Just moments before heading out to the gym this evening, I received a frantic message from one of my clients, stating– Lot of problems in Houston, Qatar says there is no reservation for [name removed] both ways. PLEASE HELP! With...
Long Delay but a Humorous Captain
My quick hop up to Philadelphia today turned into a grueling three-hour journey thanks to bad weather. But it could have been much worse. At least there were pretzels. Stale pretzels. We pulled out of the A Concourse at...
Labor Day Weekend in Hawaii
I am on my way to Hawaii today (Friday) for a long weekend in Honolulu. It will be my first time back to the Islands since March 2011 and my first multi-day stay in Honolulu since 2004. Each year,...
No More Bumps on United Airlines for Me
My United redeye flight to Philadephia Monday turned out to be oversold. But I did not take a bump. It simply wasn’t worth the effort, a stark change in the post-merger world. Overnight bumps used to be an incredible...
United’s Retro Boarding Pass
When a portion of United Airlines’ computer network crashed today, gate agents were left to improvise. Most just waited out the 2hr, 20min outage, but some got creative–check out this boarding pass from #moiraforbes: It’s like 1955 all...
Once Again, A Change in Travel Plans = No Problem!
After all the time I spent securing an upgrade on my Los Angeles-Denver dinner flight this afternoon, it turns out I did not take the flight. No bumps, no drama–I just had too much work to do and could...
Did I Screw Up the Upgrade Queue on My LAX-DEN United Flight?
After posting about the intrigue surrounding United Airline’s complimentary upgrade process yesterday, reader Dan left this insightful comment: It’s very simple — there is someone ahead of you in the CPU queue who has a ticket ‘out of sync’...
Understanding How Complimentary Premier Upgrades Work On United Airlines
I suppose it is rather sad that it has taken me so long to figure this out, but my flight to Denver on Monday has finally helped me to understand how Continental’s United’s complimentary elite upgrade system works. In...
United Announces Additional 787 Routes
Although United Airlines, with great fanfare, announced that the Boeing 787 would operate the carrier’s new Denver-Tokyo Narita route next year, that will not be the first route we will see United’s newest fleet addition on. Today, United filled us...
Flying Home One Day Early on United Airlines
One of the positive post-merger changes on United Airlines is the ability to confirm an earlier flight up to 24 hours before your scheduled flight, even if it is the day before. I took advantage of that today—and it...
United Wins My Loyalty…Again
After what was perhaps the best summer of my life, I have left Germany and returned to Philadelphia. The one upside to being back in Philadelphia is that my domestic travel has now resumed, and that is something I...
Dear Mr. Smisek… An Open Letter
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Sherpa Note: I wrote this post almost a week ago but wanted to give...
United Waited Too Long to Cancel the 4-Mile Hong Kong Award Tickets
A few days ago, I wrote about the uneasy tension I was experiencing over United Airlines’ 4-mile round-trip deal to China. After taking advantage of nearly every major “mistake” fare over the last several years, I suddenly found myself...
United Airlines’ 4-Mile First Class Fares: The Spirit Versus the Letter of the Law
A flurry of commentary has poured forth today over the 4-mile United Airlines First Class award redemptions to China available briefly yesterday on united.com. As a frequent traveler who has cashed in on many “mistake” fares in the past...
Qatar Airways – United Airlines Partnership Ending Early?
Yesterday I was working on a client award redemption to Hyderabad, India and found a really nice business class itinerary on Qatar Airways using United miles. I placed the reservation on hold for final approval from the clients, who...
Your Seat Does Not Recline Any Further…
Have you ever sat behind a passenger who is convinced that if he keeps trying, he can get his seat to recline even further? I had the pleasure of sitting behind one on my Los Angeles-Chicago United flight yesterday....
Meltdown at LAX: “United Business Isn’t Our Business”
It turned out that my flight to Chicago this morning on United Airlines was oversold and three volunteers were needed. After some negotiation, I offered to give up my seat, despite the meager $250 in compensation being offered. But...
Return to Germany!
The last two months have been great—only two airplane trips in early June and most of the time spent at home in Los Angeles with family and friends. Still, I have not been in Germany since March and boy...
At Least Someone Cares at United Airlines…
I was encouraged to read on Flyertalk about a recent exchange between a United Airlines 1K member and a legacy United customer service agent: Last week my phone rang. It was a lovely female agent from the Premier line....
Checked Baggage Fees for First Class Passengers on Alaska Airlines
While “low-cost” Spirit Airlines may be leading airlines on a race to the bottom (with “optional” fees like the mandatory $2 Unintended Consequences of DOT Regulations Fee or mandatory $10 ticket booking fee), Alaska Airlines will soon become the...
