I worked late Friday and had to hustle to catch my 2030 flight to Bucharest–not because I feared I would miss it, but because I wanted dinner in Lufthansa’s Senator Lounge before the flight. Not a bad spread: Without...
Watch Out! Flight Attendants Get Kung Fu Training
When the flight attendant says to obey all lighted signs, placards, and crewmember instructions, tuning her out with your iPod while smoking a cigarette on your way to the lavatory as the plane lifts off the runway is probably...
Should Airlines Keep Bag Fees When They Lose Your Bags?
The U.S. Department of Transportation is mulling over a number of new regulations that will affect air travelers, including mandating that airlines allow passengers to cancel airfare without penalty for up to 24 hours after booking and requiring that...
Drunk Frenchmen and Frightened Romanian on Lufthansa
After a great weekend in Ruse, Bulgaria and Bucharest, Romania, I flew back to Frankfurt this evening on Lufthansa. The flight was only 2.5 hours, but there was a bit of excitement onboard. What is it with French...
Exclusive: TSA Admits to Storing AIT Images
A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) airport screener has admitted that the TSA stores images obtained from full body scanners. The 23-year old screener works at Ronald Regan Washington National Airport and posted the following in the course of an online...
College Newspaper Defends TSA…and Fails Miserably
In some ways, I miss college life. I earned my undergraduate degree at UCLA and relished the three years of intellectual stimulation while studying history and political science. As a political junkie, I was an avid reader of the...
The "Injustice" of Economy Class
Patrick Smith, a writer for Salon.com, attempts to combine humor with common sense in his latest column, entitled "The Injustice of Economy Class." I think he fails. Three questions drive the piece: First, would it really be too much trouble to engineer...
Award Ticket Fee Changes on United Airlines – You Win Some, You Lose Some
I credited United for taking a step in the right direction when they eliminated close-in "processing fees" for award tickets in 2009. These fees, charged simply for the convenience of booking an award ticket within 21 days of travel,...
Your Laptop is NOT Secure or Private at U.S. Borders
I am training to be a lawyer, afterall, so let’s take a break from frequent flyer news today and focus on a recent court decision by the U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals regarding the confiscation of personal computers...
Reader Help Needed: Haneda to Gimpo or Narita to Incheon?
If all goes according to plan, I will be traveling to Japan and South Korea next month. It will be my first time in both countries and I am working now to finalize my flights between Tokyo and Seoul using...
Air Canada to Launch Low-Cost Subsidiary
After the failures of Song and Ted just a few years after their inception, I did not expect another North American legacy carrier to gamble with a low-cost division. Yet Air Canada announced ambitious plans today for their own...
Priority Tags for Gate Checked Bags on United?
Reports are surfacing that United Airlines is trying something new at Denver—placing priority tags on gate checked bags for first class and elite flyers. This is a wonderful and cost-efficient idea. I fly, or at least used to fly,...
TSA Unveils Plan to Exempt Flight Crews from Full Body Scanners
Changes are coming to U.S airport security checkpoints: The Transportation Security Administration recently announced plans to begin testing an identity verification program to let airline crews bypass the controversial full-body scanners and extra-thorough pat-down searches at airports. The proposed program,...
Man Beaten by Police on United Airlines Flight
A SkyWest CRJ-200 bound for Casper, Wyoming begins boarding in Denver. As departure time nears, a man seated in the exit row refuses to switch off his mobile phone. After repeated requests to turn off his phone, all of...
Earn Up to 25,000 Free AAdvantage Miles
American Airlines has been running quite a few promotions lately and is now offering up to 25,00 instant miles in a “fortune cookie” campaign to spread the word about AA’s expansion at LAX. To enter: Click here, click on...
TSA Gropes Six-Year-Old: How is this Keeping us Safer?
Lucky says "there’s just something wrong" about the video below. I will go a step further: the video below demonstrates the harrowing yet comical state airport security has descended into in the United States of America. One event that...
In the Belly of a Boeing + Other Picts from my UA SFO Tour
United Airlines graciously hosted a group of Flyertalkers at San Francisco International Airport two weeks ago, offering a behind-the-scenes tour that included a peek into UA’s Ops Center, baggage claim system, and a walk around the tarmac. There were...
Earn 10,000 AAdvantage Miles When You Sign Up for DIRECTV
Through May 31st, when you sign up for DIRECTV service you will earn 10,000 American AAdvantage miles. A two-year service contract is required. Call 1-877-297-6637 or go to aa.directv.com for more details.
Double Elite and Award Miles on AA between DFW and LAX/SFO
Now through August 31st, enjoy double elite qualifying miles and double flight (award) miles on American Airlines round-trip, non-stop flights between Dallas/Fort-Worth and San Francisco or Los Angeles. There’s only four simple rules: Book your ticket by August 31, 2011 Register...
Hamburg to Frankfurt on Lufthansa: It Felt Like I was in 1955
Last night I took an early evening Lufthansa flight from Hamburg to Frankfurt. I’ve got to say, it felt like I had stepped into a time machine. In the United States it is rare to see people dress up...
