I was one of the fortunate recipients of the email from Delta yesterday asking if I was interested in a status match to Diamond Medallion status. That presents an interesting dilemma for 2021…how much status is too much status?...
Should A Muslim Flight Attendant Be Exempt From Serving Alcohol?
A Muslim flight attendant has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to allow her to sue her former airline employer for forcing her to serve alcohol against her religious convictions. Is her pursuit of accommodation reasonable or justified? Muslim Flight...
What Passes For A Business Class Meal On British Airways…
People are of two minds when it comes to in-flight meals during the pandemic era. Some are happy to see cutbacks, concluding that meal service and the interaction it requires increases the risk of virus transmission. Others see meal...
United Airlines Increases Cost Of Nonstop Partner Award Flights
United Airlines no longer publishes award charts so technically there is no longer such thing as a devaluation. Nevertheless, partner award space tends to follow a uniform price and I’ve noticed a disturbing new trend concerning nonstop flights on...
Was Senior Citizen Kicked Off Alaska Airlines Flight For Wearing Too Much Protective Equipment?
There’s a certain visual absurdity in seeing an airline passenger dressed like she’s entering a nuclear reactor after a meltdown or a burning building, but I tend to think Alaska Airlines acted even more absurdly in kicking her off...
Chinese Airline Denies Boarding to Passenger With Depression
A Chinese airline denied boarding to a passenger with depression…and I do not think the move can be justifed. Competing Narratives: Why Did A Chinese Airline Deny Boarding To Passenger With Depression? A woman named Bi was ticketed to...
The Mask War Spreads To British Airways
Listen to NPR, read Slate or HuffPo, or simply read Twitter and you might think that the issue of protesting masks is a problem unique to the United States and our ingrained sense of liberty and self-autonomy that supersedes...
Are Conservative Flyers Targeted or Attention-Seeking?
This week a man wearing a Trump mask on a Southwest flight was kicked off the plane. Several instances have taken place with conservatives and masks on aircraft; are conservative flyers being targeted or are they attention-seeking? If you...
Does the UK’s 3-Tier Lockdown Jeopardize New York-London Corridor?
The United Kingdom launched a 3-tier lockdown with respect to its pandemic response and limitations. Does this threaten the proposed New York-London travel corridor this winter? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Basic Business Class Expansion a Welcome Sight
ZIPAIR, a new Japanese carrier owned by Japan Airlines, is offering Basic Business Class and it’s a great solution to a problem many travellers face. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click...
Pandemic Chicken Dinner On United Airlines
My Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. Domestic meal service on...
United CEO Eternally Optimistic About Return Of Business Travel
We’ve written a lot about the rapid decline in business travel on Live and Let’s Fly. I’ve even opined that it may never return to pre-pandemic levels. But United CEO Scott Kirby puts forward two reasons why he believes that...
Today: Chicago Seminars 2020
Today marks the 11th annual Chicago Seminars, the “original” travel conference that brings experts and novices together to talk miles, points, credit cards, airline, and hotel loyalty programs in a low-key format. This year’s event will be in the...
Whew: Lufthansa Reaffirms Commitment To First Class, Despite Pandemic
For the first time in decades, Lufthansa will not offer a single flight to the USA with a first class cabin. The majority of its fleet with first class seating has been mothballed. But worry not: Lufthansa still has...
United Airlines Announces Eight New Latin America Routes
United Airlines will add eight new routes and also bolster service to other warm-weather destinations in Caribbean, Central America, and Mexico in a last-minute tweaking to its winter schedule. United Adds Eight New Latin America Routes Earlier today I...
United Airlines “Playing United Nations” And Relying On “Gut Feeling” When It Comes To International Route Planning
United Airlines, like other air carriers, finds itself in the middle of the worst crisis in the history of aviation. But the pandemic has hit international travel much harder than domestic travel. That has created particular difficulty for United,...
United CEO Promises “Aggressive” Return To New York JFK
United CEO Scott Kirby told investors this week that United Airlines is planning an “aggressive” return to New York JFK after abandoning the airport in 2015. It’s the first official confirmation that United is actively trying to return to...
New Cabin Airflow Study: Virtually Non-Existent Risk Of COVID-19 Transmission
A new study conducted by United Airlines and the Department of Defense has found that the risk of COVID-19 transmission onboard is virtually non-existent. New Study By United Airlines Finds Virtually Zero Risk Of COVID-19 Transmission On Airplanes The...
Trump Supporter Thrown Off Southwest Flight Speaks Up
The young man thrown off a Southwest Airlines flight over a facial mask has clarified his story, appearing on a popular conservative podcast with the woman who filmed the onboard discrepancy. Does the interview tell us anything more about...
Man In Jetpack Resurfaces Above LAX
FBI and local law enforcement officials in Los Angeles continue to hunt for a mysterious man in a jetpack. There’s new urgency to the matter after he was sighted for a second time approaching an incoming jet near LAX....
