I’m live-blogging my SAS EuroBonus SkyTeam Million Mile challenge this week. Click here for background and route information. I’ve got to hand it to KLM…I just love the Dutch carrier and I love the full service on short Fifth Freedom flights, as I experienced on my 787-9 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta in economy […]
KLM 777 Business Class Never Disappoints, Especially On A Fifth Freedom Route
I had to fly home for a week while my friend relaxed another week in Bali and my trip home began with KLM 777-300ER Business Class on a Fifth Freedom flight from Bali to Singapore. Here’s a quick look at the flight and why I love Fifth Freedom flights in general and on KLM specifically. […]
Cool: New Air Canada Fifth Freedom Flight From London To Mumbai
In addition to its new Bangkok service, Air Canada also announced it would serve Mumbai, India. But rather than fly nonstop from Toronto, the flight will stop in London in each direction, offering a cool new Fifth Freedom route. Air Canada Adds Fifth Freedom Flight Between London And Mumbai With the utilization of Russian airspace […]
Singapore Airlines Adds New Fifth Freedom Route In Europe
Singapore Airlines will launch 3x weekly flights between two great European cities, as it prepares to restart its service to Milan (MXP) and add a Fifth Freedom tag flight to Barcelona (BCN). New European Fifth Freedom Flight For Singapore Airlines With modern, more fuel efficient jetliners, we have seen fewer Fifth Freedom flights, which are […]
Qatar And European Union Sign Open Skies Agreement – Fifth Freedom Flights Not Allowed
COVID-19 has leveled the playing field when it comes to airlines squabbling over state subsidies. In an era of widespread bailouts, Qatar and the European Union have signed a long-awaited Open Skies Agreement. But the agreement still maintains protectionist aspects that benefit European carriers to the detriment of consumers. New Open Skies Agreement Signed Between […]
United Airlines May Restore Historic Pan Am Fifth Freedom Route
United Airlines has asked for permission to restore a historic intra-Asia Fifth Freedom route it inherited from Pan Am and retired in 2017. United Wants To Fly Cargo Between Hong Kong And Singapore…And Maybe Passengers Too Back in the day, Pan Am 21/22 flew from Los Angeles to Tokyo to Hong Kong to Singapore. In […]
Fifth Freedom Flashback: Bangkok To Ho Chi Minh City On Qatar Airways + Lufthansa
This week we are taking a walk down memory lane with a vintage first class trip report. I’m sharing photos and brief commentary from a trip I took in the final days of 2010 and first days of 2011 that included many first class flights from five Star Alliance carriers. As we enter a new […]
Emirates Wants To Add More Fifth Freedom Flights To USA
Emirates is walking a fine line between targeting commercially lucrative routes and trying to keep protective U.S. carriers quiet. Even so, it is exploring options to add new Fifth Freedom routes between the USA and Europe. Fifth Freedom routes are allow an airline to carry revenue traffic between foreign countries as a part of services […]
An Intriguing Fifth Freedom Route On RwandAir
As smaller, more fuel-efficient aircraft Fifth Freedom routes less prevalent, many carriers have cutback on them. But RwandAir recently started an interesting new Fifth Freedom route. What is a Fifth Freedom Route? Fifth Freedom is the right for an airline to fly between two foreign countries during flights in which the flight originates or ends in […]
My Fifth Freedom Flight On Royal Jordanian
Hello from Bangkok, where I’m sitting onboard a 787-8 as I prepare to continue my journey to Amman. Royal Jordanian offers a tag flight between Bangkok (BKK) and Kuala Lumpur (KUL) onboard its 787-8 Dreamliner to supplement its service between Bangkok and Amman (AMM). These flights can be sold separately, but I was flying from […]
Emirates Hints At New U.S. Fifth Freedom Routes, Life After A380
As Emirates reevaluates its long-term growth goals, it is examining new Fifth Freedom routes to the USA and life without the A380 superjumbo jet. Speaking at the 2019 Arabian Travel Market, Emirates’ President Sir Tim Clark said his carrier has had a lot of time for introspection in recent months. We haven’t been growing at […]
Fifth Freedom Dinner On bmi From Baku To Bishkek
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. I certainly miss bmi (British Midland International), a former British airline and Star Alliance member that was acquired […]
SWISS Neutrality Continues on Secret Fifth Freedom Route
In thinking about the whole mess in Qatar, I had to chuckle that the Swiss have found a way to play peacemaker: a Fifth Freedom route between Muscat and Dubai. Each evening at 9:25p a SWISS A330 departs Dubai, landing in Muscat at 10:30p. The plane immediately returns to Dubai, leaving Muscat at 11:30p and […]
United Cuts Last Wide-Body Fifth Freedom Route
Hidden in yesterday’s announcement of new non-stop service between Los Angeles and Singapore was news that United Airlines would axe its final wide body Fifth Freedom route between Hong Kong and Singapore. Oh, I think it makes sense to cut it. Just like it made sense to cut so many routes before it. Who need a Hong […]
Meal Service on 40min United Airlines Fifth Freedom Kuwait to Bahrain Flight
United Airlines operates a limited number of Fifth Freedom Routes around the world, including: Manila to Koror Koror to Yap Kwajalein to Kosrae Kuwait to Bahrain Tokyo to Seoul Tokyo to Singapore Hong Kong to Singapore Hong Kong to Ho Chi Minh City On my way to the A350 inaugural festivities in Doha, I flew […]
Impressive Amenities on Air Dolomiti “Seventh Freedom” Flight
I just flew an Italian airline between France and Germany. Air Dolomiti is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa based in Verona, Italy. It operates many flights on behalf of Lufthansa to/from Munich. Unlike many of Lufthansa’s other regional partners, the carrier maintains its own identity through distinct livery, crew uniforms, seat covers, and crockery. Although Air […]
What I Booked Before Emirates Restricted First Class Awards
A new policy is now in effect at Emirates that restricts first class award redemptions to Skywards elite members, a move that is aimed at driving more business to Emirates and its portfolio of co-branded credit cards. Just ahead of the deadline, I booked my “last” first class award on Emirates (one never knows…), which […]
Wow: United Airlines Adds Flights To Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Adelaide
United Airlines is returning to Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh City, but not in the way you may have imagined. United is also launching nonstop service to Adelaide, Australia and doubling service to Manila. Let’s unpack this big news. United Airlines Adds Bangkok + Ho Chi Minh City Flights Via Hong Kong Years ago, United […]
Decadent Lamb Shoulder In Cathay Pacific Business Class
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. I recently flew on Cathay Pacific on a 14-hour, 15-minute flight from Hong Kong to Amsterdam and enjoyed […]
Review: KLM 787-9 Economy Class
I enjoyed kind service and a delicious meal on my KLM 787-9 flight from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta in the extra-legroom “Economy Comfort” section of economy class, a journey of only 699 miles. KLM 787-9 Economy Class Review KLM operates a pair of Fifth Freedom routes within Asia including Singapore (SIN) to Bali (DPS) and […]
