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...
Sketches of New United Airlines Terminal and Club at LAX
United Airlines occupies Terminals 7 and 8 at LAX and is undergoing a much needed facelift. Coming by 2017 will be a new check-in lobby with streamlined security, a re-designed multi-level United Club with a patio perfect for planespotting...
How to Outsmart Delta’s Broken Website and Save Miles
Delta Air Lines unceremoniously removed its Skymiles award charts from delta.com last month, taking with it the accountability inherent in such charts. The only justification Delta offered was, “We’ve launched the new Award calendar which offers an easier search for...
Surprising Turkish Airlines Weather Delay Compensation
What happens when your Turkish Airlines flight is delayed due to weather and you find yourself stranded in Istanbul…for three days? A friend recently found out and the answer may surprise you. Officially, No Compensation for Weather Delay on...
A Different Take on Award Bookings at FTU Dallas
The paradox of this blog and of increasing the knowledge base of savvy travellers that blogs like this encourage is that if too many people are getting in on a good deal, the deal will be closed. Let’s take...
The Contrarian: United Was Legally and Morally Entitled to Cancel Mistake Fares
In law school they teach you to argue both sides — allowing you to better understand the issue presented and the strengths and weaknesses of your own argument. Earlier this week I put forward my best legal argument for...
Real Meals Coming to United Express on March 1, 2015
While Delta Air Lines and American Airlines already serve “real” meals onboard their regional jets, United has been a holdout, offering only junk food snack boxes. That changes on 01 March 2015 when United will begin to serve hearty...
Legal Analysis of DOT Decision to Back United on Cancelled Mistake Fares
The U.S. DOT has issued its verdict on United Airlines’ unilateral decision to cancel thousands of cheap first class tickets, ruling that it will not take action against United for failing to honor the fare. Although this ruling comes...
LAX Meetup this Saturday, February 28th
Join me, Mike, Brad, Rocky, Sriram, James, Kyle and other frequent flyers this Saturday at the Westin Los Angeles near LAX from 6pm to 8pm. RSVP here Meet and mingle with others from the travel industry, talk points and...
Last Week of United Airlines Star Alliance Award Sale!
When United devalued MileagePlus last year, it introduced a bifurcated award chart that charged a premium for first and business class flights on partner metal as opposed to on United’s own planes. An example — business class to Europe...
See You at LA Travel & Adventure Show This Weekend?
The Los Angeles Travel & Adventure Show is taking place this weekend in Long Beach, CA and is billed as the largest travel show in the nation. The object of the show is to offer travelers a one-stop location...
Photo Tour of American Express Centurion Lounge at LAS
American Express has a growing network of airport lounges including a spacious lounge at McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas that is so enjoyable that I recently forced a connection in Las Vegas just to take advantage of it! With...
Meal Service on 40min United Airlines Fifth Freedom Kuwait to Bahrain Flight
United Airlines operates a limited number of Fifth Freedom Routes around the world, including: Manila to Koror Koror to Yap Kwajalein to Kosrae Kuwait to Bahrain Tokyo to Seoul Tokyo to Singapore Hong Kong to Singapore Hong Kong to...
Exciting New Business Class Experience Arriving on Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus is not only introducing a new fully lie-flat business class seat, but also a totally redesigned business class experience. I had a chance to learn more about the product and test out the new seat at a...
Scorpions on a Plane!
I am not an animal person–to put it mildly. I was bitten by a dog when I was five while riding my bike outside my grandma’s house and have always had a fear of dogs. I was stung by...
I’m Booked on the American Airlines 787 Inaugural!
I had a great time on the Qatar A350 inaugural from Doha to Frankfurt last month — there is something special about being on inaugural flights. American Airlines took delivery of its first 787-8 this week and has just...
DOT Examining United Danish Kroner Mistake Fares
The DOT has taken the unusual step of issuing a press release noting that it is examining the “United Airlines mistaken fare” and will determine whether or not United must honor the fares purchased. My gut tell me this...
