I connected through Munich last week, giving me a chance to check out the special Oktoberfest-themed menu in the Lufthansa First Class Lounge. As you walk into the lounge, you’ll notice a special stall with gingerbread hearts hanging from...
Why Thomas Cook Won’t Happen In the US
Thomas Cook, a popular tourism provider based in the UK, has recently gone out of business and stranded some 600,000 passengers across the globe; that wouldn’t happen if it were a US company. If you are considering booking travel or signing...
United’s Plus Points Makes MileagePlus Best In the US?
United Airlines has changed their Regional Premier and Global Premier upgrade system, replacing them with Plus Points instead. And now it’s not just 1K flyers that benefit. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click...
Why Isn’t Cathay Pacific Leveraging US Credit Card Markets to Shore Up Losses?
Cathay Pacific has struggled financially prior to the disruptions in Hong Kong. Why doesn’t the airline turn to the US credit card market for liquidity? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support...
Sapid California Cuisine On Air New Zealand
Each week, 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. What I...
Undressing A “Celebrity” Claim American Airlines Forced Her To Undress In Front Of Cabin
A “celebrity” has accused American Airlines of forcing her to undress in front of other passengers. I’m very skeptical. Aubrey O’Day shared her story via Twitter, claiming a male flight attendant forced O’Day to undress in front of the...
Review: KLM 777-300ER Business Class
Despite a flight time of under three hours, I received the full KLM World Business class experience on my Fifth Freedom flight from Bali to Singapore. After booking a cheap economy class ticket for $154, I approached the ticket...
Why UK Pilots Are Livid Over Germany’s Condor Bailout
Pilots in the United Kingdom have expressed outrage over the German government’s bailout of Condor. Is this a case of jealously or do the pilots have a point? The British Airlines Pilots Association (BALPA) is the umbrella union representing...
Review: Studios At Alila Seminyak
During my one-night “layover” in Bali, I decided to try the Studios at Alila Seminyak. That turned out to be an excellent choice. From Denpasar Airport, the ride to the hotel took about 30 minutes with late-afternoon traffic. This...
Will Delta Joint Venture With LATAM Be Denied By Regulators?
Can Delta’s proposed investment and joint venture partnership with LATAM clear regulatory hurdles? American Airlines’ failed bid to link up with LATAM offers a starting point for discussion. News that Delta will invest in LATAM and form a joint...
Delta’s Investment In LATAM Is Pure Genius
Delta’s surprise announcement that it will spend $1.9 billion to acquire a 20% stake in LATAM is a shrewd move that will simultaneously strengthen Delta while hurting the competition. Yesterday, Delta announced it would form a significant relationship with...
Motive? Why Would Cathay Pacific Flight Attendants Sabotage Oxygen Tanks?
Cathay Pacific has sacked two flight attendants for allegedly tampering with oxygen tanks onboard and more are under investigation. My skepticism centers on motive. Why would a FA do this? Seven times in the last month, Cathay Pacific has...
United 737-800 Diverts After Passenger Gets Stuck…In Lavatory
A United flight was forced to divert after a passenger became stuck in a lavatory. Ready for a laugh? Let’s cut right to United’s statement on the incident: Flight 1554 from Washington D.C. to San Francisco diverted to Denver...
United CEO Flies Economy Class, Experiences Flight Diversion
Once in a while even the CEO of an airline has a miserable flight experience. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz shared of a recent flight diversion with CNBC. He did not disclose where his flight departed from, but shared...
Upgrade Scam Leads To Ban On Cathay Pacific
Fraud is never a good idea and certainly never worth an upgrade to business class. One woman had to learn the hard way. Jacqueline Ng is a self-described “social influencer”. She told Christopher Elliot that she emailed Cathay Pacific...
American Introduces In First Class What Delta Will Offer In Coach
American Airlines is trialing two cocktails in premium cabins this week on one longhaul route. As it happens, Delta has already announced it will offer the same beverage to all passengers…in economy class. This week, American is trialing two...
Another Positive Upgrade Policy Change From United Airlines
Overlooked in the big announcement yesterday from United introducing PlusPoints was a re-classification of four routes, which will effectively halve the cost of an upgrade on them. Starting on December 4th, United will move from a system of Global...
Air India Faces Harsh Fine For Serving Meat To Vegetarians
Air India was hit with a hefty government fine after it served a dish containing meat to unsuspecting vegetarians. Chandra Mohan Pathak and his wife were flying from Chicago to New Delhi on India in late 2016. They had...
Condor Survives After Bailout From German Government
Condor will survive the winter after the German federal government and the State of Hessen announced a so-called bridging loan to keep the carrier afloat. Condor is a profitable airline and forecasts stability and growth in 2020. But parent...
21-Year-Old College Student Runs Texas Hotel Alone…For 32 Hours…During A Tropical Storm
Satchel Smith’s eight hour shift turned in a marathon 32-hour effort at a Homewood Suites in Beaumont, Texas. By the time his shift had ended, he was hailed a hero for single-handedly caring for so many hotel guests. Tropical...
