United CEO Jeff Smisek has been making his rounds lately and spoke today at the J.P. Morgan Aviation, Transportation & Defense Conference in New York City. I just listened to it and offer my notes from his ~30 minute...
Continental Plans Wi-Fi Expansion to 737s, 757s – Will United Follow?
United announced today that its fleet of Continental domestic 737s and 757s (over 200 planes) will be equipped with Wi-Fi starting in 2012. Unlike the Gogo land-based system that UA currently uses, Continental will use satellite provider Ka-band, which purportedly will utilize world’s highest-capacity satellite to provide...
L-Class Lufthansa Intra-Europe Fares Earn 100% RDMs/EQMs on United
I flew on Lufthansa from Milan to Frankfurt Staurday evening on a cheap fare that I thought would earn zero miles. For the heck of it, I added my Mileage Plus number when checking in and was shocked to...
John Travolta’s Qantas Safety Video Irks Flight Crews
Qantas flight crew are not happy about a new safety video starring John Travolta that is now featured on most Qantas flights. [S]taff are up in arms. It’s "corny", apparently, and "tacky". Why an American? And, very particularly, why does Travolta refer to them as the...
Lufthansa Proves United isn’t the only Website with Problems
For reasons which I will discuss later this week, I decided to skip my return flight to Frankfurt on Ryanair and book with Lufthansa instead. The LH fare itself wasn’t bad, but booking it turned out to be a huge...
Why I am Finished with Hotel Bidding on Priceline and Hotwire
I flew into Pisa, Italy on Wednesday and spent much of the afternoon there, before boarding a train to Rome. Arrival in Rome was not scheduled until around 9pm, so with a very busy day of sightseeing to follow,...
My Japan Dilemma – To Go or Not to Go?
To be clear, compared to what the Japanese people are going through right now, my dilemma is quite unsubstantial, but because this is my travel blog, I trust you won’t find it in poor taste to speculate about my...
€40 Off Your Next Lufthansa Flight
Save €40 off your next Lufthansa flight by requesting a free voucher through this link. This deal has been around a couple weeks, but many countries, including Germany, returned error messages stating that the supply of vouchers had been...
United’s New Award Chart a Better Deal for the Savvy Traveler
It came a complete shock to me when United updated their award chart this week and did not introduce across the board price increases. On the contrary, United cut the number of miles needed to fly to Europe or...
United to Eliminate Emirates as Award Partner on May 28th
Following Continental’s lead, United’s partnership with Emirates will end on 28 May. You can still accrue award miles miles through that date and have until 28 November to request missing mileage credit for flights taken on or before 28...
Jeff Smisek Addresses United’s "Service" Problem
While Glen Tilton, former United Airlines CEO, may not have been as bad as some made him out to be, he seemed to have a lot of trouble with empathy. He often gave the appearance that he could care...
Taking the Plunge on Ryanair
After avoiding it for years, I will be flying Ryanair today from Frankfurt Hahn to Pisa, Italy. My brother is in town this week and we have never explored Tuscany or Rome so we’re off for an Italian adventure....
Putin Offers United States "Visa-Free" Travel to Russia
One of the highlights of my journey around the world in 2007 was my three day stop in Russia. Moscow and St. Petersburg are great cities and I’ve often wanted to go back, especially now that I am relatively...
How I’ll Earn 40,000 United Award Miles Flying from Seattle to Newark
Last night a friend alerted me via e-mail that something fishy was going on with Continental flights between Seattle and Newark. While CO usually limits connections to one or two at most (and those connections are usually restricted to...
Free Star Alliance Silver Status – Free Checked Bags on United, Continental, and US Airways
British Midland (bmi) is offering new members of their Diamond Club frequent flyer program free silver status. No strings attached. Simply join through this link (Update 3/15: dead again! 3/14: Tip of the hat to Gary and his readers)....
Save Money with Deutsche Bahn’s Schönes-Wochenende Tickets
I’m off to Luxembourg today! The plan is to travel by train to Luxembourg, spend five or six hours there, then travel back to Frankfurt, perhaps stopping in Trier, Germany if time permits. I’m taking along my brother and...
Japan Devesated by Earthquake…Flights Halted
All Nippon Airways, a leading Japanese airline and member of Star Alliance, has been in touch with my office in Frankfurt all day concerning the massive 8.9 earthquake that struck Japan late this afternoon. Over 100 deaths are already...
Lufthansa Awards Now Bookable Online from United
United’s website is suddenly evolving at a rapid pace. Just a day after allowing the online redemption of electronic certificates for Continental flights, you can now book award tickets on Lufthansa flights online using your United miles. As you...
New Gourmet Menu in Economy Class on Virgin Blue
As Virgin Blue continues to move away from the low-cost-carrier model, the airline has introduced a new menu in economy class that looks downright tasty. Designed by Chef Luke Mangan, the menu will include bundles like a panini served...
*Sigh* Another Rail Strike in Germany
The sun is not even up and I am already preparing to leave for work. I don’t have to report to the office for another three hours, but the trains aren’t running this morning throughout much of Germany, including...
