For those of you sitting on Aeroplan miles and considering a trip up to 330 days in the future, it might be wise to get your trip booked before July 15th. On Friday, the many award rates changes and some awards will go up dramatically in price. For example, right now a first class award […]
Bargaining to Sleep on Kish Island, Iran
With no idea where we would sleep that night, my friend and I sat down to strategize. The airport had free wi-fi and I scoured the internet for hotels in Kish. I did find a listing of hotels, but Google Phone and Skype were blocked (as were websites like Facebook and Twitter). About 30 minutes […]
British Midland’s Disgusting Award Surcharges
British Midland’s (bmi) Diamond Club award program boasts on its home page, "Free airmiles. Free flights." After forking out over £1,100 (~$1,800) in taxes and surcharges for two business class tickets, I think it is an insult and a lie to call award redemptions on bmi free. Every carrier levies some sort of tax on […]
Man Attempts to Bypass TSA Via Baggage Carousel
In honor of Valentine’s Day, I bring you the following story. The title may indicate sinister motives, but once again we have another tale of a love struck youth unable to bear the thought of being away from the girl that he loved. Essentially, Ted loved Maya, tried to purchase a walk-up ticket on a United flight from New York […]
New 12-Hour Mandatory Hold Rule on United Mileage Plus Star Alliance Award Bookings?
Some on Flyertalk are reporting that United reservation agents are quoting a new 12-hour mandatory hold rule when booking a Star Alliance award. But United, an airline I love to call consistently inconsistent, doesn’t seem to be strictly enforcing this rule. Others report that they have recently tickets reservations with no hold time required–and on […]
Air New ZealandContinental AirlinesemiratesEtihadLANNewsOneWorldStar AllianceTAM Linhas AereasUnited AirlinesVirgin Australia
Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht Addresses Consolidation, Latam, Gulf Partners, and Russia
Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht sat down with Business Traveler this week after a Star Alliance board meeting (in beautiful Queenstown, New Zealand) to discuss a wide-variety of topics. Here are some of the highlights: On consolidation: Consolidation is a trend we are seeing, and it’s happening on a regional basis – there is lots […]
Using a Flight Delay to Your Advantage
While most of the traveling public dreads the announcement that their flight is delayed, I usually welcome such announcements. To be sure, delays are not always a great thing. My Los Angeles-Las Vegas United flight was delayed yesterday by 2.5 hours, ruining my evening plans and my trip to Vegas (more on that in a […]
Despite the TSA, We Have a Lot to be Thankful For
It is Thanksgiving Day in The United States and the hot topic remains the Transportation Security Administration. As an ardent defender of the original meaning of the Fourth Amendment, I’ve dedicated a lot of time and space to attacking the TSA the last few weeks. Today, however, I want to put the TSA issue in perspective. […]
Tinkering with my award reservation
Perfecting an award itinerary is an art requiring patience and skill. With the ability to make free and unlimited changes on United awards (1K/GS benefit only), segment by segment you can construct an ideal award itinerary. As I mentioned earlier, when I booked my trip China the only flight with First Class availability on the return was a Air China flight from […]
SkyTeam bolstering its lineup: Tarom and China Eastern to join
SkyTeam, which added Vietnam Airlines to its alliance last month, will soon add two more members to the team. Romania’s Tarom Airlines will join later this week and offer an alternative to SkyTeam’s already robust presence in Europe. Tarom also offers flights to the Middle East. China Eastern plans to join SkyTeam later in the […]
Chris Elliott’s Response to My Post on "Mistake" Fares
Last week I posted my thoughts about airline mistake fares in response to Scott McCartney’s excellent “Middle Seat” column in the Wall Street Journal on the same subject. Today, Christopher Elliott decided to chime in. While I prefer not not even bring up his name, he provides so much fodder in his thoughts on the […]
Year in Review (and what a great year of travel it has been!)
It is currently 0250 on New Year’s Day in Lisbon and I just got back to my hostel (rather early because of my morning bus trip) from New Year’s festivities near the waterfront. It’s late and I don’t want to bore with you an exasperated recount of my travels this year, but here’s a quick […]
A Recap of My Thanksgiving Travel on United – Yes, I scored another $600 bump
I mentioned last week that I had a row with a Service Director at SFO on Wednesday. I had just arrived from San Diego (surly and argumentative SEA-based FA’s on the flight) and had a tight connection down to Ontario. Because my home is closer to Burbank, I planned to standby into BUR, a co-terminal […]
Join me in Lima for $245 a/i on LAN Peru from JFK
Well, not really join me since this deal is only good for May and June next year, but LAN is offering round-trip fares from JFK to LIM for $245 including taxes. Book it on AA.com and be sure to check off search all carriers. This is a great deal and a great way to get to […]
