Several years ago, SWISS stopped releasing first class awards to partners on a regular basis, generally reserving that award space only for elite members of its own Miles & More loyalty program. But sometimes the door is temporarily opened…and...
Toronto is a Hip, Cool City
I visited Toronto for the first time recently (sadly, not for a flight simulator) and enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. I’ve flown Pearson International Airport many times but never stepped out until I arrived a...
My Favorite Hyatt in California
I’m just back from a relaxing long weekend at the Hyatt Carmel Highlands, my favorite Hyatt in the state of California. To be fair, I have not stayed at every Hyatt property (yet) in CA, but I’ve been to...
The World’s Most Traveled Man
There are 193 UN-recognized countries on Earth, but some people don’t stop there. One Chicago man, named the most well-traveled man in the world, has been to 852 unique destinations. It’s one thing to visit all 193 UN-recongized countries....
Free Tickets on Delta – A Facebook Scam
Online scams are nothing new…but one keeps rearing its ugly head. No, Delta is not giving away free tickets. If you see an advertisement on Facebook that looks too good to be true…it is. Although this has been going...
Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Toronto (YYZ)
Executive summary: a perfectly comfortable lounge with a decent food spread, showers, and fast wi-fi. Before my flight on Ethiopian Airlines from Toronto to Addis Ababa I spent an hour in Air Canada’s Terminal 1 Maple Leaf Lounge. An...
Admission to Harvard is Easier than Becoming a Delta FA
Want to be a Delta flight attendant? The Atlanta-based carrier is hiring, but be warned…admission is more difficult than getting into Harvard or Yale. Delta will hire 1,000+ FAs in 2018. Last year, the airline hired 1,250 FAs. For...
Coming Soon: Gift Boxes on United Flights to Las Vegas
If you’re flying on United Airlines to Las Vegas next month, look forward to a gift box on all mainline flights. Oh, don’t get too excited. It’s just a box that The Venetian and The Palazzo Hotels probably paid United...
Would You Visit Saudi Arabia as a Tourist?
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is rapidly changing. In a bid to increase foreign visitors, you’ll soon be able to obtain a tourist visa to one of the more isolated nations in the world. If I can generally summarize...
Convalescing on the California Coast
I’ve been sick a lot lately. More this year than the several previous years combined. Nothing deadly, but a particularly vicious stomach flu and several colds, which all seem to manifest themselves in the same cycle of sore throat,...
FTU Returns to Seattle in February – Cyber Monday Discount!
Frequent Traveler University is returning to Seattle in February. Today only, you can score $30 off registration, a free book, and even a free dinner. FTU Seattle will take place between February 23-25, 2018 at the Four Points by Sheraton Seattle...
United Discounts Award Tickets to Paradise
In celebration of 70 years of service, United Airlines if offering discounted award tickets to Hawaii. Just in time for Cyber Monday, United is discounting economy class award travel to Hawaii by 20%. Round-trip saver awards to Hawaii, normally...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 26, 2017
Greetings from a beautifully blustery autumn day in Carmel, CA. I’ll have details tomorrow about the wonderful way I’ve spent my long holiday weekend. It was a fairly quiet week on the blog and in the aviation industry, which...
Putting the ‘Mistake’ in Mistake Fare
I posted some time ago about the tremendous deal/mistake fare that was offered by Air Transat from several airports in Canada to several airports in Europe. I wasn’t sure at the time if this was just a great deal...
Review: Ritz-Carlton Shanghai Pudong – Suite
As part of my United 1K Challenge I headed to Shanghai for a quick status run. I wanted to stay in some new properties as I had previously stuck to Hyatt and hadn’t spread my wings beyond the brand....
Helping a Toddler Beat Jet Lag
Jet lag is hard enough on adults, but children have it the worst. They don’t understand why they are tired, awake and may want to fight it but don’t have the strength. There are some easy ways to avoid...
Airport Shuttles are NOT the Bane of My Existence!
Travel with Grant wrote an entertaining rant entitled, Airport Shuttles are the Bane of my Existence. I hold a different viewpoint. He lays out a string of recent horror stories involving airport hotel shuttles and vows to never wait for...
Review: Park Hyatt Toronto (Suite)
Here’s a review of a hotel that will close next week for two years. Consider this the “before” review in preparation for the “after” review in late 2019. But even the old Park Hyatt Toronto is, well…was still a...
New Trick for Booking JAL Award Space with AA Miles
There’s a new way to book Japan Airlines (JAL) award space with your American Airlines miles. Use this guide to successfully book JAL award space with AAdvantage. After more than three years of preparation, JAL migrated from its own Passenger...
“BA Magic” Campaign from British Airways
Sometimes I think I live under a rock…I can’t believe I only learned today of the “BA Magic” campaign by British Airways. These videos will make you cry. Take the latest video, to start. British Airways fulfills the dreams...
