I don’t want to be known as the United Airlines fanboy, but I turned lemons into lemonade earlier this week and had a great flight to London on United’s new 787-9. Thanks to a mechanical delay out of Burbank, I was able to reroute my trip to Europe to depart from LAX and make Augustine’s […]
United Airlines CEO Defends 747 Retirement
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz defended his company’s decision to move up the retirement of the 747-400 by a full year. The last United 747 flight will be in October. In answering a question about the accelerated retirement of the Queen of the Skies, Munoz stated– You’ve got other […]
Strange United Airlines Schedule Change
Last week I reported that United Airlines is making Boston – San Francisco a 100% lie-flat route in business class starting in June. This morning, reader Eric W. left a comment stating– Just checked several dates in mid-June and found the usual mix of 737s flying the route alongside a couple of 777s, not exclusively lie-flat planes […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 4, 2017
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 […]
United Making Boston-San Francisco Route Lie-Flat
United Airlines is making Boston – San Francisco a 100% lie-flat route in business class staring this summer. With fierce competition from JetBlue and Delta, starting on June 08, 2017 United will use a mix of 757s and 777s with lie-flat beds on all flights between Boston and San Francisco. Introductory fares start at $649 one-way. Rumors […]
Review: San Francisco to Amsterdam in KLM 787-9 World Business Class
Flying KLM for the first time was already a treat, but flying on KLM’s 787-9 in business class turned me into the child eagerly waiting for Christmas morning. KLM World Business Class Flight Preview Email After checking in online, KLM sent me a link with very detailed info about my flight and even let me choose seats […]
Why Flight Attendants Prefer to Work in Economy Over First Class
“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
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
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
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 […]
Surprise Meal on United Proves Why Meals Don’t Matter
Not to beat a dead horse, but my United flight from San Francisco to Frankfurt yesterday demonstrates why economy class meal service likely has little effect on loyalty and negatively impacts revenue. I generally do not upgrade when flights are so empty that I can guarantee a center section of four seats to myself. Of course that is […]
United Ground Delay Due to Computer Glitch
Another day, another IT glitch. United Airlines this time. Allegedly at 11:30p last night a faulty software update was loaded to a system that supplies flight planning data to pilots. Reports of delays throughout the country are filtering in on Flyertalk. There is no ground stop: pilots can still calculate weight and balance the old fashioned way on […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: February 4, 2017
This week was the clam before the storm. I spent most of it caring my sick wife and sick son (flu, cold). Then I got sick, though thankfully it was just a 48-hour sore throat and I’m back to feeling great. Next week there will be both Pacific and Atlantic Ocean crossings. The following week […]
United Warns FAs: Stop Customers from Stealing!
As I shared in my Frankfurt to San Francisco Polaris First Class review last week, the new Saks Fifth Avenue bedding on United Airlines is really nice. So nice, apparently, that customers are walking off with it at an alarming rate. Now United is asking its flight attendants to be more vigilant in ensure the bedding […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 28, 2017
Good evening from Los Angeles. I am resting up after a whirlwind trip to Washington, DC and Frankfurt, happy to be home for the next couple weeks*. Although a trip to Las Vegas was in the cards for this week, I ended up not straying too far from home. *The travel bug is such an infectious virus […]
United May Cut p.s. Name, but not Premium Service
In 2004, United Airlines introduced p.s. (premium service) onboard its transcon flights between New York Kennedy and Los Angeles/San Francisco. This enhanced domestic product mimicked an international flight with menus, enhanced meals, and a premium business and first class seat. When UA closed its JFK station in 2015, p.s. shifted to Newark. But rumors have […]
The Trip Home from DC…Washington to Los Angeles via Frankfurt
As if our busy inauguration day was not enough, John and I detoured to Germany on our way home from Washington. A number of factors were to “blame”. A prefect storm brewed—procrastination and sold out flights with the specter of more hotel costs or sleeping in airports. Ok, let’s not kid ourselves. I’m not so […]
UA Christens First 777-300ER “New Spirit of United”
United Airlines has christened its first 777-300ER the “New Spirit of United”, a name meant to highlight UA’s optimism it is turning the corner from a stormy past. Indeed, CEO Oscar Munoz added– This special aircraft represents not a commemoration of the past but a commitment to the future. It captures the spirit of excellence we aspire to […]
Review: Houston to Lagos in United Airlines 787 Business
I flew United’s 787-8 for the first time from Houston to Los Angeles just weeks after it was introduced in 2012, but almost two years passed before I had the chance to fly it again, this time from Houston to Lagos. My day started in Chicago but I gave myself a five hour buffer in case of […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 14, 2017
Another week has flown by, but as I sit at my desk on this beautiful Saturday evening, I am thankful that the last several days have been very productive. While managing Award Expert and this blog are critical, an even more important task is caring for my wife and child. The two go hand and hand, since we have […]
