CLEAR is a membership service that vets members to provide expedited security lines at airports and event centers. They have had limited growth, but if they followed the lead of lounge membership company, Priority Pass, perhaps they could scale...
Review: Tru Hotel Pigeon Forge – Patronizing Millennials
Tru is a new hotel brand by Hilton focused on a younger generation. The select service property (this location in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee) trades design elements for cramped conditions. Does it work or is it patronizing (hint: patronizing)? If...
Review: DoubleTree Colorado Springs – Presidential Suite
The DoubleTree Colorado Springs is a massive hotel with conference center. I was pleasantly upgraded to the Presidential Suite due to my status with Hilton and couldn’t be happier with the product I received. If you are considering booking...
The Best Fish I’ve Ever Had On An Airplane
Call me adventurous (or stupid), but I will often order fish on an airplane. This week’s Meal of the Week looks back to the best fish I’ve ever had on a commercial flight. I don’t kid myself that fish...
A New Airport Lounge With A Sauna
I’ve written about the sauna available inside the Finnair Lounge in Helsinki before. Now another airport lounge, this one nearly 1,200 miles away, offers not just one, but two saunas. This lounge is in Paris. It’s in the new...
Justice: Delta Passenger Forced To Pay Up For Flight Diversion
We read about flight diversions fairly regularly, but it is not often we read about who settles the bill. Diverting a plane cost moneys. There are fuel costs, landing fees, labor costs, not to mention passenger rebooking. A diversion...
First Look At Beautiful New SWISS “Lounge Center A” In Zurich
SWISS has unveiled beautiful new Business Class and Senator lounges for short-haul passengers at Zurich Airport. The new Lounge Center A opened earlier this month and is intended to make passengers feel “genuinely” at home. The design and interior of both...
Impressive: New Air France Business Class Lounge at CDG
The new Air France Business Class Lounge in Hall L of Terminal 2E at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is now fully open. It’s beautiful. The lounge is over 34,000 feet square feet and includes exceptional amenities and finishes. Let’s...
T-Mobile Becomes Even More Valuable
T-Mobile is adding 55 countries to its international data plan while slightly raising the cost of international calls. Yesterday afternoon I received a text message from T-Mobile: Important msg from T-Mobile: We noticed you make calls while abroad. We’re...
Should Pilots Be Allowed To Smoke Onboard?
Earlier today I wrote about the Air China flight that rapidly descended due to depressurization. Chinese authorities have confirmed pilot vaping is to blame. Is it ever okay for pilots to smoke or vape onboard? It’s a serious question,...
Full-Service Porter Airlines Introduces Basic Economy
Porter Airlines, a “boutique” full-service airline based out of Toronto’s Billy Bishop City Airport, is introducing basic economy fares. Porter and basic economy seem like water and oil to me. That’s a good thing. Porter is the airline that has...
Air China 737 Rapidly Drops 25,000 Feet
Air China Flight 106, a Boeing 737-800 traveling from Hong Kong to Dalian, dropped from 35,000 feet to 10,000 feet within 10 minutes earlier this week. The question is, why? Ostensibly the answer is because the flight lost pressure in...
Frankfurt To Frankfurt In Three Hours
I shared about my recent flight delay on Lufthansa. Here’s a look at two domestic flights I took within Germany from Frankfurt to Munich and shortly thereafter, back to Frankfurt. With an onward connection to Los Angeles in first...
The Smart Way To Bequeath Your Frequent Flyer Miles
Many news outlets have picked up on the fact that Anthony Bourdain bequeathed his frequent flyer miles to his ex-wife in his will. Here’s how she should handle them. The will asks her to “dispose of them in accordance...
The End Of An Era At Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines is ditching peanuts, effective August 01, 2018. Health advocates and parents with children allergic to peanuts are rejoicing. Meanwhile, peanut farmers and King Nut (the peanut manufacturer for Southwest) are lamenting. Maybe Jimmy Carter is too. Southwest confirmed...
Review: Plaza Premium Lounge – London Heathrow T2 Arrivals (LHR)
If you’re arriving into Terminal 2 at London Heathrow with a Priority Pass card, stop by the Plaza Premium Arrivals Lounge for coffee or a meal after your flight. This lounge is geared nicely for economy class travelers. Instead...
Review: Lufthansa CityLine CRJ-900 Business Class Milan to Frankfurt
After a two-hour delay, I was happy to board the flight and get to Frankfurt. It would be my first time flying the Lufthansa CityLine CRJ-900. The boarding gate appeared empty, but when boarding was called it took mere moments...
Review: Lufthansa Lounge Milan (MXP)
At 6pm, this lounge was far more crowded than the gate area. Then again, the gate area does not have a nice selection of complimentary food and drink. So choose your poison. I was flying from Milan Malpensa (MXP)...
“Horny” Pilot Allegedly Molests Woman On United Flight
A woman is suing United Airlines for failing to protect her from a “horny” pilot who allegedly molested her on a 13-hour flight. Anne Dowling was flying in business class on United from Hong Kong to San Francisco in...
My Superb Boutique Hotel in Florence, Italy
Looking for a reasonably-priced boutique hotel in the heart of Florence? I found one called Hotel River. Florence is a beautiful city in Italy’s Tuscany region with stunning architecture and great food. But it is missing one thing: a wide...
