I’m not jumping ship from United, but I am starting off 2018 flying a whole lot of oneworld. That trip began with a redeye on American Airlines’ last night from LAX to JFK. If you caught my AA medical...
Introduction: A Trip to China on Finnair
For years I have wanted to try Finnair. A business trip to China allowed me to finally sample not just Finnair’s business class, but the Finnair A350. John and I were in Germany and had to get to Beijing....
2018 Trip Report Roadmap
Prepare yourselves…13 months into the rebirth of Live and Let’s Fly and I still am not caught up on trip reports of years past. I do concede that older hotel and flight reviews have a limited shelf life, but...
Review: Qatar Airways A350 Business Class Doha to New York
Sleep and food…two of my favorite things and the two items my Qatar Airways A350 flight from Doha to New York centered on. After spending a couple hours inside the Al Mourjan Business Class Lounge in DOH, it was time...
Review: Qatar Airways A330 Business Class Ho Chi Minh City to Doha
Qatar Airways proved once again that it offers the most well-rounded and perhaps the best overall business class product in the world. This is the first of four segments on the incredible $672 Qatar Airways fare sale I took...
Review: Apricot Lounge Ho Chi Minh City (SGN)
Qatar Airways uses the Apricot Lounge in Ho Chi Minh City (SGN) for its business class passengers, a nice independent lounge that partners with six airlines. I liked the bright colors, natural light, and tarmac views of this lounge....
Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto (YYZ)
Executive summary: a perfectly comfortable lounge with a decent food spread, showers, and fast wi-fi. Before my flight on Ethiopian Airlines from Toronto to Addis Ababa I spent an hour in Air Canada’s Terminal 1 Maple Leaf Lounge. An...
Convalescing on the California Coast
I’ve been sick a lot lately. More this year than the several previous years combined. Nothing deadly, but a particularly vicious stomach flu and several colds, which all seem to manifest themselves in the same cycle of sore throat,...
Introduction: Adventures on Ethiopian Airlines and Qatar Airways
Two so-called mistake fares. One mega trip. It was a hard-fought battle, but eventually I prevailed and successfully reinstated my discounted business class ticket on Ethiopian Airlines. Soon thereafter, Qatar Airways published an amazing business class fare between Ho...
My Trip to a Charming Italian Village
I had the chance recently to spend a couple days in a small town called Atina nestled in the mountains of central Italy. A long-time friend who emigrated to the USA from Italy over 40 years ago has encouraged...
Another Fabulous Weekend in Green Lake, WI
Last weekend I made my annual pilgrimage to Green Lake, WI, now a six-year tradition. Every time I go I realize I live in a bubble in LA. While I am in no rush to move to Wisconsin, there...
Review: Spirit Airlines Big Front Seat Los Angeles to Ft. Lauderdale
I took a gamble. The Spirit fare was so cheap it equated to a “first class” seat for an economy class price and the ability to fly nonstop. Unfortunately, it did not pay off. Maybe it was because of...
Review: Aerolineas Argentinas Lounge Buenos Aires (EZE)
This is a huge lounge, but also an underwhelming one. While you’ll have no trouble finding a seat (or dozens of seats), you will be very disappointed if you arrive hungry. You walk in and see a huge seating...
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge Buenos Aires (EZE)
I found the American Express Centurion Lounge to be the best lounge in Buenos Aires’ Ministro Pistarini International Airport. It’s worth a visit. Arriving at 8am, I had the lounge to myself for 30 minutes. Compare that to the crowded...
Review: Star Alliance Lounge Buenos Aires (EZE)
With an extended layover between flights, I had time to go lounge hopping in Buenos Aires. My first stop: the Star Alliance Lounge, now part of the Priority Pass network. Upon landing I followed the signs for “international transit”,...
Review: Aerolineas Argentinas A340 Business Class Cancún to Buenos Aires
I poked fun at Aerolineas Argentinas “Club Condor” Class in an earlier post, but was really looking forward to trying it. With a limited route map and limited award space, catching a longhaul Aerolineas Argentinas flight is not an...
Review: Aeromexico Lounge Cancún (CUN)
My connection turned out so quick that I had plenty of time to relax prior to my Aerolineas Argentinas flight to Buenos Aires. The airline uses Aeromexico’s Salon Premier in Terminal 2. The lounge is small, but access is limited...
Introduction: Los Angeles to Rome via Argentina and Spain on SkyTeam
It’s time for my next trip report, a short one that will detail my trip to Italy last month. Let’s just say I took the scenic route… An ambitious goal to be sure, but it is my desire to...
Review: Saudia 777-300ER First Class Jeddah to Los Angeles
This is part two of SV41, from Riyadh to Los Angeles. In the first installment of this report, I covered the short flight from RUH to JED and the ground stop in Jeddah. This flight covers the 16hr journey...
Review: Saudia 777 First Suite Riyadh to Jeddah
Even though Riyadh to Los Angeles is sold as a direct flight and there is no way to purchase the Riyadh to Jeddah portion alone, I am going to break up the review into two parts. Note that even...
