American Airlines is by far the most generous carrier when it comes to letting you hold award space prior to ticketing. While neither United or Delta allow award holds, American not only permits holds whether you have miles in...
Review: Kahala Hotel & Resort – Honolulu
If I am going divert from staying in a chain hotel in which I can earn and redeem points, the alternative has to be very, very compelling. Although Honolulu has a wide assortment of chain hotels including three great...
A Scary Flight on EgyptAir
After a remarkably smooth journey from London to Cairo on EgyptAir, the Cairo to Beirut leg was not as tranquil. The culprit: bad weather. The route from CAI to BEY over the Mediterranean sea was littered with storms and made for one...
The Aeroplan Agent Who Kept Calling
With Award Expert taking the bulk of my time, I find myself on the phone often. The more valuable the loyalty program, the more often I interact with it. That means I am on the phone frequently with Aeroplan. While...
Bachelor Party in Hawaii
Now that you know how I met Heidi, let’s fast forward to the days leading up to our wedding. The week before the wedding I was in Los Angeles while she made final preparations in Germany. Enter my friend John,...
A Fantastic Experience on EgyptAir!
Let’s face it: mention EgyptAir and most instinctively grimace. The carrier does not serve alcohol, does not have cutting-edge seats, and boasts a poor safety reputation. Truthfully, those were my preconceptions too going into my flight from London to Cairo....
Succulent Steak on a Plane: LX17 from JFK-ZRH in First Class
A new weekly feature on Live and Let’s Fly starts today called “Matthew’s Meal of the Week”. Over the years I have collected thousands of airline meal pictures and I continue to gather them. Each week I will highlight...
A Million Miles for Love
I am a MillionMiler on United Airlines and I like to tell people that it was “a million miles for love.” I met my wife-to-be Heidi while working in Germany for Star Alliance in 2011. We were next door...
Photos: Air New Zealand Impresses
Hello from London! The first leg of my 7-leg journey, an Air New Zealand flight from Los Angeles to London, is complete. My expectations were high for business class on Air New Zealand and while they were not exceeded, they were met....
Off to London, Cairo, Beirut, Istanbul, and Kiev!
I’m embarking on a quick trip from Los Angeles to New York…via London, Cairo, Beirut, Istanbul, and Kiev! Why? Aeroplan and a cheap business class ticket. This trip was born of a cheap business class fare on Ukraine International Airlines back...
A Love Affair with United Airlines
It began when I was four years old on a preschool field trip to Burbank Airport. United Airlines hosted us and although I don’t remember much, I remember receiving a set of United wings and proudly wearing them around...
Which United Clubs Have Showers?
The beautiful new United Club at LAX has opened and although it has received great praise, many are disappointed that it does not offer shower facilities. Say you are flying from Melbourne to LA and then on to Washington. You...
And Now Comes the Great Leap Forward
With the prodigal son home, now comes the hard part. If this blog is to work, if this blog is to gain traction, it must produce fresh, frequent and fascinating content. Life is already busy and if I focused...
A New Home for Live and Let’s Fly
Once upon a time, a 24-year old law school student created a blog to impart his love for travel and frequent flyer miles to a like-minded audience. This young man loved traveling in first class and staying in fancy...
Review: Park Hyatt Beijing – Suite Upgrade
The Park Hyatt Beijing has become a favorite for our family for some time, but in addition to a great luxury hotel in the Chinese capital, it also may be the best place to spend a Diamond (now Globalist)...
First Look at the Super Cool New United Club at LAX
I had the privilege of attending a special opening ceremony of United’s brand new United Club at LAX yesterday. Underscoring the significance of this event, both CEO Oscar Munoz and President Scott Kirby were present and their remarks were noteworthy....
Flyebaby – An Option for Lap Infants and Their Parents
If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. If you are looking to buy a neck pillow you have about a...
Should a Vocal Trump Supporter Have Been Kicked Off My United Flight?
We are (hopefully) just a day away from the end to one of the most bitter presidential contests in U.S. history. As polls and statisticians predict a victory for Hillary Clinton, one die-hard Donald Trump supporter tried to make...
Huge Hyatt Gold Passport Changes and Other News
I’ve been “off the grid” for a while and this post is not to apologize for my lack of recent posting. Augustine is fussy like I am and a light-sleeper like my wife is: the combination has been lethal...
How to Beat United’s Draconian New Routing Restrictions
I am going to get into a lot more detail below, but will first offer a summary of the recent changes to the United MileagePlus program that sadly constitute a massive devaluation of your United miles. Award searches must...
