This is exciting. American & China Southern have just announced the next step of their partnership, which includes reciprocal elite mileage earning as well as mileage redemptions. In 2017 American Airlines invested about $200 million in China Southern,…
For years the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card was regarded as one of best travel rewards credit cards out there. The card is incredibly well rounded, as it offers double points on dining and travel, great travel protection, and the ability to transfer…
If you stay in hotels with any frequency, you've probably dealt with pesky "resort fees." These have become the norm at many destinations. They were initially introduced primarily for two reasons: -- They’re a way for hotels to try and get more revenue…
Every month I make a post with what I consider to be the best credit card bonuses of the month. While there are several excellent long standing credit card offers, the specifics of the best offers are constantly changing (be it the annual fee, minimum…
A couple of days ago British Airways revealed their new business class product to much fanfare. British Airways has had roughly the same business class product for the past 20 years, and at this point it's quite outdated. Many of us were pleasantly surprised…
It's fun to sometimes reflect on how perspectives change over time. I'll be 29 next month. 30 is right around the corner. Time flies, and I still feel like a kid. I started flying frequently at the age of 15, which means I'm going on having done a lot…
Last year I wrote about Shanghai Airlines' intriguing 787-9s. For those of you not familiar with Shanghai Airlines, they're a wholly owned subsidiary of China Eastern. I don't really understand why, but then again there are a lot of aspects of Chinese…
In the previous installment I reviewed the business class section of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, while in this section I wanted to review the first class section. Inside the entrance to the lounge, the first class section is to the left…
Virgin Atlantic is an airline that has historically pretty conservative with their growth. The airline did recently announce flights to Tel Aviv, which is their new shortest route. Now the airline is announcing their first flight to South America. Virgin…
At the moment EL AL is refreshing their fleet thanks to the nine Boeing 787-9s that they’re taking delivery of, which are replacing their aging 747s. This is allowing the airline some expansion opportunities, and is also greatly improving their product. I…
The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hasn't had a permanent leader since early 2018. At that point Michael Huerta, who had been appointed by President Obama, stepped down. It's surprising that the role has been vacant for over a year, since it…
I’ve written extensively about Silvercar, including my rental experience with them in Orlando. Silvercar is an innovative rental car company available in over 20 US markets markets, which exclusively rents Audis. They used to just rent the A4, but in…
British Airways has today announced that they're launching daily flights to Dammam, Saudi Arabia, as of December 1, 2019. This will be British Airways' third destination in Saudi Arabia, after Jeddah and Riyadh. While British Airways' other services…
After checking out the Amex Lounge and Air New Zealand Lounge, it was finally time to visit Singapore Airlines' Lounge at Melbourne Airport. The SilverKris Lounge is located in Terminal 2 at Melbourne Airport, and it's right next to the American Express…
The UAE can be a funny place sometimes. Construction in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi is seemingly endless, and often one has to wonder about the business sense behind some of the development. When you look at hotel rates in the UAE, overall they're as low…
Over three years ago Starbucks' loyalty program went revenue based (time flies, because I feel like this was just yesterday). Well, it has now officially been confirmed that Starbucks will be greatly adjusting their program as of April 16, 2019. The…
In the previous installment I reviewed the business class section of the Singapore Airlines SilverKris Lounge, while in this section I wanted to review the first class section. Inside the entrance to the lounge, the first class section is to the left…
After checking out the Amex Lounge and Air New Zealand Lounge, it was finally time to visit Singapore Airlines' Lounge at Melbourne Airport. The SilverKris Lounge is located in Terminal 2 at Melbourne Airport, and it's right next to the American Express…
After checking out the American Express Lounge Melbourne Airport, I decided to check out the Air New Zealand Lounge. This lounge is located on the ground floor, so it's one level below the American Express and Singapore Airlines lounges. The lounge opens…
I got to Melbourne Airport before 6AM so that I could review several lounges before my 10:35AM Singapore Airlines flight to Singapore. Melbourne Airport was quite busy, even so early in the morning. Fortunately the security queues weren't too bad, and…
On this trip I was spending one night in Melbourne. I arrived early in the morning from San Francisco, and was departing the following morning to Singapore. I've been to Melbourne twice before, and both times stayed at the Park Hyatt (which is nice,…
I had spent most of the day in the United Polaris Lounge prior to this flight (I had access because my flight from Tahiti landed the same morning). At around 6:30PM I headed from the G gates to the A gates in the International Terminal, which required…
In late February I wrote about how it was leaked that Marriott would soon be launching their spring promotion, and registration opened on March 5, 2019. While Marriott's major competitors have had promotions for weeks, Marriott has taken their time,…
We've long considered the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card to be one of the most well rounded cards out there, and also one of the best cards for beginners, given that it has a low annual fee, good return on spend, excellent perks and often has a generous…
Yesterday British Airways revealed their new Club Suite, which is the name of their all new business class product. It looks great, though the bad news is that it's going to be quite a long time before a significant number of planes feature these seats.…
Capital One has been working on some cool partnerships lately, and they've just announced the details of their latest such partnership. The Savor® Rewards from Capital One® is already a popular card for those who like dining and entertainment, and they've…
Iberia Plus has just launched a great promotion for US-based members. Specifically, Iberia Plus members can save 25% on transatlantic awards. This is valid for flights booked through March 27, 2019, and for travel between September 1 and December 14…
I appreciate any time that a country eliminates barriers to visiting, both in terms of cost and convenience. In my opinion you shouldn't have to pay for the privilege of spending your tourist dollars somewhere. If you do have to pay, countries should…
Yesterday British Airways revealed their new Club Suite, which is a huge improvement over their current business class product. I don't think many of us were expecting British Airways to introduce something truly great, so kudos to them. This seat will…
After checking out the American Express Lounge Melbourne Airport, I decided to check out the Air New Zealand Lounge. This lounge is located on the ground floor, so it's one level below the American Express and Singapore Airlines lounges. The lounge opens…
Through April 29, 2019, the US American Express Membership Rewards program is offering a 25% bonus when you convert points into Air France KLM Flying Blue miles. Points ordinarily convert at a 1:1 ratio, though during this promotion you can convert 1,000…
One of the best perks of The Platinum Card® from American Express and The Business Platinum® Card from American Express is access to Centurion Lounges. These lounges are for the most part significantly better than what’s offered by US airlines,…
