I’ve set foot in 125 countries, but there are still many places I have yet to visit. In Greece, I’ve been to Athens and Thessaloniki, but not to any of the Greek Islands. Soon I’ll be departing for Germany for...
A Warning to American Express
Dear American Express, I’ve been a cardholder for 12 years and a Platinum cardholder for six. I am a strong advocate for American Express and have helped dozens of friends and family members also sign up. Last week you announced...
TAP A330 New Business Class Transformation
Portuguese airline and Star Alliance member TAP is in the midst of refreshing its A330 longhaul fleet. The retrofit project means new seats in both business and economy class. The angled seats in business class are out and lie-flat beds are in....
United Airlines CEO Defends 747 Retirement
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz defended his company’s decision to move up the retirement of the 747-400 by a full year. The last United 747 flight will be in October. In answering a...
The Best Airplane Steak I’ve Ever Had
I’ve had many good airline meal over the years, but few good steaks. One reason is because I like my steak cooked medium rare. The other reason is because reheating a steak at 40,000 feet is no easy task....
Review: Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport (It’s Not What You Think)
I mentioned it earlier and I’ll mention it again — jettison all thoughts of what a Hyatt Place is. Very different than than the U.S. brand, the Hyatt Place Amsterdam Airport feels much more like a nice Hyatt Regency...
How to Use Your Miles for Qatar’s New QSuite Business Class
Qatar Airways unveiled its next generation business class product today, dubbed QSuite. It is set to premiere on 777-300ER flights between Doha and London this June, but will expand to all 777s and A350s. Here’s your guide to using...
3 Reasons I Love Qatar Airways’ New QSuite Business Class
Qatar Airways revealed its new business class product today in Berlin it brands “QSuite, First in Business”. Here’s why I love it. Tour of QSuite Business Class on Qatar Airways First, watch this video describing the new business class...
Great Mexican Food in Amsterdam
No matter what city I am in the world, I will seek out Mexican food. It is my comfort food that I could eat 365 days year. Just ask my wife. So when I was in Amsterdam over a recent...
Strange United Airlines Schedule Change
Last week I reported that United Airlines is making Boston – San Francisco a 100% lie-flat route in business class starting in June. This morning, reader Eric W. left a comment stating– Just checked several dates in mid-June and found the...
CIA Travel Guide for Secret Agents in Germany
Wikileaks released a trove of information today it calls Vault 7, part of a larger cache of information in its “Year Zero” series that seeks to inform the public of alleged government overreach. Included in the document dump is a...
Review: Aspire Lounge 41 Amsterdam (AMS)
After landing early from Jakarta on my Garuda First Class flight, I had a long wait before my room was ready at the Andaz Prinsengracht. Thank goodness for Priority Pass — it gave me access to the Aspire Lounge 41...
Review: Hyatt Andaz Amsterdam Prinsengracht
This was my third trip to Amsterdam but the first time I actually enjoyed it. I never really cared for the city before, dismissing it as a den of prostitutes and pot. This time, I saw there is so much more to...
Going to Canada? You May Now Need a Visa
Did you know that you now may need a visa to visit Canada? Last November the Canadian Government mandated that formerly visa exempt travelers obtain an eTA (electronic Travel Authorization) prior to travel to Canada by air. This includes transit....
Do You Use the Hotel Gym?
A new study confirms why I often have hotel gyms to myself. Hotels are racing to build fancy gyms for their guests—but that may be an exercise in futility. Fewer than half of hotel guests who say they planned on...
British Airways Will Have Less Seat Pitch Than Ryanair!
First it was food and drinks, now it is seat pitch. British Airways plans to reduce the seat pitch on its A320 and A321 aircraft from 30″ to 29″. That’s less room than Ryanair! I’ll start with my conclusion:...
Watch Out for This When You Book Airfare on Orbitz
In booking last-minute airfare this week I noticed some absolutely sketchy fees on Orbitz. Watch out for them. First, let’s talk when you should book your airfare on Orbitz. Answer: as little as possible. Booking on Orbitz, an online...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 4, 2017
Hello from Santa Monica, CA. I dined with some very dear clients who have become friends last night. Not knowing LA traffic, I hedged my bets and left early. Thankfully, traffic moved much better than my GPS suggested and I made...
Review: Garuda 777-300ER First Class Jakarta – Amsterdam
The moment had finally arrived. It was time to fly Garuda Indonesia First Class. Nanda and Roni, my two first class assistants, asked me if I would like to board first or last. Had the internet been working in...
United Making Boston-San Francisco Route Lie-Flat
United Airlines is making Boston – San Francisco a 100% lie-flat route in business class staring this summer. With fierce competition from JetBlue and Delta, starting on June 08, 2017 United will use a mix of 757s and 777s with lie-flat...
