The SWISS First Class Lounge in E-Gate area at ZRH is beautiful. Truly beautiful. It is also well-guarded. When we presented ourselves for admission holding only a business class boarding pass to Rome and coming from Frankfurt, we were...
What I Did in Addis Ababa
I hate to even write this, but I ended up seeing a lot less of Addis Ababa than I originally planned. Blame jetlag and my weak stomach. Sunday night I flew from Burbank to San Francisco to Chicago, then...
13 Long Hours on Ethiopian Airlines
Ethiopian Airlines has a lot going for it, but the lack of lie-flat seating makes it difficult for me to wholeheartedly endorse it. I’ve also realized something—internet is what I value most of all on a flight. Service was...
Review: Flying the Bombardier CS100 (SWISS from Frankfurt to Zurich)
There is a reason Boeing is so afraid of the Airbus/Bombardier C Series: it’s a great aircraft. I was able to fly a SWISS-operated CS100 from Frankfurt to Zurich in August. Here’s a review of the flight. Since I...
Delta’s Curious Move to Make Economy Class More Humane
New dishes and cutlery. Better pillows. Menu cards…all in economy class. That’s right, Delta is making the onboard economy class experience even better next year on longhaul flights. But why? Starting later this year, Delta will offer a number...
The Cheapest Hyatt in the World
As the year draws to a close and many of us are considering how we can squeeze in additional nights for status requalification, one very attractively-priced Hyatt property merits mention. The Hyatt Regency Yogyakarta (in Indonesia) has the lowest...
Review: Lufthansa First Class Terminal Frankfurt
The Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt remains one of the best first class lounges in the world. Although not intended for arriving longhaul passengers, the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt welcomes guests with a same-day arriving boarding...
The Godfather of the Airline Industry
Freddie Laker. Richard Branson. William Franke? Although not a household name, William “Bill” Franke is the man we can thank for the ultra-low-carrier model in the USA. He also hired both Doug Parker (CEO of American) and Scott Kirby...
Saying Goodbye to the Park Hyatt Toronto
I spent Monday night at the Park Hyatt Toronto, a hotel that will soon close until late 2019 for refurbishment. Part of me is sad to see it change. To be sure, the hotel does not fit in with...
Review: Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Los Angeles to Frankfurt
When it comes to redeeming miles for transatlantic travel, it is difficult to justify redeeming for business class when Lufthansa First Class is available for only marginally more. Thus, our trip to Zurich included a stop in Frankfurt. Lufthansa...
Drunk United Passenger Urinates on Seatmate…and FAs Ignore?
Another day, another chapter in Perils of Drinking and Flying. This story puts United Airlines back in the spotlight with a particularly unsavory drunk man on a transcontinental flight from Los Angeles to Newark. Daniel Card was flying home...
Airbus and Trump Win, Boeing and Bombardier Lose
Bombardier will sell the majority of its C Series program to Airbus. Although talks have been ongoing for months, they took on a new urgency in light of the blistering 300% duty slapped on by U.S. regulators. The new...
How Should I Spend 17 Hours in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia?
It dawned on me as I was writing my earlier post about traveling through Ethiopia this week that I actually have 17 hours in Addis Ababa. My question is simple — what should I do? Ethiopian Airlines provides hotel...
This Week: Toronto, Addis Ababa, Bangkok, Saigon, Doha, New York
Oh how I love these weeks, the weeks I spend the literal majority of the time on an airplane. This week I’m linking up two incredible fares sales I took advantage of — one on Ethiopian Airlines, the other...
JetBlue-United Merger?
An “influential” Wall Street analyst is asserting that a merger between JetBlue and United is more likely than you might think. I am not convinced… In paywall-protected analysis, Hunter Keay of the Wolfe Research has opined– A few investors recently...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: October 15, 2017
Good evening from Los Angeles. I’m about to embark upon another adventure…I’ll share the details tomorrow. In the meantime, let’s review the top stories of the last week. The diplomatic spat between Turkey and the USA currently means no...
Reader Questions on Family Trips to Asia
A reader recently reached out to ask some questions about traveling around Asia with a small child. Since I have encountered a number of these issues in my own experience and questions like my reader’s remain, I thought it...
Status Lite Is Bad For Everyone
Hotels, car rental companies, airlines – loyalty programs of all kind offer status to their best customers to distinguish casual guests from true loyalists. Status involves greater benefits in exchange for an increase in business. In order to create new...
Rocketmiles Gave Me $20 Without Booking
I am always on the look out for better ways to book travel. Certain markets make services like Rocketmiles a great value or later in the year where status has already been achieved. After shopping around for an upcoming...
A Trio of Midnight Treats on United Airlines
United Airlines provides a hot snack on premium transcontinental red eye flights. Over the last couple years I’ve only been offered three variations, but all were tasty. For this week’s Meal of the Week I review a trio of...
