The numbers don’t lie…2018 was a comparatively bad year for commercial aviation safety. But let’s keep things in perspective. 2018 marked an all-time high in number of flights and passengers carried: 4.5 billion passengers on 45 million flights. As of today, 16 accidents have claimed the lives of 555 passengers in 2018. 555 is a sobering […]
Confirmed: Lion Air 737 Max Crashes Minutes After Takeoff
188 passengers and crew are feared dead as debris from a Lion Air 737 MAX 8 has washed up onshore near Jakarta. Lion Air flight JT-610 took off this morning at 6:21 A.M. from Jakarta enroute to Pangkal Pinang. Just 13 minutes after takeoff, the flight lost contact with air traffic control. While there was no […]
How To Maximize The 40% Transfer Bonus From AMEX To British Airways
In short, the shorter the route, the more valuable the redemption. The British Airways redemption chart is distance-based and longhaul flights in premium cabins rarely make sense, especially when competitors offer the same flights for so much cheaper. But in terms of shorthaul awards, BA is not to be beat. For as little as 4,000 […]
Maximizing Your 10% Rebate On Hyatt Redemptions
During the months of August and September, Hyatt if offering its Chase-branded credit card cardholders a 10% refund on award redemptions. To take advantage, simply register by August 31, 2018. This promo runs for stays between August 01st and September 30th. In other words, you must check out by September 30th to receive the refund in points. […]
Delta Pilot Clips Parked A319, Blames United…
A Delta Air Lines flight clipped the wing of an empty United Airlines A319 at Hollywood Burbank Airport Tuesday night. But according to the pilot, it was United’s fault. The Embraer RJ-175 Delta Connection flight, operated by SkyWest, was taxiing into Terminal 2 at BUR when it grazed the wingtips of the United Airlines A320 parked at […]
Turkish Airlines Orders 40 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners
So much for the A380 or 747-8. Turkish Airlines will order 40 787-9s from Boeing, a deal valued at $11 billion on paper. Tourism in Turkey has been hit hard by terrorism in the last two years, but the country appears to be turning a corner. The order will revitalize the Turkish fleet and provide greater […]
How to Maximize In-Flight Productivity On Your Mobile Phone
With a ban on in-flight electronic devices on nonstop flights from eight nations to the United States, business travelers may find themselves with only a mobile phone on a 15hr flight. Here are three must-have items to maximize productivity even if you just have a small screen to work with. 1. Portable Wireless Keyboards I suspect […]
New IMAX Trailer for Captain Sully Movie
It has all the makings of a good film — directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Tom Hanks — and a new IMAX preview for Sully, which portrays the crash landing and subsequent investigation over US Airways 1549, is out. For reference, the first trailer is here– The film hits theatres on 09 September 2016 […]
FTU Signature Event in Las Vegas April 29 – May 01, 2016
Frequent Traveler University (FTU) is coming to Las Vegas later this month and there is still time attend this event if you have not already signed up. From April 29 through May 01, 2016 you can hang out in the (other) city that never sleeps with people who eat, sleep, and drink miles, points, and […]
This Rule is Vital for Maximizing Your AA Award
A handful of clients have contacted Award Expert this week requesting help “maximizing” AA awards prior to the devaluation on March 22, 2016. I don’t mean the couples trying to get to Bangkok on Cathay Pacific or families booking summer vacations to Spain. Here, I am talking about the people who like flying for the […]
Oldest Active Flight Attendant Celebrates 90th Birthday, 63 Years in Sky
In the USA there is no regulation setting a maximum age for flight attendants. With this lack of regulation and strong FA unions, we seeing an aging FA base among the legacy carriers of American, Delta, and United. And then there are some super veterans. Bob Reardon has been flying for 63 years with Delta/Northwest and […]
San Diego – Atlanta Mileage Run on United – 6798 miles for $180
For the seasoned mileage runner or leisure traveler, United has had some killer deals out of San Diego this year and today’s Atlanta – San Diego r/t for $169+ takes the cake. Heck, even business travelers may wish to make speculative bookings based on this cheap price (noting that with United’s increased changes fees, there […]
Maximizing Air France/KLM Flying Blue Award Miles
With three days left to take advantage of the 35% Air France/KLM Flying Blue transfer bonus offer from American Express, there is still time to benefit from this bonus. I used to think the Air France/KLM Flying Blue program was good for checking SkyTeam inventory online and that was about it. But as the Delta […]
Remembering United 93, 11 Years Later
It becomes almost trite to look back on the attacks of September 11, 2001 each year, but I cannot help but to think about that fateful day upon each anniversary. It was a transformative event in U.S. history and a day I vividly remember like few others. There is so much we have to lament […]
$31,313 or 240,000 miles? Maximizing your Frequent Flyer Miles
People often ask me how they can squeeze the most value out of their frequent flyer miles. I begin my answer by stating that maximizing monetary value and actual value are two very different things and ultimately there is no magic formula that tells you whether you are effectively using your miles. I find the […]
Air India Passengers Wait 9 Hours to Travel from London Gatwick to Heathrow
I offer my condolences to the 300+ passengers on Air India flight 131 from Mumbai to London earlier this week, who were trapped on a 777 for nine hours in a comedy of errors that further diminishes the image of Air India. Fog is not something out of the ordinary in London, but the early […]
UA849 (PHL-LAX) Diverts to Nashville
As Maxwell Smart would say, “Missed it by that much…” Something happened aboard United 849 tonight, the evening non-stop flight from Philadelphia to Los Angeles. I was booked on that flight and missed it due to a mix-up at Dulles this afternoon. I wonder what happened? Maybe another unruly passenger? I’m banging my head […]
Maximizing Your Chances to Effectively Use Your Miles
Scott McCartney has a decent Middle Seat column today in the WSJ on how to maximize your chances to redeem frequent flyer miles. A couple sections particularly caught my eye: On the airline side, road warriors suggest checking alliance Web sites—StarAlliance.com, oneWorld.com and SkyTeam.com—that show flights on partner airlines that may not be displayed on […]
Pete Buttigieg Is Right: Sean Duffy’s Road Trip Is Tone-Deaf, And Its Sponsors Are Conflicted
Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy’s family road trip is not offensive because road trips are bad. Quite the opposite. The problem is that a Cabinet secretary is promoting a travel project funded by companies his own department regulates and during a time in which Americans are facing surging prices at the fuel pump, as pointed out […]
United And JetBlue Blue Sky Elite Perks Are Live, But Something Big Is Missing
United Airlines and JetBlue have rolled out the next stage of their Blue Sky partnership, with reciprocal elite perks now live. That is good news, but for United flyers there is still one glaring weakness for United flyers: JetBlue flights still do not help you re-qualify for United MileagePlus elite status. United – JetBlue Blue […]
