Earlier in the week I shared that showers are now available for all United Club guests in Chicago and São Paulo including united club pass holders. A couple of you wondered what the showers actually look like in United Clubs...
Shower Access for All United Club Guests at Chicago O’Hare and São Paulo
One notable hole in the United Airlines lounge system is the dearth of showers in the United States. United had showers in Chicago, London, São Paulo, and San Francisco available only to arriving first and business class full-fare passengers (as...
White House Tours and Paris Hotel Bills
My life wasn’t always centered around travel. My undergraduate studies were in political science and U.S. history and my first post-graduation job was in the White House Press Office. That kept me busy enough M-F, but there was just...
Dog Flies from Newark to Phoenix via Dublin on United
When I took my island-hopper flight last week from Honolulu to Guam on United Airlines, the same intro and safety video was played six times–every time the aircraft took off. Ironically, it was the cargo intro (below) that that...
How to Obtain a Saudi Arabian Transit Visa
11/2013 UPDATE: Numerous reports suggest that Saudi Arabia has suspended the issue of transit visas in the United States. Contact your nearest Saudi consulate or the Saudi Embassy in Washington if you are in need of one. Case-by-case exceptions...
New Star Alliance Gold Commercial
Star Alliance’s marketing department is savvy and I don’t just say that because I know the folks in it… Take a look at the latest Star Alliance Gold advertisement– What I love about this commercial is that it simply...
Book One-Way Award Travel on American Airlines with Alaska Mileage Plan
Lucky reports that one-way travel at half the round-trip price is now available online for Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan members. Rumors of this change in policy begin swirling last month but have not been confirmed up until this point...
Five Steps to Fix the TSA
You haven’t heard me talk much about the TSA lately and the nationwide fervor over the agency has seemingly died down. One reason is Pre✓, a “trusted traveler” program that allows passengers who submit to background checks to bypass...
Introduction: A Journey to Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan
When Saudia Airlines (formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines) offered an amazing $557 r/t deal from New York to Dubai via Jeddah last December, I jumped on it—but it was not because I had any desire to go to Dubai. Saudia...
Pictures from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
I did not stray far from the Park Hyatt Jeddah during my recent transit through Saudi Arabia, though I did spend a couple hours in the evening walking around the Kingdom’s second largest city. I was not near the Al-Balad...
Win 200,000 Miles on American Airlines
As Rocky reports, American Airlines is commencing three new international routes this spring: Dallas/Fort Worth to Seoul Chicago to Dusseldorf Dallas/Fort Worth to Lima To promote these additions to its route network, AA is giving away “a chance to...
Review: Park Hyatt Jeddah
Transiting through Jeddah on my way to Afghanistan, I had about 23 hours in Saudi Arabia between Saudia flights. A transit visa had been granted by the Saudi Embassy in Washington, DC and without even looking at other properties,...
United Airlines Island Hopping in Coach: Avoid "Direct" Flights
Five days ago I promised a post making the case for why I will continue to remain loyal to United Airlines despite my photo incident and more importantly, despite the dearth of complimentary upgrades, hit-or-miss service, no onboard wi-fi,...
TSA Allows Bomb to Slip Past Security Checkpoint in Newark…Twice
If any of you are surprised by news that a fake IED-type bomb was cleared past two security checks at Newark’s Liberty International Airport last month, you shouldn’t be. I’ve maintained for years that anyone determined to get something...
Resolution to the United Airlines Photo Incident
Many of you have asked whether I have resolved my photo incident with United Airlines. The answer is yes. We have been in regular contact for the last couple of weeks and while I will not be walking away...
The Flight Home from Istanbul…
After my ejection from a United Airlines flight to Istanbul, I was admittedly apprehensive as I walked down the jetway to board my return flight to Newark eight days later. What if the same crew was aboard…or one particular...
iPad Recovered from Southwest Airlines Lost & Found
When I left my camera onboard on a United flight from San Francisco to Vancouver three years ago and miraculously recovered it, my family teased me for weeks about my penchant for leaving things behind on airplanes. While I...
The United Merger: One Year Later
One year has passed since the day United and Continental officially tied the knot and what a year it has been. I predicted in a blog post late on March 2, 2012 that the transition would be bumpy and...
Book Alitalia Award Space on Delta.com
Booking Alitalia award space just got a lot easier using Delta Skymiles with the rollout of online booking at delta.com. Even yesterday I had to call Delta to book an Alitalia award and let me tell you–it was never...
Sequester: Travel Disruptions and the Politics of Fear and Intimidation
As the threat of sequester looms large, I must underscore the absurdity of the FAA’s contention that it has no choice but to inconvenience the traveling public if Congress cannot reach an eleventh hour settlement today. Gary argued this...
