I give airlines a lot of flak on Live and Let’s Fly for the duplicitous double standards many engage in. Most center around consumer-unfriendly polices like waiting to days or weeks to cancel so-called “mistake fares” while strictly penalizing...
How to Tell What Hotel you are Getting on Hotwire BEFORE Paying
Those shopping for great quality and a great value often turn to Hotwire for cut-rate prices at fine hotels. Now you can know exactly which hotel you’ll receive before making your blind purchase…at least in some cities. Hotwire offers...
Charlatan Kenneth Copeland Flaunts His New Private Jet
Charlatan televangelist Kenneth Copeland has purchased a new private jet with the financial gifts of desperate and confused dupes. How’s that for an unbiased opener? Why not live and let live? Why not just let this go? If people...
Finally, a Suite Upgrade at Hyatt Regency Mainz!
For years I have been a regular guest at Hyatt Regency Mainz, located just 20-minutes from Frankfurt Airport. But in all these years and in all these stays, I’ve never received a suite upgrade…until my stay last week. The...
First Impressions of Vietnam Airlines A350 Business Class
I’m back in Europe after a 13hr flight onboard a brand-new Vietnam Airlines A350 aircraft. What is Vietnam Airlines like in long-haul business class? Vietnam Airlines has taken delivery of 10 A350 aircraft since 2015. The first five were...
Review: American Express Centurion Lounge Hong Kong (HKG)
The beautiful new American Express Centurion Lounge in Hong Kong represents an excellent new addition to the AMEX lounge network. I arrived at the airport nearly 2.5 hours before my flight to Chicago and thus had plenty of time...
How Does the “Serial Stowaway” Sneak Past Security Checkpoints and Onto Airplanes?
Marilyn Hartman, who has become a folk hero for slipping past TSA checkpoints and onto airplanes undetected, has struck again. This time she not only bypassed security at Chicago O’Hare, but managed to sneak onto a British Airways flight...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 21, 2018
Hello from Zurich. I’m in the midst of an extended business trip, anxious to get home, but trying to appreciate the time in one of my favorite countries. I’ve already been to Qatar, Vietnam, Germany, and Malta. Austria, Italy,...
Video: Passengers Brace for Emergency Landing
An American Airlines flight operated by Mesa Airlines on January 17th, departed Phoenix, Arizona and made an emergency landing in Dallas/Ft.Worth. The mechanical issue stemmed from a broken fan which caused smoke in the cockpit. Footage A video taken...
Hilton Award Hack Or Bad Tech?
During a period of maintenance to the Hilton Honors website I was able to secure prices that beat the Dynamic Pricing engine. Was this a case of luck, a new award pricing hack, or just bad technology? If you...
United Airlines’ Limited Global Services Challenge
Status challenges exist to steal business from competing airlines and hotel chains. United Airlines offers their Global Services with unpublished requirements and does not allow status matches to the exclusive tier, but it appears they now offer a challenge...
Will Qatar Airways Buy 25% Stake in JetBlue?
Akbar Al Baker, CEO of Qatar Airways, has hinted at plans to buy a 25% stake in a U.S. “startup” airline. If I’m a betting man, I’d say that is JetBlue. Speaking to reporters at an air show in...
Do You Ever “Waste” a Flight Watching Movies?
It had all the ingredients of an ideal flight for sleeping. The flight left at 2am. I had just worked for 8 hours. Lie-flat beds were available. And I was tried. But I did not sleep a wink. After...
Qatar Airways Shines in the Dark of Night
My final segment on my Qatar Airways “Golden Ticket” was a flight from Doha to Ho Chi Minh City aboard an A330 that departed at 2am. You might think catering would be more limited on an overnight flight departing...
Bravo! Delta Restricts Emotional Support Animals
I’ve written before about emotional support animals…and how some airline passengers routinely abuse federal law to avoid pet fees. Now Delta Air Lines is saying enough is enough. Complaints over animal defecation, urination, and biting have risen 84% over...
Sitting Next to a Pipe Smoker
I could smell it many paces away…my seatmate from Doha to Ho Chi Minh City was not just a smoker, but a pipe smoker. The smell was distinct and unmistakable. And while I prefer the smell of smoke from...
Review: United 777-300ER Polaris Business Class San Francisco to Hong Kong
United Polaris Business Class, and by that I mean the actual new Polaris seat, is a step in the right direction for United. My 15hr flight from San Francisco to Hong Kong gave me plenty of time to test...
Norwegian 787 Sets Transatlantic Speed Record
A Norwegian Airlines 787-9 Dreamliner has set a transatlantic speed record from New York to London for a subsonic jet. The jetstream is strong this time of year and was clocked as strong as 202mph on Monday during the...
United Airlines 2018 Winter Olympics TV Ad
The 2018 Winter Olympic Games are coming up in PyeongChang, South Korea. U.S. athletes will be traveling there on United Airlines, the subject of a new 30-second TV advertising spot. The video’s slogan: Helping superheroes fly for 38 years. Proud...
Airport Pharmacy in Doha Saves the Day
I keep my vitamins and the one prescription drug I take each day in the kitchen of my house. Three trips in the last year, including my current trip, I have forgotten them. One time I was only gone...
