While my travel patterns have remained largely unchanged over the last three years and even the last decade, 2014 will usher in a substantial change in the way I travel and think about travel. Reaching MillionMiler status on United gives me Star Alliance Gold Status for life—or at least until United decides to yank it. […]
Overnight Train from Tbilisi to Yerevan, Armenia
Back just after dusk at Tbilisi’s central railway station, I had a bite to eat in a small food court upstairs before boarding my second consecutive overnight train, tonight bound for Yerevan. I had purchased the ticket earlier in the day at the station for ~$28, again in a second class compartment with four bunks. […]
Six Hours in Kuwait City
With six hours before my next flight, I figured I could see what my Kuwaiti friend once called “the most boring city in the world.” It wasn’t that bad, but… Immigration is a breeze for American citizens in Kuwait, but can be a bit confusing. A vending machines dispenses visas to those that need them […]
Kabul to Dubai on flydubai
فلاي دبي (flydubai) is a low-cost carrier based in Dubai offering budget flights throughout the Middle East and beyond. The ticket from Kabul to Dubai was $152 and flydubai was the only carrier with an afternoon flight. FAs were dressed in Southwest Airlines style khaki pants/skirts with white shirts and the cabin crew comprised an […]
Kabul – The Green Zone and British Cemetery
Although the term “Green Zone” is more closely associated with Baghdad, Kabul has its own Green Zone housing the diplomatic missions of various countries and the seat of the Afghan government. The walled city within a city is accessible by car and foot but not surprisingly checkpoints at two entrances carefully screen those who come […]
My Hotel, er Compound, in Kabul, Afghanistan
When my driver pulled up to my “hotel” down a quiet side street in central Kabul, my bodyguard dutifully jumped out and scanned the street for anything out of the ordinary. But the street was deserted and eerily silent in an otherwise bustling city. In fact, there was nothing at all resembling a hotel outside. […]
Singapore, My 100th Country
I never got around to posting that I recently surpassed the 100-country threshold in my quest to explore as much of this world as humanly possible. Last month Singapore became my 100th country visited, as I spent about 28 hours there on my way to Burma. Singapore is a thriving city in which I’ll return […]
Alitalia MilleMiglia Partner Redemptions: A Cautionary Tale
Alitalia’s MilleMiglia loyalty program has some gems on its award chart and is an oft-overlooked American Express transfer partner. Highlights include: North America-Southern South America 75,000 miles roundtrip in business class North America-North Asia 90,000 miles roundtrip in business class North America-Tahiti 90,000 miles roundtrip in business class North America-Southeast Asia 95,000 miles roundtrip in business class North America-India […]
Pictures from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
I did not stray far from the Park Hyatt Jeddah during my recent transit through Saudi Arabia, though I did spend a couple hours in the evening walking around the Kingdom’s second largest city. I was not near the Al-Balad (old town) district, housing the souqs and older coral houses Jeddah is most known for, but there […]
Analysis: Legality of EU Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS)
Here’s a short paper I wrote recently on the legality of the European Union’s ETS. Enjoy! What happens when an airline suddenly finds itself forced to break a law? It has two possible courses of actions—one action violates law in one jurisdiction and the other violates law in another jurisdiction. There is no middle ground […]
Top up your bmi Diamond Club Miles with a 20% bonus
With just under two weeks left to redeem Diamond Club miles for Star Alliance flights, bmi has sweetened the incentive to burn your points now with a 20% bonus on purchased miles. If you are just short of another award (like I was), take advantage of this offer. The miles posted in about six hours […]
Best Strategies for Burning Your bmi Diamond Club Miles
With bmi poised to leave Star Alliance next week, those sitting on a mountain of Diamond Club miles would be wise to burn as many possible before 18 April. Even if British Airways transfers Diamond Club miles into Executive Club Avios points at a 1:1 rate and even conceding that the new BA Avios chart […]
Asiana: bmi Leaving Star Alliance on 18 April 2012
Asiana posted the following note to their Asiana Club website yesterday concerning bmi (British Midland International): For those who cannot read Korean (ahem), a friend translated this for me. Per Asiana, bmi will be leaving Star Alliance on 18 April, just two weeks from today. Asiana Club members will continue to be able to […]
A Zone of Twilight Between OnePass and MileagePlus
As Continental OnePass and United MileagePlus work to fully integrate in March, the next month and a half will be tricky for those elites looking to take full advantage of reciprocal benefits but who never linked accounts. Last March, as one of the first steps of the merger process, United and Continental set up a […]
A Closer Look at the EU Emissions Trading Scheme
26 counties, including the United States, lodged a formal protest today against a European Union law to tax all airlines travelling to and from Europe for their carbon emissions. Might this be the start of a trade war? Here is a bit more background on the program, courtesy of Reuters: HOW LONG HAS THE DEBATE […]
The Dark Side of Paris
I had a wonderful weekend in Paris. Great food, time with family and friends, and beautiful weather made for an incredible few days. And is there a city more beautiful than Paris? I just love the architecture, the gardens, and the vibe of the City of Light. But I also observed a darker, underside to […]
A Battle with United Reservations Over Award Routing Rules
Considering I book multiple awards per week, mostly from US carriers, I have become intimately acquainted with award routing rules on the legacy carriers like United, Delta, American, and US Airways. You would not believe how often the agents misquote or make up rules and last night was a prime example. I was booking a […]
Reminder: Aeroplan Award Chart Changes on July 15th
For those of you sitting on Aeroplan miles and considering a trip up to 330 days in the future, it might be wise to get your trip booked before July 15th. On Friday, the many award rates changes and some awards will go up dramatically in price. For example, right now a first class award […]
Bargaining to Sleep on Kish Island, Iran
With no idea where we would sleep that night, my friend and I sat down to strategize. The airport had free wi-fi and I scoured the internet for hotels in Kish. I did find a listing of hotels, but Google Phone and Skype were blocked (as were websites like Facebook and Twitter). About 30 minutes […]
British Midland’s Disgusting Award Surcharges
British Midland’s (bmi) Diamond Club award program boasts on its home page, "Free airmiles. Free flights." After forking out over £1,100 (~$1,800) in taxes and surcharges for two business class tickets, I think it is an insult and a lie to call award redemptions on bmi free. Every carrier levies some sort of tax on […]
