Air France wants to become a more upscale, premium carrier. I’ve been so impressed with Ben’s Smith brief tenure at Air France-KLM. He has mended labor relations and is making great progress on overcoming what has been a turbulent...
British Airways Honors 747 Legacy With Retro Livery
I have so many bad stories I could cover this afternoon, but after a trio of bad stories earlier today let’s take a break. How about some good news to end the day on? British Airways is celebrating its...
Hello Shitty: The Disgusting Pervert On EVA
EVA, the carrier that takes “Hello Kitty” to a whole new level, just encountered a “Hello Shitty” flight courtesy of a passenger who personifies the word disgusting. In the age of misinformation, I’ve held off a couple days on...
In 20-Hour Canada Delay Incident, United Captain Failed
A United captain failed a crucial loyalty test during the extended delay of a United flight in Canada earlier this week. I wrote about the incident here, working through the the timeline of events to argue that United handled...
One Aeroflot 737-800 Diverts As Another Skids Off Runway
One day. Two Aeroflot 737-800s. Two unrelated incidents. First, a problematic passenger onboard an Aeroflot flight from Surgut (SGC) to Moscow Sheremetyevo (SVO) forced a diversion. Surgut is a city on the Ob River in Western Siberia, about 1,800 miles...
United’s Upgrade Waitlist Is A Game Of Scrabble
On United, the upgrade waitlist displays the first initial as well as the first three characters of the last name. That often results in a game of scrabble, but sometimes unscrambling is not even necessary. A reader in Singapore...
I Will Continue To Thank TSA Agents…You Should Too
Last weekend at LAX I had my first interaction with a TSA agent since the federal government shutdown began. She was friendly and smiled at me. I thanked her for showing up to work during the shut down, noting...
United Blocking Award Space On Singapore, TAP, Thai Airways
You may have noticed that award space on Singapore Airlines, TAP Air Portugal, and Thai Airways has been missing lately on united.com. Unfortunately, United is deliberately blocking the space and has offered no timeframe for a fix. United has...
Review: Air France’s Brand New Business Class Lounge – Paris (CDG)
Air France recently unveiled a beautiful new business class lounge in Hall L of Terminal 2E. I had the chance to visit during my last layover in Paris. I’ve showcased stock photos of the lounge before, but the photos...
Reflections On Dr. King From United Airlines CEO
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. (MLK) day in the United States. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz offers reflections each year on this holiday that I am pleased to share with you. Here’s his note to employees shared by...
Spirit Pulls Ahead Of American And United, But Delta Still On Top
It appears Spirit Airlines is heading in an EasyJet rather than Ryanair direction. The ultra-low-cost carrier has much to boast about on many metrics, including operational performance. But Delta remains at the top. Each year Scott McCartney, an airline...
Don’t Blame United For Horrific 20-Hour Delay In Canada
Don’t blame United Airlines for a horrific delay that kept passengers on a cold plane for 14-hours and ultimately delayed passengers by nearly a day. United 179, from Newark to Hong Kong, departed Newark Saturday afternoon at 3:00PM. Five...
Turkish Airlines Crew Robbed At Gunpoint In South Africa
A Turkish Airlines crew was attacked by a band of armed robbers in Johannesburg, South Africa while returning from dinner. The incident occurred on January 13th. After a dinner in central Johannesburg, the crew was on its way back...
Our Child Reached The Perfect Age to Fly
Our daughter has been flying around the world with us since she was just eight weeks old. However, now, at nearly five years old, she has reached the perfect age to fly. Challenges of Flying With Children There are...
Rumors of TSA Shutdown Have Been Greatly Exaggerated
Due to political wrangling and an unprecedented case of brinkmanship, parts of the US government have been shut down for nearly a month. As a result, TSA employees are not being paid currently (they will be) but mainstream media...
Review: The Principal Hotel Manchester (Kimpton)
Returning to Manchester, England after living there for many years has made us picky hotel guests. We couldn’t wait to stay at the newly acquired Principal Manchester, now a Kimpton (IHG) property. The property, the staff, everything was perfect. ...
Domestic Business Class Meals: Lufthansa Vs. Air France
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. Earlier today...
New American Express Lounge Policy Is Absurd
American Express announced fairly draconian new Centurion Lounge access restrictions yesterday. I view the policy change as a huge mistake. First, I note that American Express has recognized the problem of overcrowding and is attempting to ameliorate it. That...
Review: Air France HOP! Embraer 190 “Business” Class Paris To Basel
Just a short review to highlight that I do not love everything about Air France, including my regional HOP! flight from Paris to Basel-Mulhouse. My wife’s parents live just over the German border from Basel, so flying into Basel...
This Man Has Flown Over 20 Million Miles On United!
Tom Stuker, United’s all-time most frequent flyer, recently crossed over the 20 million lifetime mile mark. It is almost sobering to think how much flying 20,000,000 miles actually is. Over the years, he has clocked in: 803 times around...
