There is mystique surrounding Virgin Atlantic, which I attribute to its superb advertising and marketing – including sexy tv spots, red uniforms, branding business class “Upper Class” and decking out its premium cabins with sparkling gold and classy walk-up...
Top 10 American Airlines Award Redemptions
After a substantial devaluation last March, American Airlines AAdvantage miles are not worth what they once were. Nevertheless, there are still sweet spots on the award chart (mostly premium cabin) that are worth taking advantage of. Here are my...
Will American and United Match Delta’s Free Meals in Domestic Economy?
Delta Air Lines is bringing back complimentary meals — not just snacks, meals — to its premium transcon routes between JFK and LAX/SFO. Will this force American Airlines and United Airlines to match? Delta’s New Meal Plan Delta is...
Review: Bidvest Premier Lounge in Cape Town Airport
The Bidvest Lounge is one of three lounges in Cape Town’s international terminal, the other two being British Airways and Emirates. Open to business class passengers on non-BA/EK flights and to Priority Pass cardholders, the lounge is nothing remarkable...
How to Complain Effectively in Three Easy Steps
It’s easy enough to complain to an airline or hotel over bad service. It’s quite another matter to do so in an effective manner to obtain the results you are seeking. Here’s my how-to guide on complaining. A Case Study...
Turkish Airlines Super Bowl Ad with Morgan Freeman
Turkish Airlines is in trouble: there is no question about it. In the last year, Turkey has been rocked by multiple terrorist attacks and a failed coup attempt. Many don’t feel safe even connecting in Istanbul. I’ve still made the case...
A Photo Finish in Cape Town
In my final post in this series I will discuss the process of how we ultimately obtained the Police Clearance Certificate for Heidi, but it was now 5pm with our flight back to Europe scheduled to depart in four...
Virgin Atlantic Flight Diverts Over Spitting Passenger
A Virgin Atlantic flight from London Gatwick bound for St. Lucia diverted to the Azores after a passenger became belligerent, shouting and spitting at cabin crew, and threatening to open the aircraft door midair. This is just conjecture, but it...
Royal Jordanian Again Pokes Fun at Trump
King Abdullah of Jordan and the lovely Queen Raina were in Washington, DC last week to meet with President Donald Trump. Meanwhile, Royal Jordanian, the state-owned flag carrier of the Hashemite Kingdom rolled out a new ad implicitly attacking the U.S....
The Robben Island Experience
No trip to Cape Town is complete without a visit to Robben Island, a political prison turned national monument that housed Neslon Mandella for more than 30 years. Buy Your Robben Island Tickets in Advance Online Same-day tickets are...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: February 4, 2017
This week was the clam before the storm. I spent most of it caring my sick wife and sick son (flu, cold). Then I got sick, though thankfully it was just a 48-hour sore throat and I’m back to...
United CEO Vents About Small Planes, Washington Dulles
United CEO Oscar Munoz has a message about Washington Dulles: we screwed up. Fly between Newark and Washington Dulles — United’s two east coast hubs — and you’ll find yourself on a 37-seat turboprop (Bombardier Q200). Admitting that United’s share of traffic...
Would You Pay 250K Miles for First United Polaris 777-300ER Flight?
United Airlines is running an auction this week for two seats in Polaris (business) class on a special Chicago to San Francisco flight debuting its new 777-300ER and Polaris Business Class seats. But how much is too much? The...
The Cruel Poverty of Cape Town
Income disparity is a fact of life. I am not a Marxist and I reject the notion that it is purely luck or at the expense of others that great fortunes can be made. But I do recognize both...
Star Alliance Iceland Stopover Now Much Easier
Iceland fascinates me. Not only does it contain immense natural beauty, it offers Northern Lights in the winter and midnight sun in the summer. I’ve been before and had a great time — now I want to take the family....
Flying Blue Now Lets You Book Award Travel One Year in Advance!
Traditionally, Air France/KLM Flying Blue only allowed award bookings 10 months in advance. Now you can book up to 12 months in advance! I was working on an award to Tel Aviv this morning for an Award Expert client...
United Warns FAs: Stop Customers from Stealing!
As I shared in my Frankfurt to San Francisco Polaris First Class review last week, the new Saks Fifth Avenue bedding on United Airlines is really nice. So nice, apparently, that customers are walking off with it at an alarming...
Johannesburg to Cape Town in South African Airways A343 Economy Class
I had neglected to assign seats in advance on this flight (did not even think it was possible) and my wife and I ended up in middle seats. The A343 economy class cabin has a 2-4-2 configuration and the...
Hilarious Ellen DeGeneres Parody of United Basic Economy
I don’t watch the Ellen Show. Heck, I don’t even have a TV in my home, but when I saw this video today I had to laugh. United Basic Economy is coming soon and Ellen has a field day...
Road Trip from Johannesburg to Lesotho
I am on a quest to visit every country in the world. My “first pass” through the world will often include more limited visits — sometimes just hours — but my goal is to experience a taste of life in every nation....
