I think my last big travel mistake was missing the bus by one minute and having to pay an outrageous taxi fee to travel 50km from central Reykjavik to Keflavik International Airport in Iceland. There have been small mistakes, of course,...
Bad News for Aeroplan with Stricter Routing Rules
The news just keeps getting worse for Aeroplan members. Lucky wrote a post entitled Aeroplan Improving Routing Rules — No More MPM! a couple days ago and my heart sank immediately when reading it — I knew the news could...
Stopovers Still Permitted on Delta Skymiles Awards…For Now
When Delta’s latest IT update eliminated the ability to include stopovers on award trips, most assumed the worst…Delta had stealthy devalued its program again with no notice. Turns out the news is not quite as bad after Delta clarified today...
The Hunt for a Competent American Airlines Agent
Earlier today I posted the following about booking Etihad Airways award space with American Airlines– American Airlines Cannot Book Etihad Award Space…Again Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways is a wonderful American Airlines AAdvantage partner, offering excellent premium cabin award space...
United Reports Strong Q3 Profit
United Airlines reported a healthy third-quarter profit today of $1.1 billion, a record and also a 99% increase from last year. Here’s some of the specifics: United’s consolidated passenger revenue per available seat mile (PRASM) increased 3.9 percent in...
New United Airlines Premier Status Tracking Website
United Airlines has introduced a nifty new website for tracking MileagePlus status: nothing revolutionary, but knowing how much you have to spend to attain or maintain elite status is now very transparent. Here’s the website and watch this one...
United Airlines, Hertz Partnership Adds Elite Benefits to MileagePlus
United Airlines and Hertz have announced a new partnership in which MileagePlus elite members will receive elite status in Hertz’s Gold Plus Rewards program and more miles for Hertz rentals. Discounts and Bonus Miles with Hertz Hertz is already...
5 Things to Know About the Latest Lufthansa Strike
Lufthansa pilots are striking again over proposed cuts to a lucrative early retirement program and will continue until 23:59 CET tonight. While the 35-hour strike was originally planned only to affect regional traffic within Europe, longhaul pilots have joined...
LOT Polish Airlines Award Space Bookable on united.com
LOT Polish Airlines is back after a long hiatus on united.com. The Polish flag carrier operates a fleet of 787s to North American gateways including Chicago, New York JFK, and Toronto and award space in both business and economy...
The Zimbabwe Haircut
Four years ago I wrote a post entitled, “Haircuts when traveling” and I really meant what I wrote…one of my favorite things to do while traveling internationally is to get a haircut and I have now patronized barber shops...
Frequent Traveler University $250 Hyatt Gift Card Giveaway
Frequent Traveler University (FTU) is coming 05-07 December 2014 to Washington, DC and I will be speaking on a variety of travel-related topics. This is going to be a huge event with a speaker list including some of the indstury’s...
Moving to South Africa
…for the next month anyway. Perhaps longer. I’m already here, actually. You can blame my wife. Or the American government. Or striking South African postal workers. You see, not that our U.S. government wins any blue ribbons for its efficiency,...
Streaming Inflight Movies and TV on United Airlines
United Airlines has made economy class travel much more bearable by introducing streaming IFE to many of its aircraft. I had a chance to try it last week on a flight from Chicago to Frankfurt and was very pleasantly...
Ontario, CA Fights for Control of ONT Airport
Southern California’s Inland Empire is a vast sprawl of affordable housing and big box stores east of Los Angeles that also is home to Ontario International Airport (ONT). The once-bustling airport now looks like a ghost town at most...
US Airways 100% Bonus on Purchased Dividend Miles Extended
US Airways has extended, perhaps for one final time, its 100% bonus on purchased miles. It appears this sale will mark the end of US Airway’s role a consolidator for premium award tickets, as word is there will never...
New United Airlines Globe Surfing Commercial
United Airlines has released another commercial narrated by Matt Damon, this time highlighting United’s extensive worldwide route network from the view of a lie-flat seat…or something like that. It is by no means UA’s best commercial: it features a...
South African Airways Award Space Again Bookable
I wrote yesterday that South African Airways award space had been unbookable for one week using miles from any Star Alliance loyalty program outside of South African Voyager. Thankfully, the space is again bookable. The one-week hiatus of all...
South African Airways Award Space Not Bookable
South African Airways has been a stalwart member of Star Alliance for the last eight years and offers an extensive route network within Africa and to key cities around the world from its hub in Johannesburg. Although I would...
My Delayed Journey to Chicago
Fire in an FAA Facility shut down Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports for several hours this morning and it just so happened that I was flying from Los Angeles to Chicago this morning to speak at this weekend’s FTU...
United Arrivals Lounge London Heathrow
United Airlines offers an arrival lounge to intercontinental business and first class passengers in its new home in Terminal 2 at London Heathrow. Open from 5am – 2pm each day, Air Canada and South African Airways also allow their...
