I enjoyed a lovely flight from Paris to Toronto onboard the new Air France A350-900. The food and service was excellent onboard, cementing Air France as one of my favorite airline soft products. Air France used the same seats in business class on the A350-900 as United used for its Polaris product. Seats are staggered […]
Booked! Turkish Airlines A321neo + 787-9 Business Class
I spent the weekend in Germany and decided I will return to California in a different way than my usual United Polaris or Lufthansa First Class. This time, I’m trying two new products on Turkish Airlines. Turkish Airlines Last-Minute Award Space It seems that Turkish rarely (if ever) opens up last-minute award space to Los […]
Did Star Alliance Kowtow To United Airlines On New Lounge Access Restrictions? Why It Doesn’t Matter
Star Alliance is only as strong as its members. Nevertheless, stealth lounge access changes further sharpen the argument that alliances are losing relevance. I’m not sure what you think of when you think of Star Alliance (or oneworld or SkyTeam for that matter). Do you picture an office that makes decisions on behalf of its […]
United Will Trial Improved Amenities, Meals On Japan Flights
United is making some positive changes to onboard service on Japan flights. Two changes are route-specific trials while one is a permanent, systemwide change. Pajamas Will Be Proactively Offered To All Business Class Passengers On ORD – NRT Route If you recall from my recent San Francisco to Sydney trip report, a flight attendant literally […]
United Airlines Challenges Emirates In Athens
United is challenging Emirates directly with a vastly superior business class seat between Newark and Athens, the only route the two carriers compete directly on. United has long complained that Emirates is unfairly targeting its customers by launching a money-losing Fifth Freedom route from Newark, United’s largest East Coast hub. > Read More: United Airlines […]
Booked: TAP Air Portugal A330neo (Finally)
It’s finally time to return home from my extended trip to Europe and Israel and this year, I am determined to try as many new products as I can. I’ve just booked a ticket him on TAP Air Portugal to try out the new A330neo in business class. It’s not like I’ll forsake my 1K […]
Airline Gate Agents Have A Tough Life…
An ode to gate agents, the unsung airline heroes. Flight attendants and pilots receive a lot of praise, and rightfully so. But gate agents are the unsung heroes of the frontline airline business. They receive the brunt of passenger pushback and must solve many problems that are not of their creation. On my recent Sydney […]
Spend Your Upgrades Early and Often
Hotels, airlines and even car rental companies give us benefits that are good all year, but sometimes we treat them too preciously. This is the year to spend your upgrades early and often! If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us […]
British Airways Faces A Lounge Challenge In London Heathrow
As part of its New Years resolutions for 2020, British Airways announced it will “refresh” its lounges in London Heathrow. That presents quite a challenge to a lounge network that is already overburdened with guests. My family and I flew from London to Frankfurt earlier this week out of Heathrow T5 on British Airways. Since […]
My 10 Worst Flights In 2019
Unlike my 10 Best Flights of 2019 post from earlier today, I’d say this list is a bit more controversial. After all, how bad can any premium product really be? But listing my 10 worst delayed domestic flights would hardly be worth a post. So here are my 10 worst flights of 2019, with the […]
My Top 10 Lounges In 2019
As 2019 draws to a close, it is time for my annual “Top 10” series. Here, I’ll look back on the 10 best airport lounges I visited in 2019. Note, this is my “top 10” list, but only my “top 10” list of lounges I visited this year. 10. American Express Centurion Lounge – Philadelphia […]
The Thrill Of Doing A Mileage Run Again…
I’ve taken many review trips in 2019, but my mileage run to Sydney was something I have not done in years. And it was thrilling. This wasn’t my first mileage run to Sydney. 1o years ago I took my first one…a LAX-HNL-SFO-SYD-SFO-HNL-LAX trip that included two stops on Honolulu. But ever since United tied RDMs […]
I Am Flying From SFO To LAX…Via SYD
San Francisco to Los Angeles nonstop? Please, I’m flying via Sydney, Australia. Hello from 30,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean. If you read my recent 1K dilemma post, you’ll know that I wavered (and frankly agonized) over whether to make 1K status in 2020. For all the horror stories I hear about upgrades never clearing, […]
My Urgent United 1K Dilemma
Here we are the end of the year and I have a quick decision to make concerning United MileagePlus: push for top-tier 1K status in 2020 or settle for Platinum status. One of my commanding officers in the U.S. Air Force used to love saying, “A lack of planning on your part does not constitute […]
United Airlines Adds Two New Washington Dulles Routes
United Airlines is continuing its expansion at Washington Dulles with two new routes next summer, further growing its mid-Atlantic hub. In 2020, United will add service to Bangor, Maine (BGR) and Madison, Wisconsin (MSN). Service to Madison is effective May 8th while service to Bangor is effective June 4th. The Bangor route, 601 miles, will […]
First Time In First Class Terminal + Lufthansa A321 Business Class To 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 […]
One Last Jaunt Across The Pond In United’s “Old” Business Class
United Airlines is (finally) rather quickly retrofitting its 777-200 longhaul fleet to add new Polaris business class seats. But there are still “old” aircraft floating around and I very much enjoy them. I wrote about this older seating configuration recently when I encountered it on a domestic flight, but it was the first time I […]
United Airlines’ New Focus On Quality
United Airlines President Scott Kirby has pledged a greater emphasis on the quality of the passenger experience after many years of shunning such a viewpoint. But what makes for a quality experience? Speaking at the Morgan Stanley 7th Annual Laguna Conference, Kirby said that “more and more” United must be “competing on quality instead of […]
United’s Most Valuable Route And JFK Dilemma
United Airlines is determined to steer customers from JFK to Newark for lucrative transatlantic flights. But how? In continuing to unpack the conversation between United President Scott Kirby and Newark employees, exclusively obtained by Live and Let’s Fly, talk shifted to the New York market. Kirby begins by pointing out an interesting stat: 83% of […]
Premium Economy Best Way to Qualify For Status
Last week I wrote about the need for a status run on United to maintain my 1K status. It’s clear that Premium Economy is the best way to re-qualify on seemingly any US airline. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, […]
