Delta Air Lines may offer one of America’s best in-flight products, but its SkyMiles loyalty program leaves much to be desired. Not so much because redemptions values are always bad (though they often are), but because Delta breaks the cardinal rule of loyalty:...
How Do You Handle a Seatmate Who Wants to Talk Religion?
Have you ever had a religious (or non-religious) seatmate who talked your ear off concerning issues of religion for several hours on a flight? Late in the boarding process on my Ukraine International Airlines flight from Kiev to New York last week, a...
Imagine a Meal Like This on a 90min Flight in the USA
My flight from Beirut to Istanbul on Turkish Airlines was under 2hrs and departed at 3:05a. Most passengers just slept for the brief flight, but not me. I was actually hungry. Thankfully, Turkish did not disappoint. Turkish Airlines’ middle-of-the-night flights offer...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: December 17, 2016
I have posted more this week than I have the previous several months combined…and am loving it. It is an amazing feeling to resurrect my dormant blog, and I am still just warming up! To keep up with my...
How I Almost Missed my Wedding!
Ok, when we last left off I was stuck in Honolulu looking at flight options to get me back in time for my wedding. It was Wednesday morning in Honolulu and the wedding was Saturday in Stuttgart. When you...
Avoid This Error When Holding AA Award Space
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)...
