I was sorting through some old pictures today and stumbled upon a series of photos of United Airlines’ former Bangkok city ticket office. United pulled out of Bangkok in March after decades of service to Thailand and left behind,...
Alitalia the Latest Carrier to Cut Service to Venezuela
The situation unfolding in Venezuela fascinates me. There you have a state on the verge of failure with hyperinflation and a government suffering from a foreign currency crunch. The result: airlines are not getting paid for their service and...
United.com Asks for Feedback
Last September we caught a sneak peak at United Airlines’ new website in a television advertisement, but eight months later it has yet to roll out. Perhaps United is still working out the kinks and has launched a new...
500 Free United MileagePlus Miles in Two Minutes
Earn 500 United miles just for signing up for the United MileagePlus Dining Program before 10 July 2014. No purchase or restaurant visit is necessary–simply complete the online profile and you will be credited the miles. You can then...
Should Members of Congress Fly in Coach?
A Congressman with far too much time on his hands who I will not even dignify by naming has introduced a bill entitled, “If Our Military Has to Fly Coach Then so Should Congress Act.” His rationale is this–...
Air France Flying Blue Promo Awards – 50% Off Business Class from Washington to Europe
Air France/KLM Flying Blue offers Promo Awards every quarter in which select worldwide destinations are discounted 25-50%. Paying only 62.5K miles r/t to fly between North America and Europe in business class makes the ~$750 fuel surcharge stomachable on...
Why I No Longer Trust TripAdvisor
A Telegraph story details how consumers are using TripAdvisor as a threat to extract freebies in favor of withholding a bad review. Though I tend to think this particular problem is not as widespread as reported, I still see...
Booking My First Class US Airways Award with No Fuel Surcharges
Although the window is closing fast, it is still possible to book British Airways award flights using US Airways Dividend Miles without a fuel surcharge. It took me a couple tries, but I just booked a mega-award redemption with...
Top 10 Airline Award Redemptions for May 2014
We have been spared from any major award chart devaluation announcements the last couple months and I trust we are settling into a new era of status quo–there has been enough bloodshed over the last year. But whether the...
Oldest Active Flight Attendant Celebrates 90th Birthday, 63 Years in Sky
In the USA there is no regulation setting a maximum age for flight attendants. With this lack of regulation and strong FA unions, we seeing an aging FA base among the legacy carriers of American, Delta, and United. And then...
Using Lufthansa Miles for Travel to Hawaii in First Class
The Lufthansa Mile & More Mastercard from Barclays is offering a 50,000 mile sign-up bonus through June 30, 2014 and one of the best uses of these points for U.S. and Canadian residents is to book award travel on...
United Airlines Adds Service Between Denver and Panama City
United Airlines will add service between Denver and Panama City beginning on 03 December 2014 (subject to government approval). The route will run daily November through August and five times weekly during the rainy season in September and October. A...
US Airways Now Adding Fuel Surcharge to British Airways Award Tickets
An update on my story earlier this week on No Fuel Surcharges on British Airways Awards with US Airways Miles: as expected, a memo went out today to Dividend Miles agents today instructing them to include fuel surcharges on British...
Thoughts on 2014 Freddie Award Winners
A highlight of my year is the annual Freddie Awards ceremony, in which airlines and hotels are recognized by millions of consumer voters for their programs and promotions. The 2014 Freddie Awards took place on April 24, 2014 at...
Transparent Airfares Act of 2014 is Anything But Transparents
Less than two years after the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) mandated that airlines and online travel agencies display all-in pricing at all stages of the airfare search, the House of Representatives is considering a bill called the Transparent Airfares...
The Trust Deficit at United
With United Airlines posting heavy losses this quarter while its competitors reported healthy profits, the blame game has begun to escalate. “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain” no longer seems to be working, as CEO Jeff...
This Commercial Made Me Laugh
I’ve been on some rather unsafe planes over the years, from a rickety old TU-134 in Russia, to a poorly-maintained 727 in Bolivia, and a battered ATR-42 in Cuba, but nothing all that bad, nothing out of a horror...
Book SriLankan Airlines Award Space Online with British Airways Avios
SriLankan Airlines is now a member of the oneworld alliance and that opens up more several new options for redeeming your miles–particularly using points from US Airways, American Airlines, and British Airways. Perhaps most attractive of all is British Airways...
Airfare Pricing Insurance through Level Skies
A new startup, Level Skies, promises to provides price protection for your next airline trip. You enter your trip details and how long you wish to lock in the best price guarantee (between 1 to 4 weeks). They then...
No Fuel Surcharges on British Airways Awards with US Airways Miles
Since US Airways joined oneworld, the carrier has not imposed fuel surcharges on British Airways award flights. Considering fuel surcharges run more than $800 r/t for Europe and much more if you continue on to Asia or Africa, this...
