AirlineRatings is out with a list of its top 20 airlines of 2020. What should we make of the list? I always hesitate to even write about these lists, since they are so inherently arbitrary. Yet since this top-20...
Hoping For Trump Pardon, Two Turkeys Take Up Residence in Luxurious Willard InterContinental Hotel
Part of the pageantry of the White House is the annual turkey pardoning, which takes place today in the Rose Garden. For the two turkeys vying for one pardon, this has been a relaxing week at the Willard InterContinental...
United Scales Back Hong Kong And Australia Service
Adjusting to weaker demand, United Airlines is trimming service to both Hong Kong and Melbourne, Australia. United’s Hong Kong Reductions With civil unrest leading to weaker demand, United already cut back service to Hong Kong earlier this year. Chicago...
Lufthansa CEO Scorns Flight Shaming As “Fake News”
In a rare pushback in the politically correct world of corporate capitulation via lip service to the environmental movement, Lufthansa’s chief is scorning the flight shaming movement. Speaking at the IATA Wings of Change conference in Berlin, Carsten Spohr, Lufthana’s CEO,...
Why Is A Canadian Start Up Airline Suing Jet Blue Founder?
A Canadian start-up airline is suing JetBlue founder David Neeleman, claiming he negatively interfered with their venture capital funding then gloated about it. Vancouver-based Canada Jetlines Ltd. wants to offer Ryanair or EasyJet style ultra-low-cost service in Canada. Although...
Technical “Glitch” From Frontier Airlines Sends Thousands Into Panic
Frontier Airlines is apologizing after a mass email went out warning of unspecified flight itinerary changes…the email was sent in error. An Unwelcome Email From Frontier Friday evening, a mass email went out from Frontier Airlines. It was entitled,...
Air France Retires First A380…My La Premiere Clock Is Ticking
Air France quietly retired its first of 10 Airbus A380s last week. I’m still on the fence as to whether to invest in such an outdated product. F-HPJB continued onto Malta Saturday after arriving in Paris from Johannesburg. The...
Has American Airlines Turned The Corner?
American Airlines has had a rough couple of years, but after a decent performance in the third quarter and some management “changes” has the carrier finally turned the corner? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new...
Hyatt’s “Surprise and Delight” Does Just That
Hyatt began running a “surprise and delight” campaign for Globalist members of the hotel chain’s World of Hyatt program. The promotion is accomplishing its stated goal. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Keeping United 1K Status via Honolulu
Maintaining my United 1K Status is very important to me and my family. For the last year, distance flown matters more than just money spent (and segments) which means I have one more true mileage run, this year via...
Today Is National Espresso Day…
Travel and coffee are so interrelated, for me at least, that I cannot help but to point out that today is National Espresso Day. If you are a regular reader of Live and Let’s Fly, you know that I...
A Simple Snack On Qantas
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. A simple...
My First Experience With “LAXit” (New LAX Ridesharing System)
I finally had the chance check out the new LAXit ridesharing system at Los Angeles International Airport after a recent trip. It was annoying, but not nearly as bad as I was expecting. I arrived into LAX around 9:00PM,...
United CEO Weighs In On U.S. Economy
United CEO Oscar Munoz downplayed fears of a recession, arguing the economy is sound and all signs point toward continued growth. Speaking to Jim Cramer on CNBC’s Mad Money, Munoz was asked if a recession was looming. He quickly...
Boeing Unveils 737 Max 10 To Little Fanfare
Boeing quietly unveiled its 737 Max 10 on Friday, even as the future of 737 MAX program remains up in the air. Debuting at an employee event in Renton, Washington, the new aircraft will be the largest 737 Max...
Exploring United’s Swanky New CRJ-550 “Luxury” Regional Jet
I recently had the chance to explore United’s new Bombardier CRJ-550, a 50-seat jet that is undoubtedly one of the roomiest and most innovate regional jets in the sky. United CRJ-550 Layout United has taken a 76-seat regional jet...
Too Little, Too Late? South African Airways Reaches Deal To End Strike
The week-long strike appears almost over at South African Airways, though the damage has already been done and the beleaguered carrier finds itself in a very dangerous position. Dangerous position is relative term. South African Airways (SAA) has been...
Watch: Philippine Airlines 777-300ER Engine Spews Flames Over LAX
In what must have been a very scary moment for passengers, a Philippine Airlines 777-300ER engine failed shortly after takeoff, sending flames spewing in the air over Los Angeles. PAL Flight 113 took off on-time from Los Angeles International...
Great Coffee In Honolulu
Wherever I am in the world, I try to take some time each morning to find good coffee. I did not have to walk far to find great coffee in Honolulu. We arrived late and spent the first night...
Should Hotels Ban Local Residents?
My knee-jerk answer is NO WAY, but hotels are not totally out-of-line for raising questions about local residents checking-in. The issue was brought to my attention by The Gate, which shared a story about an Illinois couple being denied...
