We've written in the past about the huge value to be had with Virtuoso, which typically requires booking through a qualifying travel advisor. What many people don't realize is that you can actually make Virtuoso bookings online as well, so in this post…
There are so many things to love about the Alaska Mileage Plan program. All things considered, I think the program is more customer-focused than any other airline loyalty program out there. Mileage Plan continues to award miles based on distance flown…
One of my favorite features of Delta's sometimes-otherwise-questionable SkyMiles program is the ability to redeem something called Choice Benefits. This program allows Diamond and Platinum Medallions to select bonus "gifts" in the form of upgrade certificates,…
A video uploaded to Twitter yesterday has gone viral, and has already been viewed more than a million times. This footage was taken on a Ryanair flight on Friday from Barcelona to London Stansted (FR15). Those seated nearby say that the dispute started…
Qatar Airways' CEO, Akbar Al Baker, is one heck of a guy. I'm never quite sure what to make of him. On one hand, I believe he's one of the most passionate people about the airline industry that you'll find anywhere in the world. I also believe he has…
Earlier I wrote about how British Airways massively hiked their carrier imposed surcharges for travel originating in the US. Want to fly first class roundtrip between Boston and London using miles? That'll now cost you over $1,800, in addition to the…
TSA Pre-Check is one of the innovations that has made the air travel experience in the US a bit more pleasant. Those eligible for Pre-Check enjoy expedited security screening, where they don't have to take off their shoes, or take their liquids out of…
This week I returned from Ecuador, where we had an amazing time. Sadly we didn't get to spend as much time there as we wanted to, but we hope to return soon. Fortunately I have some more fun travel coming up shortly -- I'll be going on a crazy trip over…
La Compagnie is the all business class transatlantic airline that started flying in mid-2014. They operate flights between Newark and Paris using Boeing 757 aircraft. I reviewed La Compagnie back when they first launched operations a few years ago. They…
British Airways is known for their pesky "carrier imposed surcharges," often referred to as fuel surcharges. When it comes to revenue tickets there aren't many implications to these. In some cases a majority of the cost of a ticket will be carrier imposed…
It's amazing to see the progression of credit card category bonuses the past few years. When I say "category bonuses" I'm talking about the ability to earn bonus points in specific categories, like on dining, grocery stores, supermarkets, etc. Back in…
It's not often I complain to airlines nowadays. I maybe send in a note an average of once per year, or so. With that in mind, I figured it would be interesting to share what I was offered as compensation for my recent delay. I was flying from Miami to…
A lot of my travel is motivated by airlines. After all, I make a living partly by reviewing airlines and hotels. The reality is that the regions with the best and most interesting premium cabin products are Asia (including the Middle East) and Europe,…
Air France has been facing serious labor issues for a long time. Management and employees simply haven't been able to reach agreements, and this has led to (literally) violent strikes that have cost the airline hundreds of millions of dollars. Earlier…
This spring we saw the introduction of the new Ink Business UnlimitedSM Credit Card, which complements the existing Ink Business Cash℠ Credit Card and Ink Business Preferred℠ Credit Card. There are a lot of similarities between the Ink Business Unlimited…
The past year or so we've seen several positive changes to the World of Hyatt program, which have been welcome. When World of Hyatt was first introduced early last year, there were a lot of member-unfriendly policies, and many of these have now been…
Welcome to my next trip report, which will cover a quick trip to Ecuador on American Airlines' notorious Boeing 737 MAX 8, with a stay at an incredible lodge. Ford and I try to plan some sort of fun "bucket list" trips around our birthdays, and Ford's…
American Airlines announced their premium economy service back in 2016, and it has slowly rolled out across their widebody fleet since. On a recent trip from Philadelphia to Europe, I was lucky enough to try out the product. While this is certainly not…
The last time I reviewed JetBlue Mint was in August 2016, so I figure it's time for an update to see how the product is holding up. After a long layover in Boston, I headed to gate C17 around 8PM, in time for the 8:10PM scheduled boarding time. Unfortunately…
Priority Pass is the world's largest network of independent airport lounges, with over 1,200 locations around the world. The number of Priority Pass members has increased greatly the past couple of years, ever since the Chase Sapphire Reserve® Card was…
I'm going to keep this review relatively short, given that I've reviewed Lufthansa first class many times before, including on the exact same plane on the exact same route (so check out that post for the most comprehensive 747-8 first class review).…
Over the years I've reviewed several hotels in Frankfurt, most of which I consider to be pretty mediocre. However, there's one hotel I had heard good things about but had never stayed at, which would be Villa Kennedy, a Rocco Forte hotel. This is generally…
Several of you have asked if I still plan on going to Saudi Arabia in light of recent events, so I figured I should provide an update on that. I think there's value in seeing just about anywhere in the world firsthand if possible. You learn a lot about…
It's fascinating to see Delta's big new focus on Boston. Just a couple of weeks ago the airline announced a new route between Boston and Lisbon, while now the airline is announcing yet another transatlantic route out of Boston. Delta will be adding seasonal…
Air Canada has just revealed an interesting fleet update for 2019. In 2019, Air Canada will acquire four Airbus A330s. All four of these planes are being acquired from TAP Air Portugal, which actually acquired these planes from Singapore Airlines in…
Several of you have forwarded me stories about what supposedly happened on Thai Airways flight 971 from Zurich to Bangkok on October 11, 2018. The story sounds scandalous -- there were off-duty pilots onboard, and the captain operating the flight refused…
In late August JetBlue raised many of their fees, including checked bag fees. Among other changes, they raised the cost of a first checked bag on a domestic itinerary from $25 to $30. Not surprisingly, United, American, and Delta, all followed pretty…
Welcome to my next trip report, which will cover a quick trip to Ecuador on American Airlines' notorious Boeing 737 MAX 8, with a stay at an incredible lodge. Ford and I try to plan some sort of fun "bucket list" trips around our birthdays, and Ford's…
A few weeks ago I wrote about how Lufthansa is launching what’s almost unarguably the world’s worst flight. As of November 1, 2018, Lufthansa will be resuming flights between Frankfurt and Pune. The challenge with this flight is as follows: -- Pune has…
It’s incredible how much growth we’ve seen from British Airways the past few years, especially on transatlantic flights. Rather than just increasing frequencies in major markets, we’ve seen them add service to all kinds of destinations that previously…
If you're collecting miles & points through credit card spend, I always recommend doing what you can to accrue transferrable points currencies. That's because these points are much more flexible than when you're earning an individual airline or hotel…
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…
