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...
RDMs Will Be Revenue-Based Starting March 01, 2015 on United Airlines
When Delta Air Lines announced a revenue-based earnings chart for 2015, I predicted that it would only be a matter of time before United Airlines would match, though I did not expect it to happen so soon. Copying Delta...
Win 200,000 Flying Blue Miles + Platinum Membership
Air France/KLM Flying Blue wants your best travel pictures from around the world. Three winners will receive 200,000 Flying Blue miles, Platinum-level elite membership for one year, and their photo will be placed on Flying Blue luggage tags for...
Video: New United Airlines Commercial
United Airlines has a new commercial out highlighting its international route map through a light-hearted tale of a man trying to learn catch phrases in several languages. The ad is targeted toward New York City flyers and was filmed...
Last Day for 100% Bonus on US Airways Purchased Miles
It frankly shocks me that US Airways is still selling miles so cheap, but perhaps it should not—after all, Doug Parker is still running the show. I sense a steep devaluation coming, and coming soon, but until then US...
Free Boingo Internet for American Express Platinum Cardholders
American Express Platinum is on the rebound. It was right to question the value of the $450 annual fee when Continental left Membership Rewards, US Airways lounge access was lost, and Delta lounge access was severely curtailed, but in...
Scandanavian Airlines SAS Introduces New Business Class
Scandinavian Airlines (SAS) has trailed the competition for years in terms of longhaul business class product. I reviewed business class from Copenhagen to Washington Dulles in 2010 and four years later the seats still have not changed–SAS still does...
Why Congress Should Mandate All-In Pricing for Hotels Too
As Congress considers whether to allow airlines to hide taxes and fees from consumers until late in the booking process, perhaps a hotel anecdote will be instructive. Hotels and the online travel agencies that sell hotel rooms are not...
Can I Access An American Express Lounge Without My AMEX Card?
I was in Las Vegas today and giddy to check out the American Express Centurion Lounge that opened last year. Available to American Express Black and Platinum cardholders for free or $50 to other AMEX cardholders, the lounge offers...
An Unrealized Memorial Day Wish
U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, a man of so few words he was referred to by many as “Silent Cal”, delivered an uncharacteristically long speech at Gettysburg on May 30, 1928 to commemorate Memorial Day. The context of his speech...
Is it Safe to Travel to Thailand?
A coup d’état has taken place in Thailand with a military junta now running the show. As horrible as that sounds, is it safe to travel to Thailand during this time? In a word, yes. King Bhumibol Aduljadej has been...
