Leave it to SWISS to create a sophisticated, beautiful new first class lounge now open in the A Gates (Schengen) area of Zurich Airport. Like the E-Gates First Class Lounge, the bar design resembles a plane fuselage–made of beautiful wood. Around the corner is seating: A full bar and restaurant offers a la carte and […]
Why I’m Flying Los Angeles to Rome via Munich, Zurich, AND Frankfurt
You know you’re an airline junkie when you fly from Los Angeles to Rome deliberately via Munich, Zurich, AND Frankfurt. I’m traveling through Italy later this week and next on business. This is no vacation–I’ll be spending most days in the car driving from client to client. I could have flown Norwegian direct to Rome. […]
First Class: Lufthansa vs. SWISS
I’ve recently flown both SWISS and Lufthansa First Class. Which product is better? Certainly there is subjectivity in what I value and how I compare the two products, but I’d like to think this is not an arbitrary comparison. I will compare SWISS and Lufthansa in ten different categories. 1. Ground Services In the interest […]
Was SWISS First Class Worth It?
It has been nearly two weeks since my trip from Zürich to Los Angeles in first class. Many have asked me, now that I’ve had time to reflect, was it worth it? Let’s put aside the lawsuit for a moment. Instead, let’s just assume I am paying for this fully myself (which I do not […]
Giving up Lufthansa First Class for Love
Today was the day that my wife was to fly Lufthansa First Class for the first time. I was looking forward to it so much! First Tokyo Haneda to Frankfurt, then Munich to Toronto in First Class tomorrow with visits to the First Class Terminal in Frankfurt and First Class Lounge in Munich. Lufthansa First […]
Lufthansa Lounge Cheat Receives Huge Bill
For one Munich man, a strategic calculation to save money by buying a refundable Lufthansa ticket, enjoying food and drink in the Lufthansa Business Lounge, then cancelling his reservation, has proved a grave mistake. After 36 incidents, Lufthansa had enough and sued the man for damages. Yesterday, a court sided with the German carrier and […]
Lufthansa’s Fiercely Protected First Class Terminal
A couple of friends were flying Lufthansa First Class to Denver Thursday afternoon and invited me to join them for a few hours in the First Class Terminal. I was flying to Brussels later in the evening, so I already had a same-day Lufthansa boarding pass. According to LH’s Lounge Access and Variations page, I […]
The Lufthansa First Class Terminal Experience
For the all times it has been mentioned on Live and Let’s Fly and on the UPGRD Network, I realized that I have never written a post describing the First Class Terminal experience in Frankfurt. After a rather amusing incident that happened to me in “the Terminal” yesterday, I want to set up that story […]
From Lufthansa First to Lufthansa Economy?
After a fabulous flight in Lufthansa first class from Frankfurt to New York last Saturday, I wasn’t exactly thrilled about flying in Lufthansa economy from Los Angeles to Frankfurt yesterday afternoon. I was booked on a rather pricey economy ticket which I thought would position me nicely for an upgrade on a Monday flight to Europe. […]
A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines
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. Today I’m going to write about the flight that made me fall in love with Aegean Airlines. My […]
My Sleeping Pod In Copenhagen…
It wasn’t planned, but I wound up in a sleeping pod in a unique hostel in central Copenhagen after my travel plans went sideways and I did not feel like splurging for a nicer hotel when it was already late and I had a very early morning departure. Nyhavn63 Capsule Hotel: Sleeping Pod In Copenhagen […]
Introduction: An Illuminating Trip To Kenya And South Africa
Welcome to my next trip report, a recount of my journey at the end of last year to Kenya and South Africa. Kenya And South Africa – An Illuminating Trip. My trip was church-related and going forward I plan at least two trips to Africa per year for missions-related work. Over time, I hope to […]
Introduction: A Summer Getaway To Dubrovnik
Welcome to my next trip report, which will recount my brief summer journey to Dubrovnik, Croatia earlier this month. A Summer Visit To Dubrovnik, Croatia You might recall I flew Lufthansa First Class on my birthday in order to obtain a birthday duck. Rather than just fly to Frankfurt and fly back, I decided to […]
Boys’ Night Out At LAX
The summer is winding down for my five-year-old son Augustine. With school starting next week, I decided to take him to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) for a boys’ night out. Beautiful Memories From Boys’ Night Out At LAX All summer, Augustine has asked to go the airport. All summer, we’ve been too busy…he’s accompanied […]
Trip Report Roadmap: Summer 2021
While I’ve been doing better at staying up to date on my trip reports, I’ve been traveling quite a bit over the last couple months and have fallen behind. Here’s an idea of what to expect on Live and Let’s Fly in terms of trip reports in the days head. In recent months I’ve been […]
Balkans Day 1: Sick In Belgrade
Oh, what a horrible way to start my Balkans Road trip. The trip began the day after my birthday, but what a miserable birthday it was. Read more from my classic trip report through the Balkans Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans Review: US Airways A330-300 Business Class Philadelphia To Munich Balkans Day 1: Sick […]
How To Request An American Express Centurion (Black) Card
Last autumn, I wrote extensively about why I was considering an American Express Centurion (Black) card. While I ultimately opted against the card, it’s now easier than ever to request one. I chose not to get the card for three reasons. First, the initiation fee rose 25% and the annual fee doubled to $5,000/year, further […]
Fifth Freedom Flashback: Bangkok To Ho Chi Minh City On Qatar Airways + Lufthansa
This week we are taking a walk down memory lane with a vintage first class trip report. I’m sharing photos and brief commentary from a trip I took in the final days of 2010 and first days of 2011 that included many first class flights from five Star Alliance carriers. As we enter a new […]
Why I’m Seriously Considering An American Express Centurion (Black) Card
It’s not for the points. It’s certainly not for the status. But I am seriously considering an American Express Centurion Card, more popularly known as the AMEX “Black” card. For many years, I’ve chuckled at clients who put tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month on the card. It’s one of the worst […]
Best Airport Coffee In The World At…LAX?
World’s best airport coffee might be in my own backyard at Los Angeles International Airport. Urth Caffé & Bar was just named as world’s best airport coffee by the Moodie Davitt Report’s 2019 Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards (FAB). Now it seems like everyone has their award show these days and I’ve never […]
