In January I wrote a piece entitled IAG Group Moves Closer to Aer Lingus Acquisition and speculated that Aer Lingus would rejoin the oneword alliance if the acquisition by British Airways’ parent company IAG was successful. Today, the Irish government announced plans to...
Memorial Day 2015: A Call to Selflessness
For my annual Memorial Day post this year, I want to quote a passage from President Woodrow Wilson’s Memorial Day Address 101 years ago on 30 May 1914: A peculiar privilege came to the men who fought for the...
A Day in the Life of a Weary Road Warrior…And Some Humor
Let me tell you about my latest trip. I still wonder sometimes why I do this to myself, but am thankful that I still find fun in flying for the sake of flying. I hope you find this “Dear...
Family Should Apologize for Forcing United Airlines Diversion
The trending story of a family thrown off a United Airlines flight from Houston to Portland beckons us to consider how airlines should compassionately and effectively accommodate disabled travelers while balancing concerns of safety and the comfort of other...
New Beta Edition of United.com Available to All
I have been testing the beta version of the new united.com for over a month now via special invitation but now United has opened its beta site to everyone, with a planned launch date of the “new and improved”...
FOIA Request from U.S. DOT Arrives over United Danish Kroner Mistake Fare
After the United States Department of Transportation (DOT) sided with United Airlines, allowing the carrier to rescind super-cheap first class fares that exploited a pricing glitch on its Danish website, I was curious to see how cozy the relationship...
DOT Suspends Consumer Protection for Purchased Airline Mistake Fares but Opens New Loophole
As expected, the U.S. Department of Transportation has rolled back its explicit mandate that airlines honor mistake fares but in doing so has opened up a new loophole that may give carriers an even bigger headache when they inevitably...
Fighting Cancer with Delta Jet Drag
At FTU Dallas last month, Ed Pizzarello from Pizza in Motion casually asked if I would like to pull a jet in Atlanta to raise money for the American Cancer Society. With plans to be in Atlanta already for the Freddie Awards,...
An Evening With the Most Powerful Woman in the Airline Loyalty Business
Delta Air Lines hosted the Freddie Awards at its Flight Museum in Atlanta last week and extended an invitation to a handful of aviation bloggers for a reception the night before (also hosted by Gogo) at Volare Bistro in Haperville,...
Recap and Winners of 2015 Freddie Awards
The 2015 Freddie Awards were held at the Delta Flight Museum last night just down the road from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Created in 1988 by Randy Petersen to recognize the world’s best and most innovative frequent travel programs, the awards...
Video: Deceptive New United Airlines Commercial?
For an airline that was woefully behind the curve in introducing Wi-Fi to its fleet, it is a tad ironic that United Airlines has released a new commercial touting its onboard Wi-Fi and streaming video entertainment. Nevertheless, United has come...
Free Beer and Wine + Upgraded Meals in United Airlines International Economy Class
United Airlines promised a refresh to its international longhaul economy class meal service in January and has finally unveiled its plans, set to debut in June 2015. Free beer and wine return not only to transpacific flights, but to...
How to Search for Award Space on the New ANA Website
ANA has released a redesigned website featuring a brand new award search tool to coincide with its launch of a region-based award chart. There are both positive and negative changes we will unpack below. The positive No more tricking...
Amazing Etihad Ad Featuring Nicole Kidman Angers American Airlines FAs
Etiahd has an amazing new ad starring Nicole Kidman highlighting the revolutionary nature of its A380 First Class product. Not everyone likes it, though. Laura Glading, the President of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (representing American Airlines and US...
In Memoriam: An Ode to US Airways Dividend Miles
Yesterday I shared my sorrow over the passing of US Airways Dividend Miles. Now we are past the wake and it is time for a memorial service to celebrate Dividend Miles. Perhaps we celebrate Ghana-style? To help, I have...
RIP US Airways Dividend Miles: I Feel Like I Just Lost An Old Friend
US Airways Dividend Miles is dead. May she rest in peace. I will not say it has been an unproductive week, but I have spent a great deal of time around the deathbed of Dividend Miles this week, trying...
Humorous Air New Zealand 75th Birthday Video
Air New Zealand is celebrating its 75th birthday this year and true to form, reflects back on its jubilee year with a bit of humor, here a short video asserting nothing has changed over the last 75 years…except onboard...
Germanwings IS a SAFE Airline
Tragic news hit today that a Germanwings flight carrying 144 passengers and six crew traveling from Barcelona to Dusseldorf crashed in the French Alps, killing all onboard. There are a lot of questions surrounding the crash, primarily why the...
American Airlines Can Make a Persuasive Case to Justify Cancellation of Held "Mistake" Reservations
American Airlines will honor all ~$450 business class fares to Beijing that were ticketed during a short window on Tuesday evening in which base fares ranged from $0 to $20 (the rest of the $450 fare was government taxes...
A Non-Stop 5-Day Trip Around the World
Non-stop as in, I do not leave airports or sleep in hotels. For five days. Yes, this is what I consider fun and no, I do not need to be institutionalized. I am halfway through a 31,770 mile trip...
