It has been quite a week, hasn’t it? My week started at Frequent Traveller University in Washington, DC followed by a pair of United flights from Washington National to Cape Town via Newark. Less than a week later, the...
SWISS Chocolate And Free Speech…
SWISS is dropping chocolatier Läderach from its onboard premium cabin offering due to controversial, public positions on divisive social issues by the CEO. I assess the issue differently than the Zeitgeist. If you’ve ever flown SWISS business class over the...
On Kobe Bryant, Helicopters, And Life…
Kobe Bryant, his teenage daughter, and seven others died in a tragic helicopter crash yesterday just minutes from my house. Bryant’s untimely death is another reminder to cherish the moments you have with loved ones. It was a foggy...
My Silent Seatmate From Sydney…
My seatmate from Sydney to Los Angeles was an odd bird. I still cannot figure her out… I’m not much of a talker on flights, short or long. I’ll generally engage my seatmate if I am first engaged, but...
20:20 Vision For 2020 On Live And Let’s Fly
Happy New Year dear readers from around the world. It’s time to reflect back and look ahead. As I explained in my Christmas Day post, 2019 was a tough year for me. In fact, in many ways it was...
My 2019 Christmas Reflection
A very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to all my dear readers. I find myself in Los Angeles this Christmas for the first time in three years. It will be nice to spend the day with my side of...
Unprovoked Attack Against Delta Passenger By Beggar Raises More Questions Than Answers
What should our reaction be to a beggar who walked up to a Delta passenger in Atlanta checking-in for his flight and punched him the face? How should we answer calls to step up police vigilance and reduce vagrancy...
Part III: Heartfelt Conversations With Iraqi Kurds
As Turkish forces embark upon a massive offensive into Kurdish-controlled Northeast Syria, memories of my 2011 trip to Iraqi Kurdistan are in the front of my mind. > Part I: A Day Trip To Iraq > Part II: Exploring...
9/11 Reflections From United Airlines CEO (And From Me)
Today marks a solemn anniversary in American history, a day of tragedy made more tragic by the fear-based response that followed…and continues 18 years later. Nearly two decades later, each trip to the airport remains a reminder of how...
Why Do We Believe Stories We Want To Be True?
In a world of fake news, I fell prey to it yesterday…not only did I buy it, but I transmitted it to thousands. Today, I must apologize. Perhaps I am asking a deeper ontological question than is warranted for...
Rethinking The Unruly Child On My Flight
Upon further reflection, I decided to blur the face of the child who ran wild on my recent flight. Allow me to explain why. Yesterday, I wrote about a poorly-behaved child on my SriLankan flight from Colombo to Kulala...
Economy Class Is Just Fine…Let’s Not Lose Sight Of That
On this premium-heavy blog in which topics of discussion range from caviar and champagne to upgrade phobia, let’s not lose sight of the fact that economy class usually does the job just fine. I sort of poked fun about...
AA Should Ban Profane Rapper, Not Rebook Him…
I know. It happens to the best of us. Tempers can flare when connections are missed. But responding in a fit of rage is never constructive. And responding with a profanity-laced tirade filled with threats and slurs should merit...
How Televangelists Defend Private Jets In 2019
Televangelist Jesse Duplantis is in the market for a new private jet, but has no desire to discuss it outside the friendly confines of his echo chamber church. Inside Edition, a tabloid American TV program, recently caught up with...
A Millennial Anniversary Celebration in Switzerland
As Notre Dame burned in Paris last night, another historic cathedral was basking in its 1000th birthday. When I say millennial, I am talking about a thousand years, not a recent generation… I spent the weekend with my wife...
The Painstaking Process Of Plotting A Review Trip…
Like any addiction, the flying compulsion rears its ugly head without warning and with great force. I had to chuckle at Ben’s recent piece entitled, “My Very Logical, Methodical, Review Trip Planning Process…” He and I think about review...
The Joy Of Flying, Even In Economy Class
While it is true that I treated my economy class trip on Lufthansa as something of a joke, I want to make one thing clear: flying in any cabin is an incredible joy that should not be taken for granted....
The Boeing 737 MAX And Iraq War Redux
The evidence was irrefutable. Every credible intelligence agency agreed. Only idiots didn’t understand. Statesmen from both sides of the aisle and the enlightened countries of the world all saw the imminent threat. Billions of dollars were spent. Lives...
Help! I’m An Airline Packrat…
A packrat is a person who saves unnecessary objects or hoards things. When it comes to airline-related paraphernalia, I am guilty as charged. I know I’m not the only one, so let me address this more generally to all...
Opinion: United Should Invest In Polaris, Not Livery
Yesterday, I wrote about United’s plans to introduce a new livery next month. Today, I argue that there are far more pressing priorities than fuselage paint jobs. The new livery will likely incorporate the new purple and blue hues...
