Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and one of my favorite breakfast dishes happens to be an airline meal. Now it is available even in economy class. United Airlines has offered a Southwestern omelets for a over...
United CEO Comments on World Series
What side do you root for when you’re an airline CEO and both teams in the World Series are from hub cities? United CEO Oscar Munoz had to walk a fine line during the Series. He’s an LA-native but...
Three Cool Awards I Booked Before United Devaluation
The dust has settled and new pricing is in effect at United MileagePlus. I dragged my feet in booking and ended up with three award reservations at the last minute. I won’t keep them all, but I’d rather pay...
American Airlines CEO Suggests Hubs Matter More Than Management
During an earnings call last week, American Airlines’ CEO Doug Parker intimated that bad hubs rather than poor management are to blame for widening profit gaps between industry-leader Delta and American or United. When asked about the widening profit...
My Favorite New United MileagePlus Redemption
Among the many higher prices rolled out today on the United Airlines MileagePlus award chart comes one superb reprieve. Direct flights 800 miles or less outside North America now cost 8,000 miles in economy class. In many cases, that’s...
Bid for a 2018 Winter Olympics Package on United Airlines
The 2018 Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games are just around the corner, now just 100 days away. Next year’s games will be in PyeongChang, South Korea (not to be confused with Pyongyang in the North). United Airlines has been the official...
Last Call: These Five United Awards Will Be More Expensive Tomorrow
In June United announced an award devaluation effective November 01, 2017. While a relatively modest devaluation as far as devaluations go, there are still five awards you should book today if you have no already done so. > Read...
United’s Party at LAX for Inaugural Singapore Flight
United Airlines rolled out quite the red carpet for its new Los Angeles to Singapore flight on Friday. At 8,700 miles the flight is currently the longest flight from the USA and third longest flight in the world. I...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: October 29, 2017
Hello from Singapore…where I’m laying in bed sick. I’ll keep this brief. You’ll find a review of the week’s top stories below. Let me stress: take care of yourself. Don’t overdo it. But at the same time, take every...
United Chasing The Wrong Incremental Spending
As the year comes to a close, some travelers have already re-qualified for status for the year while others find themselves coming up short. In the past, American, United and Delta have offer incentives to drive business and improve...
Next Stop: Singapore on United LAX-SIN Inaugural
Well, so much for my weekend at home… Tonight, United will launch its inaugural nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Singapore. It’s an important nonstop destination for LAX and underscores United’s commitment to Los Angeles as a hub. >...
Can You Cancel Basic Economy Fares Within 24 Hours?
American, Delta, and United all have some form of a 24-hour courtesy cancellation policy. But does this apply to no-frills “Basic Economy” tickets, which are explicitly non-changeable and non-refundable? In short, yes. But there are limits. Let’s review each...
Buy an Actual Piece of a United 747!
As United Airlines ramps up for the final 747-400 flight on November 07, 2017, it is offering you the chance to take home a piece of 747 history. You can now buy a number of 747 hardware pieces. A livery...
Lasagna: Alitalia vs. United Airlines
I’ve compared afternoon tea on British Airways and United. This week’s Meal of the Week compares lasagna lunches on United and Alitalia. #1: Alitalia (Madrid to Rome / August 2017) You’ll note the lasagna noodles are green. Usually that...
New 747 Amenity Kits on United Airlines
United Airlines is rolling out commemorative amenity kits in honor of the Boeing 747, which will be retired after a special final flight next month. The attractive tin amenity kits will contain the usual toiletries and skincare products, but...
Who is Luc Bondar, United’s New VP of Loyalty?
Yesterday, Luc Bondar was named Vice President of Loyalty at United. He will start his new job on November 01, 2017. But who is he? Does his background reveal anything about the future of MileagePlus? Bondar is Australian and...
United’s Latest Innovation Highlights Another Innovation Needed
Good news for United Airlines customers–if you’re connecting on a partner carrier you can now use your United app to retrieve those boarding passes. That may not sound like much, but marks a huge step forward for ease in...
This Billboard is an Inside Joke for United Flyers
This post is a little geeky, but I could not resist. I spent a couple days in Bangkok last week and everywhere I saw this ad– It’s apparently James Jirayu, who is a Justin Beiber-like figure in Thailand, as the...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: October 22, 2017
I’m back in LA after a fast-paced week around the world. My trip took another twist on the way to Ho Chi Minh City, which I will share tomorrow morning. As it was a relatively light news week, Live...
Drunk United Passenger Urinates on Seatmate…and FAs Ignore?
Another day, another chapter in Perils of Drinking and Flying. This story puts United Airlines back in the spotlight with a particularly unsavory drunk man on a transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to Newark. Daniel Card was flying home...
