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...
Analysis: Fundamental Changes To United MileagePlus In 2020
Last night, United Airlines announced radical changes to the way elite status is earned in the MileagePlus program, starting in 2020. What do these changes mean for you? First, let’s review the changes. Introduction Of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF)...
United MileagePlus Announces 2020 Qualification Requirements
United’s MileagePlus frequent flyer program is shaking up the way they track and award status in 2020 and it’s not all good news for loyalists. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support...
Lufthansa Sheepishly Scrambles To Locate Missing Cat
Milo is missing. Lufthansa says it is doings its best to find him. But how did he get lost in the first place? Last week, Molly McFadden travelled with her two cats, Milo and Beau, on Lufthansa from Munich...
Boeing Loses Large 787 Order
Aeroflot Russian Airlines has formally canceled its Boeing 787 order, further casting the future of Boeing’s Dreamliner program into uncertainty. Boeing ramped up production of the Dreamliner earlier this year from 12 to 14 aircraft per month at two...
Part II: Exploring Erbil, The Capital Of Iraqi Kurdistan
As Turkish forces embark upon a massive offensive into Kurdish-controlled Northeast Syria, memories of my trip to Iraqi Kurdistan are in the front of my mind. >Part I: A Day Trip To Iraq If I showed you these pictures...
Singapore Award Space Blocking On Alaska Airlines
You can now redeem Alaska MileagePlan miles for worldwide travel on Singapore Airlines. How does award space access compare to Singapore’s other partners and Singapore’s own KrisFlyer program? After announcing a partnership in 2017, Alaska MileagePlan members can finally...
Air France First Class Awards: Sensible Or Foolish?
Air France First Class awards were never for the parsimonious, but were still reachable and in some cases valuable. With new restrictions and increased pricing on La Première awards, is there any value proposition left? Effective October 15, 2019, Air...
Can You Be Detained At Airport If Deemed A Suicide Risk?
A hypothetical. Let’s say you hint to a family member or loved one that you are contemplating suicide. Say you leave the country and that family member gets worried and calls the police. The police knock on your door...
A Beautiful KLM Ad That Brought Me To Tears
As I watched the KLM advertisement below commemorating its 100th anniversary, I broke down in tears. Go ahead, watch it before you read my commentary. But grab a tissue. You’ve been warned. There are so many things I love...
My Five Favorite Airline Snacks
Airline snacks are great on so many levels. Not only do they help to pass the time and make the flight a little more bearable, but they can be really tasty too. Here’s a look at my five favorite...
Part I: A Day Trip To Iraq
As Turkish forces embark upon a massive offensive into Kurdish-controlled Northeast Syria, memories of my trip to Iraqi Kurdistan are in the front of my mind. > Part I: A Day Trip To Iraq > Part II: Exploring Erbil,...