One Mile at a Time Forum - Recent Topics

Daily Discussion — Monday, August 24, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Mon, 24 Aug 2026 04:00:20 +0000

Good morning, and welcome to today's community discussion thread! Today's posts will appear here throughout the day, but this thread is for going off-topic. Did you love/hate something about today's coverage? Are you tracking other news I missed? Or, do you just have a general question about rewards travel? This is the place for your wandering thoughts.

Daily threads stay open for a week, so it's never too late to jump into a recent conversation.

TSA Touchless ID with Kids

Peter_ — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 18:17:10 +0000

Was traveling through LGA a few days ago and kids were not allowed to join me in the Touchless ID lane - guy barked "new policy as of a week ago". Anyone have any updated information on that?

FWIW I don't see anything about it on the TSA website.

Have not checked all the airlines but-

Delta's website says kids have to opt-in and lets kids opt-in.

American's website says the opposite (after not saying anything about it for awhile) and will not let children opt-in to Touchless ID (says you have to be 18 to opt-in):

Traveling with children

Children 17 years and younger on the same reservation can join you in the TSA PreCheck® Touchless ID lane. They won’t use Touchless ID and will have their boarding pass scanned.

Review: Air India First Class Boeing 777 (DEL-FRA)

Ben Schlappig — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 13:21:05 +0000

For the next flight ofmy Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, I flew Air Indias Boeing 777-300ER first class on the 9hr25min flight from Delhi (DEL) to Frankfurt (FRA).

Daily Discussion — Sunday, August 23, 2026

Ben Schlappig — Sun, 23 Aug 2026 04:00:05 +0000

Today's posts on OMAAT:

Daily threads stay open for a week, so it's never too late to jump into a recent conversation.

CX or JL from eastern US to Japan?

Somethingcreative — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 20:01:52 +0000

Hi everyone, I have an upcoming work trip to Japan from the eastern US in J and would appreciate opinions and recommendations on some of the options I’m considering:

1) CX connecting in HKG (3h layover) for a total travel time of ~23h.

2) Position to JFK on a separate ticket and change terminals to take JL for the transpacific leg for a total travel time of ~18-20h (is 2.5 h sufficient to switch terminals?).

Both transpacific flights would be on A350-1000s and I haven’t had a chance to fly either airlines before. (Though I’ll take a JL 787 on the return.) I’ll start working the day after arriving, so hope to maximize rest and appreciate airlines that can cater to food allergies.

I’d love any suggestions of opinions people may have.

I Have The Chase Ink Business Cash Card: Here's Why This No Annual Fee Card Is Worth It

Ben Schlappig — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 18:48:46 +0000

The Ink Business Cash Credit Card (learn more) is a phenomenal no annual fee business card with a welcome bonus of up to 100K points, up to 5x points bonus categories, and valuable perks, like rental car coverage. Personally Id consider this to be one of the all-around most lucrative business credit cards, and in particular, one of the best no annual fee cards.

Hotel Brand Dilution: The Maddening Trend Of Growth Over Quality

Ben Schlappig — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 16:53:24 +0000

Heres a topic that Ive written about in passing endlessly, but which Ive never dedicated a post to, so I think its time. Can we just take a moment to talk about the complete collapse of hotel brand standards over the years? Whats going on, whats driving this change, and how should us consumers adjust our travel planning because of this?

United Business Class Passenger Finds Poop-Covered Blanket At Seat, Forced To Sit There Anyway

Ben Schlappig — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 15:08:03 +0000

A passenger traveling in United Airlines Polaris business class claims he boarded a long haul flight, only to find a blanket covered in feces at his seat. The crew had nowhere to move him to, so he was forced to stay in that seat for the entire flight only to later discover that the pillow was covered in feces as well. What exactly is going on here?!

Sun Country Flight Attendant Charged With Assault, Faces Lawsuit Over Racist Altercation

Ben Schlappig — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 14:12:25 +0000

A Sun Country flight attendant is facing assault charges and a lawsuit, over an incident that happened on a flight earlier this month, after people were kicked off a flight. Its common to see flight attendants kick people off planes with fairly limited repercussions, so at least the assault accountability is good.

New FAA Rules Around Clearing Plastic Cups Are Absurdly Stupid: Are Plastic Cups A Safety Hazard?

Ben Schlappig — Sat, 22 Aug 2026 12:37:29 +0000

Earlier, I covered how Delta issued a memo to flight attendants, related to service changes before flights take off. Specifically, flight attendants will have to collect all service items, including pre-departure drinks, before the aircraft pushes back, rather than just before takeoff.