As 2016 draws to a close, I have to look back and chuckle. Every year I write in January that I am going to curb travel in the coming year and every year I just end up traveling more than before. Here is a recap of my best flights in 2016. Luxurious first class travel […]
How I Almost Missed my Wedding!
Ok, when we last left off I was stuck in Honolulu looking at flight options to get me back in time for my wedding. It was Wednesday morning in Honolulu and the wedding was Saturday in Stuttgart. When you fly standby on United, you can check loads so that you have a generally strong indication of […]
Sneak Peek at United Polaris!
Last night United Airlines hosted an event in the Dogpatch neighborhood of San Francisco to highlight its new Polaris (Business Class) product that will begin to rollout later this year. On December 01, 2016 a new soft product including upgraded food, drink, bedding, and amenity kits will hit all longhaul international flights. Beginning in 2017 […]
Shockingly Terrible Service on Saudia
Pull up a chair, for you’re about to hear a tale of woe from 38,000 feet between Colombo and Jeddah on Saudia! As Lucky pointed out, this trip has truly shattered expectations. I expected a nice flight on China Eastern and instead it was terrible. I expected surly service on Royal Air Maroc but instead […]
Andaz Xintiandi (Shanghai) – You Don’t Know What You’ve Got, ‘Til It’s Gone
Shanghai has a lot to offer and premium hotels are just one of the luxuries available when traveling to financial capital of China. On this stay, I was looking to expand on my exposure to the Andaz brand from Hyatt, but it was only some time following my brief stay that I realized how great […]
Emirates First Class Awards on Alaska DOUBLE in Price
Overnight and without notice, Alaska has massively devalued first class award cost on Emirates. This is unbelievable for an airline that has a such a good reputation. The award charts are not even fully updated yet (Emirates to Europe still shows the old level) but what is clear that first class prices are up as […]
Last Day to Burn Your AA Miles Prior to Devaluation!
Monday, March 21, 2016 is the final day to use your AA miles at prevailing rates. On March 22nd a massive devaluation kicks in for premium cabin awards in nearly every region, making your AA miles much less valuable. But there is still time — one more day — to take advantage of some great […]
Two A380 First Class Flights for 40K AA Miles
AA is devaluing its award chart on March 22, 2016 but you’ve still got a week left to take advantage of the old chart. For 40K miles you can experience two of the world’s finest first class products on the world’s largest passenger aircraft. Etihad Airways flies its A380 featuring first class “Apartments” between Mumbai […]
Full Hot Meal on a 1hr Economy Class Flight
Hop on an 11.5hr flight from Newark to Honolulu on United Airlines in economy class and you’ll be given the choice to buy a meal or snackbox onboard. Don’t want to spend anything? Coffee, tea, or soft drinks (and a stroopwafel starting next month) will have to hold you over. On the other side of […]
In the Maldives, When They Say No Alcohol, They Mean No Alcohol
The Maldives is not the only nation that take a hard-line stance against alcohol, but it certainly is one of the more paradoxical examples. While the nation maintains a strict Islamic façade, it looks the other way as dozens of luxury resorts scattered across its sprawling atolls not only import alcohol, but make no effort […]
When is a Vacation Too Long?
I’m back from a very long trip…the longest trip I’ve ever taken. I realize some of you will snicker when I reveal my vacation was only 3.5 weeks, but for someone who is used to taking 2-3 day trips, this was a total change of pace. My introduction to Etihad Airways, with four premium segments […]
A Premature Evaluation of 2015
It is the last day of 2015 but I think it is still too premature to evaluate the year. Award Expert and this blog continue to grow, I appeared on TV three times, was quoted in several publications, spoke at a handful of travel conferences, and I even bought a house in LA and got into […]
Saudia Award Space Now Bookable on Delta.com
Saudia, formerly Saudi Arabian Airlines, is the flag carrier of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and a member of SkyTeam. Many are quick to dismiss Saudia because it is a dry airline, but I’ve flown Saudia four times and give it my stamp of approval. Saudia is also a tremendous source for award space and flights […]
The 10 Most Insane Travel Deals You Probably Missed
The Trip Sherpa recently wrote about DealRay, an incredibly useful mobile-based service for staying on top of travel deals, and it got me thinking of the great mistakes fares of yesteryear. I’ve been playing this game for a decade now and we have perennially seen incredible fare mistakes. Many I have capitalized on, some I […]
Country Count: Which Count, Which Don’t
The more I travel, the more I realize I have so much more to do. But when you’re counting countries it’s hard to know which ones count and which ones don’t. 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. […]
Hyatt Updates 2015 Gold Passport Award Chart
Hyatt has announced its annual update to the Gold Passport award chart and thankfully changes are limited for 2015–here is what you need to know: 70 Hyatt properties are changing categories 22 hotels are moving up a category 48 hotels are moving down a category The new rates apply to all bookings made after 22 […]
German Court Lifts Ban on Uber
A Frankfurt court that had banned Uber ride service from operating within Germany late last month has lifted the ban: Uber is back in business in Germany. Uber is mobile app based ride sharing service that offers an easy way to hail a driver – all transactions are handled by credit card, no tipping, and […]
Additions and Subtractions to Virgin Atlantic Route Network
Virgin Atlantic, strengthening its joint venture partnership with Delta Air Lines, has announced new routes that will bring the two carriers closer than ever before. With the lastest shuffle, the USA wins while Canada, India, Japan, and South Africa loses. The new Virgin Atlantic routes include: A new daily service from London Heathrow to Detroit […]
United Has Tightened Routing Restrictions on Asia Awards
Exactly one month ago, I wrote a post entitled New, Stricter United MileagePlus Routing Rules for Travel Between USA and North Asia? At the time, I concluded the rumored draconian new routing restrictions on awards between North America and North Asia were merely rumors, but now it turns out they were a foretaste of what was to […]
Spin-Off of Thai Smile Another Blow to Star Alliance
Thai Airways will spin-off its Thai Smile Air unit into a separate subsidiary that will not participate in Star Alliance. Created in mid-2012 as a low-cost division of Thai Airways, Thai Smile has now obtained its own air operators’ certificate (AOC) and starting later this month will operate under the IATA designator code WE rather than under Thai parent […]
