It was with some reluctance that I agreed to fly Singapore Airlines economy class, but it was not a mistake: the flight turned out to be one of the best economy class experiences in all my years of flying. I outlined here what a great deal a walk-up ticket on Singapore Airlines is for travel […]
Singapore Airlines: Cheap Last-Minute New York – Frankfurt Tickets
After New York last week, John and I had to fly to Frankfurt to meet with a shipping transport company. We had planned to use miles, but Thursday turned out to be a particularly busy travel day so nothing opened in business or first. Nothing without triple connections and losing the entirety of Friday. But […]
Review: Ethiopian Airlines 787-8 Business Class Dublin to Los Angeles
Ethiopian Airlines’ Fifth Freedom service from Dublin to Los Angeles featured an outdated seat in business class, but genuinely friendly service and a great meal. Ethiopian Airlines runs a bustling operation in Dublin, Ireland. Flights to Washington, New York, and Toronto all make technical stops in DUB. But Ethiopian only has pickup rights in Dublin […]
German Court Rules Kuwait Airways Can Deny Boarding to Israelis
A German court has ruled that Kuwait Airways can refuse to transport Israeli citizens without running afoul of German anti-discrimination law. The case involved a man who had purchased a ticket from Frankfurt to Bangkok via Kuwait City on Kuwait Airways in 2016. Upon learning that he intended to travel with an Israeli passport, Kuwait […]
Want a Free Upgrade? Dressing Nice Won’t Cut It…
The AP is out with the perennial “if you want a free upgrade, dress nice” story. These stories always evoke an eye roll from me, yet their persistence over the years suggest that hope springs eternal. George Hobica of Airfarewatchdog.com claims he has been “inexplicably upgraded” while wearing “a nice suit and tie”, noting that […]
Emirates CEO: We Need More A380s!
Emirates President Sir Tim Clark told a Dutch newspaper that his carrier needs more A380s, even in the face of fierce competition. “The potential market remains huge. We need even more A380s,” said Clark. But is that really viable, let alone logical, in an era of efficient medium-sized A350s and 787s? “There is room for the […]
United Airlines Cuts Flights from Guam Hub
United Airlines is slashing flights from Guam and in the Oceania regional demand weakens. While the “Island Hopper” will now operate four times weekly instead of three, several routes will be either suspended, reduced, or downguaged. Here are the changes: A fourth weekly “Island Hopper” round-trip between Guam (GUM) and Honolulu (HNL) starting on January 21, […]
How Was It? 10 Hours in Ethiopian Airlines Business Class
I’m home again. Yesterday I flew from Dublin, Ireland to Los Angeles on Ethiopian’s Fifth Freedom flight aboard a 787-8. It was my first time ever flying Ethiopian Airlines. How was it? A mixed bag, but good overall. I checked in at 5:30a, finding a mostly deserted check-in line. I figured there would be a […]
Introduction: A Trip to -Stans with One Mile at a Time
Few things excite me more than visiting a new country and this trip would introduce me to two new exotic nations: Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. For years, I’ve toyed with booking a trip on Uzbekistan Airways, which until this summer operated between Tashkent and New York JFK with a stop in Riga, Latvia. It was an […]
Next Stop: Uzbekistan + Tajikistan with Lucky! (Need Help Getting Home)
This is going to be a fun week! For months Ben (“Lucky”) from One Mile at a Time and I have been talking about another trip together. We share a mutual desire to try out as many new airlines as possible. We also like going to new places…like the -stans in the heat of summer. […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: June 11, 2017
Good evening from 38,000 feet over the Great Plains. I’m enroute from Minneapolis to Los Angeles after a great weekend at FTU in Minneapolis. I was happy to meet many readers and I’m excited to announce the next FTU will happen in November…stay tuned for details. Big news out of the Middle East this week, as a bitter […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: June 04, 2017
Although it has been a relatively quiet week, I find myself tired on this beautiful spring Sunday. I’m trying to rest up because travel picks up later this week and then again next week. I hope to see some of you at the Frequent Traveler University (FTU) in Minneapolis next weekend (June 9-11th). There are still tickets available […]
Why the In-Flight Electronics Ban Represents Poor Public Policy
The USA has blocked electronic devices larger than mobile phones onboard flights from eight nations to the USA. Now the UK will also join the bandwagon. Here’s why the new electronics ban is a beautiful political ploy but poor public policy. Let’s start with the admission that the new electronics ban is not due to any specific intelligence […]
United’s Clever Trick to Keep Crews Out of Dangerous Venezuela
The situation in Venezuela is not getting any better. With violence increasing as the economy further descends into chaos, United Airlines now fears for the safety of its crews. Rather than suspend service completely, it has taken a novel to approach to ensure that its crews spend only an hour on the ground in Caracas. United […]
My Awesome Routing to Jakarta for Garuda First Class
I’m enroute to Jakarta for the long-awaited 90%-off first class award redemption on Garuda Indonesia. Although I am very excited to try Gardua First Class, I must admit my routing to Jakarta is giving it a run for the money. When I booked the one-way first class award from Jakarta to Amsterdam in December for […]
Review: Los Angeles to London in Air New Zealand 777-300 Business Premier
I’ve booked my parents on it, my brother on it, dozens of clients on it, but now it was my turn. For years I have been wanting to fly Air New Zealand from Los Angeles to London and a trip to Ukraine finally gave me the chance. Air New Zealand moved from Terminal 2 to […]
Top 10 American Airlines Award Redemptions
After a substantial devaluation last March, American Airlines AAdvantage miles are not worth what they once were. Nevertheless, there are still sweet spots on the award chart (mostly premium cabin) that are worth taking advantage of. Here are my top 10 redemptions on American. Top 10 AAdvantage Redemptions (one-way basis) 1. USA to Africa (75K Business) […]
Delta Ditches Taiwan, Further Dismantles Narita Hub
Delta will end service to Taipei in May, further eroding its Tokyo Narita hub. Delta currently operates a daily Fifth Freedom flight between Tokyo Narita and Taipei, Taiwan. That flight will end on May 24, 2017. Blaming the international expansion of Tokyo Haneda Airport for its weakening Narita hub, Delta claims this “restructuring” was a necessity. Delta already announced […]
Will Emirates Squeeze United Out of Athens?
Emirates announced it would offer daily non-stop service between Newark and Athens effective March 26, 2017, the carrier’s latest Fifth Freedom route. The new route puts United and Emirates on collision course — who will blink first or can both survive? New Emirates Athens Service Athens will operate its Newark – Athens flight as part of a […]
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. That’s a good thing. A full flight review will follow in the weeks to come, but I will […]
