I’m home again. Yesterday I flew from Dublin, Ireland to Los Angeles on Ethiopian’s Fifth Freedom flight aboard a 787-8. It was my first time ever flying Ethiopian Airlines. How was it? A mixed bag, but good overall. I...
How Can Priority Pass Sustain a Steakhouse?
There’s a difference between free inexpensive snacks and drinks found in many airport lounges and a nice steak dinner for the entire family. Priorty Pass has added Timberline Steaks & Grill in Denver to its broadening definition of airport lounges....
I Win! I’m in the Air…on the Ethiopian Airlines Sale Fare
For those who doubted that I would ever fly on my Ethiopian BKK fare, I’m sorry to disappoint you. By the time this post goes live I’ll be traveling between Dublin and Los Angeles on an Ethiopian Airlines 787...
Delta’s Latest Stealth Devaluation: A Far More Expensive Close-In Booking Fee
Delta Air Lines, the airline that should not be trusted under any circumstances when it comes to the redemption side of its loyalty program, has done it again. I held off a few days writing about this to ensure...
An Exciting Review of Boring Dushanbe Airport + CIP Lounge
This is the review of the lounge we did not have access to, but still managed to visit and discreetly photograph. Let’s talk about Dushanbe Airport. Weird. We arrived at 2:30p, yes probably far too early, for our 5:35p...
Best International Airline…Ethiopian Airlines?!
On the heels of its 2017 Skytrax award for Best Airline in Africa, Ethiopian Airlines took home an even bigger crown yesterday…Best International Airline of the Year. …From the 2nd annual Ghana National Aviation Awards in Accra. Oh. So perhaps we...
Review: Hyatt Regency Dushanbe, Tajikistan (Suite)
Although our stay was brief, it was long enough for me to vouch for this excellent Hyatt property in the heart of Tajikistan’s capital city of Dushanbe. We arrived early in Dushanbe and negotiated a cab from the airport...
Magnifico! Alitalia Business Class from Rome to LA
I’ll admit, I had high expectations for Alitalia. I assumed good food and great coffee and figured the service might not be incredible, but would be fine. I’m happy to report that I had an excellent flight with not...
Unruly Passenger Fined $97,000 for Disrupting Flight
File this under: about time. So often we hear stories about drunken or otherwise disruptive passengers forcing a flight delay or diversion only never to hear about whether the passenger is held accountable for his actions. A federal judge...
Conservative U.S. State Wants to Create its Own Airline
The State of Wyoming, in the western USA, finds itself between a rock and hard place. Without perpetual generous subsidies, it cannot sustain commercial air service to smaller airports. But a lack of air access to international hubs hurts...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: September 3, 2017
A pleasant Sunday evening to you from Germany. I’m wrapping up a trip and looking forward to spending the next few weeks in California. The big news last week, at least in my mind, was Hyatt’s new status fast...
SWISS Shorthaul Business Class Breakfast
Part of my travels this week included time in Zurich, a beautiful city in Germanic Switzerland. For my weekly Meal of the Week post, I’ll highlight breakfast on a shorthaul flight in SWISS business class. I was traveling from Zurich...
Air Europa 787 Business Class is Underrated
While I had higher hopes for Air Europa than for Aerolineas Argentinas, they were still quite measured. Not only did Air Europa’s 787 in business class beat expectations, it was actually a very competitive product and enjoyable ride. Air...
Cutbacks: United Airlines Slashes Domestic First Class Meal Service
In an era of sustained profitability, it is confusing when airlines make customer-unfriendly, logically dubious cutbacks to premium class meal service. But that’s exactly what United Airlines has just done on domestic first class flights. The North American Premium...
The Airport Lounge with a Swimming Pool
Airport lounges have become more innovate over the years in response to growing public concern over health. For example, the Finnair lounge in Helsinki has a sauna, the Thai lounge in Bangkok has a world-class spa, and Etihad’s first...
Would You Approach a Hollywood Star in First Class?
The title says it all: would you approach a celebrity (or other famous person) onboard an airplane? My friend John and I debated that onboard our Lufthansa First Class flight earlier this week and reached different conclusions. > Read...
Breakfast at the Mercedes Benz Café in Rome Airport
I love breakfast in Italy. What’s not to like about a flaky warm croissant, cappuccino, and fresh squeezed orange juice? We arrived to the airport in Rome a bit late this morning and the two Schengen Priority Pass lounges...
How Bad was Aerolineas Argentinas Business Class?
My expectations were so low stepping onto my Aerolineas Argentinas flight in Club Condor (business) class that the mediocre onboard product managed to impress me. The business class cabin was clean and the color scheme fresh. New IFE units...
Why I’m Not Excited About Alaska Airlines’ Partnership with Singapore Airlines
Alaska Airlines already partners with members of both SkyTeam and oneworld. Starting next month, the airline will partner with its first Star Alliance carrier: Singapore Airlines. But don’t get your hopes up about an incredible redemption in Singapore’s new...
Two Reasons I May Start Collecting Citi ThankYou Points
Up to this point I have resisted collecting Citi ThankYou points. But two unique airline transfer partners are causing me to rethink the decision. Citi partners with Turkish Airlines and Qantas. Both provide narrow value and yet may nevertheless be...
