United Airlines released a new ad campaign today that offers heavy doses of Gerwshin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and brings back the classic “Fly the Friendly Skies” slogan that has been shelved since 1996. In a series of four made-for-TV...
Diagnosing a Problem: Booking Lufthansa Award Space with US Airways Dividend Miles
14 NOV 13 UPDATE: Leaked US Airways Memo: Agents Forbidden to Manually Request Award Space US Airways has not left Star Alliance yet, but if you are trying to book a Lufthansa award next year it might as well have....
New Bar Menu in Domestic United Clubs
United Airlines recently unveiled a revised bar menu at United Clubs across the United States that adds more choice but also increases prices, notably charging for some drinks that were once free and downgrading the branding of some top-shelf...
Why United Airlines Must Honor Its Errors
Imagine you are looking for an award trip to Toronto with your spouse and infant child and are open to routing, travel dates, and enroute stops–you just want the best deal. You have United miles and use united.com to...
United Will Honor $0 Mistake Fares
United Airlines announced on Twitter yesterday that it would honor the mistake fares that allowed many to book fares for as little as $5 round-trip. The wording is important–while legacy United explicitly vowed to honor fare mistakes, United doing...
Massive Fare Mistake Leads to $0 Domestic Tickets on United Airlines
Someone must be sweating tonight, as United Airlines has confirmed (though it was quite obvious) that human error led to a widespread “fare sale” today in which domestic trips ranging from shorthaul flights from Minneapolis to Houston to longhauls...
Flying on 9/11, 12 Years Later
It has been three months since I have flown on United Airlines—it seems like yesterday that I was running for my connection in SFO—but today I took to the air again, flying from Los Angeles to Newark. In the...
Singapore Airlines Video Ad – “Understanding Your Needs”
Singapore Airlines has launched a new “The Lengths We Go” ad campaign and the first installment is entitled “Understanding Your Needs:” It is a powerful ad emphasizing the Singapore personal touch and it successfully reinforces the mystique that Singapore depends upon to...
Next New York City Miles and Points Meetup: September 17th
The next Reach for the Miles meetup, in New York City, will be held on Tuesday, September 17th at 6pm. Meet others from the travel industry, talk points and miles, and have a drink from the cash bar at...
Royal Jordanian Award Space Now Bookable on AA.com
American Airlines has added Royal Jordanian to the growing list of carriers that you can now redeem AAdvantage miles for online. RJ is a oneworld partner based in Amman that serves Chicago, Detroit, New York, and Montreal in North...
Now Hiring: Award Expert Executive Aide
I have chosen the non-conventional career path of working for myself instead of working for others, and as Award Expert has grown, it has consumed a growing chunk of my time. Even with an excellent team already lending support,...
Last Call for 30K Starpoints Bonus from Starwood American Express Card
UPDATE: Offer now expired. Today is the final day to take advantage of the enhanced sign-up bonus on the Starwood Preferred Guest Credit Card and Business Card from American Express. Starwood points are great for booking Starwood hotel properties, but they are also a...
Last Day for 100% Bonus on Purchased US Airways Miles
Update: Offer Expired. US Airways has been good about offering a 100% bonus on purchased Dividend Miles every second or third month for the last two years, but today is the last day for the current promotion. Buy 10,000-19,000...
The Bigotry of Fear Exposed at JFK
The story of Aditya Mukerjee, a Hindu-American who spent three hours detained at JFK for triggering an explosives alert at a TSA checkpoint is a troubling story and cause for deep introspection. I must admit, even my first reaction was...
New United Airlines Transpac Route from SFO: Chengdu
United Airlines will announce a new transpacific longhaul route from San Francisco tomorrow and an insider tells me the new destination will be to Chengdu (CTU). Chengdu is the capital of Sichuan province in Southwest China and home to more than 14,000,000 people....
False Alarm: Still No Fuel Surcharges on Most AA Awards
I awoke to news this morning that American Airlines would begin imposing fuel surcharges on all award travel, including flights on its own metal, and my heart sank. Currently fuel surcharges are imposed on British Airways flights and a...
American Airlines Adds New Flights at LAX
American Airlines is growing at Los Angeles International and today the carrier will begin service to five new cities: Indianapolis, Indiana Columbus, Ohio Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Hartford, Connecticut Bentonville, Arkansas Earlier this year AA began serving Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina and...
Disgruntled Former United Airlines Purser Extracts Revenge by Phoning in Bomb Threats
A former United Airlines purser has pleaded guilty to to making a false bomb threat against a United flight from Los Angeles to London Heathrow. He could face up to five years in prison and has agreed to pay...
A Delicious Breakfast on American Airlines
I admit it. I do like airline food. Though I am getting better at turning things down, I still eat almost anything put before me on an airplane. Most of my domestic flying this year has been transcons to/from...
American Airlines Airbus A319 Photo Tour
American Airlines has taken delivery of its first new Airbus A319s and invited me and a cadre of other travel writers to examine the new aircraft in Dallas last week. I was already at LAX on another matter, so...
