As I have harped on many times before, attitude is key when it comes to forming my overall impression of a flight or travel experience. The amenities, ticket price, and hard product can all be great, but unless the...
Using a Flight Delay to Your Advantage
While most of the traveling public dreads the announcement that their flight is delayed, I usually welcome such announcements. To be sure, delays are not always a great thing. My Los Angeles-Las Vegas United flight was delayed yesterday by...
My Las Vegas Hotel Dilemma
Last week Expedia’s Canadian division ran a wonderful $300 off promotion that I took full advantage of. Booking the trips to New York City were easy, but the trips to Las Vegas were a bit more difficult. With Vegas,...
What the Spell Checkers Missed at United.com
Believe me, spell checking is not the easiest task in the world. Automated spell checkers are not perfect and without careful proofreading (as I have found more often than I’d care to admit on my own blog), a lot...
Delta On-Demand Dining at New York Kennedy and LaGuaradia
The next generation of airport dining has arrived at New York Kennedy and LaGuardia airports. In a partnership between Delta, OTG Management, and the airport authority, passengers flying through New York City’s two largest airports will be able to...
Despite the TSA, We Have a Lot to be Thankful For
It is Thanksgiving Day in The United States and the hot topic remains the Transportation Security Administration. As an ardent defender of the original meaning of the Fourth Amendment, I’ve dedicated a lot of time and space to attacking the...
Incoming Speaker of the House Flies Commercial, but Skips Security
Incoming Speaker of the House John Boehner (R-OH) has pledged to continue to fly commercial when assumes his new position in January. Outgoing speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) was criticized by many on the right and some environmental groups for...
The Silence of the (Airline) Lambs
In all the talk about full airport security, TSA, full body scanners, and enhanced pat-downs, one element has been absent: the airlines’ role in all this. Today is national opt-out day and as of noon ET, doesn’t appear to...
"Have a happy holiday…"
I interacted with quite a few United Airlines’ employees today on my journey from Philadelphia to Orange County via Chicago and was struck by something: no staff member–not a single one–uttered the word "Thanksgiving." Instead, everyone said, "Have a happy...
A Return to "Smoking" Flights?
While tobacco cigarettes, pipes, and cigars won’t be returning to U.S. airlines anytime soon, new technology has made it possible to re-introduce "smoking flights" with little or no discomfort to non-smoking and smoke-adverse passengers. This blurb provides little constructive...
British Midland International CEO Talks About Future of bmi and Diamond Club
In a wide-ranging interview with Air & Business Travel News, British Midland International (bmi) CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer shared further details on the future of bmi and its Diamond Club mileage program. What is the vision for bmi? The vision...
United, Continental Pilots Angry Over Outsourcing
United pilots have long protested the "regional creep" that permeates deeper in UA’s schedule each year. Essentially, more regional jets served by United Express subsidiaries are taking over routes that used to be exclusively mainline. For example, Los Angeles-Portland/Seattle...
Big Week Ahead on the Airport Security Front
Progress was made last week on the airport security front. Backlash over the TSA’s invasive full body scanners and pat-downs is rapidly escalating and a number of key news items suggest the public is finally starting to push back....
A Salute to Former Northwest Airlines Chairman Donald W. Nyrop
Airlines don’t build themselves. It takes leadership, vision, and ingenuity to make a carrier great. Last Tuesday, former Northwest Airlines chief Donald W. Nyrop passed away at the age of 98. Over his long tenure at Northwest, those were...
Why the TSA Violates the Fourth Amendment
Earlier today, Steven Frischling, author of the Flying with Fish blog over at Boarding Area, posted a piece entitled, How the TSA Legally Circumvents the Fourth Amendment. I am a big fan of Fish’s blog–he is a nuanced writer...
United Returns to Lima! New Service from Houston with Domestic 767-300s
Starting in February, United will take over Continental’s Houston (IAH) to Lima (LIM) route. Currently, Continental operates a 757-200 on this 3,143-mile, 6.5 hour flight, featuring 16 BusinessFirst seats (though this winter they will be transitioning to a 757-300...
TSA Exempts Pilots from Intrusive Pat-Downs and Full Body Scanners
Hot off the press, The Transportation Security Administration agreed Friday to let uniformed airline pilots skip the body scans and aggressive pat-downs at the heart of a national uproar. The pilots must pass through a metal detector at airport checkpoints and present...
Fly to New York City, Las Vegas, or Cancún for Free
This deal has been going on all afternoon, but the fat lady isn’t signing yet: Expedia.ca is offering $300 off your trip (air + hotel) to New York City, Las Vegas, or Cancún and there are no strings attached...
Air New Zealand Adds Credit Card Surcharge
Paying with a credit card just got a bit more expensive on Air New Zealand. Starting on December 15th, Air New Zealand will charge NZ$2 per person per one-way journey for domestic flights paid for by credit card, $5...
FAs to Vote on Retro 757 Livery to Celebrate United’s 85th Anniversary
To celebrate United Airlines’ 85th Anniversary next year, FAs (just the UA ones) will have a chance to vote on a classic livery that will be featured on a 757. The retro-schemed aircraft will survive the new UA “bingo container” paint jobs...
