United Airlines quietly updated its fare codes for some premium cabin tickets and upgrades over the weekend. With Polaris First class now just a memory, United has pulled A and F fare classes traditionally used to designate first class....
Giving Up An Upgrade To Eat Dinner With My Family
Would you ever give up a confirmed upgrade on a six-hour flight just to get home a few hours earlier? That’s what I did yesterday. I was flying from Newark to Burbank via San Francisco on United and had...
My 59€ Upgrade on KLM
If you know me, you know that I don’t stray much from Star Alliance unless it is a “review” trip for the blog. Yesterday, however, I found myself on KLM and encountered an unexpected upgrade surprise. My business partner...
Why I Turned Down An Upgrade To First Class On Air France
It was hard to resist, but I turned down a 1079EUR upgrade offer from Air France Business Class to La Premier (First Class) on my recent flight from Paris to Dubai. That is probably the cheapest price I’ll ever...
A Free Upgrade On Lufthansa…Just For Asking
I recently wrote about a free business class upgrade on Emirates…just for asking. Now I have another chapter to add to that story, this time on Lufthansa. John and I were traveling from Milan Malpensa to Frankfurt last week....
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 04, 2018
I’ve been grounded all week and am thankful for it. No plans to travel next week either. Plenty of time with family and friends instead. Lots of work too. There have been a handful of trips I’ve turned down,...
Virgin Atlantic Confirms Upgrade Story is #FakeNews
Virgin Atlantic has confirmed what we all knew…the recent Bloomberg story on upgrades was #FakeNews. Gilbert from God Save the Points has done an excellent job in covering this story, going so far as to record a phone call...
Questionable Upgrade Advice on Virgin Atlantic
While I’m not totally dismissing it, I’m certainly quite skeptical about the Virgin Atlantic upgrade advice offered by Bloomberg. Bloomberg is in the midst of a “high-end travel hacks” series featuring “notable” names in food, wine, fashion, cars, real estate. This story...
Would You Upgrade Chicago to LA for $159?
After my final FTU speech yesterday, I flew home from Chicago to Los Angeles, a 4hr flight. Being one of the busiest travel days of the year, my flight was about $200 one-way…more than I usually pay for Chicago...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 05, 2017
Hello from Southern California…where I’m recovering from a relapse of sickness. Thankfully not the stomach flu I had last week, but another particularly strong head cold. I really need to lay off the travel… This week marks the final...
Want a Free Upgrade? Dressing Nice Won’t Cut It…
The AP is out with the perennial “if you want a free upgrade, dress nice” story. These stories always evoke an eye roll from me, yet their persistence over the years suggest that hope springs eternal. George Hobica of...
Review: Park Hyatt Beijing – Suite Upgrade
The Park Hyatt Beijing has become a favorite for our family for some time, but in addition to a great luxury hotel in the Chinese capital, it also may be the best place to spend a Diamond (now Globalist)...
United Global Premier Upgrades Now Work on ANA
United Airlines and ANA are Star Alliance, codeshare, and joint venture partners. Now United Global Premier Upgrades (GPUs) can be used on ANA flights to upgrade from economy to business or business to first, wtih some caveats… Here’s the...
United Airlines Now Processing Lufthansa GPU Upgrades Electronically
United Airlines and Lufthansa were both founding members of the Star Alliance and have maintained a close relationship as both codeshare and joint venture partners over years. United’s top-status 1K flyers receive six GPUs (Global Premier Upgrades) each year...
US Airways 7-Day Upgrade Window – What’s The Point?
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. Do These Upgrades Ever Work? As a recent US Airways Chairman, I am adjusting...
United Airlines Increases Mileage Upgrade Co-Pay on Premium Transcon Routes
United has transformed its premium service (p.s.) fleet that operates between Los Angeles/San Francisco and New York JFK from a three-cabin configuration with older seats in business and first class to a two-cabin configuration with fully lie-flat seats in business...
Delta Actually Improves Skymiles Program with Attractive Upgrade Options
Delta Air Lines has led the U.S. airline loyalty industry in duplicity and penny-pinching for several years running (even with a commendable challenge from United last month) so a day in which positive news is announced is quite rare....
The Other United Airlines Devaluation: Fewer Upgrades at a Higher Cost
The big news Friday was United’s devaluation of its MileagePlus award chart starting 01 February 2014, particularly for premium cabins on Star Alliance partners, but United also announced a policy change eliminating complimentary upgrades on flights to/from Northern South American and...
The Real Reason United is Blocking Award and Upgrade Space from Expert Flyer
Friendly Skies reported earlier today that United has asked Expert Flyer to stop displaying upgrade and award space beginning Friday, October 30, 2013. United responded this evening, blaming Expert Flyer for accessing space in an unauthorized manner and promising...
"I Can’t Give Away this First Class Seat!"
Once in awhile on United I see a domestic flight go out with open seats in first class despite a long waitlist of elites waiting for a complimentary upgrade. This is usually attributable to a lazy or rushed gate...
