As Notre Dame burned in Paris last night, another historic cathedral was basking in its 1000th birthday. When I say millennial, I am talking about a thousand years, not a recent generation… I spent the weekend with my wife...
I Hope JetBlue Is Courting Etihad…
Etihad is shrinking while JetBlue is growing. That presents a strategic business opportunity at London Heathrow. Jet Airways is on the verge of collapse, but leaves behind some incredible assets…including three that may be particularly valuable to JetBlue. I’m...
United Airlines Returns To Africa, Announces New Service To Cape Town
United Airlines will resume service to the African continent with new seasonal service to Cape Town, South Africa. Starting on December 15, 2019, United will operate three flights weekly from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Cape Town (CPT). The...
All The Alliance Airlines I Have Not Flown
Ben recently wrote a story with a similar title, paying homage to his “fellow airline geeks” in the first line. It got me to thinking about which alliance airlines I have not yet tried. It matters because 1.) these...
I Love London City Airport!
I flew out of London City Airport for the first time last week and loved it. It will be my new go-to airport In London. Although I don’t have any hostility against London Heathrow or Gatwick itself, I don’t...
Qatar Airways Blasts U.S. Lawmakers For Air Italy Criticism
Qatar Airways is hitting back at U.S. lawmakers for the steady rain of criticisms over its investment in Air Italy. In a press release, Qatar forcefully and convincing lays out its case for why the fearing mongering from U.S....
SAS Worried As “Flying Shame” Grips Sweden
In Sweden, flying has become a social faux pas. That’s causing great concern for Swedish Airports and Scandinavian Airlines. Swedavia AB, which operates 10 airports in Sweden, noted two startling stats: In 2018, Sweden had its weakest overall growth...
Donald Trump Offers 737 MAX Advice To Boeing Via Twitter…
U.S. President Donald Trump began his Monday morning with some branding advice to Boeing. Speaking via Twitter, Trump stated: What do I know about branding, maybe nothing (but I did become President!), but if I were Boeing, I would...
Best Onboard Cookies? You’ll Never Guess The Airline…
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. This week’s...
Review: A Bittersweet 787-9 Flight To London In United Polaris
I flew to London on United earlier this week. Here’s a brief review of the flight. There was a number of flights I was considering for this trip. One was to fly via San Francisco and Frankfurt so I...
Is Delta Hurting Us Or Helping Us By Cutting Recline?
Delta is reducing seat recline, even in first class, on all Airbus A320 jets. Is this a good or bad move? First reported by Scott Mayerowitz of The Points Guy, Delta will start dropping seat pitch today on all 62 of...
Fact Or Fiction? The Mystery Bump On American Airlines
A middle school teacher says he was involuntarily bumped off his flight and forced to leave only one chaperone with 16 students. American Airlines says the man voluntarily gave up his seat in exchange for compensation. So who is...
Menu Descriptions On United Are Now More Detailed (And Why It Matters)
Earlier this week I flew to London on United Airlines in Polaris (business) class. I noticed a small but meaningful change in the dining menu. Each course now has a more detailed description. I appreciate knowing, for example, what...
United Airlines Unveils Star Wars Livery
United Airlines will debut a Star Wars themed livery this autumn. In celebration of the next movie of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, United is repainting one 737-800 with a special Star Wars themed livery....
The Wrong Way To Start A Flight
First impressions matter greatly in any context, including on a flight. My flight to London on United this week had a very disappointing start. I’ve resolved in 2019 to resist being offended. Thus, I’m not (or at least trying not...
And Now I Love Flying Blue Even More Than Before…
On Wednesday I argued that Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France/KLM, may provide a model for an acceptable dynamic-priced award program. I’ve got a new data point to bolster my argument. I’m in Italy on business this...
United Employees Awarded Bonus Despite Poor Performance
United Airlines will award its employees a quarterly bonus even through performance goals were not met. I’ve written extensively about the employee bonus drama at United. Bonuses are now tied to performance results versus other carriers rather than simply...
U.S. Secretary Of State Looking “Very Closely” At Qatar-Air Italy Deal
Mike Pompeo, the U.S. Secretary of State, was grilled by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee this week. Many topics were raised, but the one that raised my eyebrows was Air Italy. A group of U.S. Senators—a motley bipartisan crew—are...
The Cleanest Airlines In The World
A new list is out claiming to name the world’s cleanest airlines according to passengers. Disclaimer: the rankings come from Skytrax. However, I actually tend to agree with the list. Travelers were asked to rate airlines on the following...
“Belligerent” Alaska Airlines Passenger Caught Smoking, Reacts Oddly
An Alaska flight diverted to Chicago after a passenger responded poorly to a flight attendant request to extinguish his cigarette. Perhaps the passenger did not get the memo that domestic flights in the USA have been non-smoking since 1990....
