One of the highlights of my time in Canberra was spending an afternoon in the Australian Parliament, located on Capital Hill in the heart of the Australia’s capital city. Parliament House is home to both houses of parliament and open to...
Brazilian Bandits Steal $5MN from Lufthansa Plane
Five bandits breached airport security and stole $5MN in cash being loaded onto a Lufthansa Cargo plane. The MD-11 aircraft, slated to fly from Sao Paulo to Frankfurt via Dakar, Senegal, was being prepared for loading when the heist...
American Airlines’ Pilot Attacks Ground Agent, But Did She Attack First?
A veteran American Airlines’ pilot is in deep trouble, now facing prison time in Brazil for assaulting a gate agent during a petty disagreement. But was it just self-defense? The name of the captain has not been released, but...
Review: Qantas 737-800 Economy Class Melbourne to Canberra
The plane went up, the plane went down. The point of this 293-mile economy class flight review is to ask whether Qantas is worth the premium over its low-cost competition. Qantas remains a full service airline, even on short...
The “Real” Reason United is Changing Bonus Program
After a unanimously negative reaction to the replacement of a popular bonus program with a lottery that would leave most employees with nothing, United is promising to listen to employees…before making changes. But WHY are changes needed? The reaction...
United Now Sells Priority Boarding A La Carte
If you’re flying on United Airlines, you may be able to purchase priority boarding for $9 on your next flight. My biggest concern when traveling for business: missing out on overhead bin space. There are few annoyances worse for...
Review: Qantas Club Melbourne (MEL)
The domestic Qantas Club in Melbourne is a perfect example of what U.S. airlines should aspire to. It wasn’t over the top, but featured everything I am looking for in a domestic lounge. Let’s start with a construction update....
Review: Park Hyatt Melbourne
While not a typical Park Hyatt hotel, I enjoyed a relaxing three-night stay at the Park Hyatt Melbourne. Please note this review is from 2013, but very little has changed at the property since my visit. I outline my...
United Will Focus on Compassion, Dignity in New Employee Training
United Airlines is sending employees back to school with a laudable goal: cultivating the compassion, discernment, and empathy of every front-line worker. Almost a year after the Dao incident, United is following through on its promise to fundamentally reshape...
Reminder: Your Alitalia Miles Expire on March 31st (and How to Extend Them)
Just a friendly reminder that if you are still sitting on Alitalia MilleMiglia miles from last year, you have until March 31, 2018 to burn them. In some loyalty programs, your miles expire due to inactivity. In others, your account expires...
Caracas Airport is a Sad Window into Venezuela
The decaying Simón Bolívar International Airport in Caracas provides a window into the sad reality of the life and times of Venezuela. I’ve talked before about the sad state of affairs in Venezuela…a once-leading nation in Latin America that has...
Fight Breaks Out on #WalmartoftheSkies (Southwest Airlines)
Another day, another plane flight…this time aboard a Southwest Airlines flight to Los Angeles. But I’m having trouble figuring this one out. The fistfight broke out on a flight from Dallas Love to Los Angeles, delaying departure and causing...
Why I Love the New Singapore Airlines Ad Campaign
Singapore Airlines is out with another beautiful ad that so magically captures the allure of flying SIA. The ad begins in a fairy tale-like setting (complete with a unicorn) in which a girl is playing in a grey meadow...
Aeroplan Still Can’t Book LOT Polish Awards
While Aeroplan has solved its hold time issues, it remains uniquely unable to book a handful of Star Alliance partner airlines. Add LOT Polish to that list. Last December, Dominik from Traveling the World wrote about the issue. Sadly, three months have...
Family Accounts Coming to Lufthansa Miles & More
Lufthansa Miles & More will introduce mileage pooling for families starting in May. I’m excited about this for one reason in particular. Joining the ranks of ANA, Asiana, British Airways, Emirates, Etihad, JAL, and Qantas (and JetBlue and Hawaiian...
200 Free United Miles + New Fuel Partnership with BP
United Airlines and BP are partnering to offer you the chance to earn and burn and miles at the fuel pump. On the earning side, you can earn up to three miles per gallon purchased by linking your MileagePlus...
Mamasita: Delicious Mexican Food in Melbourne
You sure would not know it from the outside, but Mamasita offers incredible Mexican food in the heart of Melbourne’s Central Business District. My review of Mexican food around the world continues. For earlier installments: Amsterdam, Netherlands Cusco, Peru Hamburg,...
Should Airlines Offer Bus Service During Bad Weather?
A tragic story of two Chinese tourists critically injured enroute from Baltimore to New York on a bus chartered by American Airlines is a perfect example of why airlines should not offer bus service. The Washington Post nicely tells...
Qantas Bans “Gender-Inappropriate” Language, Other “Offensive” Terms
Australian airline Qantas has provided updated guidance to staff on what language is appropriate…and what language is not. Qantas has embarked upon a “Spirit of Inclusion” initiative, which includes a new set of guidelines governing language. Produced by the Diversity...
Passenger Strips Naked, Watches Porn, Attacks Crew
A 20-year man has been arrested by Bangladeshi authorities after creating quite a scene onboard a Malindo flight from Kuala Lumpur to Dhaka. After takeoff, the man stripped naked and began watching a pornographic video on his laptop. This despite...
