Overnight, Alaska made two substantial changes to its MileagePlan program, resulting in many partner awards pricing significantly higher today than yesterday. I’ll say it bluntly: Alaska Airlines violated our trust once again and should be ashamed of itself. As...
Mysterious Eastern Airlines Announces New Flight From New York…Again
Eastern Airlines announced new service from New York to Guayaquil, Ecuador set to begin this December. But a number of questions still surround this mysterious airline. The new service, subject to government approval, will start on December 05, 2019...
Review: Lufthansa Senator Lounge Berlin (TXL)
Lufthansa’s aging but adequate Senator Lounge provided a productive environment for my long layover in Berlin Tegel. This lounge really has not changed since I first visited it more than a decade ago. Neither has TXL…for decades. There is...
Woman Who Sued Emirates Over Water Denial Loses Big
An Australian woman who sued Emirates, claiming they refused to give her enough water onboard, has lost her case. She now faces staggering legal fees. I wrote about the case earlier this year. Lina Di Falco was traveling from...
United’s New California-Themed Livery
United Airlines has unveiled a new California-themed livery now gracing the surface of a Boeing 757-200. The livery is the work of Tsungwei Moo, a San Francisco-based artist who won United’s “Her-Art-Here” contest in association with the National Museum of...
Qantas Will Operate New York To Sydney Nonstop On Friday
Qantas will attempt to fly nonstop from New York to Sydney on Friday, a flight of nearly 20 hours. As Qantas continues to consider nonstop service from Sydney to London and New York, it still has many kinks to...
Why Lufthansa Believes Upcoming Strike Is Illegal
Despite a threatened strike on Sunday by flight attendants, Lufthansa has made clear that flights will operate normally. It has also insisted the planned strike is illegal. The true battle is over UFO recognition. For years, the Unabhängige Flugbegleiter...
Walmart Boss Is New CEO Of Air New Zealand
What’s the difference between a discount retail chain and Air New Zealand? Not much, apparently, if Air New Zealand’s CEO is any indication. I say that jokingly, but only half-jokingly, for reasons I will explain below. But indeed, Air...
A Quixotic Plan To Ban Frequent Flyer Programs By Government Fiat
Do frequent flyer programs encourage travelers to take more flights than they need to? Should the small subset of road warriors who take the majority of flights be taxed for their excessive flying? That’s what a government-sanctioned climate report...
Protest Targets Turkish Airlines At SFO
As Turkish tanks rolls deeper into northern Syrian, some Bay Area residents have used Turkish Airlines as a proxy for the Turkish government. Nearly 100 people showed up to the Turkish Airlines ticket counter at San Francisco International Airport...
Emirates Plans to Defy Court Order In Mexico City
Despite a Mexican federal court ruling against Emirates, the Dubai-based airlines plans to move forward with planned flights to Mexico City via Barcelona. Emirates has tried to launch service to Mexico City for years. Due to the high altitude...
American Airlines Management Shuffle, The Emperor Has No Clothes
American Airlines announced a handful of senior leadership changes this week ahead of quarterly earnings reports at the end of the month. But few left or even changed departments, does Emperor Parker have new clothes? If you are considering booking...
Is the Great American Airlines Elite Evacuation Underway?
Signs from United and Delta, combined with performance issues with American point to a possibility that elites are starting to leave American Airlines after the summer of discontent. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please...
Review: Brand New Park Hyatt Shenzhen – Suite
The brand new Park Hyatt Shenzhen perfects luxury high above southeastern China’s Silicon Valley. When given the opportunity to review the property, I couldn’t pass it up. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click...
Offensive T-Shirts And The Line Of Decency Onboard Airplanes
Whether a t-shirt calling for the execution of journalists or using a choice expletive to describe the President of the United States, where should an airline draw the line in permissible onboard attire? A man boarded a United flight...
Japanese Lunch On A Lufthansa Breakfast Flight To Middle East…
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. The title...
United Battles Alaska At LAX With New Route
United Airlines is challenging Alaska Airlines in Los Angeles with new nonstop service to Anchorage, Alaska. Next summer, United Airlines will offer daily nonstop service between Los Angeles (LAX) and Anchorage (ANC). The service will be operated by a...
SWISS Expands “Flugzug” Service
With the demise of Adria leaving a gap in its domestic network, SWISS is expanding it Flugzug rail service to Lugano. In German, Flugzug is literally flight train, though SWISS translates it as Airtrain. When SWISS abandoned Basel (BSL), it...
Part III: Heartfelt Conversations With Iraqi Kurds
As Turkish forces embark upon a massive offensive into Kurdish-controlled Northeast Syria, memories of my 2011 trip to Iraqi Kurdistan are in the front of my mind. > Part I: A Day Trip To Iraq > Part II: Exploring...
An Intriguing Upside To United’s Radical MileagePlus Changes
For those willing to invest the time, the changes to United MileagePlus actually may make it cheaper to qualify for top-tier status on United than it is now. But it will take some serious and creative mileage running… United...
