Finnair is returning to Los Angeles. This is not Finnair’s first attempt to serve Los Angeles, but it has been many years. This time, the carrier will operate an A350-900 aircraft on the route, which is one of my...
Review: Aeromexico 737-800 Business Class Los Angeles to Mexico City
My experience on Aeromexico was excellent. I expected a comfortable seat and good service, but I did not expect onboard wi-fi that functioned extremely well. That was a very welcomed additional treat. I used Korean Air SkyPass miles to...
Indicted Congressman Paid $600 To Fly Rabbit Using Campaign Funds
A San Diego Congressman has been indicted for using camp gain funds for personal spending, including spending $600 to transport his childrens’ rabbit across the country. In a world of nepotism and graft, Duncan Hunter, a Republican Congressman from...
The Economics of Lie-Flat Beds on 737s
United Airlines’ President Scott Kirby announced yesterday that United is exploring lie-flat seating on upcoming 737 MAX 10 deliveries. Speaking at the Boyd Group International Aviation Forecast Summit in Denver, Kirby touted United’s lie-flat domestic flights: It’s been really successful...
How Delta SkyMiles Could Instantly Become A Leading Loyalty Program
Two words: first class. You can now book China Eastern First Class awards using your Delta miles. The value is not great, but it is fair…especially compared to how much Delta asks for some of its own flights. This...
A Mysterious New Luxury Airline in Taiwan
StarLux Airlines may just be another start-up doomed to fail, but it is certainly an intriguing one. A group of investors in Taiwan, led by Chang Kuo-wei, has taken substantial steps to create a new luxury airline. Chang’s father...
Which Priority Pass Lounge In Washington Dulles Is Best?
With the addition of the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse to the portfolio, Washington Dulles (IAD) now offers four Priority Pass lounges. Which one is best? The four lounges include: Air France/KLM Lounge British Airways Galleries Lounge Turkish Airlines Lounge Virgin...
Introduction: A SkyTeam Adventure in the Middle East
I’m closing in on my goal to try every member airline of the three of major alliances. My last trip focused on SkyTeam, with an opportunity to fly three new carriers: Aeromexico, Air France, and Middle East Airlines. Both...
The Incredulous, Absurd Reason Lufthansa Is Denying Me EU261 Compensation
I received a call from Lufthansa on Friday concerning my EU261/2004 compliant I filed in late June. It bordered on hilarious. If you recall, in June my Frankfurt to Munich flight was delayed due to a late-arriving crew, causing...
Delta Compensates Me For Lounge Denial
Delta has compensated me for the embarrassing lounge access snafu at LAX earlier this month. In case you missed it, Delta denied me entrance to the Terminal 2 Sky Club at LAX even though I was traveling on a...
Review: Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse Washington Dulles (IAD)
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in Washington Dulles is now a Priority Pass lounge. A nice one at that. For Priority Pass members, it is available daily from 6:00 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. Your membership card technically gives you three...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 19, 2018
Greetings from LA. After a busy weak of travel last week, it was nice to be home this week. I’m not planning on going anywhere in the coming week either. Here’s a review of the week’s top stories plus...
What’s Wrong With Japanese Airline Credit Cards?
The US affinity credit card market is excellent for brands and for banks. Several offer excellent bonuses, yet the Japanese carriers are woefully inadequate and offer more points indirectly than directly. What’s wrong with them? If you are considering...
Hotel Standards Still Lag, Updates Needed
I spend a lot of time on the road and nights away from home for work and our own personal trips. More and more, I have found that hotels have failed to update their basic standards and that needs...
Hyatt Regency Delhi – Dining Dazzles, Delights
We had a chance to try some of the restaurants at the Hyatt Regency Delhi and the on-site menus exceeded our expectations. Even if we decide to try another brand of hotel in Delhi, we would return to the...
First Class Satay: Singapore Airlines vs. Malaysia 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....
A Vintage Russian Jetliner Skids Off Runway in Sudan
I learned two new things today. First, there is still a Russian-built Ilyushin Il-62 in service outside of North Korea. Second, it is (well, perhaps was…) operated by a European airline. Rada Airlines is a cargo airline based in Belarus,...
Hong Kong Airlines vs. Aeroplan: An Ethics Lesson
Hong Kong Airlines will honor its $500-600 business class fares from the U.S. to Asia. That warrants praise…and an ethics lesson. While not $0 fares, these business class fares were equivalent to economy class prices. Consequently, I had some...
Airline Serves Raw Chicken, But I Blame Passenger For “Starving”
We can draw an important lesson from a story of raw chicken served on a commercial flight. The UK Sun tells the story like this. 26-year-old Jamie Farrar ordered chicken satay on his flight from Bali to Kuala Lumpur on...
The Polyglot Pilot on United
Have you ever encountered an airline pilot who liked to show off his language prowess? I sure did on my last United flight. While flying on Middle East Airlines from Beirut to Frankfurt last Friday, I was impressed that the pilot...
