Air Italy offers a phenomenal onboard soft product in business class. The food, drink, and especially the service onboard my 12.5 hour A330-200 flight from Milan to San Francisco left me smiling. I walked out of the Sheraton, up a few escalators, and found myself in line at the Air Italy check-in desk. However, the […]
Review: ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Haneda (HND)
I must admit that I was pleasantly surprised by the ANA Suite Lounge in Tokyo Haneda. Not only did I experience excellent service and comfort, but a tasty menu. But one key missing aspect knocks this lounge out of the top tier. After clearing security and passport control, I turned left and followed the signs […]
Review: ANA A380 First Class Honolulu To Tokyo
ANA’s new A380 first class product represents a leap forward in terms of seat design and comfort. Add in ANA’s consistently superior service and excellent onboard menu and you have a winning product. Here’s my ANA A380 first class review. I arrived at Daniel K. Inouye International Airport a few hours before departure and was […]
Review: Etihad 777-300ER First Class Abu Dhabi To Los Angeles
16-hours is a long time to be stuck on airplane, but Etihad made the process painless aboard the 777-300ER in first class. As a reminder, I’m in the midst of a “vintage” trip report to India/Maldives. But even though this flight review is three years old, it still captures what you can expect if you […]
I’ve Fallen In Love With A New First Class Lounge!
After so many years flying the most aspirational first class products and visiting the best first class lounges, I finally found the opportunity to visit a new one in Hong Kong…and instantly fell in love. Last time I flew Cathay Pacific First Class I spent my Hong Kong layover in The Wing, which is a […]
First Class: Emirates Vs. Lufthansa
I recently flew Emirates and Lufthansa back-to-back in first class. Which carrier offers a better product? If you’re interested in reading complete flight reviews, I’ve carefully reviewed both products below: Emirates 777-300ER NEW First Class Dubai To Brussels Lufthansa 747-8 First Class Frankfurt To Los Angeles While it might be a better comparison to look […]
Review: Etihad Airways A380 First Class Apartment London To Abu Dhabi
My flight from London to Abu Dhabi in Etihad’s first class “Apartments” could not have been more perfect. As a reminder, I’m in the midst of a “vintage” trip report to India/Maldives. But even though this flight review is three years old, it still captures what you can expect if you fly Etihad in first […]
Review: Emirates 777-300ER NEW First Class Dubai To Brussels
The day finally arrived. The perfect opportunity had arisen. It was time to check out Emirates’ new first class on the 777-300ER. But with expectations so high, would Emirates deliver? In a word, YES. I booked my ticket from Dubai to Brussels a couple night before the trip using Emirates Skywards. The points transfer on […]
Review: Emirates First Class Lounge Dubai (B Concourse)
The Emirates First Class Lounge in Dubai’s Concourse B is well-suited for the huge crowds that pass through it each day, but lacks the intimacy and luxury that typically characterizes a first class lounge. I say it is huge–and it was–but not nearly as big as the Concourse A lounge, which I’ve reviewed before here. […]
First Class Asparagus Showdown: Lufthansa Vs. Emirates
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. It’s white asparagus season in Europe (Germany especially) and I had the rare opportunity to sample asparagus in […]
Review: Emirates A380 Business Class Los Angeles To Dubai
My 15.5-hour flight from Los Angeles to Dubai on Emirates was comfortable and restful. While there were some service lapses, how can I complain about two great meals and 10 hours of sleep? I booked this ticket using 82,500 Alaska miles two days before travel. Emirates tends to open award space at the last-minute and […]
A (Lufthansa) Rose By Any Other Name, Would Smell As Sweet
Greetings from Los Angeles. I’m back from my trip and am pleased to report another excellent experience on Lufthansa, with one key element missing. Take a look at the pictures below from my recent Frankfurt to Los Angeles flight. Notice anything? Same excellent seat, bedding, food, drink, and service. But where’s the rose? Last flight […]
I Got “Stuck” Flying Lufthansa First Class…Again
Oh poor me, I had to fly Lufthansa First Class again. This trip, though, I really tried to branch out and try something new. But I just could not turn down the allure of flying nonstop on one of my favorite products. After Dubai, I traveled to Frankfurt via Brussels, where I hoped to try […]
A Lufthansa First Class Tradition Becomes An Emirates First Class Tradition
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day, but when it comes to the Lufthansa First Class Terminal in Frankfurt, I always opt for dinner for breakfast. Now I do the same on Emirates. I’ve written before about the wonderful filet mignon that I start off each Lufthansa First Class trip with. There’s nothing like […]
Big Problems Booking Lufthansa First Class Awards With United Airlines
15 May 2019 UPDATE: United has resolved this issue. The United Airlines award search tool is currently broken when it comes to first class awards on Lufthansa. At the moment, there is not a fix for it. See below for details. Perhaps foreshadowing what is to come in the new era of MileagePlus, it appears […]
Review: United Airlines 787-9 Economy Class Los Angeles To London
Not only did I survive my economy class trip from Los Angeles to London on United, but I found it a far better experience than my recent flight from LA to Frankfurt on joint-venture partner Lufthansa. I took a trip to Switzerland and Germany at the end of last week so that my wife would […]
A Model Flight Attendant For Lufthansa
In all honesty, I’ve never encountered a bad flight in Lufthansa First Class. Service is routinely spectacular. But flight attendant Marcel Olschweski took service to a whole new level on my recent flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles. Earlier this year, I wrote about a model flight attendant I encountered on United Airlines. Now I […]
Review: United Airlines 777-200 Premium Plus San Francisco To Frankfurt
My 11-hour flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt aboard United’s new premium economy (“Premium Plus”) product was quite comfortable, though no replacement for business class. MileagePlus members can upgrade to either (or both) Premium Plus or Polaris Business Class with a single Global Premier Upgrade (GPU). While using one to fly premium economy felt a […]
Lufthansa Investigates Near-Crash Of Presidential Jet
Despite the stereotype of punctuality, German government planes have an embarrassing track record of on-time performance and reliability. The latest incident has embarrassed Lufthansa and left many scratching their heads. Beyond its commercial flying, Lufthansa has a division that maintains aircraft used by government officials in Germany. This division, called Lufthansa Bombardier Aviation Services (LBAS), contracts with the German […]
A (Near) Perfect Flight On Lufthansa
I just had the Lufthansa flight of my life. Over the years, I have had many excellent experiences in Lufthansa First Class. But yesterday’s flight from Frankfurt to Los Angeles on LH456 represented the pinnacle of my dozens of flights on Lufthansa. All the usual elements of a great flight were present. A superior lounge experience and […]
