After a lackluster check-in experience that took nearly an hour, I was bracing for the worst. Just how bad would the Biman Bangladesh Business Class lounge be? Turns out, not bad at all. After passport control, I followed the “Executive...
Latest Lawsuit Could Cost United More than Dao Incident
Earlier today I wrote about a horrific incident that happened in Houston where a United agent shoved a 71-year old man, knocking him to the ground unconscious while other employees just stood around and watched. Here’s my legal analysis: the senior...
United Agent Shoves Senior Citizen, Knocking Him Unconscious
Disgusting surveillance video from 2015 has surfaced, showing a United Airlines agent in Houston shoving a 71-year-old man to the ground. I’ll note at the outset that the agent has been fired by United and faced felony charges. Now the...
My Dhaka Transit Hotel Courtesy of Biman Bangladesh Airlines
I already wrote about my transit adventures in Dhaka, Bangladesh but want to provide some additional details here, including a review of the transit hotel provided by Biman Bangladesh Airlines. There are some jet bridges in Dhaka, but we...
Lufthansa vs. Condor on New San Diego Route
Condor and Lufthansa used to be married. But Condor ran off with a British chap and now is part of the Thomas Cook Group. Although Condor retains (Lufthansa’s) Miles & More as its loyalty program, the two carriers are direct competitors....
Alitalia Files for Bankruptcy in NYC to Protect U.S. Routes
Here’s an astounding statistic: Alitalia serves more than 100 worldwide destinations but its five U.S. destinations account for 30% of all revenue. Even more startling, New York JFK alone accounts for 15% of overall revenue. So with JFK threatening to block Alitalia,...
United’s Upgraded Hawaii Service a Ruse to Scare Away Southwest?
United Airlines is increasing service to Hawaii and making lie-flat seating standard on routes from five domestic hubs. United will offer lie-flat beds on all Hawaiian flights to/from the following U.S. hubs: Newark Washington Dulles Chicago Houston Denver While...
EL AL’s Beautiful New 787 Dreamliner: Pictures + Video
EL AL has unveiled its new 787 Dreamliner that will become the core of its longhaul fleet. With 16 orders on the way (nine 787-9 and seven 787-8), EL AL will finally have a competitive business class product. The initial renderings...
No, We Are Not Revolting! A United FA Rebuttal to Matthew
My recent story entitled Flight Attendant Revolt Over New United Premium Transcontinental Service created a firestorm of controversy. Many United FAs chimed in, condemning me for addressing the topic in the manner in which I did. Several FAs emailed me as well,...
Review: Elemis Spa London Heathrow
Inside the British Airways lounge complex in Heathrow Terminal 5 is an Elemis Spa designed for business and first class passengers as well as those holding an Executive Club Gold card. Premium passengers can enjoy a complimentary 15-mintue treatment...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: June 11, 2017
Good evening from 38,000 feet over the Great Plains. I’m enroute from Minneapolis to Los Angeles after a great weekend at FTU in Minneapolis. I was happy to meet many readers and I’m excited to announce the next FTU will happen in...
Afternoon Tea: United Airlines vs. British Airways
United Airlines no longer serves afternoon tea onboard its westbound flights from London. Still, I thought I would compare tea service on United and British Airways this week for my Meal of the Week installment. Why? Rumors are swirling that...
Free Lounge Access at LAX for United Star Golds
Earlier today I wrote about the new Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge in Terminal 6 at LAX. This lounge, along with the Star Alliance Lounge in the Tom Bradley International Terminal, presents two superb free lounge options for United...
Odd Upgrade Pricing on Sun Country Airlines
My job is to analyze airlines, but sometimes I encounter things I cannot explain. Upgrades on Sun Country Airlines are one of them. Yesterday I flew from Los Angeles to Minneapolis on Sun Country. It was my first time...
First Look: New LAX T6 Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge
Air Canada has moved from Terminal 2 to Terminal 6 at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). As part of the move, it has opened a brand new Maple Leaf lounge in T6 that is small but outstanding. First, the bad...
Review: Biman Bangladesh 737-800 Economy Class Bangkok to Dhaka
I bought my ticket the day before travel and was quite disappointed to see that business class had sold out. With no formal reviews online of Biman Bangladesh, I had no idea what to expect and braced myself for a wild...
SWISS Neutrality Continues on Secret Fifth Freedom Route
In thinking about the whole mess in Qatar, I had to chuckle that the Swiss have found a way to play peacemaker: a Fifth Freedom route between Muscat and Dubai. Each evening at 9:25p a SWISS A330 departs Dubai,...
EU Makes It Easier for Carriers to Legally Challenge Gulf Rivals
Protectionism is the darling of populist movements and populism is alive and well around the world today. Now the EU plans to make it easier for European carriers to lodge anti-competitive complaints against foreign rivals. If the discourse in Europe even remotely resembles the...
Oman Air a Big Winner in Qatar Crisis
What happens when you need to travel between Saudi Arabia or the UAE and Doha? Answer: take Oman Air. As one of the easiest way to sidestep the Qatar embargo, the Omani national airline has found itself suddenly in...
Review: American Airlines A321 First Class New York to Los Angeles
As the last carrier to offer a true three-cabin first class product between New York JFK and Los Angeles/San Francisco, American can approach its competitive advantage in three ways: offer a truly compelling product, a marginally better product than the...
