What are the 10 busiest domestic airline routes in the world? OAG Aviation puts together a list each year of the busiest domestic and international routes in the world, based upon number of flights. That’s not a perfect picture,...
Review: JetSmarter Challenger 300 Van Nuys, CA to Las Vegas

Flying private from Southern California to Las Vegas ushered in an entirely new era in my personal flight history. As I alluded to in my teaser post, flying on a private jet is a dream for every aviation junkie....
Massive A380 Forced to Land at Tiny New York Airport

Over 3,600 flights were cancelled yesterday due to the “Bomb Cyclone” that hit the Eastern seaboard. One flight that did make it, a Singapore Airlines A380, was forced to divert to a small airfield. Singapore Airlines Flight 26, carrying 325...
Holiday Treat at LAX United Club

The Christmas season is coming to a close for many, but here in Los Angeles Armenian Christmas does not arrive until tomorrow. Consequently, I don’t feel guilty about posting this many days after 12/25. A hot chocolate bar is...
Why You Should Always Compare Economy v. First Class Prices

I know this goes without saying for travel pros, but I was reminded again today that it always pays to check the price of a premium fare. One of the things we do at Award Expert is ensure that...
Amazing Flight in SWISS First Class!

I’m home and happy to report a smooth and most excellent flight in SWISS First Class! My family traveled from Zurich to Los Angeles and the superior service started service directly at check-in. We were traveling with a great...
Dear Scott Kirby, Remember the Ghost of Jeff Smisek

Dear Mr. Kirby, A very Happy New Year to you. We met and chatted for quite awhile at the opening of the new United Club in T7 at LAX in November 2016. I admire your vision to make United...
German Government Accuses Lufthansa of Illicit Price Hikes

A German regulatory agency is accusing Lufthansa of unjustified price hikes in the wake of Air Berlin’s bankruptcy. Per thelocal.de: Germany’s Federal Cartel Office (FCO) is currently probing complaints that Lufthansa fares shot up on some routes after bankrupt...
Update from Aimia (Aeroplan) RE: My Demand Letter

Literally minutes after posting yesterday about purchasing SWISS First Class tickets, I received an email from the legal department of Aimia, parent company of Aeroplan. I do not believe that post and this response are at all related. I’ve spoken...
10 New Countries I Plan to Visit in 2018

I only visited four new countries in 2017, my lowest number since I began traveling internationally in 2005. And that’s fine. I had a newborn at home and more important matters than adding to my country count. Still, it...
Delta Accused of Anti-Semitism in FA Lawsuit

“Delta has encouraged and maintained an anti-Jewish, Hebrew and ethnic Israeli attitude among management, who…operate under an express assumption that ethnic Jews and Israelis cannot be trusted.” So claims a lawsuit filed in New York by four Delta FAs...
Real or Mistake? Frontier Airlines Slashes Fares by 99%

Since the subject of “mistake fares” seems to be a recurring theme on this blog, let me ask you this: is 99% off too good to be true? Frontier closed 2017 with a 99% off sale using the promo...
I’m Booked in SWISS First Class, Zurich to Los Angeles…

Sometimes, you have to put your money where your mouth is. In what seems like so long ago, I promised: But mark my words: my family will fly in SWISS First together to end our holiday trip to Germany....
Review: Singapore Airlines A380 Economy Class New York to Frankfurt

It was with some reluctance that I agreed to fly Singapore Airlines economy class, but it was not a mistake: the flight turned out to be one of the best economy class experiences in all my years of flying....
LA to Vegas: New FOX Series starring “Jackpot Airlines”

I appreciate good and clean humor…especially aviation-related. While I’m not sure about the clean part, a new FOX series called LA to Vegas premieres tonight and looks hilarious. Perhaps you should start by watching the trailer: After watching that,...
2018 Trip Report Roadmap

Prepare yourselves…13 months into the rebirth of Live and Let’s Fly and I still am not caught up on trip reports of years past. I do concede that older hotel and flight reviews have a limited shelf life, but...
10 Flights I Look Forward to in 2018

As we enter 2018, there are a number of airline premium cabin airline products I look forward to trying this year. Here’s the top-10 I will target, in no particular order: 1. Singapore A380 New Suites Class Singapore’s new...
How I Earned Hyatt Globalist Status thru 2019

I ended 2017 with 65 qualifying nights at Hyatt, helping me to secure Globalist status through February 2019. The value proposition of Hyatt Globalist status really depends on the type of properties you stay in. For example, if you...
The Tranquility of Snow and Resolutions for 2018

Running though the woods is a gentle reminder of how fast time flies by. My wife and I have a favorite activity whenever in Germany: running in the forest. There are beautiful trails near her parent’s house and the...