Dont panic, though.A lothas to happen for this to take effect.

Plus, youll get fair warning.

The reasons why get complicated.

However, DHS would give us a 120 day notice, and states could always appeal the decision.

TheTSAhas also changed its policy on full body screening.

When you go to the airport, youre directed into those giant full body machines.

Some are just metal detectors, but others are body scanners.

Some people specifically avoid these for privacy reasons, asking for a pat down and wand screening instead.

Pre-Check will be here to stay, butfreePre-Check is another story.

Since TSA has tightened up Pre-Check access, some airports have already reported longer lines.

(TheWashington Post reportedDulles International, Reagan National and Atlantas Hartsfield-Jackson among them.)

All in all, its a bad deal.

So youre youre probably getting a lot fewer miles.

American is going to do the same thing starting in the second half of 2016.

At the same time theyve also raised the price in miles on free tickets.

This means it will take longer to earn rewards.

This is especially true if you get agood, cheap deal on a flight.

If thats not bad enough, many airlines are increasing the redemption miles needed for certain routes, too.

Basically, this means the more popular the route, the more miles youll need.

JetBlue, Southwest and Virgin America already use a supply-and-demand method for pricing their rewards flights.

For example, Southwest is letting its membersdonate their rewards to charity.

Sounds great, right?

More flexibility for spending your rewards.

But nope, the redemption amount is pretty terrible.

In Deltas Sky Club, you get one dollar per 100 miles.

This flexibility actually means a better deal for the airlines.

I use credit card rewards myself, and its a pretty awesome game if you might play it responsibly.

Of course, this doesnt make the airlines programs suck any less.

But At Least Well Get Cheaper Flights (Maybe)

Its not all doom and gloom.

Cheapair.com saysthat many airlines are realizing they dont need frills to competepeople just want to fly for cheap.

Heres what they predict for 2016:

Low-cost carriers are adding competitive heat to the domestic and international markets.

This is a welcome balance to the consolidation that has shaped the North American market recently.

Some experts also predict lower oil prices will translate to lower airfare, but well see about that.

All in all, most of these changes are relatively modest.

Theres nothing groundbreaking happening here, but theres a lot happening at once.

And its always helpful to be aware of the trends so you’re free to be prepared.

Image byTom Wang(Shutterstock).