American Airlines has introduced a worse schedule change policy as of today, April 8, 2020. As of April 8, 2020, American Airlines has updated their conditions of carriage regarding schedule changes. This only applies to new bookings, so doesn't impact…
Here's an interesting approach that Aer Lingus is taking towards operating their transatlantic route between Dublin and New York... Like all airlines, Aer Lingus has greatly reduced their route network, though the airline continues to operate several…
Several weeks ago it was announced that Alaska Airlines would be joining the oneworld alliance, and as part of that they're also strengthening ties with American Airlines once again. As of April 1 that partnership was improved. This is an update to that…
Ever since Congress passed the CARES Act on March 27th, it seems like it's been dominating the news cycles as much as COVID-19 itself. As small business owners, we've all been trying to wrap our heads around it, and when the topic came up with Ben and…
In the past couple of days we’ve seen Delta SkyMiles, United MileagePlus, and Air Canada Altitude announce plans to extend current elite status for members by 12 months (and more), and now Alaska Mileage Plan is joining the club. Alaska Mileage…
There are a lot of questions about whether travel -- or life, for that matter -- will ever return to normal? While sheltering in place is hopefully temporary, I know a lot of us wonder if things will eventually return to normal, or if this is simply…
While airlines around the world are grounding planes right now temporarily, some long-term plans are being made as well, as airlines don't see the demand for travel recovering anytime soon. Lufthansa has revealed that they don't expect the aviation industry…
The situation is changing by the hour, and while there will be worldwide social and economic fallout from this pandemic, the impacts on the travel industry are far-reaching. If you're looking for information and updates on the virus itself, please check…
As I’ve said before, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with planning travel way in advance, given the deals that are available. However, if you’re going to do so, go into it with the expectation that the trip may not materialize, as we don’t know…
American Airlines' junior flight attendants are livid at their union, the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA). Airlines have greatly reduced their flight schedules for the coming months, and they obviously have way more employees than…
Well, it looks like Ethiopian Airlines has their work cut out for them... While the US has banned cruises for the past few weeks, the reality is that there are still lots of ships out there, and most of them have hundreds of crew members onboard, and…
You wouldn't expect many airlines to be loading new flights into the schedule right now -- especially ones due to launch in just a couple of months -- but TAP Air Portugal is countering that trend. TAP is one of the fastest growing airlines out there,…
While American and United have reached agreements with their pilots for paid time off, Delta and their pilots can't seem to come to an agreement. US airlines are getting government aid, and one condition of that aid is that they can't lay off or involuntarily…
Yesterday we saw Delta SkyMiles and United MileagePlus announce that they'd extend current elite status for members by 12 months (and more), and now Air Canada is announcing a similar initiative. Air Canada is even getting a bit creative, so let's take…
Obviously this isn’t the time to buy miles speculatively. However, there are also lots of people planning last minute trips to get home, or planning travel way in advance, so if that applies to you, buying miles at a discount could be worth considering.…
There's not much positive news in the airline industry nowadays, though at least a new report reveals that 2019 was a very safe year for airlines. IATA has published their airline safety report for 2019. They publish this on an annual basis, and it's…
At last it's time for my review of Calala Island. I never thought I'd travel to a private island off the coast of Nicaragua for vacation, but when World of Hyatt points became redeemable here, I couldn't say no. In the previous installment I shared the…
I'll keep this review relatively short, because our stay was short. Friday night we had a quick overnight in Managua, as we were arriving at around 9PM, and had to be back at the airport by 5:30AM for our flight, as we were enroute to Calala Island.…
Ford and I are spending the weekend in Nicaragua to visit Calala Island. In the past I didn't review "run of the mill" flights, though I've realized they have the potential to be useful as well, so am trying to do when it's practical. For example, I've…
Last weekend Ford and I decided we wanted to get out of town. I started looking at options on Friday morning, and a few hours later we were on a flight to Cancun for our three night stay at the Andaz Mayakoba. This is a Hyatt property I had heard a lot…
A bit over a week ago I stayed at The Ben, a brand new Marriott Autograph Collection property in West Palm Beach, Florida. For those of you not familiar with Autograph Collection, it's supposed to be Marriott's collection of luxury, independent hotels.…
After my ground experience in Manila I was extremely excited to board my Philippine Airlines flight to Toronto. So, how is Philippine Airlines' A350? Can they compete with other excellent airlines in the region, or do they still have a long way to go?…
Over the past few days we've seen hotel groups start to extend status by a year, as both Hilton Honors and World of Hyatt have announced such initiatives. So far IHG Rewards Club has only reduced status requirements, though I'd guess more is coming.…
Alaska Airlines has a unique strategy for reducing their flights while also being eligible for government aid. In order to receive government aid as part of the CARES Act, US airlines have to meet a few conditions through September 30, 2020, including:…
As I've said before, I don't think there's anything wrong with planning travel way in advance, given the deals that are available. However, if you're going to do so, go into it with the expectation that the trip may not materialize, as we don't know…
Yesterday United Airlines revealed how they're more or less abandoning NYC for now (including LaGuardia and Newark), and now American Airlines has revealed how they're drastically reducing NYC flying. They'll be offering 13 daily flights to three NYC…
Singapore Changi Airport doesn't have much faith in travel demand returning to normal anytime soon. It has been announced today that Singapore Changi Airport Terminal 2 will be closing as of May 1, 2020, for a period of 18 months. This is in view of…
Even though there are lots of empty seats on planes right now (in both economy and first class), don't expect to see many American Airlines employees in first class for the time being. US airlines have generous travel benefits for employees, at least…
On Sunday morning it was announced that Delta SkyMiles will be extending elite status by a year, and hours later United MileagePlus matched. While the initial announcement from United was brief, we now know the full details of what United Airlines is…
Emirates has internally revealed some updates regarding how they'll staff flights, which could -- at least in theory -- see A380s operated with just four flight attendants. Emirates will be resuming some flights as of April 6, 2020. This follows the…
Recently we've seen both the US Department of Transportation and European Commission clarify that cash refunds need to be provided to passengers in the event that flights are cancelled or schedules are changed significantly. This has been a tough point…
Today at 1PM ET we'll be having our OMAAT virtual brunch, which follows all the virtual happy hours we've done recently. Even though I'm a massive introvert, it's nice to get some sort of human interaction, even if it's virtual. We've had so much fun…
