While Etihad is nothing short of spectacular in many ways, it does not measure up to Qatar Airways on intra-Gulf flights. We departed from a remote stand, meaning a long bus ride from the gate to the aircraft. Etihad...
If American Airlines Asked Me To Pee In A Bottle…
If American Airlines asked me to pee in a bottle or hold it…I would pee in a bottle. After experiencing lavatory malfunctions on an AA flight from Phoenix to Kona, passengers were asked to urinate in bags or bottles....
American Adds Free TV On Domestic Flights, With A Catch
American Airlines has added complimentary gate-to-gate live TV from DISH on its first 100 aircraft, with more to come. But there’s a catch. The line-up includes 12 channels: Bravo CBS CNBC CNN Disney Channel ESPN FOX NBC NFL Network...
An Award Ticket Horror Story On SWISS
Let’s call this Sherlock Holmes and the Case of the Disappearing Award Ticket. Perhaps, with our collective deductive reasoning, we can get to the bottom of this. An Award Expert client was traveling from San Francisco to Milan with...
Review: Etihad A380 First Class Apartment
What is it like to fly in an Etihad A380 First Class Apartment on a shorter flight? This is part of my previously unpublished 2016 Gulf Carrier Mezze trip report. Although Etihad now uses a 787-9 instead of a...
An Exciting New Way To WASTE Your Singapore Airlines Miles!
As blockchain technology gains traction across the economy, one airline is providing a wonderful new way to waste your miles. Singapore Airlines now lets you convert KrisFlyer miles on a 1:1 basis into what it calls KrisPay, a digital wallet...
Review: GVK First Class Lounge Mumbai (BOM)
We laugh about Emirates First Class being gaudy and pretentious, but the GVK First Class lounge in Mumbai Terminal 2 takes ostentatiousness to a whole new level. That’s a backhanded compliment, but I did enjoy this lounge. It’s gold and...
“Genuine” Travel From A Luxury Hotel Room And Airline Lounge
What is genuine travel? Travel is fundamentally about experiencing life in the shoes of others. That means that those who seek refuge in airline lounges and western hotel chains fail to experience the essence of what it means to...
What Made 100 Passengers Sick Onboard Emirates Flight To New York?
What made so many passengers sick aboard an Emirates flight to New York this morning? Flight 203 landed from Dubai at 9:10 A.M. ET this morning with 521 passengers onboard. Emergency vehicles met the aircraft on the runway. Rather...
Airport Security Trays Carry More Viruses Than Toilet Seats
It’s not the toilet seats, flush handles, or even the floors. Nope, it is security trays that carry the most viruses at airports. Pandemic experts in Finland checked out Helsinki Airport for viruses. They scanned surfaces including staircase rails, restrooms,...
Qatar Airways’ Strategic Plan For India On Hold
Qatar Airways’ plan to create or invest in a full-service Indian domestic airlines has been placed on hold due to confusion over Indian regulatory policy. A few months ago, Qatar Airways announced grand plans to invest in a new...
Review: Grand Hyatt Mumbai
While not in the heart of Mumbai, the Grand Hyatt Mumbai is a welcome escape from the hustle and bustle of India’s most populous city. After spending the day exploring Mumbai, I arrived at the Grand Hyatt around 3:00pm,...
Introduction: A Mezze of Gulf Carriers
My next trip report shows that I am either mentally deranged or truly love flying for the sake of flying. Before the last American Airlines AAdvantage devaluation, I could not help myself, booking a deliberately complex routing from Mumbai...
Another Aviation Crisis Is Looming
I’ve written before about the pilot crunch affecting commercial airlines around the world. But that’s not the only problem: another crisis looms that airlines are scrambling to prepare for. As many retire and the aviation industry continues to expand,...
United Wants To Send “Hardest Working Person In America” To Tahiti
United Airlines wants to send you to Tahiti in business class, put you up in nice hotels, and give you some spending money…if you work hard enough. It’s a contest, but one of the best ones I have seen...
Quick And Easy: Joining German EasyPASS “Global Entry” Program
During my transit through Frankfurt last month, I had an opportunity to join the German Trusted Traveler Program called EasyPASS. EasyPASS is the German equivalent of Global Entry and available to U.S. citizens, whether you have Global Entry in the...
How Could An Airline Lose An Emotional Support Dog?
Serious question: how could an airline lose an emotional support dog? Isn’t the very point of an emotional support animal to provide emotional support to the owner, therefore the animal is always with the owner? But LATAM is making...
A Heartwarming Homecoming At LAX
Doubt thou the stars are fire, Doubt that the sun doth move, Doubt truth to be a liar, But never doubt I love. -Hamlet, Act II, Scene ii Just watch the video below. I really don’t think any...
Why China Is Angry At United Airlines
A good compromise leaves both sides mildly discontent, but when one side has a stronger 剑 (sword), compromises do not hold up long. Mainland China is angry at United Airlines. It views the carrier’s “compromise” on the sticky Taiwan issue...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: September 02, 2018
For a variety of reasons, it has been a stressful weekend. Tomorrow is Labor Day in the USA but it will not be a day free of labor for me. So without further ado, here’s a review of the...
