Always looking for a way to make a few dollars (and I certainly cannot blame them), United is now hawking paid upgrades when you buy your ticket. I bought this ticket a few days ago and received this “special...
I let a SWU expire!
I’ve always kept a close watch on my upgrade balance in the past, but since United’s unlimited domestic upgrade (UDU) program started earlier this year, I have not had the need to use any of my banked upgrade instruments....
More Encroachment by the TSA
Yeah, I’m going to get political again. Remember this post over a month ago? After the Faisal Shahzad incident I warned that the TSA would soon be taking over the passenger watchlist. Now this from the TSA blog: Secure Flight...
Coming Soon: New United Mileage Plus Website
I received the following e-mail from United today: My first thought was what redesign? I didn’t even know there was a Mileageplus.com website. Turns out there is, sort of–the web address takes you to the Mileage Plus portion of...
Delta Upgrades Regional Jets
As regional jet travel continues to proliferate, Delta is adding First Class cabins on many regional jets and hopes to offer two-cabin service on flights over 750 miles this fall. Once upgrades are completed, 50 routes that feature Delta...
United & Continental Pilots Moving Closer to New Contract
Some good news for a change on the labor front: United and Continental airlines are on course to wrap up a new contract with their pilot unions by fall, a critical step if their megamerger is to deliver the...
British Airways’ CEO Turns Down Huge Bonus
Times are tough for British Airways, but I have a lot of respect for Willie Walsh. British Airways’ chief executive Willie Walsh has turned down a six-figure bonus for the second year as the carrier struggles with losses and...
Delta Sends Unaccompanied Minors to Wrong Cities
First dogs, now kids on Delta. Delta Airlines says a paperwork mix-up resulted in a boy being sent to Cleveland and a girl being flown to Boston by mistake. Can you imagine waiting for Jimmy in Boston and Sally shows up...
United Express Pulls Out of Oxnard
Another LA airport bites the dust. First Palmdale, now Oxnard. With diminishing traffic and lack of profits, Skywest/United Express ceased operations at Oxnard Regional Airport (OXR) this week. Skywest, linking OXR to LAX, had used a 50-seat turboprop for...
The End of Mileage Running on United
Yesterday, I mentioned that I was saddened by a change to United’s fare rules that will radically transform (literally) the way I travel domestically. Basically, United has eliminated the ability to add multiple connections for no additional charge. Lucky sums...
Austrian Airlines to Launch Vienna-Mumbai Route
Austrian Airlines will be starting Vienna-Mumbai service this October and increase service to New Delhi from five to six flights per week. I’ve never had a chance to fly Austrian Airlines (though I am considering a trip to Iraq...
Changes to North American Premium Class Meal Service on United
Changes are coming to domestic First and Business Class meal service on United, and overall, I’d say they are good changes. Here’s the new meal service descriptions: United First® Flights between one and two hours in length (a distance...
My Horrible Stay at the Waldorf=Astoria Hotel in New York City
I was sorting through my laptop this morning and stumbled across an old letter that I had written to the Waldorf=Astoria hotel in New York after a very disappointing stay in 2007. I sent a letter to the manager...
Emirates Orders 32 more A380s from Airbus
Emirates, a rising star among airlines, ordered 32 additional A380s from Airbus this week. Airbus recently received its 10th A380 delivery and augments its previous order of 58 super jumbos. The deal, worth $11.5 BN, was announced at the...
Route through Chicago if you want a bump this summer?
Continuing on the theme of bumps, Chicago O’Hare (ORD) might be a wise airport to connect in this summer if you are looking for a bump. It also might be the airport you want to avoid if you are...
The Solution to Avoid IDBs: VDB Auctions
The Wall Street Journal has an excellent editorial today arguing that rather than more government rules, airlines should adopt an auction-style system to deal with overbooked flights. …In the first quarter of this year, some 23,380 passengers were forced...
Airlines Work to Update Technology
…[I]f you’ve ever been stranded at an airport during a raging thunderstorm, chances are you will end up standing in a long line watching a gate agent typing furiously on an outdated computer. Isn’t that the truth? Here’s the...
Car Takes Flight at DFW
Boeing and Airbus now have a new competitor: Ford Motor Company. The woman, who was drunk, claimed she had only one vodka-cranberry the night before. That must have been some vodka… I hope she’s not expecting a 500-mile minimum...
Eating Humble Pie After “Incident” at SFO Security Checkpoint
I had to cut short my trip to the Bay Area this weekend and fly home to attend the funerals of two family friends who died this week. For the first time in years, I purchased a walk-up ticket...
Review of the Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa in Nadi, Fiji
I spent my spring break in Fiji this year with my uncle and stayed four nights at the Westin on Denarau Island, near Nadi. For a review of my flights to Fiji (and back) on Continental click here. Compared...
