American Airlines is refreshing its Airbus A319 and A320 cabins with more first class seats, larger overhead bins, power at every seat, and updated interiors. That is good news if you are sitting up front, but the economy class...
Asiana Says Already-Ticketed Star Alliance Awards Won’t Be Valid After Exit
Asiana Airlines appears prepared to void already-ticketed Star Alliance partner award reservations for travel after its alliance exit. Even if it warned members this might happen, that does not make the policy any less customer-unfriendly. Asiana Refuses To Honor...
Delta CEO Says Airfares Will Fall When Airlines Can Fly More. Will They Really?
Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian says airfare will come down when airlines can fly more. He is not wrong, but passengers may reasonably wonder why fares rise so quickly when costs go up and seem to fall so...
United Airlines Adds Live TV To Starlink Seatback Screens, At Least For Now
United Airlines is adding live TV to seatback screens on some Starlink-equipped aircraft this summer, including live sports, news, weather, and entertainment. United Adds Live TV To Starlink-Enabled Seatback Screens United Airlines and DIRECTV are teaming up to stream...
Great Coffee In Palm Springs, CA
I’m in Palm Springs quite a bit and have two go-to coffee shops that I return to over and over again. Great Coffee in Palm Springs, California My favorite coffee in town is at Cartel Coffee Lab. Cartel Coffee...
Delta’s LAX Advantage Is Not Just Ambition, It’s Gates
Delta Air Lines sees an opening at LAX, but Los Angeles is not a market that airlines “win” so much as one they survive. The opportunity is real, and the gate constraints facing competitors may give Delta a rare...
Shocking Survey: Too Many Passengers Still Don’t Understand They Must Leave Bags Behind During Evacuations
IATA has launched a new safety campaign reminding airline passengers to leave their bags behind during an emergency evacuation after a startling new survey revealed many passengers still do not know better. Leave Your Bag Behind: IATA Warns Passengers...
Turkish Airlines Confirms Premium Economy Comeback, Reviving “Comfort Class” Era
UPDATE: Turkish Airlines has now confirmed that premium economy is coming back. Speaking to Skift, Turkish Airlines chairman Murat Şeker said, “We are going to have premium economy,” adding that the carrier is targeting the beginning of 2028 for...
Qatar Airways Makes Avios More Secure, But Far Less Flexible
UPDATE: Qatar Airways’ new My List restrictions are now live. Privilege Club members can now create a personalized list of up to four other Privilege Club members for whom they may redeem Avios for award flights. Those members must...
United Airlines Fixes One Of The Most Annoying Parts Of Calling Customer Service
United Airlines is adding a small but helpful call center feature that could save customers from one of the most frustrating parts of airline customer service: repeating everything to an agent after already fighting with the phone bot. United...
Review: United Polaris Lounge Newark (EWR)
The United Airlines Polaris Lounge at Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) has expanded and is now better able to handle the peak-day afternoon rush, as I experienced during a recent late afternoon visit. United Polaris Lounge Newark Review (EWR)...
Qatar Airways Plans Two Frankfurt Lounges, Likely With Its London-Style Access Split
Qatar Airways appears to be planning not one, but two lounge spaces at Frankfurt Airport’s new Terminal 3. That is excellent news for oneworld passengers, and I suspect Frankfurt will follow the London model, with a “Premium Lounge” for...
Is Delta Stays Worth Your Time?
Delta is dangling 5x miles to pull you into its hotel portal. Read the fine print, because the everyday rate is a thin 2 miles per dollar.
Gaggan Hotel And The Luxury Of Fewer Choices
Gaggan Hotel points to a luxury travel trend where the best brands curate the experience instead of offering endless choices. Gaggan Moves From Restaurant To Full Hospitality When I think about Gaggan, I don’t first think about any particular...
Copa’s 15-Day Panama Stopover Is a Free Win
Copa just doubled its free Panama stopover to 15 days. Skip it and you leave a whole vacation, and a pile of miles, on the table.
The Fatherhood Tradeoff I Gladly Made
Frank Bruni’s Father’s Day column hit me hard, because it put words to something I have felt for years: fatherhood has changed, and arguably for the better. The Fatherhood Tradeoff I Gladly Made Frank Bruni wrote a beautiful Father’s...
United’s Brand-New 787 With Polaris Studio Suites Sent Back To Boeing After Operational Woes
United’s first new “Elevated” Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with Polaris Studio suites is heading back to Boeing after a rough start in commercial service. Whatever the precise technical issue, it appears serious enough to hobble service and now pull United’s...
Flight Attendant Says She Gets “Hit On” A Lot. The Airplane Is The Culprit.
A SkyWest flight attendant who also works as a model posted a funny video asking whether she gets “hit on” a lot as a flight attendant. The punchline? She is getting hit on…by almost everything inside a regional jet....
A $3,600 American Airlines Bump Offer To Barcelona? Yes, Please.
An American Airlines passenger says he walked away with a $3,600 travel voucher after volunteering to take a later flight from Miami to Barcelona. That is the sort of bump offer that reminds me of the good old days....
Europe’s New “Free” Hand Baggage Rules Could Make Cheap Flights More Expensive
European lawmakers may think they are helping passengers by requiring airfares displayed by default to include a full-size carry-on bag, but this strikes me as a consumer protection that risks making travel needlessly more expensive for many travelers. Europe...
