While Delta has submitted a lowball offer for Alitalia, Lufthansa just wants a partnership. “Investing is out of the question for us alongside a state-owned entity,” said Lufthansa CEO Carsten Spohr. That is music to the ears of Lufthansa...
Drunk American Airlines Baggage Handler Falls Asleep In Cargo Hold, Travels To Chicago
An American Airlines’ baggage handler fell asleep in the cargo hold of a Boeing 737-800 and traveled from Kansas City to Chicago. The unnamed 23-year-old worker is (was) an employee of Piedmont Airlines (an American regional subsidiary) at Kansas...
Aeroplan’s Annoying “Time Travel” Issue…
I needed a last-minute ticket on Aeroplan last night, but apparently Aeroplan lives in another dimension of time and space. It was 6:30 P.M. PT, therefore still 31 October in all parts of Canada. But when I tired to...
United Wants Employees To Be Vigilant Of One Another
United Airlines wants employees to keep an eye on one another, watching for situations that seems suspicious. Ollantay Corujo is the perfect example. He may have looked like a uniformed United employee and produced a convincing story and ID...
A New Connection From Los Angeles To Africa
Ethiopian Airlines will connect Los Angeles with Lomé, Togo, becoming the first nonstop flight between LAX and the African continent. Last month I wrote about Ethiopian abandoning its Addis Ababa – Dublin – Los Angeles flight. Days after cancelling it,...
Review: Hyatt Regency Amsterdam (Regency Executive Suite)
My review of the Hyatt Regency Amsterdam is long overdue. Business brings me to Holland often and I have stayed several times at this excellent property this year. As a Globalist member of the World of Hyatt program, I...
A Year Of Cancelled Trips
Since I first started international travel in 2006, every year has been like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of the globe. Each year I get a little closer to completing the puzzle. But as October draws to a close,...
United Airlines Will Serve Tahiti Year Around
United Airlines marked the inaugural flight of its new San Francisco to Tahiti service with news that the flight will operate year-around. The flight was originally set to run from October 30, 2018 until March 28, 2019 but now will operate...
Thai Airways Disciplines Staff For First Class Poaching
Thai Airways will discipline two staff members over the first class seating controversy last week that deeply embarrassed the Thai flag carrier. In a statement quoted in the Bangkok Post, Thai Airways President Sumeth Damrongchaitham said: It was found...
Emirates Firmly Dismisses Rumor Of Etihad Merger
“We can make it very simple, very easy: There’s no truth to the rumour. No truth. And end of story.” That’s Hubert Frach, Emirates head of commercial operations for Europe and the Americas. He’s in England this week touting Emirates’...
Middle East Airlines Orders A330neo
Beirut-based Middle East Airlines has committed to four Airbus A330neo aircraft to modernize its midhaul fleet. There has been no official announcement, but MEA’s annual statement indicated “commitments” for 11 Airbus A321neo and four A330neo aircraft. The 11 A321s have...
Philippine Airlines Launches Nonstop Service To New York JFK
Philippine Airlines has launched nonstop service between Manila and New York City aboard its new Airbus A350-900 jetliner. The flag carrier of the Philippines, more commonly known as PAL, will serve New York JFK five times weekly. With the...
Unruly Passenger Attacks United Flight Attendants, Forcing Diversion
A United Airlines flight returned to London after a boisterous woman cursed at her seat-back entertainment then attacked flight attendants. Michelle Vanbuskirk certainly had a bad day on a flight from London to Washington on September 25th. The woman, who...
How JetBlue’s Founder Envisions His Unique New Airline
David Neeleman, founder of JetBlue, is not worried about competition when his new airline, code-named Moxy, takes off in 2021. And he’s almost smug about it. Referring to the competition, he told Skift: There are some things structurally they...
Lufthansa’s A350 “Flying Penthouse”
The commercial passenger variant of Lufthansa’s Airbus A350 does not even have a first class section. But have you seen the VIP edition available via Lufthansa Technik? Described as a “haven of rest and comfort”, the custom interior spans...
Confirmed: Lion Air 737 Max Crashes Minutes After Takeoff
188 passengers and crew are feared dead as debris from a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 has washed up onshore near Jakarta. Lion Air flight JT-610 took off this morning at 6:21 A.M. from Jakarta enroute to Pangkal Pinang. Just...
Moving Flights From Britain Due to Brexit
Britain is still slated to leave the European Economic Region (Brexit) and that could have a big effect on travelers like me, who may want to move their flights away from Britain to maintain EU 261/2004 protection. If you...
Why Do The Smallest Airports Employ Pedantic TSA?
I took a quick work trip to Meridian, MS on an adorable CRJ-200. I was loving the tiny airport, personal service, single-serve everything. But when I met TSA on the departure, that all changed. If you are considering booking travel or signing...
Reasons to Embrace Hyatt’s Category 8 Redemptions
The party line for travel bloggers and point enthusiasts is that any potential devaluation is a bad thing, but I am not so sure that in Hyatt’s case it’s true. I have some reasons to embrace Hyatt’s coming Category...
New A380 Order? Lufthansa Teases Us On Twitter…
Lufthansa, you’re such a tease. The German carrier left us with this on Twitter yesterday: While the most likely answer is that the first A380 will soon be repainted in Lufthansa’s latest livery, the tweet has fueled speculation about...
