I flew Saudia First Class with Ben from One Mile at a Time last week from Dubai to Los Angeles via Riyadh and Jeddah. While many parts of the in-flight and ground experience impressed me, one thing impressed me...
The Ten Least Visited Countries in the World
Coming up with a list of the ten most visited countries in the world is probably easy enough, but how about the 10 least visited countries in the world? Some on the list are not surprising, but a couple...
Chasing the Eclipse in a Concorde
I’ll be the first to admit that I really don’t see what the big deal is about the solar eclipse today. I will not be leaving Los Angeles and will not even step outside during the eclipse if I’m...
Frontier Airlines Forgets to Collect Fee, Kicks Off Child
While Kyle and his family may have had a good experience on Frontier Airlines, I’m not touching the airline with a 10-foot pole. First they throw off a senior citizen for complaining to his daughter about a long delay....
Win-Win: Pre-Order Meals on Qatar Airways in Business Class
It’s a small change, hardly innovative in light of the many carriers that already offer a similar option, but Qatar Airways now lets you pre-order your meals when flying in business or first class. Qatar Airways already offers a...
We Flew Frontier: It Was Great!
Occasionally, there are times where traditional hub-and-spoke flag carriers just don’t make sense. While Southwest offers lots of direct flights in point-to-point service from many airports throughout the US, Spirit, Frontier, and JetBlue have also added lots of options...
Review: Renaissance Oklahoma City Convention Center
As I continue to try out Marriott brands during my status challenge period, the Renaissance Hotel in Oklahoma City seemed like a perfect property to review. All hotel brands put their best foot forward in key destinations, like the...
Getting More From Your Amenity Kit
**Updated** Several commenters have suggested the donation of amenity kits to shelters and others in need. I think this is a noble cause and I don’t want to take credit for their great idea by adding it to the post,...
Four Course Breakfast on a 45-Minute Flight
My recent trip to the –stans included a 189-mile flight on Uzbekistan Airways from Tashkent to Dushanbe. Though only 45 minutes, a full breakfast was served and is the subject of this week’s Meal of the Week. The flight...
Polygamy, Polyamory, and the Future of Travel
I really don’t care to discuss on this blog whether polygamy, polyamory, or any sort of plural relationship is good or bad. But I do sense society is changing and such arrangements will one day be protected by law,...
Lenin Statues and Historical Remembrance
I spent the last week in two former Soviet Socialist Republics, Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. As the Soviet Union collapsed, both declared independence in 1991. At one point, nearly every city under the sphere of Soviet influence erected a towering...
Be Careful What You Whisper Onboard an Airplane…
As if you needed another reason not to fly Frontier Airlines, we have one: FAs may get huffy after eavesdropping on your private conversation. A 70-year old man and his 25-year old daughter were kicked off a Frontier flight...
Why British Airways Redemptions on AA Rarely Make Sense
View from the Wing’s expose on AA fuel surcharges is damning, but even with properly charged taxes/fees it just rarely makes sense to use your American miles for British Airways longhaul economy class flights. Rule #1 in booking award...
A Fun Day at Emirates Headquarters
Ben was excited at breakfast yesterday. “Do you want to go to Emirates HQs today to work?” he asked. Uh, that’s like asking me if I want an upgrade to first class. Of course! I figured Ben had a...
The Real Reason United is Launching Denver to London Service?
In the world of politics, what seems obvious is often only a clever cover for something less obvious. By all accounts, United’s decision to add transatlantic service between Denver and London was a strategic move to challenge Norwegian Air....
Lawsuit: AA FAs Deliberately Pour Red Wine on Wedding Dress
A New Jersey woman claims a group of FAs on American Airlines conspired to ruin her wedding, discreetly opening an overhead bin in-flight and dousing her white wedding gown in red wine. Yewande Oteh was flying from Philadelphia to Montego...
21 Hours in Saudia First Class…
Hello from Dubai, where it is a moderate 102ºF today. Yesterday, I wrote about the travails of transferring points from Chase Ultimate Rewards to Korean Air Skypass. Today, I want to talk about what I booked. I was really...
A Bizarre Experience on Somon Air
I already wrote about the smoking we experienced onboard, but the whole Somon Air experience was quite strange. Dushanbe has a fairly beautiful new international terminal, but the airport is odd. We showed up three hours before our flight,...
Why Do Flight Attendants Lie About Onboard Smoking?
Yesterday, Ben and I flew Somon Air from Dushanbe to Dubai. It’s an interesting airline that I’ll have more details about later today. I’ll give you a preview, though: the pilots repeatedly smoked in-flight. Even worse, though, is that...
Can Sun Country Airlines Survive? I Doubt It.
Sun Country Airlines has a new sheriff in town and he’s cleaning house. He must be careful not to dump the baby with the bathwater. Sadly, it appears he has no choice. Jude Bricker is the new President and CEO...
