customs are forever intertwined with American food, from steak sauces to apple pie, <a href="http://nrn.com/food-trends/why-french-cuisine-missing-us-restaurant-landscape?page=2">according to</a> Bret Thorn of the Nation's Restaurant News. One can't run a kitchen without bumping into something lifted from the gastronomy of Gaul.</p><p>So for now, France's culinary appeal in the US remains decidedly high-end. After all, one can't expect fast-casual foie gras for the price of french fries.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/american-foods-foreigners-hate-meatloaf-corn-dogs-2015-6">13 'all-American' foods that foreigners find completely gross </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9jZDd2dTqguWfOqiZ3RWVN1M4g2HCeCP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The world's most renowned cuisine can't gain mainstream traction in America

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Alena Ozerova/Shutterstock.com</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>For the last eight years I've successfully used rewards <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/credit-cards">credit cards</a> to <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> for pennies on the dollar.</li><li><strong>Even though cards like the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express</a> and the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-enhanced-business-platinum-card-from-american-express-open/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">The Business Platinum® Card from American Express</a> carry high annual fees, they provide benefits like free nights at nice hotels, free checked bags on flights, and free Global Entry.</strong></li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/yourmoney?utm_source=bullet">Read more personal finance coverage. </a></strong></li></ul><p>When I tell people I have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cards-in-my-wallet-earn-million-points">over a dozen credit cards in my wallet</a> at any given time, they react with shock and concern.</p><p>But I'm not using the cards to rack up debt or pay for things I can't afford. In fact, for the last eight years I've successfully used <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-credit-card-for-travel-rewards">rewards credit cards to travel</a> for pennies on the dollar. <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Rewards credit cards</a> have not only made travel cheaper for me - they have also made it more comfortable.</p><p>Here are seven ways credit cards have improved my travel experience:</p><h2>1. Free nights (at nicer hotels)</h2><p>Before I got into rewards travel, I generally booked the cheapest hotels using Priceline's now-defunct Name Your Own Price tool. Since I began racking up hotel points through credit cards, I've been able to stay at much nicer hotels for cheaper.</p><p>On my 26th birthday, I stayed at the Park Hyatt Sydney, which was going for over $1,000 per night at the time. New Year's Eve in Dubai can get expensive, but I was able to avoid the $500 nightly rate at the Conrad Dubai by using a combination of Hilton points and Barclay Arrival miles.</p><p>I make it a point to redeem points whenever I can save cash. Most often, that has enabled me to stay in some pretty incredible hotels without the associated expenses. Sometimes this means using credit card points for hotel bookings and other times it means getting a fourth night free through the Citi Prestige® Card.</p><h2>2. Elite status credits</h2><p>I haven't spent a single paid night at a Hilton hotel this year, yet I have top-tier Diamond elite status thanks to the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Honors Aspire Card from American Express</a>. When I check in for my next stay, I will get to skip past the lines to a dedicated check-in desk, receive free breakfast, club lounge access, premium WiFi and, more often than not, a room upgrade. Being an elite member also translates to more points, since Hilton Diamond members receive a 100% bonus on points earned via paid stays.</p><h2>3. Hotel freebies</h2><p>What's the use in staying at a nice hotel if you can't enjoy the amenities? Luckily, credit cards have made it possible for me to get those free of charge.</p><p>For starters, the aforementioned <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Honors Aspire</a> includes a $250 Hilton resort statement credit issued annually. Simply charge on-site purchases like spa treatments, restaurant bills, and everything in between to the card and the credit will automatically apply to your account. In addition, the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Aspire card</a> offers $100 Hilton property credit when you book a minimum two-night stay at HiltonHonors.com/aspirecard. </p><p>Recently, I used my <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Platinum Card® from American Express</a> to pay for a weekend trip to Las Vegas through <a href="https://travel.americanexpress.com/travel/finehotelsandresorts">Amex Fine Hotels &amp; Resorts</a>. In addition to free breakfast for two, I received a $100 dining and $100 spa credit per room. While the annual fee on this card is hefty at $550, I get more than my <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-express-platinum-credit-card-review-2018-2">money's worth</a> through on-site credits alone.</p><h2>4. Room upgrades</h2><p>In my four consecutive years as a Hilton Diamond elite, I've received <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-a-hotel-upgrade-2015-8">room upgrades</a> on all but one hotel stay. In Bali, I even ended up in the Conrad's <a href="https://www.pointchaser.com/conrad-bali-penthouse-suite-review/">Penthouse Suite</a>. It was over 3,600 sqft and featured a rooftop infinity pool. Its previous inhabitants, I was informed, include Justin Bieber. </p><h2>5. Lounge access</h2><p>Hotel club lounge access has saved me hundreds of dollars on group trips. While hotel lounges in the US may offer continental breakfast followed by cheese and crackers in the evening, these meals are generally much nicer abroad.</p><p>The food at club lounges can be meal substitutes. Even if you don't want to eat "lounge food" when you're traveling to the most exotic places, you can find value in the lounge. It's incredibly convenient to be able to grab a quick snack at any time or a bottle of water, without paying the high mark-ups some hotels like to impose.</p><p>At the Conrad Bali, the club lounge is essentially a restaurant where guests can have breakfast, afternoon tea, and evening appetizers with a large selection of food and drinks. At the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong, you're treated to a massive buffet with incredible views of the Kowloon skyline. </p><p>Club lounge access is incredibly convenient and thanks to my <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Aspire card</a>, I don't even have to book a club room or pay for an upgrade to get it.</p><p>The same goes for airports. Step into an airport lounge, courtesy of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/priority-pass-membership-credit-card-perk-2019-6">Priority Pass Select membership from credit cards</a> like the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">American Express Platinum Card</a> and your travel experience is instantly improved. </p><h2>6. Fewer airport hassles</h2><p>I recently applied for Global Entry and was conditionally approved. I paid for the $100 application fee with my Citi Prestige Card and received a $100 statement credit shortly after. Once I complete my interview and get approved, I'll not only breeze through customs on my international trips for the next four years, but I'll also speed through the TSA PreCheck line at domestic airports. That's right: Approval for Global Entry also gets you TSA PreCheck.</p><p>If you're interested in getting your Global Entry application fee waived, be sure to read up on the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-credit-cards-with-free-global-entry">top credit cards with free Global Entry</a>.</p><h2>7. Free checked bags</h2><p>I get shamed for this all the time, but I <em>always </em>check my bag when flying economy class. For starters, I don't like dragging a bag around the airport. Lifting it over my head is a hassle, if not a danger to those around me. If I'm flying economy class, I like to sit in the back of the plane to avoid the headaches associated with boarding an airplane. I board <em>and</em> deplane last. By the time I arrive at the luggage carousel, my bag is already out.</p><p>I <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-avoid-checked-bag-fee">refuse to pay for this convenience</a> and thanks to various rewards credit cards, I don't have to. The <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-citi-aadvantage-platinum-is-best-credit-card-for-american-airlines-flyers-2018-6">Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite™ Mastercard®</a> gets me free checked bags on all domestic flights. If I'm flying a different airline, I can use my $250 airline incidental credits from the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">American Express Platinum</a>, Citi Prestige, or <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/hilton-honors-american-express-aspire-card/?utm_campaign=bi_aa_how-credit-cards-make-travel-better&amp;utm_source=referral">Hilton Aspire Cards</a> to cover the cost.</p><p>Rewards credit cards have improved my travel experience greatly and provided me access to benefits normally reserved for elite travelers. While the annual fees on premium credit cards can be quite high, I easily get my money's worth just by using them a few times a year. </p><ul class="read-more-links"><li>More <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/credit-cards">credit card</a> coverage</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-airline-credit-card-comparison-delta-united-american">What's the best airline credit card?</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-cash-back-credit-cards">The best cash-back credit cards</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/southwest-credit-card-comparison-which-to-get">Southwest credit card review</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/best-rewards-credit-cards">Best rewards credit cards</a></li></ul><p class="tagline"><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team.</em></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p style="font-size:14px;"><em>Please note: While the offers mentioned above are accurate at the time of publication, they're subject to change at any time and may have changed, or may no longer be available.</em></p></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/real-map-louisiana-should-scare-you-2017-6">Most maps of Louisiana aren't entirely right. Here's what the state really looks like.</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

7 ways my credit cards make traveling cheaper, easier, and more fun

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Rob Stothard/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Lorries as far as the eye can see.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>French <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/port" target="_blank" rel="noopener">port</a> workers <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/strike" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strike</a> so often in <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/england" target="_blank" rel="noopener">England</a> that the British <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/category/government" target="_blank" rel="noopener">government</a> has had to launch a truck parking scheme called "Operation Stack."</li><li>Operation Stack keeps British truckers lined up to enter France via underwater tunnel.</li><li>Brexit will likely intensify the need for Operation Stack as lines will stretch even longer to enter or exit the European Union. </li><li>A new procedure, devised to address the post-Brexit world, has been christened "Operation Brock."</li></ul><p> </p><p>The UK economy took a hit of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/06/operation-stack-new-lorry-park-stanford-west-kent-m20-congestion">£250 million ($</a><span><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/06/operation-stack-new-lorry-park-stanford-west-kent-m20-congestion">328 million) a day</a> for about 24 days one summer in 2015. British coastguards <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-calais-strike-clogs-british-motorway-with-3000-trucks-2015-7">were sent out in droves</a> with bottles of water and emergency meals. One official called the situation <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-calais-strike-clogs-british-motorway-with-3000-trucks-2015-7">"absolute mayhem."</a></span><span></span></p><p><span>The cause: a massive traffic jam in the southwest of England. Trucks carrying goods to continental Europe couldn't cross under the English Channel to the French port city of Calais. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/jul/06/operation-stack-new-lorry-park-stanford-west-kent-m20-congestion">Up to 9,000 trucks</a> - or lorries, as the Brits call them - were parked on England's M20 motorway <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/jul/29/operation-stack-kent-uk-migrant-crisis-calais">for 24 days in the summer of 2015</a>.</span><span></span></p><p><span>While the summer of 2015 was a particularly bad back-up in England, strikes that shut down Calais (and thus, the rest of Europe) to England are common. France as a whole has an incredibly robust <a href="https://www.thelocal.fr/20180404/dont-mention-the-words-strike-culture-in-france">"strike culture."</a> Each year, <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/the-european-countries-that-strike-the-most-french-strikes-industrial-action-map-a7063926.html">171 days of work are missed</a> per 1,000 employees in France, the second biggest in Europe. (In Germany, just 12 days per year are missed.)</span></p><p><span>"It's part of the character of France to have these big social movements at a national level, that can last a long time," French historian Stéphane Sirot told English-language French news outlet <a href="https://www.thelocal.fr/20160331/why-are-french-always-on-strike">The Local</a>. </span></p><p><span>And that tendency to strike is highly evident in Calais. </span><span>Strikes affecting the port city are so common, in fact, that the southwest county of Kent, where these truck back-ups happen, has created a parking scheme called "<a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-33688822">Operation Stack"</a> to accommodate those trucks.</span></p><p><span>It's been enacted <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-33688822">more than 100 times since 1997</a>, most recently <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-44169130">in May 2018</a>. Operation Stack has also been deployed in times of inclement weather, fires, or industrial action on the UK side.</span></p><p><em><strong>Read more:</strong> <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/trucking-truck-driver-british-american-2018-8">A British truck driver who's worked in the US for a decade says the biggest problem with trucking in America comes down to how drivers are paid</a></em></p><p>Operation Stack has a slightly panic-inducing name, but the procedure is simple.</p><p>According to <a href="https://www.kent.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/travelling-around-kent/operation-stack">the county website</a>, Kent's police ensure that trucks park on both sides of M20 and line up as they wait for Calais to re-open. The middle lane remains clear for emergency vehicles. Passenger cars are re-routed <a href="https://www.kent.police.uk/advice/operation-stack/">to other freeways</a>. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Rob Stothard/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Some truckers were stranded for days during the 2015 deployment of Operation Stack.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>When it's enacted, people who rely on the motorway for daily work and travel get frustrated. A Conservative lawmaker said Operation Stack <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-calais-strike-clogs-british-motorway-with-3000-trucks-2015-7">caused locals to feel</a> "<span>stranded, completely cut off in their own town."</span></p><p><span>The British Road Haulage Association's chief executive Richard Burnett once called for the French and British governments to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/afp-calais-strike-clogs-british-motorway-with-3000-trucks-2015-7">deploy armed forces</a> in lieu of Operation Stack. </span></p><h2>Operation Stack meets a post-Brexit world</h2><p>Operation Stack has typically come as a result of industrial action on the French side. The debacle in the summer of 2015 followed <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11695392/Why-did-the-French-workers-strike-in-Calais.html">the closure of a French ferry service</a>, which employed some 600 people. </p><p>Around 100 port workers <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/france/11695392/Why-did-the-French-workers-strike-in-Calais.html">protested at the terminal</a>, burning tires and halting traffic entering and exiting France. </p><p>But now, the Brexit referendum will only multiply the need for Operation Stack. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images</span></p><p class="caption">Truck drivers wait out Operation Stack in 2015.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>British trucks will not be able to enter Europe if the UK and the EU cannot reach a deal on Brexit, Business Insider's Thomas Colson <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/british-trucks-barred-from-europe-under-no-deal-brexit-industry-leader-warns-2018-6">reported from London</a>.</p><p>At the very least, lorries in a post-Brexit Britain would need considerably more time to enter the EU. Rather than two minutes to check a vehicle, the BBC reported it would take five to 45 minutes for customs <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-45021133">to process trucks</a>.</p><p>That would create, according to <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-45021133">a council report</a>, a semi-permanent 13-mile stretch of trucks on one of Britain's most crucial roads.</p><p>In response, the UK's Department of <keyword id="34991" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="transportation">Transportation</keyword> has created a replacement for Operation Stack: <a href="https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/nao-warns-considerable-infrastructure-work-needed-at-uk-border/10033321.article">"Operation Brock."</a> This operation will allow passenger vehicles to drive in certain sections of <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-kent-44169130">the freeway</a>, rather than diverting traffic to smaller roads as Operation Stack does.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/einstein-reveals-manipulate-time-2016-3">This mind-melting thought experiment of Einstein's reveals how to manipulate time</a></h3>        <div>                    </div>    </div>

A major French port goes on strike so often that the UK has come up with a procedure called 'Operation Stack' for all the trucks that get backed up on the highway

How United's CEO cheated death a month into the job and is now leading the company in a battle to become America's best airline

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/ironypoisoning/14370786158/">Flickr/Connie Ma</a></span></p><p class="caption">Escargot-to-go? Not likely.</p></div><p></p></div></div>Something is missing in the US fast-casual sector.</p><p>Flashy and aromatic flavors found in Mexican food and Asian cuisine are proving immensely popular. </p><p>Even more adventurous fare like Middle Eastern or African food are <a href="http://www.restaurant.org/Downloads/PDFs/News-Research/WhatsHot2016">on the rise</a>.</p><p>But of all the varied and respected global cuisines, there is one glaring omission from the US restaurant market: French food, according to <a href="http://nrn.com/food-trends/why-french-cuisine-missing-us-restaurant-landscape?page=1">Nation's Restaurant News</a>.</p><p>French cooking is renowned the world over - it's virtually synonymous with the idea of fine eating.</p><p>And while there's certainly a strong market for <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/the-best-french-restaurants-in-the-us-2015-5?op=1">upscale French restaurants</a>, there's a noticeable lack of fast-casual chains focusing on the courtly continental cuisine. </p><p>Why is this? What's the French connection?</p><p>There are a few reasons. Current restaurant trends lean towards the bright and exotic "ethnic" flavors of South American and Asian cuisine, driven by millennials' ongoing quest for spicy and authentic foods. Typically, the flavors of these cultures are quickly prepared and instantly recognizable.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/mcpig/2417315604/">Flickr/McPig</a></span></p><p class="caption">Duck confit, one of France's culinary masterpieces, is an incredibly rich and time-consuming meal.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>French food, conversely, is a tradition best enjoyed slowly. The tastes are mellow, rich, and luxuriant - best savored languidly and cozied up to over time. Bouillabaisse and duck confit are meals that require time and attention that can't be properly served or enjoyed in a fast-casual setting.</p><p>Nor is a steaming plate of escargot the most practical choice for those looking for a quick and filling bite - a burrito is a much more viable option. Grab-and-go has become <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/8-trends-taking-over-americas-restaurants-2015-7">the norm</a> in casual American dining.</p><p>Of course, there are a handful of exceptions. The cafe chain Au Bon Pain has met with national success - yet the menu is more broadly based in light American fare than anything truly French. </p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/72861652@N00/1314066273/in/photolist-317W84-8VHMkv-8VLQdU-8VLQwu-8VHLX8-8VHMdD-9JfS4h-dCezt6-7sarxX-7HZXLE-7HZXUA-9H4Pna-9GYMoS-9H2MpW-9H2Hf9-9H2Rwq-9H2HfQ-9H2CUm-9H2Hfw-9H4GXT-9H2Rwm-9H2Hg1-9H2CUf-9H2HeU-9H2CTW-9H2Mqj-9H2Rw7-9H2CUh-9H2Mq7-9H2Rwb-9H2CUq-9H2Mqf-9H2HfC-9JwfBd-7EWCr7-9H2Mqb-9H2Rwd-9H2RvY-9H2MpY-9Jw1T5-9Jw1SL-9H4GYe-9Jw1T3-9H4GY2-9Jw1SW-9JvG33-9JxYaU-9JxYG5-9JxYRG-9JxYkG">Flickr/one2c900d</a></span></p><p class="caption">Au Bon Pain offers the atmosphere of a Parisian cafe, but with rather typical American cafe fare.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>And Southern chain <a href="http://lamadeleine.com/">La Madeleine</a> has made headway, expanding to 75 locations in eight states and Washington, DC. But its service model is cafeteria-style and focuses more on dining in, and the menu is something of a French and Southern hybrid - no snails here. </p><p>Also of note is that French cuisine, for all its oddities like frog legs and beef tongue, is not as exotic here as one may imagine.</p><p>French culinary customs are forever intertwined with American food, from steak sauces to apple pie, <a href="http://nrn.com/food-trends/why-french-cuisine-missing-us-restaurant-landscape?page=2">according to</a> Bret Thorn of the Nation's Restaurant News. One can't run a kitchen without bumping into something lifted from the gastronomy of Gaul.  </p><p>So for now, France's culinary appeal in the US remains decidedly high-end. After all, one can't expect fast-casual foie gras for the price of french fries.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/american-foods-foreigners-hate-meatloaf-corn-dogs-2015-6">13 'all-American' foods that foreigners find completely gross </a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="9jZDd2dTqguWfOqiZ3RWVN1M4g2HCeCP" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

The most renowned global cuisine can't gain mainstream traction in America

<p>Macaroni salad, Kalua pork, and Japanese-style rice probably sounds like a strange meal.</p><p>Yet this odd mix of foods is a version of a popular and now traditional dish in Hawaii, called "plate lunch," that celebrates the island chain's diverse history.</p><p><strong>Historians think the dish originated with the fruit and sugar plantation workers who came to Hawaii in the 1800s from places like Japan, China, Portugal, and the Philippines.</strong> The laborers didn't pack sandwiches for lunch - they ate canned or cold meats, with sides like left over rice, eggs, and pickles.</p><p>Workers from different backgrounds tired of eating the same staples, over and over again, so they shared their meals with each other. Now iterations of the eclectic dish are served all over Hawaii.</p><p>I recently traveled to Hawaii and a friend told me that I had to try plate lunch. She recommended one of those great hole-in-the-wall-style restaurants in Hilo, and I ordered this:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kelly Dickerson/Business Insider</span></p><p class="caption">A plate lunch of Kalua pork, rice, and macaroni salad.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>But my server insisted that I also try another traditional Hawaiian food: <strong>Spam musubi.</strong></p><p>Spam musubi is a slice of grilled Spam on top of a block of rice, wrapped with a piece of dried nori seaweed. It looks like supersized pieces of sushi (note: there is <em>also</em> a Spam sushi dish):</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spam_musubi#/media/File:Spam_musubi_dllu.jpg">Wikimedia Commons</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>My immediate look of disgust tipped him off that I wasn't exactly on board with the idea.</p><p>The perception of Spam in Hawaii is very different than in the continental US, he told me. On the main land, the idea of "Spam" has come to mean just any kind of canned mystery meat, and it really gets a bad wrap - think "Monty Python's Spamalot" and the term "spam email."</p><p>But according to its label, Spam is essentially a cocktail of pork shoulder, ham, salt, water, and sugar, with potato starch to bind all the ingredients together and sodium nitrate to preserve it. <strong>And there's a fascinating reason why Spam is so popular in Hawaii. </strong></p><p>During World War II it was impossible to deliver fresh meat to the front lines. Spam preserved easily, so it became a staple of the US soldiers' diets. Soldiers came up with some delightful nicknames for it, including "ham that didn't pass its physical" and "meatloaf without basic training."</p><p>Throughout World War II and the many territory occupations that followed it, Spam hitchhiked with soldiers to Hawaii, Guam, the Philippines, and other Pacific Islands. Local cultures weaved it into their cuisines, so Spam is now a relic of the United States' power trip through the Pacific.</p><p>I decided to take the plunge. I tried Spam musubi and Spam sushi:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Kelly Dickerson/Business Insider</span></p></div><p></p></div></div>Maybe it was partly thanks to the history lesson from my server, but I was surprised to find that I actually liked it. It tasted salty and not quite the texture you'd expect from meat, but all in all, not too bad.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/giant-rats-detecting-landmines-africa-2015-6">Giant rats are saving lives and reviving the economy in parts of Africa</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="x3dW9sdTrl7F3ZFOz5FK2rVwoTJ47G6z" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

I ate Spam sushi and musubi, and my reaction really surprised me

<ul class="summary-list"><li><keyword id="6368036" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="hotels">Hotels</keyword>, motels, and resorts will be forever changed by the <keyword id="1754604" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="coronavirus">coronavirus</keyword> pandemic.</li><li>Business Insider spoke with top <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> CEOs from companies like <keyword id="13541" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Hilton">Hilton</keyword>, <keyword id="355457" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="Club-Med">Club Med</keyword>, and <keyword id="154705" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Aman-Resorts">Aman Resorts</keyword> about how the coronavirus will change the experience of staying in a hotel.</li><li>Hoteliers predict that travelers will prefer smaller, less dense hotels and outdoor amenities.</li><li>Breakfast buffets could become a thing of the past, and room service could come in the form of a bag dropped outside your door.</li></ul><p>Hotels and resorts are in a state of crisis.</p><p>As of May 20, <a href="https://www.ahla.com/covid-19s-impact-hotel-industry">seven out of 10 hotel rooms in the US</a> were sitting empty and thousands of hotels are completely closed, according to the American Hotel &amp; Lodging Association (AHLA). Hotels have lost more than $25 billion in room revenue since the start of the pandemic, and 70% of hotel employees have been laid off or furloughed, per the AHLA. Empty hotels are desperately <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-support-independent-hotels-save-money-during-coronavirus-outbreak-2020-4">selling bonds for future discounted travel</a>.</p><p>But as <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/map-us-states-reopening-retail-restaurants-masks-2020-5">US states</a> and other <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/countries-on-lockdown-coronavirus-italy-2020-3">countries start to reopen</a>, hotel companies are looking ahead to make travelers feel safe and to entice them into coming back to their properties.</p><p>Many major hotel brands, including <keyword id="6384674" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="marriott">Marriott</keyword> — the world's biggest hotel company — Best Western, Hilton, and Hyatt Hotels, have pledged to abide by the AHLA's new <a href="https://www.ahla.com/sites/default/files/SafeStay_Guide.pdf">Safe Stay</a> guidelines for everything from contactless check-in to new cleaning standards and protocols.</p><p>Here's what you can expect the next time you stay at a hotel or resort.</p><h2><strong>People may seek out smaller, less dense lodging</strong></h2><p>One major change travelers might see in hotels in the future is a change in design.</p><p>"I think that people are going to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-could-change-travel-hotel-leaders-2020-4">migrate towards smaller properties</a>, or perhaps migrate to properties that have larger open spaces and are not as high-volume," Mark Durliat, CEO and cofounder of Grace Bay Resorts in Turks and Caicos, recently told Business Insider's Madeline Stone.</p><p>Carolyne Doyon, CEO and President of Club Med North America, told Business Insider that she believes "there will be increased demand for resort options that are less dense ... resorts that are integrated in, and respectful of, their surrounding natural environments and are spread out across larger areas." Visually, she predicts a big change to the design of resorts too, with a pivot to "low-rise buildings that blend in rather than traditional concrete high-rises." </p><p>The humble motel may even make a comeback.</p><p>Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, which has adopted the AHLA's Safe Stay protocols and owns brands like Super 8 and Days Inn, is already seeing <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/05/06/travel/coronavirus-travel-questions.html">rising demand for its properties with exterior corridors</a> — also known as motels — per The New York Times.</p><p><div type="image" title="super 8 motel" height="4016" width="5355" msid="75979501" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Dave DeCecco, Wyndham's vice president of global communications, told Business Insider that motel owners are finding several benefits to the traditional motel design.</p><p>For one, motels don't have interior hallways or large social spaces, limiting guests' exposure to other people and lowering the risk of infection. On top of that, the fact that guests can park directly outside their room further limits their exposure to strangers.</p><h2><strong>Contactless check-in and temperature screenings upon arrival</strong></h2><p>Hotels that didn't already have contactless check-in are now offering it via smartphone app to cut down on person-to-person interaction.</p><p>At Hilton, for example, guests can check in using its <a href="https://hiltonhonors3.hilton.com/en/hhonors-mobile-app/digital-key.html">Digital Key system,</a> which opens any door a guest would normally access with a key card. That includes guest rooms, elevators, side doors, and fitness centers.</p><p><div type="image" title="hotel coronavirus temperature check" height="1667" width="2223" msid="75979503" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Some brands, like Club Med, have said they will screen guests' temperatures when they arrive at the hotel, while others, such as Loews Hotels, are checking the temperatures of employees and vendors who enter the hotel.</p><h2>No more noisy neighbors: Some hotels will only fill 50% of their rooms</h2><p>Contactless check-in isn't the ony way your next hotel experience may involve fewer people. The next time you stay in a hotel, the rooms on either side of yours may be empty. </p><p>Some cities, counties, and hotel brands have announced they will operate at no more than 50% occupancy for the foreseeable future.</p><p>At some of its resorts that are reopening, luxury resort brand Aman Resorts will "skip a key," or only make every other room available for reservation, COO Roland Fasel told Business Insider.</p><p>California's San Luis Obispo County is limiting hotel and short-term lodging <a href="https://www.sanluisobispo.com/opinion/editorials/article242744881.html">occupancy rates to no more than 50%</a> — and only for essential travel — in an order by the county health officer that went into effect May 17 and will be reevaluated every two weeks.</p><p>And Pensacola Beach in Florida <a href="https://www.pnj.com/story/news/2020/03/19/coronavirus-pensacola-beach-open-hotels-reduce-50-occupancy/2877895001/">limited its hotels to half-capacity back in March,</a> keeping them open throughout the pandemic. </p><h2><strong>No more daily housekeeping</strong></h2><p>Your hotel room itself may look a bit different than it did before the pandemic.</p><p>The Four Seasons will place "Lead With Care" <a href="https://press.fourseasons.com/news-releases/2020/lead-with-care-program/">kits in each guest room that include masks</a>, hand sanitizer, and sanitization wipes.</p><p>Best Western, which has more than 5,000 hotels worldwide, said it will <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hotel-precautions-coronavirus">remove "unnecessary items" like decorative pillows</a> from guest rooms as part of its enhanced sanitization procedures. And Hilton is doing away with the pen, paper, and guest directory normally provided in each room unless specifically requested.</p><p><div type="image" title="hotel coronavirus cleaning" height="1663" width="2217" msid="75979504" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Another major change travelers can expect to see is the frequency of housekeeping. The standard that guests have come to expect in hotels is daily housekeeping unless they request their room be skipped. That's an expectation that's about to invert.</p><p>For those hotels abiding by the AHLA's Stay Safe guidelines, housekeeping will no longer enter a guest's room during their stay unless specifically requested. Rooms will continue to be cleaned thoroughly after check-out.</p><h2><strong>The new room service: a bag outside your door, or</strong><strong> a server in full PPE</strong></h2><p>Travelers who frequent high-end hotels may be accustomed to room service delivered straight into their room by a dapper server pushing a white tablecloth-clad cart.</p><p>But in the time of coronavirus, the AHLA recommends that traditional room service be replaced with a no-contact delivery method.</p><p>Gregg Fracassa, general manager at Snow King Resort in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, recently told Business Insider that in-room dining service will come "in the form of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-jackson-wyoming-is-preparing-for-summer-tourism-season-2020-5">a market bag left at the door."</a></p><p>Aman Resorts said it has seen increased demand for in-room dining during the pandemic. Staff is still delivering meals into rooms — while wearing full PPE.</p><p>"All in-room dining is served with food and drinks covered, and staff wear PPE [personal protective equipment] upon delivery," Fasel said. "If guests feel comfortable with us dropping the food off in their room we do so, however we can also place it on a table in the entrance."</p><h2>Say goodbye to the traditional hotel buffet </h2><p>The beloved continental breakfast buffet may be a thing of the past. Traditional buffet service should be limited and prepackaged foods and "grab and go" items should be the preferred method of food delivery, per the AHLA.</p><p><div type="image" title="Hotel Breakfast Buffet" height="667" width="889" msid="75979509" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Best Western has said that <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hotel-precautions-coronavirus">some of its breakfast rooms could be closed</a> to avoid unnecessary guest congregation, and some of its hotels may switch to a pre-plated breakfast to minimize guest contact.</p><p>If a hotel does choose to offer a buffet, it should be served by an attendant wearing PPP and food displays should include sneeze and cough screens. </p><h2>Expect to be wearing a mask during your spa treatments</h2><p>That brings us to amenities: Hotels love to tout their amenities, from pools and saunas to gyms and restaurants. But during a pandemic, shared spaces where groups of people gather can be cause for unease.</p><p>The good news for amenity-seekers is that AHLA guidelines allow for fitness centers, pool areas, and meeting spaces to stay open — as long as they are configured for social distancing and disinfected multiple times per day.</p><p>However, some amenities will take on a different look. Luxury spa treatments will continue, but they might take place inside your hotel room rather than at the hotel spa, and your massage therapist may be wearing full PPE.</p><p>At Aman Resorts, which is known for its wellness offerings, all spa therapists will wear masks, as well as gloves if the guest requests them, Fasel told Business Insider. Therapists will change their PPE between each treatment and treatment rooms will have a minimum 30-minute turnover time to ensure proper cleaning and sanitization.</p><p><div type="image" title="Amanyara   1 Credit   Aman" height="881" width="1174" msid="75979512" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Aman recommends that guests wear masks during treatments. Aman has also expanded its in-room spa services. In the spa area, only one person is allowed at a time inside shared enclosed spaces like steam rooms and saunas.</p><p>These changes could also be accompanied by a growing demand for outdoor amenities.</p><p>"When social distancing restrictions are lifted, we foresee <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-coronavirus-could-change-travel-hotel-leaders-2020-4#keeping-budget-top-of-mind-2">our guests wanting to be outside</a>, rather than confined indoors," David Bowd, CEO of Salt Hotels and operator of The Asbury and Asbury Ocean Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, recently told Business Insider. "Catering to this expected demand, we'll be focusing on outdoor programming, such as outdoor movies and pool events."</p><p><div type="image" title="Asbury Ocean Club" height="707" width="943" msid="75979516" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Aman Resorts will expand its nature experiences, such as offering a new foraging trek combined with a kitchen garden tour and outdoor cooking class at its Amankila resort in Bali, Fasel said.</p><h2><strong>Ramped-up cleaning protocols and social distancing rules</strong></h2><p>Hotels have vowed to boost their cleaning procedures and train employees in proper safety protocols.</p><p>Per the AHLA's Stay Safe guidelines, hotels will offer employees COVID-19 safety and protocol training and require that workers frequently wash their hands and wear proper PPE based on <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/guidance-business-response.html">CDC recommendations.</a></p><p>Common spaces like lobbies, gym equipment, pool seating, and dining surfaces, as well as other high-touch surfaces like elevator buttons and door handles, are to be disinfected multiple times per day. Many hotels have said they're installing hand sanitizing stations throughout their properties.</p><p><div type="image" title="hilton cleaning" height="1875" width="2500" msid="75979518" hostid="261"></div></p><p>Marriott is <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/marriott-airbnb-hilton-redefine-hotel-cleanliness-standards-2020-4">rolling out new cleaning technologies</a>, like electrostatic sprayers that use hospital-grade disinfectant to sanitize surfaces, with the help of its new Global Cleanliness Council that was created to develop enhanced health and safety guidelines for Marriott's 7,300 properties, Business Insider's Melissa Wiley reported. </p><p>Per the AHLA guidelines, hotels will advise guests to practice social distancing and stay at least six feet away from people not traveling with them. Hotels will make certain areas for appropriate distancing and, where possible, encourage one-way walkways. In some cases, lobby furniture and other seating areas, such as pool chairs and cabanas, will be spaced far enough apart to promote social distancing.</p>Read the original article on <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hotel-changes-coronavirus-amenities-check-in-room-service-2020-5">Business Insider</a>

Hotels, motels, and resorts are never going to be the same. What you can expect the next time you plan a vacation.

<p><em>Personal Finance Insider writes about products, strategies, and tips to help you make smart decisions with your money. Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><p class="source"><span>Delta</span></p><p class="caption">Both the AmEx Platinum and Delta Reserve offer free lounge access. Pictured is the Sky Deck at the Delta Lounge in Atlanta's  Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Card® from American Express</a> and the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve® Credit Card</a> from American Express both offer free access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges whenever flying with the airline.</li><li>Both are considered premium cards, but other than Sky Club access, they have differing perks, benefits, and rewards.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-express-platinum-credit-card-perks?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Platinum Card is likely the best</a> for most people, but hardcore Delta loyalists might find enough value in the Delta Reserve to make that card worth getting.</li><li>LIMITED TIME: Until April 3, the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> is offering 75,000 SkyMiles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) when you open a new card and spend $5,000 in the first three months. <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral">Apply here »</a></li></ul><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Express Platinum Card</a> and the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve Credit Card</a> (also from AmEx) have a lot in common. They both have high annual fees putting them squarely in the "premium" card space, they both get you access to Delta Sky Club airport lounges when you fly Delta, and they're both issued by American Express.</p><p>The fact that both get you access to Delta Sky Clubs means that people often look at the two cards as relatively interchangeable. However, the two cards are actually pretty different. Here's what to consider when deciding between the two.</p><h2>Both cards have generous welcome offers</h2><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Card</a> has a standard welcome bonus of 60,000 Membership Rewards points after you spend $5,000 on the card in your first three months.</p><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> normally offers around 40,000 Delta SkyMiles when you meet a minimum spend requirement. However, Delta is currently running a <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-amex-credit-card-bonus-offer-ends-april-3-2019?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">promotion across its three main credit cards</a>. Until April 3, you can get 75,000 SkyMiles and 5,000 Medallion Qualification Miles (MQMs) when you open a Delta Reserve and spend $5,000 in three months. At the absolute lowest redemption value, 75,000 SkyMiles are still worth $750 - and you can likely stretch them for a much better value.</p><h2>The Platinum card actually beats the Reserve for earning points on Delta flights</h2><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Card</a> earns a whopping 5x points on flights purchased directly from an airline, or from AmEx <keyword id="6354692" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">Travel</keyword> services. It earns 1x points on everything else.</p><p>AmEx Membership Rewards points can be transferred to a handful of airline frequent flyer partners, including Delta.</p><p>That means that the Platinum Card actually beats the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> for earning on Delta flights - the Reserve only offers 2x points per dollar spent on Delta, and 1x point on everything else. There are <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/american-express-membership-rewards-best-ways-to-use-points-2018-9?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a few different ways to use those points</a>, but the best option is often to transfer them to one of around 20 frequent flyer and hotel loyalty partners - including Delta. </p><h2>The Platinum card offers more extensive lounge access</h2><p>Both the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmEx Platinum Card</a> and the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve Card</a> offer <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/delta-sky-club-access" target="_blank" rel="noopener">access to Delta Sky Club lounges</a>, as long as the cardholder is flying with Delta that day.</p><p>However, the Platinum Card also offers access to AmEx's network of Centurion Lounges. <span>There are currently eight locations in the US, one in Hong Kong, and </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-announces-centurion-lounge-at-heathrow-lhr-clt-2018-12" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five more set to open this year and next</a>,<span> with more likely on the way. While these lounges can sometimes get a bit crowded - AmEx has recently expanded several locations to better-handle their popularity - they offer ample seating, fast Wi-Fi, complimentary meals, cocktails, and coffee, and snacks.</span></p><p><span>The Platinum Card also comes with a complimentary membership in <a href="https://shareasale.com/r.cfm?b=867822&amp;u=1088116&amp;m=17495&amp;urllink=&amp;afftrack=1554125328752a6ukovwhd" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Priority Pass</a>, a network of more than 1,200 airport lounges around the world, including 60-70 in the US (lounges occasionally join or leave the program). <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/credit-card-with-best-airport-lounge-access-2018-8?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Several other cards, like the Chase Sapphire Reserve</a>, also include this.</span></p><p>There are also<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-centurion-lounge-access-denver-airport-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">11 international AmEx-branded lounges</a> you can access as a Platinum cardholder, including in Mumbai, Delhi, Buenos Aires, Mexico City, Sydney, and, most recently announced,<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-centurion-lounge-access-denver-airport-2018-3" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Melbourne</a>.</p><p>Then, there are a handful of other random lounges, including ones that fall under the Plaza Premium, Air Space, and Escapes brands - these number more than 50.</p><p>Overall, the Platinum Card's lounge access is significantly more extensive - if you prioritize the greatest access, don't always fly Delta, and want to enjoy Centurion Lounges, the Platinum Card is the best option. However, if you only fly Delta and mainly visit airports with Sky Clubs, the Reserve should suffice.</p><h2>Both cards offer in-flight perks</h2><p>One of the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Card's</a> benefits is up to $200 each calendar year in airline fee credits. Each year, you choose one US airline for the credits to apply. Then, anytime you use your card for things like on-board food or drinks, upgrades to extra leg-room seats, checked bags, lounge passes for guests, or other expenses, the credit will be automatically applied.</p><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> offers a handful of direct benefits anytime you fly Delta. You'll get<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-free-checked-bag-delta-amex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">one free checked bag for each person</a><span> on the cardholder's reservation (up to nine people total), </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-get-priority-boarding-delta-amex" target="_blank" rel="noopener">priority boarding</a><span> so you can settle in sooner and snag space in the overhead compartments, a 20% discount in the form of a statement credit on Delta in-flight purchases, and no foreign-transaction fees.</span></p><p><span>The Reserve also offers a potentially big, rarely discussed perk for Delta Medallion, or elite, frequent flyers.</span></p><p>Delta Medallion flyers are eligible for complimentary, space-available upgrades to first class and Delta One on flights within the US and the region, including Mexico and Central America, and extra-legroom seats on international flights.</p><p>Upgrades clear in hierarchical order based on a number of factors, including each passenger's Medallion status level, the original fare class they booked, and a few other factors. The first tiebreaker for people with the same Medallion level and fare class: whether they hold the Delta Reserve card. Reserve cardholders will be prioritized over those without. If there's only one seat left and two members are still tied and both have the Reserve, it continues down the list of tiebreakers.</p><p>For travelers who fly a lot and frequently find themselves one or two upgrade-list spots away from getting that first-class seat, holding the Reserve can be extremely valuable.</p><h2>Both cards have high annual fees</h2><p>As premium cards, both the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmEx Platinum</a> and the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> have high annual fees, but the benefits may make up for them.</p><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmEx Platinum's</a> fee is $550. However, this is offset by up to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-amex-platinum-airline-credit?r=US&amp;IR=T" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$200 in airline fee credits</a> each calendar year, up to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-use-amex-platinum-uber-credit" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$200 in Uber credits</a> each cardmember year, up to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-platinum-100-dollar-saks-shopping-credit-2018-6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">$100 in shopping credits</a> each year, and benefits like lounge access and rewards. When you factor in the statement credits, the annual fee is virtually wiped out, making it a positive value for any user who can use the full credits.</p><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve's</a> fee is $450. It doesn't have comparable annual credits, but the benefits like lounge access and upgrade priority makes the fee worthwhile for some.</p><h2>The Reserve offers an MQD waiver and bonus MQMs</h2><p>Each level of Delta Medallion frequent flyer status requires you to have flown and spent a certain amount with the airline. Medallion Qualification Miles, or MQMs, are earned based on how many miles you fly with Delta (or partner airlines). The first level of Medallion status, Silver, requires 25,000 MQMs. Medallion Qualification Dollars, or MQDs, are based on how much you've spent. In most cases, MQDs are earned based on the ticket price paid, excluding taxes and fees that can make up a significant portion of the ticket. Silver Medallion requires 3,000 MQDs.</p><p>When you have the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> (or the mid-tier <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/platinum-delta-skymiles-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Delta SkyMiles® Credit Card from American Express)</a>, and you spend $25,000 in a calendar year, you'll be waived from the coming year's MQD requirement for any Medallion level except for the highest (Diamond).</p><p>If you have the Reserve and spend another $5,000, for a total of $30,000 in a calendar year, you'll get a bonus of 15,000 MQMs and 15,000 redeemable SkyMiles.</p><p>As an airline-agnostic card, the <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmEx Platinum Card</a> doesn't offer anything comparable. However, only big spenders and frequent Delta flyers who wouldn't otherwise qualify for the next level of status can make use of this benefit.</p><h2>Platinum also offers hotel benefits, PreCheck, and Global Entry</h2><p>The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Card</a> <span>comes with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-platinum-gold-status-hotel-benefits-hilton-marriott-starwood-2018-8" target="_blank" rel="noopener">complimentary Gold-level elite status</a> in both the Hilton Honors and Marriott Bonvoy loyalty programs. If you stay at hotels even a few nights a year, these benefits can be extremely valuable - especially because Hilton Honors Gold status entitles you to free breakfast, which can save a lot of money each morning.</span></p><p><span>TSA PreCheck and Global Entry (which comes with PreCheck) are absolute musts for just about any traveler. Once you enroll, you can use special lanes to breeze through airport security - you won't have to remove shoes and light coats, and you can leave your laptop in your bag. With Global Entry, you can use a fast lane when you return to the US from abroad, which makes clearing immigration and customs easy and quick. The programs cost $85-$100, and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/top-credit-cards-with-free-global-entry" target="_blank" rel="noopener">American Express will provide an up-to-$100 credit for that fee every four years</a> (memberships are valid for five years).</span></p><p><span>AmEx also offers Platinum Cardmembers access to the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/what-is-amex-fine-hotels-and-resorts" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AmEx Fine Hotels and Resorts program</a>. When you book participating hotels through AmEx Travel (there are nearly 1,000 worldwide), <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amex-fine-hotels-and-resorts-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">you'll enjoy valuable perks</a> including room upgrades, free breakfast, late checkout, free Wi-Fi, and a unique amenity at each hotel, like a credit to use at on-property spas or restaurants.</span></p><h2>Reserve also offers a free annual companion pass for domestic flights</h2><p>Each year on your <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Delta Reserve</a> cardmember anniversary, you'll get a complimentary domestic companion pass, good for a first class or main cabin round-trip within the continental US.</p><p>A<span> </span><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/platinum-delta-skymiles-amex-companion-certificate-benefit-2018-4">companion pass is essentially a buy-one-get-one-free coupon</a>. When you book flight for yourself anywhere within the continental US, you can get a second ticket for free, other than minimal taxes and fees. The <a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/platinum-delta-skymiles-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Platinum Delta SkyMiles card</a> also comes with a companion pass, although that one is only good for economy flights.</p><h2>Bottom line: Both cards are useful if you fly Delta</h2><p>Both cards come with useful benefits for anyone who flies Delta. Which card is better ultimately comes down to personal preference and your own travel habits.</p><h3><a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/the-platinum-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about the AmEx Platinum Card from Insider Picks' partner The Points Guy.</a></h3><h3><a href="https://thepointsguy.com/card-details/delta-reserve-credit-card-from-american-express/?utm_campaign=bi_amex_plat_dl_reserve&amp;utm_source=referral" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about the Delta Reserve AmEx card from Insider Picks' partner The Points Guy.</a></h3><p class="tagline"><p><em>Disclosure: This post is brought to you by the Personal Finance Insider team. We occasionally highlight financial products and services that can help you make smarter decisions with your money. We do not give investment advice or encourage you to adopt a certain investment strategy. What you decide to do with your money is up to you. If you take action based on one of our recommendations, we get a small share of the revenue from our commerce partners. This does not influence whether we feature a financial product or service. We operate independently from our advertising sales team.</em></p><p><em>Business Insider may receive a commission from The Points Guy Affiliate Network, but our reporting and recommendations are always independent and objective.</em></p></p>

2 Amex credit cards favored by Delta flyers grant free access to Sky Club lounges, but they differ on a few key points

<p class="source"><span>United Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">United Airlines economy class.</p>Endless lines, crowded airports, disappearing amenities, and shrinking legroom have become the norm for most flyers around the country.<p>In other words, flying in America is terrible.</p><p>This has long been the pervasive narrative surrounding the US airline industry.</p><p>And a recent series of embarrassing customer-related incidents have managed to turn this deep-seated disdain into unadulterated anger towards the airlines.</p><p>However, the question must be asked. Is it really that bad?</p><p>And if it is, how did we get there and how do we make things better?</p><p>First off, life for those flying at the front of the cabin, especially those on international and trans-continental routes, are actually better than ever. New premium cabin products such as United Polaris, Delta One, and JetBlue Mint are nothing short of world-class.</p><p class="source"><span>United Airlines</span></p><p class="caption">United Polaris business class cabin.</p>New luxury airport lounges are simply palatial. On the aircraft, seats convert into lie-flat beds. Thousands of movies, TVs shows, and songs are available through massive private entertainment screens. Lavish multi-course meals come from menus created by gourmet chefs paired with wines personally selected by master sommeliers. <h2><strong>The state of economy flying today</strong></h2><p>Unfortunately, this not the experience for the vast majority of us. That's because we fly in economy.</p><p>These days the coach experience is best described as "unbundled". Want to check your bags? There's a fee for that. Want to pick your seat? There's a fee for that. Want more legroom? There's a fee for that as well. And once you are on board and want a hot meal? There's a flight attendant with a mobile device waiting to swipe your credit card. </p><p>While there are a significant number of passengers who prefer this a la carte flying experience, many don't. But the reality is that the unbundling of the economy class products reflects an unpleasant, but shockingly reasonable truth in the airline industry.</p><p>Economy class passengers simply don't bring in enough dough to warrant a more plush experience.</p><p>According to Airways senior business analyst, Vinay Bhaskara, value conscious economy travelers may be the airline industry's largest customer base but individually are not all that profitable.</p><p>In fact, American and United Airlines have both said in the past that roughly<a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/airline-passengers-are-not-created-equal-american-delta-united-2016-10" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> half of its annual revenue come from just 13% to 15% of customers</a> who travel on a repeated basis. These passengers tend to travel in business class and pay full price.</p><p>As a result, it makes perfect business sense for airlines to funnel their cash towards the more profitable travelers.</p><p class="source"><span><a href="http://news.aa.com/press-releases/press-release-details/2017/Free-Main-Cabin-Meals-Coming-on-Select-Coast-To-Coast-Flights/default.aspx">American Airlines</a></span></p><p class="caption">American Airlines  snack box.</p>Historically, there is actually little to no incentive for airlines to offer a more roomy and plush experience in economy.<p>"The reality is that people have proven to the US airline industry time and time again that, at volume, they prefer the lower advertised price regardless of how many add-ons they have to pay for," Bhaskara said in an interview with Business Insider.</p><p>For instance, before American Airlines unbundled its economy product, it struggled to compete against Spirit Airlines for value travelers.</p><p>"The low-cost carrier always won because people either don't care or aren't sophisticated enough to differentiate between a bundled and unbundled fare," Bhaskara added.</p><p>In fact, time and time again, airlines' attempts offer a more comfortable and friendly product have failed to pay off. Bhaskara cites American's decision in 2000 to add 3-5 inches of legroom to all of its economy class seats and Virgin America's struggle for profitability while offering award-winning service as examples.</p><h2><strong>How did we get here?</strong></h2><p>The understand why the US airline industry is the way it is now, you have look back to October 24, 1978. On that date, President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act - stripping power from the government agency that strictly controlled the industry.</p><p>"Deregulation is completely responsible for the state of the US airlines industry," Atmosphere Research Group travel analyst Henry Harteveldt told Business Insider. </p><p>Prior to deregulation, the US government was the kingmaker in the airline industry - dictating which routes an airline could fly, which airports an airline could dominate, and how much they could charge.</p><p class="source"><span><a href="http://www.panam.org/">Courtesy of the Pan Am Historical Foundation</a></span></p><p class="caption">Pan Am service during the golden age of flight.</p>In addition, the US government put airlines in a position to succeed by limiting direct route competition and ensuring prices remain high, Harteveldt said. <p>Without the need to compete on price, the airlines competed on experience and service. Both Harteveldt and Bhaskara admit flying during the pre-deregulation days was much more posh and exclusive.</p><p>However, post deregulation, many of America's airlines struggled to survive - failing to balance their old habits with the reality of modern competition. Of the major US airlines in operation prior to deregulation, only Southwest and Alaska Airlines fly on today without having declared bankruptcy.</p><p>In the years, since the last financial crisis, US airlines seem to have to have figured out the path to financial stability. And that's where the unbundling of products, push towards higher unit revenue, and leaner operations come into play.</p><p>With that said, deregulation isn't without its merits. According Harteveldt, had the airline industry not been deregulated, the flying experience today would probably be much better in terms of legroom in economy and banquet dinners in first class. However, that experience would be significantly more expensive, he cautioned.</p><p>According to Bhaskara, airfares today are roughly 40% cheaper than it was in the 1970s - effectively democratizing air travel. In addition, deregulation also reduced the barriers to competition, airlines expanded their operations - offering more flights to more destinations.</p><h2><strong>How do we fix this?</strong></h2><p>Whether you think things are good or bad, there should be agreement that the flying experience can be better. For one thing, the metrics by which airlines grade itself and its executives should change.</p><p>"In the airline industry executives care about how low their costs are, how high their yields are, how many aircraft they have, and how many cities they serve," Harteveldt said. "There's a divorce between the customer and the airline because there are no customer-based metrics by which airline executives are graded whether it's by their board or by Wall Street."</p><p class="source"><span>Delta</span></p><p class="caption">Delta Airbus A321 interior.</p>Instead of trying to be the biggest, Harteveldt believes airlines should say, "we don't care what size we are an airline as along as we are generating the most profit per passengers or have the most customer loyalty or highest marks for customer satisfaction."<p>It would certainly be an outside of the box move for airlines to move beyond their traditional metrics for success. However, Harteveldt and Bhaskara point to Southwest, JetBlue, and Delta as airlines that have moved towards distinguishing itself from rivals by offering superior service and performance.</p><p>At the end of the day, our experience on board America's airlines is as much dictated by their business strategy as it is our consumer choice. Ultimately, the control is in the hand of the flying public. If there's one thing the airline industry has learned over the years, it's that there is no instrument of change more powerful than a consumer's pocketbook. </p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/after-bumped-off-flight-heres-what-need-know-legally-department-transportation-fly-airplane-airline-2017-4">Here's what airlines legally owe you if you're bumped off a flight</a></h3>                                    Please enable Javascript to watch this video

Flying economy in America has become an awful experience - and it will likely only get worse

<p><div class="image-container float_right" style="width:480px"><div class="image"><p class="source"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/luxorium/5695473127/">Flickr/luxorium</a></p><p class="caption">Dish from the Fat Duck in England.</p></div></div>Foodies <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> the world to dine in the very best <keyword id="34615" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="restaurants">restaurants</keyword>, but getting to all of these places is no easy feat.</p>
<p>Two British <keyword id="6363239" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="luxury">luxury</keyword> travel sites, VeryFirstTo.com and Holidaysplease.co.uk, have teamed up to offer<a href="http://veryfirstto.com/experiences/view/every-michelin-3-in-6-months/?e"> a tour that will let foodies dine in all 109 3-Michelin starred restaurants in the world</a>.</p>
<p>The program will take about six months and will take guests to all 3-Michelin starred restaurants across 12 countries, including Japan, England, the U.S., Hong Kong, and France.</p>
<p>Guests will sample amazing culinary creations by the world's best chefs at restaurants like The Fat Duck in England, Lung King Heen in Hong Kong, Sushi Yoshitake in Tokyo, Per Se in New York, and Le Meurice in Paris. They'll eat at about one restaurant every other day.</p>
<p>Participants will also stay in five-star luxury hotels like the Trump International in New York, the Conrad in Tokyo, the Hotel de Paris in Monte Carlo, and Claridge’s in London.</p>
<p>“This is a truly exceptional and sensational gourmet travel experience, it is by far the most lavish we have ever organised,” Charles Duncombe of Holidaysplease said, <a href="http://www.nydailynews.com/eat-three-star-michelin-restaurant-world-275-000-article-1.1397491#bmb=1">according to the Daily News.</a></p>
<p>The package costs about $275,000 per couple, including airfare and lodging. Although that might seem like an extraordinary number, when you consider that a <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/worlds-most-expensive-tasting-menus-2013-4">meal at one of these restaurants might cost upwards of $1,000</a>,  a hotel room at a luxury property could cost over $1,500 per night, and trans-continental airfare for an around the world trip could run in the hundreds of thousands, it's actually not a bad deal.</p>

You Can Eat At Every 3-Star Michelin Restaurant In The World For $275,000

<p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span><a href="http://pictures.reuters.com/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCID6CANH&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1351&amp;RH=847#/SearchResult&amp;VBID=2C0FCID6CANH&amp;SMLS=1&amp;RW=1351&amp;RH=847&amp;PN=2&amp;POPUPPN=70&amp;POPUPIID=2C0408WJEL6AH">Reuters/Issei Kato</a></span></p></div><p></p></div></div>The following is an excerpt from "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Half-Earth-Our-Planets-Fight-Life/dp/1631490826">Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight For Life</a>," by Edward O. Wilson.  </em></p><p>The global conservation movement has temporarily mitigated but hardly stopped the ongoing extinction of species.</p><p>The rate of loss is instead accelerating.</p><p>If biodiversity is to be returned to the baseline level of extinction that existed before the spread of humanity, and thus saved for future generations, the conservation effort must be raised to a new level.</p><p>The only solution to the "Sixth Extinction" is to increase the area of inviolable natural reserves to half the surface of the Earth or greater.</p><p>This expansion is favored by unplanned consequences of ongoing human population growth and movement and evolution of the economy now driven by the digital revolution. But it also requires a fundamental shift in moral reasoning concerning our relation to the living environment.</p><div style="float: left; margin: 0 1em 1.5em 0;"></div><p>At the end of the day, the central question of biodiversity conservation is how many of the surviving wildlands and the species within them will be lost before the extinction rate is returned to the prehuman level.</p><p>The prehuman rate is now put at one to ten species extinguished per million species each year.</p><p>In terms of a human life span that primordial rate is infinitesimal, essentially zero in conservation thinking.</p><p>(Keep in mind also that as many as six million contemporary species remain undiscovered by scientists.)</p><p>Yet it also means that the current rate of extinction of the well-known species is up by a multiple of close to one thousand and accelerating - despite the heroic best efforts of the global conservation movement.</p><p>Unstanched hemorrhaging has only one end in all biological systems: death for an organism, extinction for a species.</p><p>Researchers who study the trajectory of biodiversity loss are alarmed that within the century an exponentially rising extinction rate might easily wipe out most of the species still surviving at the present time.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table float_right"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP/Chitose Suzuki</span></p><p class="caption">Harvard biology professor Edward O. Wilson.</p></div><p></p></div></div>The crucial factor in the life and death of species is the amount of suitable habitat left to them.</p><p>The relation between habitat area and number of species has been calculated and refined many times and cited often in scientific and popular literature.</p><p>It is that a change in area of a habitat, up or down, results in a change in the sustainable number of species by the third to fifth root, most commonly close to the fourth root.</p><p>In this last case, when, for example, 90 percent of the area is removed, the number that can persist sustainably will descend to about a half. Such is the actual condition of many of the most species-rich localities around the world, including Madagascar, the Mediterranean perimeter, parts of continental southwestern Asia, Polynesia, and many of the islands of the Philippines and the West Indies. If 10 percent of the remaining natural habitat were then also removed-a team of lumbermen might do it in a month-most or all of the surviving resident species would disappear.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>AP/Jerome Delay</span></p><p class="caption">A Lemur hangs on a tree in Madagascar's Mantadia National Park.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>If, on the other hand, with the relation of sustainable species to the area of their habitat at the fourth root (the approximate median value), the fraction protected in one-half the global surface is about 85 percent. That fraction can be increased by including within the one-half Earth "hot spots," where the largest numbers of endangered species exist.</p><p>Today every sovereign nation in the world has a protected area system of some kind. All together the reserves number about a hundred sixty-one thousand on land and sixty-five hundred over marine waters. According to the World Database on Protected Areas, a joint project of the United Nations Environmental Program and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, they occupied by 2015 a little less than 15 percent of Earth's land area and 2.8 percent of Earth's ocean area. The coverage is increasing gradually. This trend is encouraging. To have reached the existing level is a tribute to those who have led and participated in the global conservation effort. But is the level enough to not just slow but halt the acceleration of species extinction?</p><p>Unfortunately, it is in fact nowhere close to enough. Might the upward trend conservation efforts have set be enough during the rest of the century to save most of Earth's biodiversity? That is problematic, but I doubt that it can be, and even then there will be far less biodiversity to save.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><p class="source"><span>REUTERS/Yannis Behrakis</span></p></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Even in the best scenarios of conventional conservation practice the losses should be considered unacceptable by civilized peoples. The declining world of biodiversity cannot be saved by the piece meal operations in current use alone. It will certainly be mostly lost if conservation continues to be treated as a luxury item in national budgets. The extinction rate our behavior is now imposing on the rest of life, and seems destined to continue, is more correctly viewed as the equivalent of a Chicxulub-sized asteroid strike played out over several human generations.</p><p>The only hope for the species still living is a human effort commensurate with the magnitude of the problem. The ongoing mass extinction of species, and with it the extinction of genes and ecosystems, ranks with pandemics, world war, and climate change as among the deadliest threats that humanity has imposed on itself. To those who feel content to let the Anthropocene evolve toward what ever destiny it mindlessly drifts, I say please take time to reconsider. To those who are steering the growth of reserves worldwide, let me make an earnest request: don't stop, just aim a lot higher.</p><p>Populations of species that were dangerously small will have space to grow. Rare and local species previously doomed by development will escape their fate. The unknown species, apparently at least six million in number, will no longer remain silent and thereby be put at highest risk. People will have closer access to a world that is complex and beautiful beyond our present imagining. We will have more time to put our own house in order for future generations. Living Earth, all of it, can continue to breathe.</p><p><em>Excerpted from "<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Half-Earth-Our-Planets-Fight-Life/dp/1631490826">Half-Earth: Our Planet's Fight for Life</a>," by Edward O. Wilson. Copyright © 2016 by Edward O. Wilson. With permission of the publisher, Liveright Publishing Corporation. All rights reserved.</em></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/changes-to-the-earth-if-all-the-ice-melted-2016-2">Sea levels are rising at the fastest rate in 2,800 years - here's what Earth will look like if all the ice melts</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5xam5iczrSx4Ibx8MvarDsu3zOG88omE" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

A biologist has a radical plan to save the Earth by reserving half of it for nature

<div style="padding: 15px; border: 1px solid #999999; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 15px!important; line-height: 25px; overflow: auto; vertical-align: middle;"><em>This is part of the <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/checking-in"><em>"Checking In"</em></a> series, which offers expert tips, tricks, and advice for savvy business travelers. "<keyword id="1742571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="Checking-In">Checking In</keyword>" is sponsored by Four Points.</em> <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/category/checking-in"><em><strong>Read more posts in the series »</strong></em></a></div><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"><p class="source">Alex Davies / Business Insider</p></div><p></p></div>A restful flight is essential for those traveling long distances for business. The luxurious services offered in first class are perfect for getting that much-needed rest - but is the steep price worth it? </p>
<p>Here are five reasons why you should opt out of that first-class ticket and fly business class instead:</p>
<p><strong>1. You'll get almost the same amenities at a cheaper price.</strong></p>
<p>The services you receive in business class tend to vary depending on the airline and whether the flight is domestic or international. Still, there's no doubt that business class is nearly as luxurious as first, at a much more reasonable price point. </p>
<p>These days, both business and first-class sections typically feature lie-flat seats, plenty of food, and free alcohol. Really the only noticeable differences between the two is that some international first-class cabins feature fancier meal choices and enclosed, suite-like spaces for each passenger.</p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">There's not usually a difference in lounge access, either.</span></p>
<p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Many airlines use the same lounge for passengers in business and in first, so why pay extra for first?" said <keyword id="52765" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="business-travel">business travel</keyword> journalist Ramsey Qubein. </span><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">"Premium service for business and first are often prioritized over economy, so [there's] no need to go all the way up to a first class ticket to get better service."</span></p>
<p><strong> 2. You're more likely to be able to expense a business-class ticket. </strong></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">Most companies have policies regarding business-class tickets, especially for international flights. </span><a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/business/05LUXE.html?_r=0">Many corporations will allow those traveling for work to expense business-class flights</a><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;"> over a certain number of hours, but they most likely will never spend the thousands of dollars necessary for a first-class ticket over long distances.  </span></p>
<p><span style="font-size: 15px; line-height: 1.5em;">This obviously varies from company to company, so check your employer's policy before booking your flight. </span></p>
<p><strong>3. The perks in business class are getting better and better.</strong></p>
<p>Many airlines are focusing their efforts on improving the perks of business class instead of first. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/business/the-race-to-build-a-better-business-class.html?ref=jadmouawad&amp;_r=0">According to Jad Mouawad of The New York Times</a>, business <keyword id="6354692" type="ORGANIZATION" weightage="60" keywordseo="Travel">travel</keyword> is where airlines are making the most money. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/business/the-race-to-build-a-better-business-class.html?ref=jadmouawad&amp;_r=0">The Global Business Travel Association</a> estimates that business travelers will spend $273 billion on airfares in 2013, a 4.3% increase from last year. </p>
<p>This means that the main competition between airlines takes place in the business-class seats. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/business/the-race-to-build-a-better-business-class.html?ref=jadmouawad&amp;_r=0">Airlines pay billions of dollars</a> to research and develop seats with the most innovative features, employing architects, industrial designers, and even yacht designers to do it. <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/04/business/the-race-to-build-a-better-business-class.html?ref=jadmouawad&amp;_r=0">The New York Times says</a> that it can cost up to $80,000 to make a single business-class seat. <span>And when </span><a href="http://www.cntraveler.com/travel-tips/business-travel/2012/09/lufthansa-airline-new-business-class">Lufthansa updated the premium class seats</a> on its Boeing 747-8<span> last year, only 8 of the 100 new seats were in first class. </span></p>
<p>All of that means that when you buy a business-class seat, you're paying to have a flying experience that's at the very forefront of airplane technology.  </p>
<p><strong>4. Rumor has it that first class may soon disappear. </strong></p>
<p>With all this focus on business class, some airlines are getting rid of first class altogether. </p>
<p>"A lot of airlines have given up on first class entirely since business class has become so opulent you wouldn't ask more," says Ed Perkins of Smarter Travel.</p>
<p><span id="docs-internal-guid-5eee42b0-a317-9f37-1eed-19fac2248106">Installing the horizontal lie-flat seats business travelers have come to expect from premium seats means that airlines either have to reduce the number of seats or increase cabin size. </span>While <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/05/business/05LUXE.html?_r=0">Delta Airlines, Continental Airlines, Air New Zealand, and Air Canada have already gotten rid of first class completely</a>, others, like American and United, plan to dramatically downsize.</p>
<p><strong>5. You'll earn almost the same amount of miles you would with an expensive first-class ticket.</strong></p>
<p>Another perk of flying in a premium seat is the mileage bonuses you earn. Travelers earn miles at different rates depending on the class of the seat. This varies by airline, but <a href="http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/article.php?key=2870">industry standards dictate</a> that an economy ticket will earn flyers 100% of the miles actually flown, while business class earns miles at a rate of 125% and first class at 150%. </p>
<p>Why pay twice as much for a first-class ticket if you're only going to earn 16% more in mileage bonuses? Qubein says it's just not worth it. </p>
<p>"Mileage bonuses earned are often the same or only slightly more in first and not worth the huge jump in cost," he said.</p>

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