While some snobby Canadians and Europeans will no doubt be dejected by this news, I am happy to report that the United States has further loosened travel restrictions to Cuba, making it possible for almost any American now to visit the communist island...
Singapore Airlines Plans Long-Haul Budget Carrier
When Air Canada announced plans for a new low-cost subsidiary last month, many were left scratching their heads. In a climate of high oil prices and an industry trend of cutting capacity, what would motivate such a move–especially with the high failure rate of...
United Enforcing E-Certificate Expiration Dates
Watch those expiration dates on your United e-certificates because all of a sudden UA seems to be enforcing them. For the last few years, UA’s e-certificates, issued for service problems experienced onboard or on the ground, have had expiration...
New Role for the TSA: High School Prom Guards
Coming soon to a high school near you: the Transportation Security Administration. Two girls at a New Mexico high school recently sued their school district, claiming that they were "groped" on their way into their prom earlier in the...
My First Bump on Lufthansa!
I do not always blog about my weekends, but if I am not traveling overseas I am usually traveling around Europe. Last weekend, I had a trip planned to London, departing Friday evening and returning early Monday morning to get me...
United Eliminates Pillows in Domestic First Class
For an airline that claims to be transforming itself into “world’s leading airline,” you have to question the recent decision to remove pillows from domestic first class flights. Yet that is exactly what United has done this week, following the model of their...
"You’re Flying from Washington to Chicago via Brazil?"
You should have seen the face of the United Airlines agent at Sao Paulo last week when I asked for a seat assignment change (moving to an open center section of five seats at the last minute) and she pulled...
Systemwide and Regional Upgrade Reciprocity Coming to Continental/United this Summer
Good news for holders of confirmed upgrades instruments on United and Continental: your upgrade options will soon widen. This morning I received the following e-mail from United: We understand how important upgrades are to you. Currently, elite members of...
Do the TSA Pokey Pokey (Video)
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...
