I rarely check baggage, but I checked three bags on my trip from Frankfurt to Los Angeles this week. With my time winding down in Germany, I elected to bring most of my stuff home so my final trip...
Airlines Make Thanksgiving Possible
Happy Thanksgiving to my readers in the United States and pleasant greetings to everyone. I am spending the day with family and friends today and thought it would be fitting simply to express my gratitude to the airline industry...
Man Sues Delta for $2MN for Hearing Loss on Loud Flight
I have seen dozens of petty airline-related lawsuits over the years, but this one takes the cake. An Oregon man is suing Delta Air Lines for $2MN, claiming he suffered permanent hearing loss on a fight from Minneapolis to...
Back in the USA + A Bump on United Airlines
I am back in the U.S. this week for Thanksgiving and am just grinning tonight that my little ploy worked. My company booked me on a non-stop Lufthansa flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles tomorrow but I opted to...
US Airways 100% Bonus Mile Promotion is Back
Just in time for Christmas, US Airways will bring back its 100% bonus promotion on purchased miles on 01 December. But unlike recent offers that capped the bonus at 50,000 miles, this time the maximum bonus is only 40,000...
The Poor Folks at United Airlines Customer Service
I’ve written before about untied.com, the site that allows disgruntled United (and now Continental) passengers to post complaints about their expeirence. The sight recently got a facelift, humorously now resembling the current United.com homepage. Whenever I need a...
Weekend in Cyprus and Lebanon
Hello from Ercan, Northern Cyprus. I flew into Larnaca, Cyprus last night and after a brief walk around town travelled north to the disputed Northern Cyprus, a breakaway region whose independence is only recognized by Turkey. I will soon...
EU Bans Full Body Scanners While USA Embraces Them
The European Union banned a variant of full body scanners (used extensively in the U.S. by the Transportation Security Administration) this week at the airports of all 27 member states, “[I]n order not to risk jeopardizing citizens’ health and...
Dilemma Solved: How I Burned 330K British Airways Miles in Two Hours
Just a few days ago I speculated that I would likely save my British Airways miles rather than burn them on trips I really did not need to take purely for the sake of flying. Brad rightfully questioned my...
Discounted US Airways Club Membership + Free Miles
Now through November 18th you can enjoy discounted membership to US Airways Club lounges, no initiation fee, and 3,000 elite status miles just for joining. Simply enter promotion code CLB30 and your membership price will drop to $325 ($450/year...
More Fuel Surcharges Coming to Aeroplan
Just days after tacking on fuel surcharges to Lufthansa flights, Aeroplan has decided to share the love: Fuel surcharges to flight rewards on the following Star Alliance airlines will be effective as of the dates noted below: November 30th,...
AirTran Airways Sued for Cockroaches and Indifference
Sort of like the composition of hot dogs, some thing things are better left unknown and we really do not want know what is creeping about behind air vents, walls, and floors on the aircraft we fly. But once...
My British Airways Executive Club Dilemma
With the extinction of British Airways’ Executive Club days away and a steep devaluation of BA miles feared for North American flyers in the new and still secret “Avios” program, I face a personal dilemma. Should I spend my...
Aeroplan Adds Fuel Surcharges to Lufthansa Awards Without Notice
The hits keep on coming for Aeroplan members. First, a devaluation of the award chart in June. That was followed by a recent decision to discontinue booking the domestic legs of business class tickets in first class. Now, arguably...
An Old Fashioned American Road Trip: 12,225 Miles in Five Minutes!
Yes, this blog is entitled Live and Let’s Fly, not Live and Let’s Drive, but in the spirit of discussing all things travel, I really enjoyed the video below of Brian DeFrees’ 12,225-mile journey across the United States and...
Review: Grand Hyatt Santiago
Can a dishonest cab driver ruin a hotel stay? No—but it did detract greatly from what was otherwise a very comfortable stay at Santiago’s plushest resort property. Grand Hyatt hotels are, true to their name, done on a grand...
The Downside to Flying Standby as a Non-Rev
I had a nice quiet weekend in Frankfurt: plenty of sleep, leisurely meals, and even some time for free reading. But it was not the weekend I wanted–Moldova and the breakaway region of Transnistria were calling and I was...
Woman Tracks Down Laptop Stolen on Southwest Airlines Flight Using Craigslist
Sometimes, to catch a criminal you have to think like one. That is exactly what Ambre Boroughs did after finding her laptop stolen from her checked bag on a Southwest Airlines flight from Chicago to Charleston, South Carolina–and it...
United Airlines to Launch Washington Dulles – Dublin Service
Just a quick note highlighting the announcement that United Airlines will begin flying from Washington Dulles to Dublin next May. The carrier will utilize a two-cabin 757 aircraft from the Continental fleet with lie-flat seats in business class. Dublin...
Amtrak Guest Rewards – United Airlines MileagePlus Partnership Changes
Not surprisingly, the Amtrak-Continental Airlines partnership will soon be scaled back. From 01 January 2012, you will no longer be able to transfer points between the two programs. Thankfully, it appears the train codeshares will remain and even after...
