My friend Ben from One Mile At A Time wrote a story earlier this week entitled, I’d Like Airlines To Offer LESS Service In Business Class. I offer a friendly rebuttal here. His focus is on shorter overnight flights from the East Coast to Europe, where he rightly notes that an extended dinner service after […]
My Prediction For United’s “Historic” New Route Announcement
United Airlines’ CEO Oscar Munoz will make a “historic” route announcement today. I have 10 predictions for potential new routes. According to an insider on airliners.net, United will make a historic route announcement today at 11:00AM CT. United Airlines CEO Oscar Munoz will host a media conference call to discuss an historic package of new […]
United Airlines Will Invest Millions More At Washington Dulles
United Airlines will invest at least $34 million at Washington Dulles International Airport to expand the C-Concourse and construct a new Polaris Lounge. In a “public-private” partnership, United will front the bill to add an extension to Terminal C in order to house a new Polars Lounge. In exchange, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) will […]
American Airlines Adds Premium Service Between Los Angeles & Boston, With A Catch
American Airlines is introducing premium transcontinental service between Los Angeles and Boston onboard its signature A321Ts. But there’s a catch… Starting on April 02, 2019 American Airlines will operate two flights daily between Los Angeles and Boston utilizing the A321T. Flights will depart from Los Angeles in the morning and late night (redeye) and from […]
Great United Airlines Sale: Save Up To 50% On European Awards
United Airlines has discounted economy class awards by up to 50% for Cyber Monday. Savings range from 20-50% based upon whether you hold a Chase co-branded United credit card and your MileagePlus elite status. Saver Award eligibility Members Premier Silver and Premier Gold Premier Platinum and Premier 1K® Chase cardholders 45,000-60,000 award miles = up […]
Pictures: United Airlines 787-10
United’s new Boeing 787-10s are set to enter service in January on premium transcontinental routes. Later in 2019, the airplane will fly international routes from Newark. United will take delivery of 14 787-10 aircraft over the next two years. The aircraft will be configured with: 44 United Polaris seats (business class) 21 UnitedPremium Plus seats (premium […]
United Announces 787-10 International Routes
United Airlines will operate its Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner on six transatlantic routes from Newark beginning in March 2019. United previously announced that its 787-10s would initially operate on premium transcontinental routes between Newark and Los Angeles/San Francisco beginning in January. Now the first international routes have been announced, all of which will operate from […]
Magnifico: Lufthansa First Class Slippers
I must admit, I’ve fallen in love with my Lufthansa First Class slippers. We have a policy against shoes in my house. That’s not how I grew up, but my wife is adamant about it. And I’ve signed on because of of the pernicious thorns that get dragged in when you walk across our front […]
The Death of Airline Lounge “Memberships” Makes American Express Platinum More Attractive
With American, Delta, and United cracking down on how/when “members” can use their lounges, I question whether membership is even the correct term to describe what airlines now offer. Think about it. If you’re a member of a gym, you show up when you want and stay as long as you want. Your membership gives […]
Inaugural Singapore Airlines Flight Makes U-Turn Over Pacific Ocean, Returns To Los Angeles
Singapore’s new nonstop ultra-longhaul service began last night from Los Angeles to Singapore. But thanks to a mechanical issue, the maiden flight turned out to be far shorter than 17 hours, 50minutes… SQ37 left Los Angeles (LAX) at 11:24 P.M., already late. By 1:33 A.M. it was back in Los Angeles. A Singapore Airlines spokesman […]
A Year Of Cancelled Trips
Since I first started international travel in 2006, every year has been like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle of the globe. Each year I get a little closer to completing the puzzle. But as October draws to a close, I stopped and realized today how different this year has been. I consider visiting new countries […]
United Changes Fare Class Codes For Premium Cabins And Upgrades
United Airlines quietly updated its fare codes for some premium cabin tickets and upgrades over the weekend. With Polaris First class now just a memory, United has pulled A and F fare classes traditionally used to designate first class. Domestically, United will still call its front-cabin product “United First” but use business class fare codes […]
Will United Remove Seats From Business Class?
Is United planning to remove some business class seats from its longhaul fleet? Yesterday I wrote about United’s healthy third quarter earnings and rosy outlook for the remainder of the year. I finally had a chance to read over the earnings call, where one comment particularly caught my attention. United’s Executive Vice President Andrew Nocella […]
Wow, United Airlines’ CEO Actually Gets It…
United’s Chief Executive Officer Oscar Munoz wants you to love flying United Airlines again. So does every airline CEO, of course, when it comes to their own airline. But Munoz’s new focus on customer service is a step in the right direction. It’s refreshing. But is it just lip service? United just opened a new […]
Editorial: Cut The Complaints About “Inferior” U.S. Airlines
There’s a cliche amongst frequent travelers. It goes something like this: U.S. airlines are woefully behind European and Asian airlines, especially in terms of service. While just my opinion, I’m tired of that trite argument and reject it. Don’t think I am going to defend the lackluster and sometimes hostile service that FAs on U.S. […]
Business Class To Germany: Lufthansa Or United?
Who offers a better business class product between the USA and Germany, Lufthansa or United? I have recently flown both carriers in business class and will do a side-by-side comparison using the following 10 metrics: Ground Services Lounge Seating Bedding Service Food Alcohol IFE +Wi-Fi Amenity Kits Lavatories Ground Services Both United and Lufthansa offer […]
United Wants Fewer 1Ks, I’ll Oblige
United announced on Friday afternoon that they would increase the spending requirement for their 1K (100,000-mile elite) members from $12,000 per year to $15,000. This is an effort to thin the herd as they have too many top-tier elite flyers. If United wants fewer 1K customers, I will be the first to start them off. […]
Singapore SilverKris Lounge In Hong Kong Disappoints
During my status run to Hong Kong, I returned to the US on ANA in business class and tried my first Star Alliance lounge in Hong Kong, the Singapore SilverKris Lounge. Despite Singapore’s great reputation, it disappointed. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If […]
The Road Warrior Life Is Getting Old
During my status run to Hong Kong, I took stock of all of the traveling I have been doing for both leisure and business. In a moment of clarity at the end of my trip, the toll travel can take became clear. The life of a Road Warrior is not easy, something that became clear […]
Stunning New Turkish Airlines Uniforms + Business Class Suite
Turkish Airlines has unveiled classy new uniforms plus hinted at a new business class suite. The new uniforms will debut later this year and “hark back to a golden age of couture fashion from the 1950’s.” Inspired by many classic elements of Turkish design and culture, the new uniforms incorporate traditional patterns found in artisanal […]
