By order of King Abdullah II, a Royal Jordanian 787-8 was dispatched to Wuhan, China to rescue Jordanian, Palestinian, and other Arab students and workers. Before returning to Amman, the aircraft underwent an extensive sterilization process. A team from Jordan...
How I Spent Three Days In Jerusalem
We began our trip to Israel in Jerusalem, an ancient city with deep links to the Abrahamic faiths. Our three days focused on religious sites, but we also enjoyed the joy of bartering in the Old City and found...
The Grim Future Of The A380
We know Airbus is stopping A380 production. We also know that airlines are accelerating the retirement of them. But unlike past airframes, there appears to be absolutely no secondary market for them. A Grim Future For A380 Leaseholders I’ve...
NBC News Reporter Blames Trump For Losing Delta Elite Status
Can we steer clear of name-calling in the comments, please? I am writing this more because I am amused and appreciate the link to airline status. Breaking News: NBC News Reporter Loses Delta Elite Status With the strike of...
Turkish Airlines Super Bowl Ad Captures Jubilation Of Travel
For the third year in a row, Turkish Airlines released a beautiful Super Bowl ad. Its 2020 ad highlights the joy of traveling for the first time, especially later in life. The ad begins by reminding us that man...
A Hearty Lunch On Japan 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. Japan Airlines...
Truth: Airline Miles Bridge Gap Between Rich And Poor
Our friend and syndicated columnist Christopher Elliott is out with his latest column, once again waging class warfare on the divide between economy class and the premium cabins. As usual, he couldn’t be more wrong. The Contention: First Class Is Unnecessarily Nice...
Jewish Family Thrown Off American Airlines For “Foul Body Odor” Now Suing AA
A Jewish family is suing American Airlines for $75,000, alleging discrimination and defamation after being removed from a flight to Detroit last year for what American called “extremely offensive body odor”. Yehuda and Jennie Adler were traveling with their...
Fabulous First Class Award Option To Australia Returns
Japan Airlines (JAL) is restoring first class service to Australia, representing a remarkable opportunity to enjoy first class using miles. As of September 1, 2020, Japan Airlines will add a daily 777-300ER flight between Tokyo Haneda and Sydney. The...
Update: American, Delta, United Suspend All China Flights
Within the last hour, United Airlines has suspended all flights to China. Now all three U.S. legacy carriers-American, Delta, and United–have suspended service to Mainland China. American Airlines Suspends Service To China American Airlines announced a suspension of all...
SWISS Chocolate And Free Speech…
SWISS is dropping chocolatier Läderach from its onboard premium cabin offering due to controversial, public positions on divisive social issues by the CEO. I assess the issue differently than the Zeitgeist. If you’ve ever flown SWISS business class over the...
Man Busted For Using Rodents To Scam Free Hotel Rooms
A Utah man has been arrested for using mice and hamsters on multiple occasions to scam free hotel rooms. Police allege that Ryan Sentelle State, 37, had a go-to plan to secure free hotel rooms. He’d check in to...
Opportunistic? American Airlines Pilots Refuse To Fly China, Sue Airline
I’m not saying, I’m asking: is there a direct link between the battle for a new contract and pilot’s refusal to fly to China at American Airlines? American Airlines Pilots Fight For New Contract I’ve written about the ongoing...
Review: Icelandair Saga Lounge Keflavík (KEF)
For an airport without much lounge competition, I really enjoyed the Icelandair Saga Lounge in Keflavík. Icelandair Saga Lounge Access + Hours You’ll find the lounge in the center of the airport on the upper level before passport control...
United Airlines Cuts More China Flights In February + March
As the coronavirus continues to spread, thousands are abandoning travel plans to China. United Airlines is responding by suspending flights to two Mainland airports and Hong Kong for the next two months. This is an update to an earlier post....
New “Socially Awkward” Airline Seat Reminds Me Of Hilarious Southwest Flight
Do you remember lounge seating on Southwest Airlines? It was 2004. I was traveling from Baltimore to Los Angeles on Southwest Airlines as part of a high school trip. We were connecting in Phoenix and had a tight connection....
Airlines + Hotels Embrace “Hyperdynamic” Pricing Model
Airfare used to change a few times per day on any given route. Now it may change several times per hour. Welcome to the new world of hyperdynamic pricing. Artificial intelligence software has allowed what Julie Weed of the New York...
Emirates Denies Interest In Chicago To Athens Service
UPDATE: An Emirates spokesperson reached out to me, stating, “Emirates has no plans to launch services between Athens and Chicago.” Emirates’ Fifth Freedom flights between Newark and Athens have proved so popular the carrier is looking at another Fifth...
Review: Ben Gurion Airport – Jerusalem High Speed Train
A new rail line connecting Tel Aviv with Ben Gurion Airport (TLV) and Jerusalem makes traveling from the airport to Jerusalem easier than ever. I had originally reserved a rental car for the entire week in Israel, but decided...
Did Star Alliance Kowtow To United Airlines On New Lounge Access Restrictions? Why It Doesn’t Matter
Star Alliance is only as strong as its members. Nevertheless, stealth lounge access changes further sharpen the argument that alliances are losing relevance. I’m not sure what you think of when you think of Star Alliance (or oneworld or...
