Category Archives: Travel

Not exactly a day of celebration here in Germany, but yesterday was Veterans Day (or Armistice Day as I prefer to call it), marking the end of the World War I and a day in the USA to remember...

I’m out of Africa – mission accomplished. That was more than a week ago.  But rather than recovering at home from a 4-week trip to Africa, I never even got back to Germany: from Cape Town, Heidi and I...

Frequent Traveler University (FTU) is coming 05-07 December 2014 to Washington, DC and I will be speaking on a variety of travel-related topics. This is going to be a huge event with a speaker list including some of the indstury’s...

I recently made a short trip to the USA, including a visit to some dear friends in Washington, DC. I like taking the 10pm United service out of Dulles because it allows for a full day and relaxed dinner...

United Airlines hosts a Family Day at its giant maintanence center at San Francisco International Airport each autumn. In past years, select members from Flyertalk and MilePoint have been invited to attend and I have attended twice – it...

Captain Denny Flanagan sent me the following note this morning — My Flying Friends,   It’s early morning on September 11th in Shanksville Pennsylvania. I am here with over 50 United crew members to honor the memory of the Pilots,...

Both Rocky and Sriram have sampled American Airlines’ new onboard premium class menu, effective 01 September 2014, and both found it to be supremely lacking. They are not the only ones, for I have not read one positive review...

With the loss of Darren, our resident expert on airline amenity kits, I admitedly have not kept up with the current amenity kits offered by airlines outside the handful of Star Alliance carriers I frequent regularly. The Daily Mail has...

In celebration of my recent birthday, Heidi and I spent the weekend in Vienna, Austria. More on that in future posts including a great stay at the brand new Park Hyatt Vienna, but I once again encountered a problem...

It has been a very busy day with a totally unexpected (and frankly grotesque) surprise. All I will say now is check back tomorrow – wait till you read what happened today. And on that happy note, I am...

Just a reminder that today is your last day to enter to win a free Rimowa Amenity Kit from EVA. The contest ends about 24 hours from now, at 23:59 CET on 21 July 2014. I’m a huge fan...

In honor of my recent nuptials, I am giving away a Rimowa amenity kit that I received on a recent Amsterdam-Bangkok EVA flight in Royal Laurel (business) class.  Rimowa is the premier German luggage company and this hard-shell amenity...

Track corrosion forced the closure of AirTrain service between Newark’s Liberty International Airport and the EWR Rail Station in May, but the restoration work is now complete, more than 10 days ahead of schedule. With runway construction, no rail...

As Congress considers whether to allow airlines to hide taxes and fees from consumers until late in the booking process, perhaps a hotel anecdote will be instructive. Hotels and the online travel agencies that sell hotel rooms are not...

U.S. President Calvin Coolidge, a man of so few words he was referred to by many as “Silent Cal”, delivered an uncharacteristically long speech at Gettysburg on May 30, 1928 to commemorate Memorial Day. The context of his speech...

I hate to hear my own voice, so it is rare that I make videos when I travel. That’s a shame, really, because I’ve been to over 100 fascinating countries and though I make it a point to get...

A highlight of my year is the annual Freddie Awards ceremony, in which airlines and hotels are recognized by millions of consumer voters for their programs and promotions. The 2014 Freddie Awards took place on April 24, 2014 at...

A new startup, Level Skies, promises to provides price protection for your next airline trip. You enter your trip details and how long you wish to lock in the best price guarantee (between 1 to 4 weeks). They then...

Mike is organizing another Reach for the Miles meetup in New York City. This one will be held Tuesday, 06 May at Professor Thom’s in the Lower East Side.  Come mingle and meet others from the travel industry, have...

I think the term racism is thrown around far too flippantly, but in a letter entitled “Dear Lufthansa, are your racist?” a Korean writer questions Lufthansa’s treatment of a group of Korean reporters who missed their flight to Seoul–...