During the months of August and September, Hyatt if offering its Chase-branded credit card cardholders a 10% refund on award redemptions. To take advantage, simply register by August 31, 2018. This promo runs for stays between August 01st and September 30th....
Amazon Prime Day: My Travel Picks
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As Amazon Prime Day continues, I thought I’d outline some travel items that now accompany me on every trip. These Prime Day discounts end at midnight tonight. I’m trying to be more minimalist. I’ve got a garage full of...
Air China Fires Smoking Pilots, But Will Culture Change?
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Last week, I wrote about an Air China 737-800 that rapidly descended due to a loss of cabin pressure. At the time, Air China and Chinese authorities believed it was due to pilots smoking in the flight deck, but...
Three Filet Mignons in 24 Hours on Lufthansa
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One of the joys of Lufthansa’s first class lounges are the excellent dining choices in Munich and Frankfurt. I’ve written before about enjoying a filet mignon for breakfast in the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt. A filet with...
Ambitious Juneyao Airlines Unveils 787 Details
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Juneyao Airlines has grown to become one of the largest private airlines in China. This fall, it will take delivery its first wide-body, longhaul jet, a Boeing 787-9. Juneyao currently has a fleet of 41 Airbus A320 aircraft and...
Mystery Surrounding New Boeing 787-9 Order from United Airlines
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United Airlines announced it will purchase 29 new aircraft, including 25 Embraer E-175 and four Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. But there is mystery surrounding the 787-9 order. First, the Embraer E-175s are among the most spacious and comfortable regional jets. These aircraft...
Review: Hyatt Regency Mainz (Suite)
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One of my favorite hotels in Germany is the Hyatt Regency Mainz. In terms of upgrades, though, it is one of the most difficult. In over 20 stays at the hotel over the last few years, I’ve only been...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: July 15, 2018
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As the weeks fly by, I hope you are having a wonderful summer. It has been a quiet week in the world of aviation. But over the last week, we’ve seen an Air China pilot endanger the lives of...
The Best Fish I’ve Ever Had On An Airplane
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Call me adventurous (or stupid), but I will often order fish on an airplane. This week’s Meal of the Week looks back to the best fish I’ve ever had on a commercial flight. I don’t kid myself that fish...
A New Airport Lounge With A Sauna
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I’ve written about the sauna available inside the Finnair Lounge in Helsinki before. Now another airport lounge, this one nearly 1,200 miles away, offers not just one, but two saunas. This lounge is in Paris. It’s in the new...
Justice: Delta Passenger Forced To Pay Up For Flight Diversion
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We read about flight diversions fairly regularly, but it is not often we read about who settles the bill. Diverting a plane cost moneys. There are fuel costs, landing fees, labor costs, not to mention passenger rebooking. A diversion...
First Look At Beautiful New SWISS “Lounge Center A” In Zurich
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SWISS has unveiled beautiful new Business Class and Senator lounges for short-haul passengers at Zurich Airport. The new Lounge Center A opened earlier this month and is intended to make passengers feel “genuinely” at home. The design and interior of both...
Impressive: New Air France Business Class Lounge at CDG
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The new Air France Business Class Lounge in Hall L of Terminal 2E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is now fully open. It’s beautiful. The lounge is over 34,000 feet square feet and includes exceptional amenities and finishes. Let’s...
T-Mobile Becomes Even More Valuable
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T-Mobile is adding 55 countries to its international data plan while slightly raising the cost of international calls. Yesterday afternoon I received a text message from T-Mobile: Important msg from T-Mobile: We noticed you make calls while abroad. We’re...
Should Pilots Be Allowed To Smoke Onboard?
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Earlier today I wrote about the Air China flight that rapidly descended due to depressurization. Chinese authorities have confirmed pilot vaping is to blame. Is it ever okay for pilots to smoke or vape onboard? It’s a serious question,...
Full-Service Porter Airlines Introduces Basic Economy
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Porter Airlines, a “boutique” full-service airline based out of Toronto’s Billy Bishop City Airport, is introducing basic economy fares. Porter and basic economy seem like water and oil to me. That’s a good thing. Porter is the airline that has...
Air China 737 Rapidly Drops 25,000 Feet
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Air China Flight 106, a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Hong Kong to Dalian, dropped from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet within 10 minutes earlier this week. The question is, why? Ostensibly the answer is because the flight lost pressure in...
Frankfurt To Frankfurt In Three Hours
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I shared about my recent flight delay on Lufthansa. Here’s a look at two domestic flights I took within Germany from Frankfurt to Munich and shortly thereafter, back to Frankfurt. With an onward connection to Los Angeles in first...
The Smart Way To Bequeath Your Frequent Flyer Miles
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Many news outlets have picked up on the fact that Anthony Bourdain bequeathed his frequent flyer miles to his ex-wife in his will. Here’s how she should handle them. The will asks her to “dispose of them in accordance...
The End Of An Era At Southwest Airlines
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Southwest Airlines is ditching peanuts, effective August 01, 2018. Health advocates and parents with children allergic to peanuts are rejoicing. Meanwhile, peanut farmers and King Nut (the peanut manufacturer for Southwest) are lamenting. Maybe Jimmy Carter is too. Southwest confirmed...