A man who fell head over heels for a Lufthansa flight attendant called in a bomb threat in one last desperate attempt to keep her in Serbia. The 65-year-old man confessed in a Belgrade court that he called in...
Air France A380 Retirement Is Hardly A Surprise
As I predicted, Air France will not bother to retrofit its A380 fleet, but instead retire it by 2022. The writing was on the wall. Last November, Air France announced it would return half of its A380 fleet rather...
United Airlines Testing First Class Meal Pre-Ordering
United Airlines is testing out the opportunity for first class passengers to pre-order meals. If the trial is successful, it may eventually roll out systemwide. The first phase of the trial will occur tomorrow, only on select flights from...
Trump’s Anger Over Delta CEO Torpedoes Protectionist Cause
It’s amazing really to think that one man’s absence may have lurched a White House meeting from one outcome to another. But we live in the age of Donald Trump. That’s not mean as a compliment or an insult,...
First Impressions: Virgin Australia 777-300ER Business Class
Hello from Brisbane! After 14 hours onboard Virgin Australia I am relaxed and ready for the day ahead. Brisbane is merely a transit point on this trip–my end goal is Singapore–but I could not pass up the opportunity to...
Thai Airways: We Need To Restructure To Survive
A high-ranking official at Thai Airways has conceded that only serious reforms will save his airline from continued financial losses. Thai Airways President Sumeth Damrongchaitham said his airline needs to restructure in order to “survive” in the “highly competitive...
Turkey Threatens To Cancel Boeing Orders
Beleaguered Boeing could find itself as collateral damage in an escalating war of words between the United States and Turkey. Turkish Airlines, the 49% state-owned flag carrier of Turkey, has orders for 100 Boeing aircraft on the book. That...
Yes, You Should Drink Airline Coffee…
A cute article in Forbes pokes fun at the hysteria over airline coffee. I concur in full. Is airline coffee better than it has ever been? Will McGough says YES and makes a good case for it: To me,...
My First Domestic Flight In Switzerland On A “Vintage” Prop
I recently experienced my first domestic flight in Switzerland, which was like a walk down memory lane in terms of comfort and a showcase of stunning Swiss scenery. SWISS operates mainline aircraft between Zurich and Geneva, but uses smaller...
Budget Carrier Aims To Squeeze In More Passengers
If you thought legroom could not get worse, think again. One budget carrier is about to squeeze 20 more seats onto an already-dense configuration. Cebu Pacific, the largest budget carrier in the Philippines, will move galleys and lavatories to...
Sometimes The Best Use Of Miles Is For The Cheap Seats
121Pilot, a commercial airline pilot and frequent contributor to Live and Let’s Fly, offers his thoughts on why economy class redemptions can make so much sense. As an airline pilot I have access to free travel on the airline...
Contrary to American Airlines Own PR, They Do Penalize Workers Individually
American Airlines Public Relations contacted me to correct a previous article stating that the carrier was not going after employees directly. Now, there are two examples that this isn’t the case. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a...
Some Southwest Airlines Customers Blind To Shortcomings
This should be a fun comments section… Any time I write about Southwest, I am inundated with customers who defend their brand. But many are factually incorrect. Is it that they are misinformed or simply unaware of how Southwest...
Is Buying United PQMs for Status Crazy?
When I logged into my United account this week, I found a familiar pitch – buying premier qualifying miles for status re-qualification. Are these purchases a good idea or crazy? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit...
Bladder, Jelly Fish, And Other Delights in China Southern First Class
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. This week’s...
Review: United 787-10 Polaris Business Class Newark To Los Angeles
If you’re going to be delayed, it’s always nice to be delayed in a premium cabin…like United’s 787-10 Polaris business class. With storms raging across the country, our flight was re-routed after we had pushed back from the gate,...
Why Fiji Airways Missed The Mark With “Mandatory” Lounge Dining
Fiji Airways’ new lounge dining options sound exceptional, but make no mistake: it does its customers a disservice by not offering a full meal onboard. Citing waste and its concern for the environment, Fiji Airways will introduce a pre-flight...
The Gold Heist At Brazil’s Largest Airport Was A Repeat Offense
Armed bandits disguised as federal police officers successfully interdicted $30MN worth of gold and other precious metals from a major Brazilian airport. Eight armed men perpetrated the act in two Mitsubishi vehicles disguised to resemble Brazilian Federal Police cars....
Wow! An Expired Club Pass And Going The Extra Mile…
I’d like to end the week on a positive note, with a feel-good story that links travel to humanity. Despite suffering from terminal cancer, John wanted to attend his daughter’s wedding in Cancun. His wife Pam wanted to make...
Review: Etihad 777-300ER First Class Abu Dhabi To Los Angeles
16-hours is a long time to be stuck on airplane, but Etihad made the process painless aboard the 777-300ER in first class. As a reminder, I’m in the midst of a “vintage” trip report to India/Maldives. But even though...
