I recently had to take a last-minute trip to Italy and award space just wasn’t opening. Absolutely nothing from Los Angeles in economy, business, or first class unless I wanted to pay ridiculous rates on Air France, Delta, or...
Why JAL First Class Was The Best Flight Of My Life
I recently published my JAL 777-300 first class trip report. The more I think about it, the more it becomes clear that this was the best flight of my life in terms of overall onboard product. But why? What...
Five First Class Products I Should Have Tried By Now
Recently, I listed five “commonplace” business class products that I should have tried by now, but hope to try in the near future. Now I’ll do the same for first class. As with business class, a primary mission on my...
I Loved Malaysia Airlines A350 First Class!
Malaysia Airlines offers an excellent first class product aboard its new A350 aircraft. Here’s a preview of my recent flight. After a five-hour layover in Kuala Lumpur, we boarded the late night flight for Tokyo Narita. The A350 first...
Stunning: Pictures from the New SWISS First Class Lounge in Zurich
Leave it to SWISS to create a sophisticated, beautiful new first class lounge now open in the A Gates (Schengen) area of Zurich Airport. Like the E-Gates First Class Lounge, the bar design resembles a plane fuselage–made of beautiful...
Qatar Airways First Class vs. Qsuite Business Class
I’ve received many questions asking whether I prefer Qatar Airways First Class or fancy new Qsuite Business Class. Here’s a comparison of the two products. Qatar Airways still offers first class aboard its A380-800 aircraft. Thus far, Qsuite Business...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 7, 2018
A very happy Sunday evening to you from Los Angeles. It’s been a horrible weekend in one respect. I’ll explain tomorrow. For now, I’ll just leave you with the top stories of the week and a link to each...
Why You Should Always Compare Economy v. First Class Prices
I know this goes without saying for travel pros, but I was reminded again today that it always pays to check the price of a premium fare. One of the things we do at Award Expert is ensure that...
Amazing Flight in SWISS First Class!
I’m home and happy to report a smooth and most excellent flight in SWISS First Class! My family traveled from Zurich to Los Angeles and the superior service started service directly at check-in. We were traveling with a great...
I’m Booked in SWISS First Class, Zurich to Los Angeles…
Sometimes, you have to put your money where your mouth is. In what seems like so long ago, I promised: But mark my words: my family will fly in SWISS First together to end our holiday trip to Germany....
Air France Cancels My First Class Reservation…96 Hours Later
I’ll be honest…I thought I had squeaked by. But no, Air France has now cancelled my first class reservation…four days after ticketing it. While most people booked Los Angeles (LAX) or San Francisco (SFO) to Paris, I booked San...
Aeroplan: We Won’t Honor SWISS First Class Award Tickets
Just 11 minutes after publishing a cautiously optimistic post on the Aeroplan/SWISS First Class award issue, the other shoe dropped…Aeroplan is throwing in the towel. Here’s the update from Aeroplan– A small number of first class bookings were made...
Aeroplan Issues Statement on Cancelled SWISS First Class Awards
Last post of the day on this, but Aeroplan sent me a statement concerning the cancelled SWISS First Class award bookings and I want to share it with you. I can assure you that we are not pleased with...
Let’s Help Aeroplan Take the Moral High Ground (RE: SWISS First Class Awards)
Yesterday, after learning that my SWISS First Class tickets from Zurich to Los Angeles had been cancelled, I quickly issued a legal threat. My point was not to be unnecessarily combative, but to underscore the seriousness of this matter and...
Stunning New First Class Suites on Emirates
Emirates officially unveiled its new 777 first class suites yesterday in Dubai and they look even better than the the teaser. Suite Features The new Suites will feature: 1-1-1 seating (versus the current 1-2-1) Floor-to-cieling sliding doors Virtual windows...
Lufthansa First Class: A380 vs. 747-8
I recently published two first class reviews from Los Angeles to Frankfurt on Lufthansa, one on an A380 and the other on a 747-8. Which aircraft is better if traveling in Lufthansa First Class? This post will will compare...
Flying Lufthansa First Class with Hollywood Stars, Oligarchs, and Executives
Yesterday I flew Lufthansa First Class from Los Angeles to Frankfurt. The 8-seat cabin was filled with a mix of A-list stars, a former Lufthansa executive, and a wealthy Ukrainian family. It made for an interesting flight… I am...
Review: Garuda 777-300ER First Class Jakarta – Amsterdam
The moment had finally arrived. It was time to fly Garuda Indonesia First Class. Nanda and Roni, my two first class assistants, asked me if I would like to board first or last. Had the internet been working in...
Generous Lufthansa First Class Award Availability between Tokyo Haneda and Frankfurt
When Lufthansa recently announced new service between Mexico City and Munich as well as Toronto and Munich, premium class award seats were released on every flight. Even first class, which is normally only released to Star Alliance partners two...
Cathay Pacific First Class Cabin Refresh
Only a few weeks after Singapore Airlines announced their new first, business and economy class designs, Cathay Pacific is following suit. Today they announced their anticipated refresh of their first class seat. While the new seat isn’t a big...
