Greetings from the fairly remote Las Padres National Forrest about 90 minutes north of Los Angeles. It was special weekend for me: my brother is getting married next week and this weekend was his bachelor party. Heidi, don’t worry…it has been a very calm weekend. We’re in a lodge-style house. Our big activity was not […]
Singapore Airlines Will Resume World’s Longest Flight by End of 2018
Singapore Airlines will resume nonstop service to New York by the end of 2018, reclaiming the title for world’s longest flight. Singapore Airlines served Newark, NJ from 2004 to 2013 using an A340-500 configured exclusively with 100 business class seats. That route was abandoned due to declining revenue and an attractive opportunity to return the […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: April 15, 2018
Greetings from Los Angeles. It is good to be home after two nearly weeks in Europe. I had a fabulous trip (hope you have been enjoy the Italy road trip report), but there is no place like home…especially after being away from my wife and son for so long. This week I’ll finish up the […]
Express Dining on United Airlines
United offers express dining on long-haul flights in Polaris class for those who wish to dine quickly and maximize sleep. That’s the subject of this week’s Meal of the Week. I took advantage of it on a trip last week and it saved me a good half hour, which is certainly appreciated on a quick […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: April 01, 2018
Happy Easter and Happy Passover. I’ve enjoyed a wonderful day spent with family and friends and trust you have as well. I’m looking forward to a very “Matthew” like trip coming up this week. Details on that on Tuesday. For now, I’ll just leave you with the top stories of the week plus a recount […]
Bizarre Business Class Advice in Harper’s Bazaar
It’s time to start calling out the mainstream media on fake upgrade and premium cabin stories. Several days ago a friend at United Airlines forwarded me an internal communication heralding the high ranking of United Polaris from Harper’s Bazaar. I laughed out loud. According to Harper’s the top 1o business class products include: Emirates United Airlines (Polaris) […]
Why Did Singapore Airlines Close Lounge in Seoul?
Next up in my Australia trip report is a review of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris lounge in Seoul Incheon. But that seems almost pointless considering Singapore unexpectedly shut down the lounge last month. Instead, let’s focus on the reason behind the closure. The KrisFlyer lounge was starting to show its age even when was I […]
United Solves its Ice Cream Bowl Crisis
Paper or plastic? United Airlines finally has a permanent solution for its ice cream bowl issue…plastic. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, read here. In a nutshell, United’s glass ice cream bowls were cracking, prompting the carrier to eliminate ice cream sundaes for almost two months then use paper cups for more […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: January 21, 2018
Hello from Zurich. I’m in the midst of an extended business trip, anxious to get home, but trying to appreciate the time in one of my favorite countries. I’ve already been to Qatar, Vietnam, Germany, and Malta. Austria, Italy, the Netherlands, and England are still to come. Recounting the top stories of the week, United […]
How Shall I Get Back to LA from Ho Chi Minh City?
My Qatar Airways 777-3ooER Qsuite flight is right around the corner. But I have nothing booked home… This is a review trip and I’m not planning on spending any time in Ho Chi Minh City. It’s a lovely city that I have visited in the past, but this time my objective is to come straight […]
My 10 Worst Flights of 2017
Unlike my 10 Best Flights of 2017 post from earlier today, I’d say this list is a bit more controversial. After all, how bad can Lufthansa First Class be…or any premium product for that matter? But listing my 10 worst delayed domestic flights would hardly be worth a post. So here are my 10 worst […]
My 10 Best Flights of 2017
As the year draws to a close, here’s a look back at my 10 best flights in 2017. 1. Saudia 777-300 First Class, RUH-LAX The best flight of the year was due to one man: Chef Rahmi. I’ve never seen a more conscientious, hard-working, and resourceful onboard chef. Plus, Saudia’s first class hard product (with […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: December 24, 2017
It’s Christmas Eve and I hope, like me, you are spending it with family friends. I’m on “vacation” in Germany for awhile, but there is never really any true vacation in the world of blogging and Award Expert. Posts will be more limited over the next week to maximize time spent with my family, but […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 26, 2017
Greetings from a beautifully blustery autumn day in Carmel, CA. I’ll have details tomorrow about the wonderful way I’ve spent my long holiday weekend. It was a fairly quiet week on the blog and in the aviation industry, which was appreciated. We’ll see what next week brings, though. We did learn further details about Lufthansa’s […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 19, 2017
I really enjoyed FTU this weekend. Not only was it fun to meet many readers, but it was a great crowd–I hope all who attended enjoyed it. I’m happy to report that I have no more (planned) airline trips until Christmas. It has been quite awhile since I’ve been able to spend more than a […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 12, 2017
After a quick trip to Honolulu to commemorate the final United Airlines 747 flight, I’m back in LA…for tonight anyway. Tomorrow my next trip begins: a business trip that I’ll detail tomorrow that will take me on a product you might think I would have flown by now, but actually have not. Later in the […]
My Favorite First Class Omelet is Now for Sale in Economy Class
Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and one of my favorite breakfast dishes happens to be an airline meal. Now it is available even in economy class. United Airlines has offered a Southwestern omelets for a over a year now in premium cabins. It pops up occasionally on domestic flights and has been […]
Next Stop: Singapore on United LAX-SIN Inaugural
Well, so much for my weekend at home… Tonight, United will launch its inaugural nonstop flight from Los Angeles to Singapore. It’s an important nonstop destination for LAX and underscores United’s commitment to Los Angeles as a hub. > Read More: United Airlines Will Launch Nonstop Service Between Los Angeles and Singapore The folks at United […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 06, 2017
A pleasant Sunday evening to you. It has been a quiet week for me that included a nice trip with my family to Carmel, CA. I’ll have a full report on the Hyatt Carmel Highlands in the weeks ahead. United announced several new European routes for summer of 2018 this week, Air Berlin inched closer […]
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: September 10, 2017
After three consecutive weeks of travel, it was great to be home this week. I’m traveling a bit in the week ahead, but just with family and just by car. Hurricane Harvey and Irma have dominated news headlines this week. I once again wish a safety and speedy recovery to all my readers in Texas […]
