United’s Polaris Lounge at LAX has still not opened…but it won’t be long. United’s Polaris Lounge at LAX has been delayed by more than a year. Set to open late in 2017, it has yet to open. In fact,...
Of Course He Was Denied Water On His Flight…
I am shocked that a man being denied water onboard a flight is making national headlines. Of course he was denied a glass of water…it is part of the business model. Gene Goh was flying Scoot, the low cost...
United CEO Gives Up His Seat In First Class For Elderly Woman
United CEO Oscar Munoz recently gave up his first class seat for a senior citizen, a wonderful gesture of kindness. Rebecca Kuchar Krutz witnessed the encounter and shared it on Facebook: I’m a pretty loyal Delta Airlines customer. But tonight I...
United’s New Service From Denver To Frankfurt Puts Spotlight On LAX
United Airlines will begin year-round service between Denver and Frankfurt next year, giving all United hubs in the Continental U.S. a nonstop flight to Germany, except for one… Let’s not turn good news into a complaint. The new service...
TAP Will Fly A330neo To Chicago And Washington, DC
TAP Air Portugal will fly to Chicago and Washington, DC next year using its new Airbus A330neo. TAP just took delivery of its first beautiful new A330neo (A330-900), featuring reverse herringbone seating in business class and premium economy class....
Marriott, SPG Data Breach – 500 Million Guests Affected
Breaking from CNBC – some details may change as the story unfolds. Marriott has reported a data breach security event occurred on their SPG systems. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support...
A $365 Upgrade From Sydney To Los Angeles On United That Wasn’t Meant To Be…
At Award Expert, we do our best to be discerning. If a client tells us they want economy class but we see a great deal for business class, we are going to alert them. A long-term client asked me...
EU261 Delay Compensation: I Won, Lufthansa Lost
A final update to my Lufthansa EU261/2004 delay claim. If you missed out on the details of my issue with Lufthansa, I’ll briefly summarize: Itinerary: Milan – Frankfurt – Munich – Los Angeles Milan to Frankfurt flight delayed by...
An Annoying British Airways Avios Booking Restriction
There’s a fine line between fraud protection and annoyance. The pendulum for British Airways Executive Club awards bookings has swung into the annoying direction. Yesterday I tried to book a JAL business class award for a friend from Los...
How Qantas Is Cracking Down On Carry-On Bandits
I have a confession to make: my carry-on bag is usually very heavy. Very heavy. When I travel, I like to travel with only one bag. It’s not that I put rocks inside. But my electronic equipment is not...
Do You Pick Up Hitchhikers?
Would you invite a hitchhiker into your car? Sunday afternoon I drove down California’s Highway 1 from Carmel to San Luis Obispo. It’s a beautiful drive…I haven’t done it in about 10 years…and I appreciated the beauty of the...
Lufthansa Sees Itself In Global “Champions League”
More industry consolidation is on the way says Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr. He wants to ensure Lufthansa is in the so-called champions league. Speaking at a conference in Berlin, Spohr said: It is obvious that consolidation will act further and...
Turkish Airlines Is Hiring
I’ve written about the global pilot shortage before, but Turkish Airlines offers a prime example of the great need around the world for qualified pilots. As Turkey opens its beautiful new airport in Istanbul, Turkish Airlines continues its renaissance....
Review: Los Angeles International Lounge (LAX)
The Los Angeles International Lounge in the Tom Bradly International Terminal at LAX is the “leftover” lounge. Emirates and Etihad have their own lounge at LAX. Oneworld and Star Alliance both have first class and business class lounges. SkyTeam...
The Totally Clueless United “Global Services” Passenger…
I spent Thanksgiving weekend in Carmel, California with my family. As always, we stayed at the Highlands Inn, a Hyatt property. During brunch on Sunday, two couples seated at the table next to us began speaking about airline travel....
A Timely Suggestion For American Express
A quartet of new American Express Centurion Lounges offers a perfect opportunity to test how to best limit crowding. American Express recently announced it will open a new Centurion Lounge in Charlotte. AMEX also plans to open lounges in...
United Announces Pain-Free Paine Field Schedule
United Airlines announced it will start service to Paine Field next March. While that’s not a surprise, United’s chosen aircraft is a welcome and pain-free surprise. Over a year ago, I wrote about United’s plan to return to Paine...
Introduction: Hong Kong + Bangkok On Hong Kong Airlines
Welcome to my next trip report, a detailed recap of my Hong Kong Airlines trip from earlier this month. It’s rare that I break away from Star Alliance and when I do it is to review a oneworld or...
Cyber Monday: The Few Deals I Will Actually Pursue
As I try to downsize my lot of earthly possessions rather than accumulate more clutter, I’m not jumping on the Black Friday or Cyber Monday bandwagon this year. Even so, there are a few deals worth pointing out. Let’s...
Great United Airlines Sale: Save Up To 50% On European Awards
United Airlines has discounted economy class awards by up to 50% for Cyber Monday. Savings range from 20-50% based upon whether you hold a Chase co-branded United credit card and your MileagePlus elite status. Saver Award eligibility Members Premier...
