Meet Greg McBrayer. He’s a Chief Flight Controller for American Airlines. He’s also an Anglican priest. He serves both roles each day at American Airlines’ headquarters in Forth Worth. McBrayer spent many years with US Airways in Pittsburgh before...
Why Is United Airlines Fighting Philippine Airlines?
As Philippine Airlines ramps up service to Guam, United Airlines is asking U.S. regulators to proceed with caution. Philippine Airlines (PAL) wants to offer PAL Express codeshare flights to Guam, effective March 5, 2020. Although PAL Express is owned...
Qantas Rejects “Project Sunrise” Bids From Both Airbus And Boeing
Nice try, but back to the drawing board…So says Qantas, after rejecting initial bids from both Airbus and Boeing to service its new ultra-longhaul destinations. Back in August, both Airbus and Boeing submitted their “best and final” offers to...
Qantas Will Bankroll Defamation Lawsuit After American Rapper Accuses Flight Attendant of Racism
Qantas is standing firmly behind its flight attendant against a charge of racism by American rapper William Adams, popularly known as will.i.am. Adams, of the Black Eyed Peas group, was on a flight from Brisbane to Sydney and alleges...
Popular Tapas Snackbox Quietly Disappears On United
You may have noticed that the much-loved tapas snackboxes have not been available this month on United Airlines. They will return…but it might be awhile. I wrote about the United tapas snackbox when first introduced in 201o and again...
A Chilling Warning Letter From Delta
What would you do if you received a stern warning letter from Delta telling you to shape up or face consequences? Delta’s Stern Warning To SkyMiles Diamond Member Runway construction at SFO earlier this autumn led to widespread flight...
Disgusting Duo: Two Huge Emotional Support “Service” Dogs Invade Delta Business Class
I’ve long been of the mindset that emotional support animals should be banned from commercial aircraft. Pictures that have emerged from a recent Delta flight only demonstrate how ridiculous this game has become. Take a look at these two...
Even A Fancy Onboard Shower Or Bar Would Not Have Saved Air France A380
Sir Tim Clark, the President of Emirates, argues that other carriers like Air France blew their chance with the Airbus A380. He’s not wrong, but the reality is a bit more complicated. Sitting down with AirlineRatings, Clark was asked...
Bonvoyed: Deceptive Redemption Prices Frustrate, Annoy
Marriott’s new Bonvoy program has not been the success CEO Arne Sorenson has suggested it is. Bonvoy’s award redemption nights don’t just deceive members, they also frustrate and annoy them. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a...
Evaluating Inspirato, a Luxury Travel Subscription
A few readers have asked what I thought of Inspirato, a luxury travel subscription service. I did some investigating and found that for a very narrow audience it may present value but most won’t. If you are considering booking travel or signing...
Hertz is Worse Than Spirit, RyanAir
I am fairly loyal to National Car Rental for a few reasons but until I had to rent from Hertz, I had no idea just how good I had it. By comparison, Hertz is worse than Spirit and RyanAir....
The “Everything” Bun Burger On United Airlines
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. Since we...
United Replaces Close-In Booking Fee…With A New Close-In Booking Fee
For months, United has proudly boasted that it is doing away with the $75 close-in processing fee for awards booked within 21 days of departure. What it did not mention was that that dollar fee for close-in bookings would...
Six Observations About Latest United MileagePlus Program Changes
With award charts no longer published, United Airlines has made changes to the way it prices awards on its own flights and on partner flights. Here are six observations. 1. Across-the-board increase in cost for close-in departures Across the...
Broken Promise: United Partner Awards Already Pricing Higher
We’re only a day into United’s new dynamic award pricing era and already we are seeing partner awards pricing higher. This directly contradicts what was promised when these changes were first announced in April. Back in April, United announced...
Dear Expedia, Penalizing Resort Fees Is Only The Start…
Expedia, to its credit, will begin penalizing hotels with hidden resort fees by ranking them lower in search results. That may help in some cities, but what about Las Vegas, where every hotel tacks on these bogus fees? I...
First Impressions: Delta One 767-300 Transcon
Friendly service, a lie-flat bed, and even a tasty snack. My first domestic transcontinental flight on Delta was just fine. Earlier this week I flew “Delta One” business class from Los Angeles (LAX) to New York (JFK). Why Delta...
Delusional Airline CEO Wants To Ban Business Class
The CEO of one Europe’s largest and fastest-growing budget carriers is calling for the ban of business and first class. For the environment, of course. And of course, his airline does not offer a premium cabin of service. Jozsef...
My Take: A Clairvoyant Compromise On Single-Use Hotel Toiletries
I’ll admit at the outset that I am not in favor of hotels eliminating single-use toiletries. But, I’ve decided it is not worth losing sleep over. Instead, I’ve decided to bring my own. My two esteemed colleagues, Ben Schlappig...
Review: British Airways 747-400 World Traveller Plus (Premium Economy)
I have to admit, I really enjoyed World Traveller Plus (premium economy) on British Airways. On a daytime flight, it is a nice hybrid between economy and business class. My day began in Istanbul with a business class flight...
