A new survey of British travelers places British Airways near the bottom. But is British Airways really that bad? If we are talking about economy class, my answer is yes on shorthaul flights, but no on longhaul flights. Let’s start with the survey, commissioned by Which!, a brand name used by the prominent UK non-profit […]
Delta’s Outstanding TUMI Amenity Kit
While my overall flight on Delta from Los Angeles to New York was average at best, I want to commend Delta for offering passengers a very practical and useful amenity kit. Although I have a huge collection of amenity kits at home (much to my wife’s consternation), I generally view them as unnecessary niceties rather […]
Scotland Finale: Trains, Planes, Hotels, And The Fondest Of Memories
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the United States who has offered his insights and analysis on a number of topics on Live and Let’s Fly recently traveled with his brother and father on a very special trip to Scotland. He asked me if I would be interested in a trip report and I quickly […]
In Search Of Great Scottish Whisky
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the United States who has offered his insights and analysis on a number of topics on Live and Let’s Fly recently traveled with his brother and father on a very special trip to Scotland. He asked me if I would be interested in a trip report and I quickly […]
Hotel Hopping + Scenic Driving In Scotland
121pilot, a commercial airline pilot in the United States who has offered his insights and analysis on a number of topics on Live and Let’s Fly recently traveled with his brother and father on a very special trip to Scotland. He asked me if I would be interested in a trip report and I quickly […]
Why I’m Seriously Considering An American Express Centurion (Black) Card
It’s not for the points. It’s certainly not for the status. But I am seriously considering an American Express Centurion Card, more popularly known as the AMEX “Black” card. For many years, I’ve chuckled at clients who put tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars per month on the card. It’s one of the worst […]
Spectacular Deal: Flying Blue Special Edition Promo Awards
A special five-day sale offers incredible discounts on many Air France and KLM routes when using Flying Blue miles. Each month Air France offers Promo Awards, but once in a while it offers “Special Edition” Promo Awards that offer even better deals across a larger booking window. The latest “Special Edition” sale is running through […]
Analysis: Fundamental Changes To United MileagePlus In 2020
Last night, United Airlines announced radical changes to the way elite status is earned in the MileagePlus program, starting in 2020. What do these changes mean for you? First, let’s review the changes. Introduction Of Premier Qualifying Flights (PQF) + Premier Qualifying Points (PQP) Premier Qualifying Miles (PQM), Premier Qualifying Segments (PQS), and Premier Qualifying […]
Next Up: British Airways World Traveller Plus
After my rough trip to Europe in Lufthansa economy class on the way out, I’m trying something new on the way back: World Traveller Plus on British Airways. Compared to a middle seat in the middle section in the last row on Lufthansa, this should be a nice upgrade. With the (now finished) transfer bonus […]
Introduction: A Quick Summer Adventure Around The World
Welcome to my next trip report, which will cover the recent 14-leg journey I took around the world. It all started when I noticed ANA had released some first class award space on its A380 from Honolulu to Tokyo. As the latest A380 to enter service, I was keen to test it out, especially because […]
United Instructs Agents To Covertly Report Hidden City Travelers
United Airlines does not appreciate passengers who engage in hidden city ticketing. Now it wants airport agents to play a greater role in discouraging this practice…covertly, not overtly. First, a review of hidden city ticketing. Briefly, United (and all carriers) often charge a premium for nonstop flights. For example, a flight from Los Angeles to […]
My Strong Desire To Fly The Air France A380…
Call me crazy, but I have a strong desire to fly on the Air France A380 while still in service. Yesterday I wrote about the decision by Air France to retire its entire A380 fleet by 2022. This move makes total sense considering the high costs of retrofitting and CEO Ben Smith’s vision for a […]
Air Italy Is Horrific On The Ground, Stunning In The Air
I’m safely back home after a lovely trip around the world. My final new flight experience, on Air Italy, was an interesting one. I’ll use this post to paint the juxtaposition between Air Italy on the ground and Air Italy on the air, focusing today on the ground. To put it in most simple terms, […]
One Flight. Four Cabins. Four Meals.
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. Have you ever wondered what an airline serves in different cabins on the same flight? For this installment […]
Best Airport Coffee In The World At…LAX?
World’s best airport coffee might be in my own backyard at Los Angeles International Airport. Urth Caffé & Bar was just named as world’s best airport coffee by the Moodie Davitt Report’s 2019 Airport Food & Beverage Conference & Awards (FAB). Now it seems like everyone has their award show these days and I’ve never […]
Qatar Airways Accelerates A380 Retirement
Qatar Airways plans to retire its A380 fleet earlier than planned, joining a number of other airlines which do not see a long-term place for the Airbus superjumbo jet. Never one to beat around the bush, Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker made his intentions clear at the recent Paris Air Show to FlightGlobal: We feel […]
Busted: How A New Jersey Woman Smuggled Airline Parts Into Iran
A New Jersey woman faces up to five years in prison for her role in a scheme to smuggle airline parts illegally into Iran. Joyce Eliabachu pleaded guilty on Tuesday to playing a pivotal role in smuggling over $2,000,000 in airline parts to desperate Iranian airlines. As tensions between the USA and Iran have soured […]
The Death Of Star Alliance Diamond Status (And How It Could Be Reborn)
Last year, Star Alliance CEO Jeffrey Goh hinted of at least one additional tier of Star Alliance status above gold status. One year later, those plans have been shelved. Speaking at the IATA Conference in Seoul, Goh noted a shifting priority: The priority at this time is to pursue delivering additional benefits to existing tiers, […]
My Apple Wallet Illustrates Waning Value Of Airline Loyalty
While I still remain generally loyal to one carrier, the evolution of my Apple Wallet is a great indicator of how much I truly value airline loyalty. Being the packrat that I am, I save all my boarding passes in Apple Wallet, a handy iPhone app that centrally stores them. It gives me a great […]
All The Alliance Airlines I Have Not Flown
Ben recently wrote a story with a similar title, paying homage to his “fellow airline geeks” in the first line. It got me to thinking about which alliance airlines I have not yet tried. It matters because 1.) these are the airlines that tend to be most accessible with your miles and points and thus […]
