Last week I recounted an exchange I had with a vigilante Korean Air lounge attendant that attempted to downgrade me from paid business class to coach on her own accord despite substantial evidence I bought the correct ticket. Many...
Hotwire, OTAs Make Schedule Changes Unbearable
Hotwire ran a fare sale with Korean Air last summer which brought us back to the third-party booking service after years without booking on one. We were reminded just how difficult managing reservations can be through OTAs when airline...
Korean Air Loses Monopoly On Lucrative Route
After a nearly 30-year monopoly, Korean Air will no longer be the sole Korean carrier flying between Seoul Incheon and Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. In 1991 Korea and Mongolia signed an aeronautical agreement. The agreement allowed for only one carrier...
Saudi Refugee Flies Business Class To Canada
A teenage Saudi was granted refugee status by Canada and has now arrived in Toronto…in business class on Korean Air. Last week I wrote about 18-year old Rahaf Mohammed al-Qunun, who fled her allegedly-abusive family while on vacation in Kuwait...
A Family of Nuts: Korean Air CEO Indicted
There are all sorts of jokes I can make about the Cho family in South Korea, the powerful chaebol that owns Korean Air. But this is no laughing matter. South Korea has been conducting some “house cleaning” since a...
Counterpoint: Turning Chase’s JetBlue “Lemon” Into Lemonade
Matthew wrote a piece discussing the removal of Chase Ulitmate Rewards partner Korean Air SkyPass and the addition of JetBlue TrueBlue was the equivalent of a car dealer selling a “lemon.” I emphatically disagree, and here’s why I am...
Planning My Final Korean Air Award
August 24th is the last day to transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Korean Air SkyPass. That has me planning what could potentially be my final redemption on Korean Air. I’ve procrastinated flying Korean Air First Class for years....
Booked! Aeromexico + Air France Business Class
Last week I wrote about my dilemma over an expiring Korean Air award. I’ve now found a solution and thankfully salvaged the ticket. Since Korean Air SkyTeam partner award tickets must end in the same country as they begin,...
Saving My Expiring Korean Air Award…
Like most airline tickets, both award and revenue, Korean Air tickets expire one year from date of issue. That presents quite a problem for me… You might recall that Ben from One Mile at a Time and I flew...
Booking Aeroflot Award Space With SkyTeam Partners Proves Difficult
After a superb trip nearly a decade ago, Aeroflot Russian Airlines is a carrier I planned to fly this year. But booking award space has proved extremely difficult. I was hoping to get to Russia next month, but am...
Nutgate and Watergate 2.0: The Disgraced Sisters of Korean Air
Two heiress sisters. Two different controversies. One swift punishment: they’re both out of the family business. For now at least… We all remember the “nut rage” incident onboard a Korean Air flight from New York to Seoul in 2014. Cho...
How Shall I Get Back to LA from Ho Chi Minh City?
My Qatar Airways 777-3ooER Qsuite flight is right around the corner. But I have nothing booked home… This is a review trip and I’m not planning on spending any time in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a lovely city...
Case Closed: Korean Air “Nut Rage” Executive Avoids Prison
Cho Hyun-ah, famous for her nut rage incident at JFK, will avoid jail time after the South Korean Supreme Court upheld her suspended sentence. In case you forgot: Heather Cho, 40, was in a first class seat on a...
Caution: Chase Strictly Limits Korean Air SkyPass Transfers
Word of warning: Chase points can only be transferred to Korean Air SkyPass once every 24 hours. I learned the hard way. I’m not traveling home tomorrow on Turkish Airlines…or Kuwait Airways. No, I think I’ve got something even...
Review: Korean Air KAL Business Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
Prior to my China Eastern flight from Los Angeles to Shanghai we were invited to use the Korean Airlines KAL Business Lounge. In a nutshell: it’s better than nothing, but not worth your time. This is a PriorityPass lounge,...
Help Me Get Home: Three Choices!
Greetings once again from SE Asia. I’m working late in Vientiane, Laos this evening. The Novotel at BKK was over $200 so I thought, what the heck, let’s turn lemons into lemonade. I’ve never been to Laos before and the...
Korean Air Awards Suddenly Become Much More Attainable
Korean Air offers a treasure trove of first class award availability to Seoul and beyond and is not too stingy in releasing business and economy class award space either. Up until now, booking has required Chase Ultimate Rewards points...
