Lufthansa will start charging extra to reserve preferred seats in business class onboard its new 777 jets. The German carrier calls this an innovative upgrade. I tend to agree…somewhat. Speaking to the Australian Business Traveler, Harry Hohmeister Chief Commercial...
Dutch Charge Four In MH17 Crash
Dutch prosecutors have charged three Russians and one Ukrainian with murdering 298 people in the case concerning the 2014 downing of a Malaysia Airlines 777 jet over Ukraine. A Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) carefully combed over evidence for...
Qantas Frequent Flyer: What You Need To Know About 2019 Changes
Qantas unveiled “the biggest overhaul to the airline’s loyalty program in its 32 year history” earlier today in Sydney. But put simply, the changes are not as draconian as I feared. Here’s how Qantas spins the “major initiatives” members...
Five TSA Officers Injured In Phoenix By “Brazen” Teenager
A teenager is in custody after attempting to rush past a security checkpoint at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. By the time he was subdued, he had injured five agents. At 9:45 AM Tuesday morning, 19-year-old Tyrese Garner tried to...
United Airlines Looks Past Air India To New Partner
As United Airlines plans expansion India, it will add full-service Vistara as a codeshare partner later this year. United Airlines plans to resume its Newark – Delhi service this autumn and commence new San Francisco – Delhi service in...
Supermodel Apologizes For “Racist” Airport Lounge Photo
Supermodel Bella Hadid has apologized for a cultural faux pas committed in an airport lounge on Instagram. On Instagram Stories, the 22-year-old model placed her boot against the window in an airport lounge, with the sole pointing at a Saudia...
Warning: Qantas To Announce “Overhaul” Of Frequent Flyer Program
Qantas will unveil “the biggest overhaul to the airline’s loyalty program in its 32 year history” tomorrow. Be very afraid. A frequent flyer program that already lacks value will likely become even less valuable. Forgive my cynicism, but when...
Attack Of The Italian Ants On United Airlines!
United Airlines was forced to “deep clean” a 767-300 after it was overrun with oversized ants on a flight from Venice. Charlotte Burns, an New York-based editor, live tweeted the entire incident in hilarious fashion: She saw a couple...
Review: SpiceJet Bombardier Q400 Hyderabad To Goa
My SpiceJet Q400 flight from Hyderabad to Goa was smooth and punctual…unlike Hyderabad airport. As a reminder, I’m in the midst of a “vintage” trip report to India/Maldives. Although this flight took place in December 2015, it still captures...
Foreign Carriers Can Now Operate Domestic Flights In Brazil
Foreign carriers can now operate domestic flights in Brazil thanks to a new law signed by Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. But don’t count on free checked baggage. I wrote about the proposed law last month, noting that it would...
Thai Airways Blames Declining Revenue On US – Chinese Trade Tensions
Thai Airways is blaming lower-than-expected revenue on a drop in Chinese tourism, further exacerbated by Chinese trade tensions with the United States. The argument goes like this: In the first quarter, the number of Chinese tourists in Thailand has...
My Wife Is A Celebrity In India
Hyderabad, India is a great city for many reasons. Beautiful architecture. Great food. Warm hospitality. Oh yeah, and my wife is apparently a celebrity there. Heidi and I were exploring the city and stopped at the Charminar, a beautiful...
Chaos On Turkish Airlines Flight, As Man Begins “Smashing Things”
A Turkish Airlines flight was forced to return to Istanbul after a man became agitated onboard and began wreaking havoc on the cabin. TK680, a 737-900 headed from Khartoum, Sudan had just taken off from Istanbul on Friday when...
Lufthansa Affirms Commitment To First Class, Hints At Private Suite
Lufthansa will maintain first class on a subset of its incoming fleet, though the design and density of the next-generation first class seat is still under consideration. At the recent IATA conference in Seoul, Harry Hohmeister, Lufthansa Group’s Chief...
Union Warns Members Not To Fly “Unsafe” American Airlines
The battle between American Airlines and its mechanics union just turned even uglier. Now an affiliated union is warning its members not to fly “unsafe” American Airlines. American Airlines recently sued the TWU-IAM, the union representing their mechanics. AA...
Cool: United Pilot Steps Up To Help Stranded Passenger
When a young student found herself stranded in Seattle, one United pilot took the initiative to provide a lending hand. It is Fathers Day in the USA and I’m trying to stay positive today. Each day is filled with...
A Heartwarming Father’s Day Story From United CEO
A friend forwarded me a Father’s Day greeting sent from United CEO Oscar Munoz to all employees today– “Please, you need to do this! This guy is about to have a baby and needs to get back home.” With...
Breaking: United 757 Skids Off Runway, Newark Closed
UPDATE (20:15): United issued the following statement, noting the 757 experienced “multiple flat tires” upon landing in Newark. United issued the following statement: United flight 627 from Denver to Newark, New Jersey experienced multiple flat tires upon landing in...
Two Meal Service Updates On United Airlines
United has suspended its “mandatory” express dining service on some late-night flights to Europe and is still testing out free meals in economy class on select Hawaiian flights. In April, United began testing obligatory express dining service on select...
Review: Etihad A320 Business Class Abu Dhabi To Hyderabad
Here’s a quick review of my overnight flight from Abu Dhabi to Hyderabad on an Etihad A320 in business class. As a reminder, I’m in the midst of a “vintage” trip report to India/Maldives. But even though this flight...
