The consultants United Airlines hires to provide strategic advice on loyalty innovation and how to increase profit must have a pretty easy job…watch Delta, then copy. Once again, United has mimicked Delta in increasing elite status thresholds for 2016...
Chinese Tourist Visas Now Valid for 10 Years
President Obama is in Asia this week at APEC and the headline has been the climate change deal he announced with China…but wait, there’s more! Of particular interest to travelers is another deal cut with China to extend visas...
United Airlines, Hertz Partnership Adds Elite Benefits to MileagePlus
United Airlines and Hertz have announced a new partnership in which MileagePlus elite members will receive elite status in Hertz’s Gold Plus Rewards program and more miles for Hertz rentals. Discounts and Bonus Miles with Hertz Hertz is already...
5 Things to Know About the Latest Lufthansa Strike
Lufthansa pilots are striking again over proposed cuts to a lucrative early retirement program and will continue until 23:59 CET tonight. While the 35-hour strike was originally planned only to affect regional traffic within Europe, longhaul pilots have joined...
Ontario, CA Fights for Control of ONT Airport
Southern California’s Inland Empire is a vast sprawl of affordable housing and big box stores east of Los Angeles that also is home to Ontario International Airport (ONT). The once-bustling airport now looks like a ghost town at most...
Airplane Food Delivered to Your Door!
I have a confession to make about airline meals. While most curse United Airlines for the “unchanging” “nasty” “disgusting” “tried” breakfast entrée pictured below, it is one of my favorite meals and if I had the chance to order...
9-Seat Airliner Coming to California
I have family that lives in Visalia, California and while my uncle was still alive, I made frequent trips up there – often once per month. A 3hr drive on I-5 is not a horrible thing, but the drive...
United Cuts JFK-IAD Service, Effective October 25, 2014
Even I am not too old to remember when New York Kennedy was once a United focus city, with service to Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Boston, Chicago, Washington, Los Angeles, and San Francisco. JFK was also once the home...
German Court Lifts Ban on Uber
A Frankfurt court that had banned Uber ride service from operating within Germany late last month has lifted the ban: Uber is back in business in Germany. Uber is mobile app based ride sharing service that offers an easy...
Kidnapping Forces United Flight from Washington to Beijing to Divert
I love the movie Argo, which tells the story of how Canada and CIA operative Tony Mendez smuggled out a cadre of six U.S. diplomats from Tehran during the Iran Hostage Crisis. In the gripping conclusion (full of artistic...
United Airlines’ CFO Disses His Company’s Global First Class Product
John Rainey, United Airlines’ infamous CFO who claimed that elites are over-entitled, has put his foot in his mouth again…this time by trashing his company’s three-cabin international first class product, dubbed “Global First”. But it was not just a...
Additions and Subtractions to Virgin Atlantic Route Network
Virgin Atlantic, strengthening its joint venture partnership with Delta Air Lines, has announced new routes that will bring the two carriers closer than ever before. With the lastest shuffle, the USA wins while Canada, India, Japan, and South Africa...
Orbitz and American Airlines Fighting Again: Who is to Blame?
American Airlines has pulled fares from Orbitz (again) and will also pull US Airways’ fares starting on September 01, 2015. Though AA is a partial owner of Orbitz, the carrier and the online travel agency have been unable to...
U.S. Secretary of State Rescued by United Airlines
It is not just us hoi polloi that run into mechanical delays that foul up our schedules and cause us to shift travel plans…it even happens to the Secretary of State of the USA. Sec. John Kerry has been...
A New Problem for Malaysia Airlines
In light of two deadly crashes and the questionable handling of each incident, beleaguered Malaysia Airlines faces an uncertain road ahead. The state-run carrier is 70% government owned and the privately-held 30% will soon be acquired by the government....
Air India: Rats on a Plane
Despite my love of German autos, I do not own one and instead use public transportation daily in Frankfurt. While the system is great for getting just about anywhere in town (and indeed, in the country), the underground stations...
Onboard Photos: The Hidden Hypocrisy in United’s New Safety Video
Another passenger was thrown off a United Airlines flight yesterday for taking pictures. Full details here, but here’s my summary: Passenger is on a flight from Austin to Denver. He has top-tier status with United and is a million-miler...
U.S. House Shamefully Passes Transparent Airfares Act of 2014
In a bipartisan vote yesterday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 which would roll back 2012 legislation requiring that the full fare be displayed at all steps of the airline ticket booking processing. We’ve...
Breaking: Malaysia Airlines 777 Shot Down Over Ukraine
A Malaysia Airlines Boeing 777-200 enroute from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has been shot down by a ground-to-air missile over eastern Ukraine. All 298 passengers/crew onboard are believed to be dead. As Malaysian continues its struggle over the still-unsolved mystery...
More Stringent Airport Security for USA-Bound Flights
There’s a man that U.S. intelligence agencies are watching named Ibrahim Al-Asiri who has been called a master bombmaker for Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP). He allegedly is skilled in constructing bombs out of ordinary material that can escape the...
