Lufthansa cabin crews are preparing to strike from November 6-13, 2015 over proposed cuts to pension and retirement benefits. The planned walkout could result in significant flight cancellations to both European and intercontinental destinations. Strikes are never a walk in...
The Elegant Simplicity of Cathay Pacific’s New Livery
Airlines update their livery from time to time, often when the brand is in need of a similar refresh. For Cathay Pacific, flag carrier of Hong Kong, the brand is respected, financial are stable, and there has been no...
Rumor: United Will Charge to Gate Check Excess Carry-on Bags
Checked baggage fees are here to stay and checking a bag remains an unattractive option — who wants to stand around a baggage carousel or risk losing your valuables when you can keep your bags with you onboard? That...
American Airlines Passenger Goes on 9/11 Rant, Claims to Have Gun
Nothing like a crazy passenger to disturb an otherwise mundane transcon flight. An American Airlines flight from LA to Philadelphia was forced to divert to Phoenix after a man who had probably been listening to Alex Jones too much...
What American Giveth, United Taketh Away
American Airlines recently made “to go” coffee cups available throughout most of its lounge network, adding value by helping members save time and avoid the cost and hassle of waiting in crowded coffee lines in airport concourses. Delta and...
Matthew is Wrong – Hyatt Buying Starwood Benefits Customers
Earlier today I posted about Hyatt potentially buying Starwood hotels as reported by CNBC. Then Matthew from Live and Let’s Fly here on Upgrd wrote this post. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both...
British Airways Stabs USA Travelers in the Back in Latest Cutback
British Airways should be ashamed of itself — truly ashamed. Every carrier has sweet spots on its award chart and we all knew that one of the great bright spots of the Executive Club award chart was 4,5000 miles...
Why I Am Opposed to Hyatt – Starwood Merger
Let’s be clear — when was the last time a merger was actually beneficial to customers on the loyalty front? Northwest and Delta merged, and we lost a great Northwest loyalty program and website. The new carrier took the...
Things I Love: Luggage
As a traveling family we have an awful lot of things to take with us these days. There are clothes for us, for our little Lucy, and after learning our lesson with unexpected layovers – clothes for just about...
Hyatt in Advance Talks to Buy Starwood Hotels
It was reported that Hyatt was in advance talks to purchase Starwood Hotels (SPG). Hyatt ultimately did not complete the sale, Marriott did in 2016. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support...
Onboard Video from the Final United p.s. Flight from JFK
This will be my last post on United Airlines leaving JFK airport, but I wanted to bring your attention to the photo above and video below that was posted by Flyertalk member Phil Level on Facebook. You have to love...
A Review of My First and Last United p.s. Flights from JFK
Yesterday I wrote about the new challenges on the horizon for United employees at JFK. In the story, I shared a couple pictures of my first and last p.s. flights on United at JFK. Here’s a brief trip report...
United JFK Employees Say Goodbye to Home, Hello to Uncertainty
A United Club agent pauses between welcoming guests to steal a furtive glance toward a pair of Japanese dragon statues on the adjacent wall, one of the last remnants of United’s heyday at JFK. She has been with United...
Pictures: Saying Goodbye to United Airlines at JFK
The final United Airlines flight at John F. Kennedy International Airport just took off for Los Angeles, ending a storied era for United. Today you can view a selection of pictures I recently took around Terminal 7, United’s now...
Kuwaiti Government Expels United Airlines from Kuwait
United Airlines has announced it will suspend service to Kuwait City and Bahrain on January 13, 2016. I’ve flown the route twice and the plane was half full both times (and with only about 50 passengers the one time...
Dublin – Los Angeles Award Space on Aer Lingus
Aer Lingus announced new service to Los Angeles starting in May 2016 earlier this week and award space has now been loaded — but don’t be fooled by united.com, which is showing a lot of business class space that is...
Why is Uber Still Not Available at LAX?
Despite promises from city officials that we’d have UberX and Lyft at Los Angeles International Airport this summer, it is now autumn ad we are still waiting. The reason? Bureaucratic paperwork and a lawsuit. The LA Times reports– As...
US Airways Survived Five Days Longer in Back to the Future than in Reality!
Just a short fun post on a cool piece of movie trivia that View from the Wing brought my attention to — US Airways survived five days longer in Back to the Future II than in reality. Today is “Back...
Aer Lingus Adds Flights to Los Angeles, Newark, and Hartford
Aer Lingus is accelerating its international expansion with newly announced service to Los Angeles, Newark, and Hartford in 2016. New USA Routes Propel Aer Lingus International Expansion Thus far, we only have details about the Los Angeles route, which...
A Familiar Face on United Airlines
Prior to departure on a recent redeye to Washington Dulles, an LAX gate agent came onboard toward the end of boarding to check on overhead bin space. As usual, the bins were full. A late-boarding Ethiopian family of four,...
