Since we were connecting same-night back to Istanbul, it made sense to fly instead of take a ferry back. Tickets were $37 each purchased the day before on Fastjet. Fastjet hopes to become the African continent’s “first low-cost, pan-African airline”...
The Farce of Airport Security
How to wreak terror inside a secure airport in 2017? Place a gun into your checked bag, grab your bag off the carousel, pull the gun out, load the gun, and start firing. That’s what happened last week in...
Review: Zanzibar Dhow Lounge (ZNZ)
Although the airport is small and half of it is outdoors, I was happy to find a Priority Pass lounge at Zanzibar’s Abeid Amani Karume International Airport. The Park Hyatt granted us late checkout so we left at 6:30pm for our...
Cancelled: United Cuts Planned Second Daily Flight from LA to London
I knew it was good too be true. United has removed the planned second-daily Los Angeles to London Heathrow flight from its schedule. Set to begin on April 4, 2017, the new service would have doubled premium capacity and added...
Looted But Not Livid in Zanzibar
On our second night in Zanzibar, we decided to eat where the locals eat. During the meal, a local took advantage of our trust, stealing money from us. After a great dinner at the Park Hyatt Zanzibar the first...
An Amazing Journey Through Stone Town in Zanzibar (Pictures)
I’m not usually one for guided tours, especially arranged by hotels. In Zanzibar, however, we opted for tour of historic Stone Town arranged by the Park Hyatt. It was well worth it. Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 7, 2017
Hello from rainy Los Angeles! Once again, we’ve had another damp and gray week in LA. I love this weather so much I often wonder if I am living in the wrong city! There were opportunities for me to travel...
My American Express Strategy for 2017
I’ve been a long-time American Express customer but am making some changes in 2017 to the cards in my wallet. First, a disclaimer. I don’t have referral links and am not trying to sell you any cards. For the...
Review: Park Hyatt Zanzibar
The Park Hyatt Zanzibar was home for the weekend on the island of Zanzibar. A juxtaposition of old and new, this hotel was certainly not what I was expecting but represented an incredible base for my time in Zanzibar with all...
Shooting at Ft. Lauderdale Airport, Five Dead
Breaking now — a shooting in the baggage claim area of T2 at Ft. Lauderdale Airport (FLL) has left eight injured and five dead. The airport is currently closed. The shooting occurred around 1pm ET. The shooter has been apprehended but airport exits remain...
Cool Video of Woman Prancing Through Paris
This caught my eye on Facebook last night: a woman playing “Jason Bourne” in Paris. Check out this video: Paris is one of my favorite cities and I just love how this video captures the essence of Parisian architecture and some...
United Boots Unaccompanied Minor Off Last Flight of Night
I’d call it a comedy of errors, but there is no comedy in this story. A 13-year old boy traveling alone was booted off a United Express flight from Albany to Washington Dulles due to a weight/balance issue, leaving him stranded....
She Tried to Deny Me Entry Into Zanzibar!
When we left off, my friend Denny and I had reached the port of Zanzibar and were making our way off the ship. Throngs of people emerged from the boat and most were rushing out of the port through a...
Heartbreaking: Sisters Thrown Off Flight, Miss Father’s Death
A very sad story out of Orlando, where two middle-aged sisters were deemed a “security risk” and thrown off a flight, prohibiting them from saying goodbye to their father on his deathbed. As their Allegiant Air flight prepared to...
Caution: Avoid This Star Alliance Carrier When Using Miles
This is not a post about poor service or dirty planes. This is a post about an endemic problem on one Star Alliance carrier that has not been addressed for three years. The consequences are profound: delayed, cancelled, or ruined...
Ferry from Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar
Frequent ferries connect Dar Es Salaam to Zanzibar. We opted to take an afternoon ferry that took two hours to make the ~80km crossing. Let me start out with a warning: the “porters” at Dar Es Salaam ferry port are the...
Kosher Fish Lunch on EL AL: ZRH-TLV on LY348
For Matthew’s Meal of the Week this week, I recall my first — and to date only — flight on EL AL, the national airline of Israel. EL AL often get a bad rap, and for good reason. Not...
Review: Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam
We arrived into Dar es Salaam at 2:30a and after a 36 hours of travel (Los Angeles – Chicago – Frankfurt – Istanbul – Dar es Salaam) I was ready to get to sleep. The Hyatt Regency Dar Es Salaam,...
Last United 747-400 Departs from Chicago
UPDATE: United Accelerates 747 Retirement to 2017 The last United Airlines 747-400 has left Chicago O’Hare. I noticed a tweet from United late last night announcing that the final 747-400 departed ORD for Tokyo Narita. That’s quite a momentous...
The Travel Infrastructure Problem in the USA
What was the real reason behind yesterday’s U.S. Customs delay that stranded thousands of travelers and left the immigration process at a standstill across U.S. airports? Rampant speculation that Russian hackers or other nefarious actors were responsible has been at the...
