Hello from the American Express Lounge at San Francisco International Airport. I’m on my way home from FTU after a great weekend in Seattle. It was an honor to meet many readers. Remember, there are four upcoming Frequent Traveler...
Utter Failure and Complete Success at Disney World
We’ve been to Disney just once in Hong Kong and consider ourselves novices at this type of family vacation. However, we found an opportunity to take the family and my in-laws to Walt Disney World and did it completely...
Review: Le Méridien New Orleans – Suite
During a business trip to the Big Easy, I stayed at the Le Méridien New Orleans, upgraded to a corner suite. It was one of the best experiences I have had as a Platinum SPG member and an excellent...
Why Are Miles & Segments Still Required?
Over the last five years, airlines have changed the requirements for reaching elite status from a certain number of miles flown to that component plus revenue from tickets. The airlines have all made clear that they want to reward...
Review: Hyatt Centric Santa Barbara
Los Angeles is a great place to live, but one of the blessings of living in Southern California is weekend trips out of LA. One of my family’s favorite getaways is a two hour drive north to Santa Barbara....
The Paradox of Aeroplan’s Survivalist Mentality
Aeroplan will lose its largest partner, Air Canada, in 2020. While the program may continue to survive in some form, many predict parent-company Aimia is already preparing for the worst. As in au revoir. From what I hear, the decision...
How Qatar Airways Promises to Combat Jet Lag with A350-1000
Qatar Airway’s latest aircraft, the A350-1000, entered service today between Doha and London. The new aircraft is equipped with several measures to combat jet lag and thereby maximize passenger comfort. But are these gimmicks or game changers? Qatar Airways...
Did You Hear About the New Hyatt Promo? (Humor)
Let me say at the outset, this is meant to be a light-hearted rather than a critical post. A little insider info from the world of blogging. There are these things called embargoed news releases. Generally, these are earned...
Fly Qatar Airways Qsuites for Less Than $2K R/T
You can fly over 26 hours in Qatar Airways’ latest Qsuite Business Class for less than $2,000. One Mile at a Time notes an incredible round-trip fare from Muscat to New York. Return fares start at just $1783.71 r/t....
When Will We Learn? Dog Bites Child on Southwest Flight
As debate continues over emotional support animals onboard airplanes, we must ask ourselves this question: how can we ensure a dog doesn’t attack a child onboard a plane? That’s exactly what happened onboard a Southwest Airlines flight on Wednesday...
Airline CEOs Plead: Stop Raising Our Taxes!
Last week I wrote about the Trump Administration’s proposed FY2018 budget that proposes raising airline taxes used to fund airport security, passport control, and customs. Not surprisingly, airlines have expressed strong opposition. Airlines for America, the lobbying arm of...
United FA Compels Passenger to Change Seats: Ridiculous or Justified?
My brother Andrew commutes weekly between Southern California and the Bay Area. Since United Airlines brought mainline service back to Burbank, he has switched his business from Southwest to United. He shared this story with me from his flight yesterday. As...
Why Latest United Airlines Promo May Not Make Sense for You
United Airlines is running an attractive promotion on award redemptions to four incredible destinations. But before you jump on the bandwagon, make sure you practice due diligence. Now through March 2, 2018 you can save 20% on economy class...
Questionable Upgrade Advice on Virgin Atlantic
While I’m not totally dismissing it, I’m certainly quite skeptical about the Virgin Atlantic upgrade advice offered by Bloomberg. Bloomberg is in the midst of a “high-end travel hacks” series featuring “notable” names in food, wine, fashion, cars, real estate. This story...
Air Italy: Qatar’s Plan to Destroy Alitalia
Air Italy wants to be the flag carrier of Italy, taking over beleaguered Alitalia’s long-held dominant position. Air Italy is actually already Italy’s #2 carrier, still flying under the Meridiana name. Last year Qatar Airways acquired a 49% stake...
Sisters Sue Airline for “Guilt by Association” Fart Removal
Two sisters are suing a Dutch budget airline after their removal from a recent flight. That flight diverted after a passenger proved unable or unwilling to control his flatulence. The sisters claim they never farted and did not know the...
Sun Country Slashes Workforce in Minneapolis
Sun County Airlines will outsource 20% of its workforce, announcing it will layoff 350 ground workers at Minneapolis-St. Paul (MSP). These positions include “below-wing” ground workers, ticket counter agents, sky caps and those who assist passengers with wheelchairs. Here’s the...
Review: Vietnam Airlines A350 Business Class Ho Chi Minh City to Frankfurt
Vietnam Airlines offers impressive onboard service and a great business class seat onbroad its new A350s. Even so, the soft product was disappointing. After arriving in Ho Chi Minh City from Doha, I proceeded to the transit counter and...
First 10 United 737 MAX 9 Routes Announced
United Airlines will soon take delivery of its first 10 Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and has revealed what routes these new aircraft will fly on. What’s a MAX 9? It’s the latest version of the 737 from Boeing,...
Star Alliance Rolling Out Extremely Useful New Services
Now a mature alliance, Star Alliance is no longer in a growing phase, but instead focusing on delivering an improved portfolio of services to its customers. There is much to look forward to. Simple tasks like assigning seats on...
