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 […]
Travel Restraint or Status Quo in 2014?
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 […]
