A pleasant Sunday evening to you from Germany. I’m wrapping up a trip and looking forward to spending the next few weeks in California. The big news last week, at least in my mind, was Hyatt’s new status fast track promotion–only 20 nights will get you top-tier Globalist status. I argue the promotion is fair […]
Marriott’s Unpublished Platinum Elite Status Challenge
I am in a year of limbo. While I watched friends lose hope in their faithful travel partners over the years, mine were the last to go: American Airlines and Hyatt Hotels. Hyatt practically begged their customers to look elsewhere, and so I did. I just didn’t realize how much I would find on the […]
I Made My Connection in Cancun…in 12 Minutes
I appreciate that many of you chimed in with helpful advice in my recent post on making a short connection in Cancun. After weighing the risks of a tight connection versus the ease of a non-stop flight and spending extra time at home, I opted for the same-day nonstop flight. Thankfully, my United flight from […]
Great Deal: Upgrade Your Turkish Airlines Flight for 7,500 Miles
Turkish Airlines has a great business class product on most flights within Europe. Unlike most European carriers, you can expect a “real” business class seat on all flights as well as good service and a tasty hot meal. Through December 15th, you can upgrade any flight from Istanbul to Europe for 7,500 miles. The most […]
Stupid Connection? 1hr45min in Cancun with Terminal Change
I’m embarking on a new trip this week, this one just for three days to review three new airline products. The trip itself will start in Cancun and I’m reaching out to anyone who has transited in Cancun before due to a dearth of information on the internet. Since I’m still recovering from my last […]
Be Careful What You Whisper Onboard an Airplane…
As if you needed another reason not to fly Frontier Airlines, we have one: FAs may get huffy after eavesdropping on your private conversation. A 70-year old man and his 25-year old daughter were kicked off a Frontier flight for expressing annoyance about a long flight delay…to each other. Not surprisingly after a long delay, […]
Can Sun Country Airlines Survive? I Doubt It.
Sun Country Airlines has a new sheriff in town and he’s cleaning house. He must be careful not to dump the baby with the bathwater. Sadly, it appears he has no choice. Jude Bricker is the new President and CEO of Sun Country Airlines. He was snatched from ultra-low-cost-carrier Allegiant Airlines, where he served as Chief Operating […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 13, 2017
Hello from Tashkent, where I am spending several days checking out Uzbekistan. The country has defied expectations…in good way. I don’t recommend the national airline, though. On Monday I will finish my current trip report with a review of JetBlue Mint class from New York to LA. Before I transition into the current -stans trip […]
Why I Rate Qatar Airways Best for Onboard Dining
Sometimes you find amazing meals on unexpected airlines. Rarer is a carrier that delivers a consistently superior menu: an airline where you know you will always receive a great meal. At least for me, that airline is Qatar Airways. In case you missed my flight review, for my Meal of the Week segment this week […]
Co-Terminal Standby on Award Travel
Co-terminal standby travel is possible on award travel. Recently I booked an ANA first class award from Chicago to Tokyo Narita with a connection on Thai Airways from Narita to Bangkok in business class the following afternoon. I was looking to get to Bangkok as quickly as possible, but booked the overnight connection in Tokyo […]
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: August 06, 2017
A very pleasant evening to you from Los Angeles, where I was happy to spend the entire week at home with my wife and son ahead of a major trip coming up this week (details coming). Two major “sale” fares this week that I have jumped on — one to Australia the other to New […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: July 30, 2017
Greetings from Southern California. My family is now re-united in LA and I’m happy to remain on the ground this week as I prepare for my next big trip. My RTW trip report stalled this week — the photos have taken an extraordinary amount of time to edit and organize. But it will pick-up again […]
Reader Question: Where to Transfer 224K AMEX Points?
Reader Sam e-mailed me for advice on what to do with 224K American Express Membership Rewards points. I have decided to cancel my American Express Platinum Card as $550 is too steep for me. The only thing I liked about the card was the Priority Pass (which I have never used) since we have Priority […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: July 23, 2017
Hello from Los Angeles. So much for my extended vacation in Germany… I had to fly home yesterday afternoon for a series of meetings over the next few days on a matter totally unrelated to the blog or Award Expert. Now comes the question of whether I will fly back to Germany this week in order […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: July 17, 2017
I’m hardly in full relaxation mode, but after another week in beautiful Germany I’ve acclimated back nicely to a life of paying in cash and not being able to buy groceries on Sunday! As we start thinking about the trip home, I still have nothing booked. Tomorrow I’ve prepared a post discussing two options: Greenland/Iceland […]
The Five Best British Airways Avios Redemptions
With news that American Express points once again transfer at a 1:1 ratio to British Airways, I want to highlight my five favorite redemption options. Hint: It’s all about shorthaul. For years, I talked up the amazing rate between Boston and Dublin on Aer Lingus using BA Avios. A one-way ticket was only 12,500 miles in economy class or […]
How Fast Does Air New Zealand Churn Out Safety Videos?
Air New Zealand is out with a new safety video…another one. Apparently I missed the last one. I flew Air New Zealand in late November last year and wrote about it here. That was only seven months ago. The following safety video was screened on my flight– I thought it was funny and I’m sure […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: July 09, 2017
I’ve escaped the Los Angeles heat and am basking in the cool summer rains of Germany. (sigh of contentment) Oddly, I’ve encountered horrible jet lag the last couple days — this despite flying nonstop to Europe in the evening from Los Angeles: the primary antidote to avoiding jet lag. I’m not sure how long I’ll […]
Introduction: A Scandinavian Summer
As much as I love solo travel, exploring the world with others represents many of my best travel memories. Last summer I traveled to Scandinavia with my Uncle Bill, who I have mentioned before in this story on why I love United. Before I married Heidi, we used to take a major trip together each […]