Tom Bihn sent one of their "Tri-Star" laptop bags and a few accessories over to upgrd.com for review and I had a chance to test them on my trip to Panama last week. There is always a temptation to give...
New Obstacle in United-Continental Merger
With both CAL and UAUA rising (though United is rising more quickly), a new roadblock has arisen in merger talks: …The two sides disagree over the value of the share prices that would be used to calculate a stock...
In dealing with Eyjafjallajokull, who should go first? Stranded or confirmed passengers?
When it comes to irr/ops, should stranded passengers displace confirmed passengers? I watched a news story this evening about how airlines are dealing with stranded passengers, some who have been waiting for more than a week to cross the...
More Cutbacks at Spirit Airlines–No More Seat Recline
Competing with Ryanair in a race to the bottom, Spirit has announced another "enhancement" now appearing on select A320s: Spirit Airlines, the air carrier that recently announced a $45 fee for carry-on bags, has launched another change that may...
Merge By May? United and Continental Talks Heat Up
"I WANT CO!" image courtesy Wall Street Journal We all knew the "talks" between US and UA were just a ruse: Negotiations between UAL Corp.’s United Airlines and Continental Airlines Inc. are picking up pace, with parties believing a merger...
Missed My First Upgrade in Two Years on United!
After going 8/8 with United’s new UDU program and not missing a requested upgrade in over two years (going back to my days a Premier Executive) I failed to clear on a SFO-PHL flight this afternoon. The transcon was...
Woman Arrested for Trying to Save Her 93 Year-Old Mother’s Applesauce from the TSA at Burbank Airport
Take a look at this YouTube video of an incident at my home airport of Burbank: The narrator, who sounds like the lawyer for the woman, tells a convincing story. What say you? Some more context: An incident at...
United Delays Launch of Dulles – Lagos, Nigeria Route
Bad news for those of you who took advantage of UA’s introductory fares to Nigeria: United Airlines said it will delay the start of planned flights to Lagos, Nigeria, because of regulatory issues. The flights had been set to...
Nearly Denied Boarding on TACA…and this wasn’t an oversell situation
I guess it was a bad idea to identify myself as a blogger and start taking pictures onboard my TACA flight from San Salvador to Washington Dulles earlier this evening. The way the purser ran into the cockpit to...
Trapped in SJO and not happy
I scheduled in a four hour layover today in San José, Costa Rica in order to exit immigration, take a brief walk around the airport, and snap some pictures for my trip report. I proceeded to immigration where an...
A Day in the Life of a United Airlines Customer Relations Representative
Few things are more irksome to me than writing to an airline about a problem and receiving a form letter in return that does not address my concerns and sometimes is so poorly constructed grammatically that I have to...
Flying East: Day or Night Flying?
I travel frequently between the East Coast and Southern California and have flown east almost exclusively on redeyes the last three years. A few weeks ago, I decided to fly during the day instead so I could get more...
Off to Panama on TACA!
I love traveling to new countries and flying new airlines and tomorrow I’ll get the chance to fly to Panama City via San Salvador on TACA. Stay tuned for a full trip report!
Lufthansa To Cut More BMI Capacity
As if BD’s route map hasn’t been thinned out enough the last two years: <paragraph_body> <paragraph_body> <paragraph_body> <paragraph_body>The Lufthansa Group plans to cut 25 percent of the capacity of its recently acquired United Kingdom subsidiary BMI, according to reports...
Double EQMs and RDMs on US Airways through June 15th
Dividend Miles members: sign up here for double elite qualifying miles and double redeemable miles for travel between April 13 and June 15 on US Airways. Unfortuantely, the extra points are only eligible for tickets booked after you sign up for...
In Defense of Overbooking Flights
David Lazarus has another travel column in the LA Times today that is filled with complaints, but lacking substance. This particularly caught my eye: Personally, I can’t understand how any business can get away with selling more of a...
When the Money Runs Out: Living on Airline Miles
With millions of miles in the bank, Ryan Bingham could live off his frequent flyer accounts for months. Others, must resort to more desperate measures. There are two kinds of business travelers. Those who have a goal in mind...
The Future of Budget Airline Travel: Load your own bags!
We’ve heard about Michael O’Leary’s plans for charging to use the lavatory and having "standing" sections in the back of the planes, but the good folks at Ryanair are really thinking outside the box: Ryanair says it is also...
United Eliminates Free Standby for Premier Executives and Below
United will eliminate free unconfirmed standby starting on April 28. Passengers wishing to take an earlier flight will be charged $50 if they clear the standby list. Passengers can still confirm a seat on an earlier or later flight...
Diplomat Jokes About Shoe Bomb After Smoking in Lavatory on DCA-DEN United Flight
Here’s a hint: if you decide you want to smoke in the lavatory, don’t cover it up by claiming you were trying to detonate a shoe bomb. A Qatari diplomat who caused a security alert aboard a United Airlines...
