Read Part I here As I mentioned in Part I, when I reached SFO Saturday morning to check in for my trip to Philadelphia via Chicago, the agent could not find my ticket. I had been re-booked by a...
Phantom Lufthansa First Class Award Space on StarNet
I became excited today while working on a client award request when some first class availability popped up on Lufthansa–it has been very rare lately, especially more than a few days before travel. One client was using Air Canada...
Was it the Way I Looked? Part I
The rain and fog was bad in SFO yesterday, delaying my US Airways flight from Charlotte for over three hours and causing a misconnect on my way back to PHL. I knew I would miss my connecting flight while...
I Did Not Clear the Standby List…
…for the shower. And boy oh boy, did I miss it. It’s been an interesting few days. Easter Island was great–pictures will be coming in due time–but I made a big mistake. For some reason, the sun and my...
Next Stop: Easter Island on LAN
Last fall, when British Airways massively devalued its Executive Club program, I went on a booking frenzy in the final hours of old award chart and booked a number of trips, including an 80K business class trip on LAN...
An Amazing Delta TV Ad
Airline television ads are one of my favorite topics on Live and Let’s Fly. I’ve raved about United Airlines ads, been awestruck by British Airways not once, but twice, and been wowed by Virgin Atlantic. But I may have...
Picture: A Unique Moment in United Airlines History
As United Airlines works to repaint all of its aircraft with the Continental globe livery, there are still a number of variations out there. United never got around to updating its gray livery on many aircraft when it introduced...
TSA Concedes Failure of Full Body Scanners
TSA’s Iraqi Information Minister, Blogger Bob, addressed the new video “making its way around the interwebs” about why full body scanners actually make us less safe. His words were telling. Let’s go through them, one sentence at a time....
One Upside to the United Merger: Elite-Only Saver Awards in Business and First Class
With the exception of the expanded route network and ability to search for Star Alliance partner awards online (which actually hurts my award consulting business), I cannot point to many changes I like in the new world of Continental...
How to Get Anything Past a TSA Full-Body Scanner
For years I have been preaching about the lack of critical thinking and common sense that characterized the Transportation Security Administration’s choice to roll out full-body scanners at airports nationwide. I have pointed out that the machines were never...
Travel Vexations on United Airlines: Give Yourself Plenty of Time This Week
I had my first post-SHARES travel experience today on United, and it was not pretty—though it ended well. In what has become a routine for me of late, I was scheduled to fly from Columbia, SC to Philadelphia via...
How Did the United Airlines IT Transition Go For You?
I’ve been dealing with a number of family issues over the last week, so I apologize for the brevity of recent posts and the noticeable gaps between them. Just to warn my six readers, the next couple weeks don’t...
United is Dead, Long Live UNITED
United.com has just been switched off. Continental.com is now off as well. All phones lines this hour connect to a pre-recorded message welcoming customers to the “the new United” but stating that systems are down and agents are unable...
Armageddon for United/Continental Passengers on 03 March?
At 0100 Central Time on Saturday, 03 March, United Airlines will flip the switch, transitioning from its Apollo Reservation System it has used for the last four decades to Continental’s in-house SHARES system. Will the transition be smooth? History...
Kazakhstan Embassy: Take Two
Yesterday I lamented about the refusal of the Kazakhstan Embassy in Washington, DC to take my visa application package when I showed up 20 minutes after scheduled closing. How about 30 second before scheduled closing? “The Amazing Race: Matthew Edition”...
When Rules Should Be Overruled
Let’s have a debate about rules today. I’ve touched on the issue before and it usually draws a number of comments, most of them negative, stating that rules are on the book for a reason, we all should follow...
The Delta Online SkyMiles Award Search Tool is Broken (Really Broken)
For those that have ever tried to redeem Delta SkyMiles at delta.com, you know how difficult that can be. The system is broken and has been for years now. But now it’s really broken, to the point of total...
Enhanced Food Offerings in US Airways Philadelphia Clubs
When US Airways recently turned its Philadelphia Envoy Lounge into a regular US Airways Club, it promised enhanced food offerings in the afternoon at all US Airways Clubs in Philadelphia. For those who do not remember, the Envoy Lounge...
United’s Post-Merger Flight Status Screens a Step Backwards
As the 03 March 2012 Continental-United integration date moves closer, we are already seeing what the new “United” will look like in some stations. Philadelphia, for example, rolled out the new Continental-esque flight display screens for United flights last...
When it Pays to Have Frequent Flyer Status
I had a tight connection in Washington Dulles that involved a terminal change and actually missed my connecting flight yesterday. All flights to Philadelphia were zeroed out, but I was put on the standby waitlist for the next flight...
