With the United passenger ejection story dominating headlines this week, I did not get a chance to put up the weekly Meal of the Week segment on Wednesday. This week, I’ll share pictures of the two meals and one snack I had on my Turkish Airlines flight from Istanbul to Los Angeles yesterday. With flight […]
Is Oscar Munoz a Liar?
![Oscar Munoz Liar](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/united-oscar-munoz-united-airtime-website-for-customer-feedback.jpg)
I’ve stood by embattled United CEO Oscar Munoz throughout the passenger dragging incident saga, but one issue puzzles me–who is telling the truth on reaching out to Dr. Dao? Earlier today I wrote about the elaborate press conference staged by Dr. Dao’s two attorneys. In it, they mention that Munoz has never reached out to Dao. […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: April 9, 2017
![Last Concorde Flight](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Concorde-738x355.jpg)
Greetings from Southern California. I’m home again after nearly four weeks in Europe. My family had a wonderful time visiting friends and family in Germany then spending a few days in Greece to end the trip. While I don’t plan a formal trip report for this journey, I will write a few posts about the […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: April 2, 2017
![Stolen Amenity Kit](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/rimowa-amenity-kit-eva-giveaway-1-738x355.png)
Hello from Franz Josef Strauss International Airport in Munich. We’ll soon be departing for Greece and I’m excited to visit a new part of that beautiful country. The week started off with a huge controversy over leggings — a misunderstanding that morphed into a discussion over pass rider dress code and sexism. I wrote about it extensively: United […]
When a Passenger Steals Your Amenity Kit…
![Amenity Kit Theft](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/United-Polaris-Amenity-Kit-738x355.jpg)
An amusing story popped up on Flyertalk about the case of a stolen amenity kit. The original post: I recently flew BF from EWR to HKG. As we took off my amenity kit fell on the floor and sild down the aisle by about one row. As soon as the chime went off, a passenger […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 26, 2017
![Alitalia Boycott](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/Alitalia-Style-04-738x355.jpg)
Good afternoon from the Black Forrest of Baden Württemberg. It has been another busy but great week visiting family and friends. The coming week will also be busy, but there will be downtime as well. The in-flight electronics ban has dominated travel headlines this week and rightfully so. I addressed in numerous posts: Official Details […]
Introduction: Star Alliance Business Class Adventure in Europe and Asia
![a white airplane in the sky](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LOT-787-738x355.jpg)
I promised I would rotate between old and new trip reports as I clear the backlog of previously written reports that were never published on UPGRD. Even so, I am selectively omitting certain portions of this report because some segments, like my LAX to ORD flight on United, just seem unnecessary at this point. Here’s […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 19, 2017
![a plane flying in the sky](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Essential-Air-Service-Termination-738x355.jpg)
Hello from Stuttgart. Thanks to these anti-jetlag tips, I quickly adjusted to Central Europe Time and have acclimated back to life in Germany. Little Augustine is meeting many family members for the first time and we’ve had a very pleasant week. The highlight was the flight over — instead of a 10hr nightmare trying to keep […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 12, 2017
![Qatar QSuite](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/Hyatt-Andaz-Amsterdam-55-738x355.jpg)
My weeks are never quiet with a five-month old, but this was about as quiet a week I could have hoped for. No travel and I did not stray (too) far from home. Next week, a change of venue for the next several weeks as Heidi, Augustine and I travel to Germany to spend time with the […]
5 Ways LAX is Becoming America’s Best Airport
![LAX Modernization](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/LAX-LAMP-Project-01-738x355.jpeg)
As an Angeleno, I will concede my local bias upfront, but LAX is transforming itself into a world class airport. Here are five ways LAX is arguably becoming America’s best major airport. 1. Tom Bradley International Terminal + Expansion The Tom Bradley International Terminal (TBIT) is already an airport jewel. If you remember what the […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 4, 2017
![SkyTeam 787](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Air-France-787-9-02A-738x355.jpg)
Hello from Santa Monica, CA. I dined with some very dear clients who have become friends last night. Not knowing LA traffic, I hedged my bets and left early. Thankfully, traffic moved much better than my GPS suggested and I made it early. So now I’m writing the week in review in my car as I wait. I […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: February 26, 2017
![Aeroflot (top picture too)](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Aeroflot-Hot-FAs-01-738x355.jpg)
Greetings from cold and rainy Seattle. I am speaking at FTU this weekend and it has been a lot of fun. If you have not yet been to FTU, consider the upcoming Minneapolis FTU in June. This weekend I am speaking on stopovers, United Airlines, and will do a live award booking demo on Sunday afternoon. […]
Garuda’s Dangerous Gamble at LAX
![Garuda Los Angeles](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Garuda-777-First-Class-738x355.jpg)
Garuda Indonesia is coming to Los Angeles! The carrier has sought permission to operate 3x per week between Jakarta and Los Angeles beginning in November 2017. Garuda plans to use its three-cabin 777-300ER on the route and operate the flight via Tokyo Narita. What is Garuda Thinking? I welcome this news. After flying in Garuda […]
Hyatt Place in Europe: A Whole Different Experience
![Hyatt Place Europe](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Hyatt-Place-Europe-5-738x355.jpg)
On my way back home from the Garuda trip, I spent one night in Amsterdam at the Andaz and my second night at the Hyatt Place near Schiphol Airport. I loved the Andaz — it was exactly what I expected. But the Hyatt Place was a pleasant surprise, for it was far better than I […]
Why Flight Attendants Prefer to Work in Economy Over First Class
![Flight Attendants Hate First Class](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/United-FA-738x355.jpg)
“I once had a forty-something male passenger who said he was a picky eater and asked me to remove the almonds from his mixed nuts, the shaved Parmesan from his salad and the cilantro from his tabouleh.” That’s from the mouth of a FA and explains — in a nutshell — why many FAs prefer […]
An Economy Meal Far Better than Business Class
![United Economy Food](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/United-AMS-IAH-Economy-Class-Meal-4-738x355.jpg)
Talk about a step down. After my Garuda First Class flight my next flight was a 10hr flight to Houston in United Economy on UA21. I decided not to upgrade because economy was only about ¼ full and if I can have a row to myself I really don’t mind flying behind the curtain. What […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: February 18, 2017
![a pink airplane in the sky](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Wow-Air-738x355.jpg)
Goedemiddag uit Amsterdam! As I continue my SkyTeam journey on KLM, China Airlines, and Garuda Indonesia I am passing through an unusual European hub for me: AMS. This has been a quiet week in terms of major airline or loyalty news. Let’s enjoy that while it lasts. Last weekend I asked for your input on which […]
My Awesome Routing to Jakarta for Garuda First Class
![Flying Blue Asia Award](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/KLM-787-9-738x355.jpg)
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 […]
The Most Annoying Type of Passenger Is…
![Annoying Airline Passengers](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Stinky-Airline-Food-738x355.jpg)
Expedia commissioned GfK, an independent market research company, to poll travelers on who annoyed them most when they traveled by air. Passengers were not limited to one answer. The results are in and the rear seat kicker “wins” with inattentive parents coming in closely behind. Here’s a list of the top 14 “annoying passengers”: The Rear […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: February 11, 2017
![Weekend in Santa Barbara](https://liveandletsfly.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/Hyatt-Santa-Barbara-Balcony-Oceanview-738x355.jpeg)
Hello from beautiful Santa Barbara, California. Heidi and I love Santa Barbara (“Why didn’t we MOVE HERE instead of LA?!” is what I hear every time we come up for a weekend). But at least a great Hyatt is available along the beach. After a frenzied week in Hawaii and Germany, it is nice to relax […]