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...
Caution: Chase Strictly Limits Korean Air SkyPass Transfers
Word of warning: Chase points can only be transferred to Korean Air SkyPass once every 24 hours. I learned the hard way. I’m not traveling home tomorrow on Turkish Airlines…or Kuwait Airways. No, I think I’ve got something even...
Review: JetBlue A321 Mint New York To Los Angeles
The more I reflect on this flight, the more I realize how much I take mediocre service for granted on U.S. airlines. Put simply, this late-night flight in JetBlue Mint was one of the best domestic flights I have...
Incredible Mexican Food in Tashkent
Let me tell you about the wonderful Mexican restaurant Ben and I enjoyed in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. As the sole Mexican restaurant in the city, I was pleased to see that Mexico City Restaurant had over 10,040 likes on Facebook....
It’s a Miracle! Aeroplan Hold Times Plummet
Aeroplan is finally wising up to something: providing poor customer service is no way to run a premier loyalty problem. While it may be too late, I’m pleased to report I have not encountered a hold for more than...
My “Souvenir” from Uzbekistan: 1.2MN Worthless Soms
I left Uzbekistan today with about 1,200,000 more Soms than I intended. Two problems: hotels in Uzbekistan do not accept local currency for room payment and Soms cannot easily be exchanged outside Uzbekistan. One of my fondest memories of...
Air Berlin Bailed Out by German Government
Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy protection today after Etihad Airways pulled the plug on future funding. The German government quickly stepped in to provide a bridge loan so that Air Berlin can continue operations as it searches for a...
United’s Chief Digital Officer: Overbooking Will Continue
Linda Jojo is the Chief Digital Officer for United Airlines as well as the Executive Vice President of Technology. In a recent wide-ranging interview with the Wall Street Journal, she explained why United will continue to overbook flights. Overbooking...
Review: Airspace Lounge New York JFK (Terminal 5)
While it’s great to have a lounge, about the only good thing I can say about the Airspace Lounge in JFK’s T5 is that the shower is nice. Well, maybe that’s not fair. The tap water is free. I...
So Much for Flying the Ilyushin Il-114…
Well, we gave it a good try, but it seems flying on the Ilyushin Il-114 simply wasn’t meant to be… As our time in Uzbekistan draws to a close, Ben and I have wasted hours trying to find a way...
United Returns to Historic Airport it Abandoned Decades Ago
78 years ago United Airlines launched commercial service from Paine Field (PAE) just north of Seattle. After decades without commercial flights, a new terminal is opening and United will resume commercial service to two hubs. Paine Field was a...
Which Countries Are Covered by T-Mobile International Plan?
Kyle wrote a great piece yesterday on why he is sticking to T-Mobile despite its flaws. I share in his assment, even as I spend this week in two countries that are excluded from T-Mobile’s international “Simple Choice” plan....
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 13, 2017
Hello from Tashkent, where I am spending several days checking out Uzbekistan. The country has defied expectations…in good way. I don’t recommend the national airline, though. On Monday I will finish my current trip report with a review of...
Defiant: United Will NOT Suspend Flights to Guam Despite North Korea Threat
North Korea has warned that if provoked, it will strike Guam with a nuclear missile. Despite a bellicose exchange of threats between North Korea and United States, United Airlines is conducting business as usual from its Pacific island hub. United Airlines...
Benefits of Slow Travel With Children
As I previously covered, I spent the better part of six weeks in Asia with my daughter, sister and her boyfriend. There have been a lot of questions as to why we went for such an extended period of...
Why I Suffer Through T-Mobile Service
Competitors offer better domestic service but either little-to-no coverage abroad, or way too expensive to be useful. But is it worth it to suffer through bad T-Mobile service most of the year just to make my time abroad easier?...
Friendly or Fiendish? An Uzbeki Man Invites Us Home
In my travels to 128 countries over the last 13 years, I have been swindled, extorted, and battered, but never truly harmed. I’d like to think I’ve become a more discerning traveler, but I’m still trying to make sense...
Review: Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria
I often travel to Houston for business and find myself staying in the Galleria area about half of the time. While the Hyatt Regency Houston Galleria has been open for some time. I hadn’t the chance to stay, however,...
