United Airlines has introduced a new safety video that for the first time incorporates some levity into what has been a serious, humorless public service announcement for at least the last two decades. The video is not over the top like...
Always Check: First Class for the Price of Economy Class
A client in Los Angeles called me this morning saying he had an emergency meeting in Miami on Monday morning and needed a ticket to Miami tomorrow afternoon or evening, returning Monday night. I noted immediately that AA or DL...
Airplane Feet Etiquette
I could never become a medical doctor because blood makes me squeamish. That’s about it, though – most things do not bother me. Except bare feet. I don’t know how those people with permanently dirt-stained, calloused feet can stand it:...
Scam Artists Claim I am in a German Prison to Extort My Grandma
Imagine you are 88 years old and your grandson and his new wife live in Germany. You have not seen him in a couple months and know that he is a good boy, but his idea of fun is...
Winner of the Rimowa Amenity Kit Contest
It has been a very busy day with a totally unexpected (and frankly grotesque) surprise. All I will say now is check back tomorrow – wait till you read what happened today. And on that happy note, I am...
Last Day to Enter! Rimowa Amenity Kit Contest
Just a reminder that today is your last day to enter to win a free Rimowa Amenity Kit from EVA. The contest ends about 24 hours from now, at 23:59 CET on 21 July 2014. I’m a huge fan...
Reflections on World War and Crashed Airliners
100 years ago, Serbian rebels dreaming of changed political boundaries assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, in Sarajevo. The initial response was muted, but three weeks later, Austria-Hungary responded forcefully by issuing an ultimatum to Serbia...
Breaking: Malaysia Airlines 777 Shot Down Over Ukraine
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has been shot down by a ground-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers/crew onboard are believed to be dead. As Malaysian continues its struggle over the still-unsolved mystery...
Giveaway: Rimowa Amenity Kit from EVA
In honor of my recent nuptials, I am giving away a Rimowa amenity kit that I received on a recent Amsterdam-Bangkok EVA flight in Royal Laurel (business) class. Rimowa is the premier German luggage company and this hard-shell amenity...
Air India Joins Star Alliance
After years of drama, Indian flag carrier Air India has formally partnered with Star Alliance and becomes the first Indian carrier to join a global air alliance. I remember all too well how the drama unfolded in 2011 while...
Flying Blue Promo Awards for Autumn 2014 Travel
I’ve written about Air France/KLM Flying Blue Promo Awards in the past and though the program has become stingier in allocating Promo Award routes, each promotion cycle usually has at least a couple deals worthy of consideration. This fall,...
More Stringent Airport Security for USA-Bound Flights
There’s a man that U.S. intelligence agencies are watching named Ibrahim Al-Asiri who has been called a master bombmaker for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He allegedly is skilled in constructing bombs out of ordinary material that can escape the...
Free Upgrade to Business Class on Aeroflot
Update: Deal has expired Aeroflot Russian Airlines introduced a premium economy “Comfort Class” last year that provides a hybrid between business and economy similar to Air France’s Premium Economy product. Through the end of August, Aeroflot is offering Comfort...
Newark AirTrain Back in Service
Track corrosion forced the closure of AirTrain service between Newark’s Liberty International Airport and the EWR Rail Station in May, but the restoration work is now complete, more than 10 days ahead of schedule. With runway construction, no rail...
Lufthansa Lounge Cheat Receives Huge Bill
For one Munich man, a strategic calculation to save money by buying a refundable Lufthansa ticket, enjoying food and drink in the Lufthansa Business Lounge, then cancelling his reservation, has proved a grave mistake. After 36 incidents, Lufthansa had...
United Airlines Bends Rule, Saves the Day for Sick Boy
United Airlines gets a lot of bad press and rightfully so – it has torpedoed the MileagePlus program on both the earnings and redemption side and has severely cut back on in-flight services, particularly in the forward cabin of...
In My Absence…
Some of you may have noticed that things have been quiet lately…in the four years that I have written Live and Let’s Fly, there has never been a month with as few posts as the last one. Thankfully, my...
Why I’d Hate to Be a Gate Agent
I spend enough time in airports to know that I would never want to be a gate agent. Some agents are just nasty, but most try their best and get gangraped (I suppose that is a bit strong) by...
United Cuts Winter Service to Rome, Belfast, Dublin, Manchester
I wrote about United’s new service to Santiago, Chile yesterday as well as additional flights to Punta Cana and Belize City, but that was only half the story. While the resumption of Santiago service will be a nice addition...
United Announces New Routes to Santiago de Chile, Punta Cana, Belize City
After bludgeoning the majority of MileagePlus members with a customer unfriendly move toward revenue-based award mileage earning earlier this week, United has thrown us a bone in introducing new service to three Latin American cities. Of special interest is the...
