A restaurant near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Washington State has refused to serve Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees, posting a prominent sign by the door stating they are not welcome. Is this is a good thing? The story came...
1,000 bmi Diamond Club Miles for Completing Brief Survey
Although the offer appears targeted, take a moment to fill out a brief survey from bmi. It only takes about two minutes so even if you get passed over for the 1,000 Diamond Club miles, it is worth the...
20% Bonus on Miles Purchased from bmi’s Diamond Club + Double Destination Miles
If my last post outlining the high award surcharges on bmi didn’t scare you away, now through the end of March you can receive a 20% bonus on miles purchased from Diamond Club. In addition, you can also earn...
British Midland’s Disgusting Award Surcharges
British Midland’s (bmi) Diamond Club award program boasts on its home page, "Free airmiles. Free flights." After forking out over £1,100 (~$1,800) in taxes and surcharges for two business class tickets, I think it is an insult and a...
U.S. Senate Agrees to Loosen DCA Perimeter Rule
Negotiations have been ongoing for many months, but the Senate has finally hammered out a tentative deal that would further loosen the perimeter rule at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. I provided a background on the history and politics...
Economy Plus Survives the United/Continental Merger
The news is over a day old now and Damian has already nicely highlighted United’s decision to retain and expand Economy Plus across the Continental fleet. I just want to add my two cents. With Delta’s announcement of a “premium” economy product (again,...
Enhancements to United’s Mileage Plus Award Booking Tool
Just days after loosening up award routing rules, United has now made booking an award online a little easier–at least in theory. New features rolled out this week on United’s Mileage Plus website include the ability to book: Mixed...
One Potential Downside to United’s New Routing Rules for Star Alliance Awards
Last week I blogged about generous changes to United’s award chart including the ability to schedule in both an open-jaw and a stopover (previously only one was allowed on a r/t ticket) and the ability to surpass the MPM...
United Grounds Boeing 757-200 Fleet
If you were scheduled to fly on a United Boeing 757 yesterday afternoon or evening, you likely encountered a delay or cancellation. In a move reminiscent of American Airlines’ grounding of their entire MD-80 fleet when found to be...
Incredible Deals on Delta from North America to Europe (as low as $149 r/t including taxes)
Continuing on the Delta theme today, though not deliberately, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the incredible fare sale Delta is running this evening between North America and Europe. It’s too early to tell whether this is...
Delta Miles Won’t Expire and SkyTeam Elite Plus Status for Gold Medallions
While redemption options on Delta continue to disappoint, the airline is taking steps to improve its SkyMiles program. Delta SkyMiles will no longer expire. Up until this year, Delta miles expired after 24 months of account inactivity. The new...
Man Attempts to Bypass TSA Via Baggage Carousel
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I bring you the following story. The title may indicate sinister motives, but once again we have another tale of a love struck youth unable to bear the thought of being away from the girl that he loved....
A Flight Attendant’s Duty to Calm a Screaming Baby
Does a flight attendant have a duty to at least attempt to quiet a screaming baby? I say yes. Last night I was on a intra-Europe Lufthansa flight where a baby two rows behind me screamed for nearly every moment...
Top Tier Status on US Airways for Under $4,000 and No Flying Required
US Airways, an airline that has become famous for monetizing its frequent flyer program, is now offering a buy-up to elite status at a price low enough to merit consideration. For years US Airways has sold elite status in...
Lufthansa Welcome Lounge in Frankfurt
Usually when I arrive in Frankfurt, I am just passing through. With my new home in Germany, however, when I arrived last month on my Lufthansa flight from Los Angeles, Frankfurt was the final destination. That gave me a...
Why I Do Not Support the TSA’s New Profiling Proposal
The media and blogosphere has been splattered with stories discussing the TSA’s plan to roll out a three-tiered "Trusted Traveler" program to assess passenger risk. The issue merits discussion because without further research, the thought of not having to...
United Loosens Routing Rules for Star Alliance Awards
IslandSkies, a UA employee who is active on Flyertalk, posted the following details about changes to United Airlines’ Star Alliance award rules coming on 15 Februrary: Steps to Validate Routing for One Award: *Outbound and return routings must be...
Mobile Lounges: Redefined in Geneva
Ask any U.S. frequent flyer who passes through Washington Dulles what the phrase “mobile lounge” conjures up and you’ll likely be met by swearing, complaints, and the occasional horror story. I mean, just look at these things: Admittedly, I...
British Midland (bmi) Diamond Club Will NOT Integrate with Lufthansa’s Miles & More Program in 2011
Hot off the press from bmi Diamond Club: Now that bmi is a part of the Lufthansa group of airlines, we are evaluating being part of Miles & More in the long term. A final decision has not been...
Cultural Adjustments in Germany
I’ve been in Germany for almost a month and overall, I am adjusting well to the new surroundings and work environment. As someone who has always chosen public transportation over owning a car, I love the ease of getting...
