You can now route through the Middle East on Qatar Airways on your way from the United States to Africa with American Airlines miles.

American Airlines has a unique routing rule that you cannot transit a third region on an award between two other regions. Under this rule, flying from the United States to the Middle East to Africa would require two awards, one from the United States to the Middle East and one from the Middle East to Africa.

Etihad is an incredible partner of American Airlines. Etihad is not part of American's oneworld alliance, nor is it a partner of US Airways, but you can use American Airlines miles to fly Etihad in style to the Middle East, Indian Subcontinent, and beyond.

We explained how to search and book Etihad award space with American Airlines miles in "Anatomy of an Award: Booking Etihad Business Class Using American Miles."

Etihad's First Class is a fully enclosed suite. Etihad Business Class is a fully flat bed.

US Airways and American Airlines merged last year, and their frequent flyer programs will combine in 2015.

We don't know quite what that program will look like or what its award chart will be, but Barclaycard seemingly confirmed one of my biggest hopes, that one way awards still be allowed for half the roundtrip price.

Currently American Airlines publishes a one way award chart. One way awards cost a certain price and roundtrip awards are double that price. US Airways publishes a roundtrip award chart.

Qantas will operate its daily flight from Dallas to Sydney with an A380 starting October 1, 2014. This is a large increase in capacity from the current 747 on the route.

The Dallas to Sydney flight will be the longest A380 flight in the world at 16hr55min, so it's not one I'd be eager to fly in coach.

The route is in addition to the A380 flights Qantas operates from Los Angeles to Sydney and Melbourne.

Saver Economy award seats are wide open from the United States to Sao Paulo during the World Cup for only 30k miles per direction per person.

This is a marked change from four months ago when I wrote How to Get to the World Cup with Miles and Points.

US Airways and American Airlines officially merged in December 2013. They are still independent brands with separate loyalty programs, but they are making major changes in unison, especially in the last few weeks.

Below are 17 changes made, mostly yesterday, in the order of my take on their importance. As I said yesterday, I am much more upset about how these changes were made (most of numbers 3-17 were made with no notice) than the fact that they were made.

1) On March 30, US Airways left the Star Alliance.

United is offering 25% off Saver economy awards between the mainland United States and Japan for flights completed by April 30, 2014.

You can book flights to Japan for only 26,250 United miles each way this month only, and the price shows up automatically online. The normal price is 35,000 United miles each way.

Any discount is nice, but there are one or two drawbacks to consider.

On the US Airways award chart today, I noticed a minor change as part of the US Airways / American Airlines integration.

Did you catch it?

On the US Airways chart, the word "Envoy" has been replaced with "Business Class."

US Airways had previously referred to its International Business Class as "Envoy" (and it still does on other pages), but it looks like that name will disappear during the integration.

This is semantics, since the Envoy / Business Class will still be a great product--at least on the A330s where it is completely flat--but a far bigger change is coming

American Airlines has a far better award chart than rivals United and Delta, especially in premium cabins.

Unfortunately on many of its own internationally configured planes, American Airlines has angled lie flat seats in business class instead of fully flat beds.

Yesterday I wrote that The Best Value Flight Across the Atlantic Has Almost No Premium Award Space.