As much as we want to root for the “little guy” (and his big cat), I am finding it very difficult to get upset over Aeroflot’s decision to penalize a passenger for deliberately breaking the rules then gloating about...
Unprovoked Attack Against Delta Passenger By Beggar Raises More Questions Than Answers
What should our reaction be to a beggar who walked up to a Delta passenger in Atlanta checking-in for his flight and punched him the face? How should we answer calls to step up police vigilance and reduce vagrancy...
Delta Vs. United: The LAX Taco Wars
Two airlines. Two lounges. Two taco bars. Who wins at LAX, United or Delta? Regular readers of the blog know that I love tacos. Like, love to the point of eating tacos multiple days per week. What can I...
Star Alliance Buildup On East Coast With New Service From Austrian and Turkish Airlines
Star Alliance is beefing up its presence on the U.S. East Coast with two new routes, one to Boston and one to Newark. Austrian Adds Vienna to Boston Flight Austrian will add a new flight from Vienna (VIE) to...
The Worst Barefoot Passenger I’ve Ever Seen
A picture showcases what is either a horrible practical joke or truly the worst passenger in the world. I’ve ranted or poked fun at barefoot passengers on several occasions at Live and Let’s Fly. I find bare feet worse...
Gulf Air Adds Three “Boutique” Destinations In Europe
As Gulf Air seeks to cultivate its image as a high-quality, boutique carrier, it is adding service to Milan, Munich, and Mykonos in 2020. Gulf Air Service To Milan In July 2020, Gulf Air will start year around daily...
American Airlines Diverts Flight After Man Gropes His Seatmate
Morality transcends time and space, but it’s 2019 for crying out loud. Was a pervert expecting words of affirmation when he groped a woman sitting with her daughter on an American Airlines flight to Salt Lake City? The incident...
United Pilot Falsely Accused Of Indecent Exposure Receives Settlement
A United Airlines captain who was arrested for indecent exposure, a charge which quickly went limp, has settled with the City of Denver for $300,000. The incident occurred in September 2018. Recall that pilot Andrew Collins was at the Westin...
My First Impressions Of New Istanbul Airport
It’s too early to say how well Istanbul’s new international airport will age, but as of now it looks great. Behemoth yet strangely tranquil, I found both the arrival and departure areas quite painless…albeit a tad annoying. Arrival I...
The Fall Of The Berlin Wall Induced The Fall Of Interflug
The historic fall of the Berlin Wall 30 years ago in Berlin did not only mark the beginning of the end of the East/West divide in Germany. It also marked the end of Interflug, the East German national carrier....
Another Hilarious Yet Salient Ad From Air Canada
Sandra Oh is back with a follow-up commercial from Air Canada. Once again, it is worth watching. Last month, I wrote about a new ad campaign from Air Canada that poked fun (good-natured fun) at Canadian stereotypes such as...
United Will Operate More Boeing 787s From Chicago
United Airlines will concentrate more Boeing 787 Dreamliners at Chicago O’Hare next year. In August, United announced the 787 was finally coming to Chicago, United’s home base. That included service to: Brussels (starting on March 28, 2020) Frankfurt (starting...
Why Are Aeroplan Hold Times Suddenly So Bad?
After drastically improving hold times after years of tiresome queues, hold times are once again a problem on Aeroplan. What is going on? Long Aeroplan Hold Times Return At Award Expert, we’ve noticed hold times have spiked up rather...
Bonvoyed: SPG Members Leaving Marriott, Data Suggests
Marriott Hotels purchased Starwood and replacing the beloved Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) with a new combined program, Bonvoy. Three data points suggest that SPG members haven’t stayed with the new Bonvoy program. If you are considering booking travel or signing up...
Employee Groups Wage Proxy Boeing Fight for Southwest
The Boeing 737 MAX is a very delicate issue. Airlines are owed for down time but getting passengers back on the planes may be tough. Southwest employee groups are effectively fighting Boeing for Southwest by proxy. If you are...
Lifetime Status: My Pursuits and Results
After traveling for an extended period of time, annual qualifications become a forgone conclusion, but lifetime status overtakes the annual goal. Here are my hotel and airline lifetime progressions and why I seek them. If you are considering booking...
Perfect Paneer On United Shows Why Airlines Should Embrace Indian Food
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. While perhaps...
18 Reasons Why Chase Is 18 Months Ahead of American Express
American Express recently slammed Chase for being 18 months behind it, no matter what it did. I hold a different view. Doug Buckminster, President of the American Express Global Consumer Services Group, said: JPMorgan is staffed by a whole...
False Alarm: United Economy Plus Won’t Be A Separate Cabin…Yet
Will United Airlines start treating Economy Plus as a separate class of service? What will happen to MileagePlus elites, who currently can assign those seats for free? An unannounced trial this week by United is simply that, a trial,...
Oscar Munoz Vs. Doug Parker On Boeing 737 MAX
As the public faces of their respective airlines, United CEO Oscar Munoz and American Airlines CEO Doug Parker share a common problem: how to convince customers to fly on the 737 MAX again. Thus far, the two have taken...
