Another video is out poking fun at the TSA, and it is a good one. Take a look: I trust that this more light-hearted format might prod more Americans to question the Department of Homeland Security and the laughable (and frankly...
United Mistakenly Reinstates 9/11 Flight Numbers
An insensitive and inexcusable mistake or an honest oversight that was quickly corrected? As United and Continental merge into a single entity, they continue to take steps to align the operations of the two airlines. UA and CO recently...
Continental/United (Partially) Align Standby Policy
United and Continental have made changes to their standby and same-day confirmed flight change policy that bring the two carriers closer to alignment. Good news for Premier Executives–standby and even confirmed same-day changes are now free on United and Continental....
I Gave Up Three Upgrades to Get Back to Frankfurt Two Hours Early
If my colleagues at Star are reading this: take note! I care about getting to work on time. It has been a draining three days, but my mileage run around the world is near completion: one flight remains. This morning I arrived in...
Taking Advantage of Continental’s Last Day at Washington Dulles
Starting tomorrow, Continental will move to the D-gates and Continental Express to the lower A-gates at Washington Dulles. Up this point, CO has operated at the far A-gates right about where the B-gates start as a separate entity from...
Silent Treatment from the Purser
Yesterday afternoon I flew from San Francisco to Kona on United and as my seatmate and I were getting settled in our seats, the purser walks by and places a sheet of paper down between us. He says nothing but is...
Reciprocal Seat Assignments Now Availabile Online with Continental/United
For months, seat assignments have been a major annoyance on mixed Continental/United itineraries. A CO-operated UA codeshare booked on united.com required that you copy the reservation reference number and proceed to continental.com to assign seats. The same was true...
United Purser Packs Picnic Lunch For Me
The plan was to fly from Boston to San Francisco this afternoon on United, but I opted to standby for a morning transcon so I could have dinner with family this evening. The flight was zeroed out and although...
United Changes Boarding Procedures to Align with Continental
Yesterday I was surprised when my Honolulu – Los Angeles flight boarded economy class passengers by row rather than by zone, starting with the back of the plane and moving forward. I assumed it was a HNL quirk and...
Op-Up to Asiana First Class from Seoul to Tokyo
Hello from Honolulu. I’ve missed blogging the last week, but the time off has been refreshing. Both Tokyo and Seoul were great cities and I look forward to returning to both places, though especially Seoul so that I can...
The Time to Visit Japan is Now
I had a wonderful, albeit brief, stay in Japan and feel the obligation to provide the following observation: Above all else, my trip to Japan demonstrated that the media shamelessly blows stories out of proportion. Remember all the talk about...
Buddha Spoils My Trip to the DMZ!
Don’t you just hate it when plans go awry? I arrived in Seoul last night and had set up a tour to visit the DMZ and Panmunjom (North/South Korea border) today, a relic of the Cold War and primary...
Guam was Great, Onward to Tokyo!
I am on my way to the airport now after a brief but wonderful stay in Guam. I stayed at the Sheraton Laguna Guam last night and found it to be a wonderful property–a full report will be coming...
Lufthansa Miles & More will Match Your Air France/KLM Flying Blue Elite Status
Through the end of March, Air France/KLM offered a generous status match with no challenge or flight requirements mandated. United, Continental, and US Airways elites were eligible to participate and the offer brought instant SkyTeam elite status. For those...
Last Day to Apply for British Airways 100,000 Mile Chase Credit Card
UPDATE: This offer is gone, but check out the new credit card offers as well. If you have not taken advantage of Chase’s 100,000 mile sign-up bonus for the British Airways Chase Visa card, tomorrow is your last day to do so....
The Bully Got His Way
Don’t you just hate it when bullies get their way? I flew from Denver to Boston on United today and one of the passengers was quite a character. He was an older man, about 70, with a tacky plaid...
Watch Those United Upgrades on Continental Codeshares!
While the Continental/United integration process remains a work in progress, one benefit that we saw almost immediately after the merger was reciprocal upgrades on the two carriers. But based on what happened to me today, this technology has not...
From First Class to Economy: My 58K Mile Journey Begins
There is never an ideal time to take time off from a busy job, but with my brother graduating from university next week, I constructed my trip to Japan and South Korea as well as my mileage run from...
Washington Dulles to Frankfurt in United Airlines First Class
Although I have traveled all over the world in international first class, I had never tried out United’s first class longhaul product…until last week. UA’s international first class service is often criticized, especially when compared to its competitors, but I...
United International First Class Lounge at Washington Dulles
As I mentioned a few days ago, I somehow wound up in first class on my Washington, DC to Frankfurt United flight last week. An international first class boarding pass granted me access to UA’s International First Class Lounge, located near the...
