Hello from South Africa! We’ve had an incredible week on safari with my dad, and I look forward to sharing more details on that shortly. Unfortunately it has been a very busy week, given that we’ve spent seven hours per day on game drives, which sure limits free time. I should have lots more content in the next week, as the safari portion of our trip wraps up.
On the points & travel front, this week IHG opened registration for their latest promotion, Cathay Pacific’s chairman resigned, an American mechanic was arrested for tampering with a plane, we learned the details of WOW Air’s (bizarre) relaunch, and much more.
With that out of the way, here’s a recap of this week on the blog:
Featured Stories
How My Dad Flew To South Africa Without Knowing It
On Sunday morning my dad, Ford, and I, landed in Johannesburg. The only thing is that my dad actually had no clue where we were. It was only after passing through immigration that he figured what continent he was on, much less what country he was in.
How did this happen?
Air France La Premiere 777-300ER Review
I last reviewed Air France La Premiere on a flight a couple of years ago from Paris to Houston. I say that up front because that review was much more detailed than I’ll make this one in terms of the hard product, while this review will mostly be focused on how much fun we had.
I rank La Premiere as the world’s second best first class product onboard, and I rank their ground product in Paris as being the best in the world. So when you combine the two, I do think Air France offers the world’s most well rounded first class.
So, how did they do on this trip?
TIPS: Earning Miles & Promos
Hawaiian Airlines Credit Card Review (60K Offer Ending)
Register For IHG’s Fall 2019 Accelerate Promotion
Which Southwest Airlines Credit Card Is Best?
Ink Business Cash Card: 8 Reasons To Apply
Is The Chase Freedom Unlimited Right For You?
Citi Rewards+ Card Review: Round Up Points With No Annual Fee
10 Best Credit Card Offers September 2019
Get Free Pretzels From Delta & American Express
Buy British Airways Avios With 30% Bonus
Hyatt Card Offering $250 Statement Credit For All-Inclusive Stay
Awesome New Amex Offer For Luxury Marriott Stays
NEW 100,000 Amex Platinum Business Card Welcome Bonus
Save 10% At Four Points By Sheraton With Chase Offers
Amex Business Platinum Card Review (2019)
Virgin Atlantic Mastercard Up To 80K Bonus
TRICKS: Redeeming Miles
Live: New Amex Restrictions On Authorized User Points Transfers
30% Bonus On Amex Transfers To Marriott Bonvoy
TRAVEL With Ben (Lucky)
An AAwful Cluster: How American Ruined My Trip To Croatia
Why Don’t More Hotels Charge Early Check-In Fees?
How My Dad Flew To South Africa Without Knowing It
Twilight Zone: Talking To The Founder Of Global Ghana Airlines
REVIEWS & Trip Reports
Review: Air France La Premiere Lounge & Spa New York JFK
Review: Air France La Premiere 777-300ER
Review: Park Suite At Park Hyatt Paris Vendome
NEWS & Updates
When The Next 6 Amex Centurion Lounges Open
American Cancels 737 MAX Flights Through December 3
Aman Resorts Coming To Saudi Arabia?!
Qatar Airways Recruits Former Emirates Executive
Singapore Airlines’ A350 Remix Track
Norwegian Relies On Bond Extension To Survive
Pack Your Bags: Saudi Arabia To Start Issuing Tourist Visas This Month
SAS’ New Copenhagen To Los Angeles Route
Delta Pilots Have An Issue With Aeromexico
Brussels Airlines Launching Flights To Montreal
Cathay Pacific Chairman Resigns
American Airlines Resuming Negotiations With Mechanics
Man Arrested In Singapore For Using Boarding Pass To Escort Wife To Plane
Emirates A380s Being Retired And Used For Parts
Bonvoy: Marriott’s Global Marketing Officer Resigns
W Hotel Toronto: Coming Summer 2020
Air Canada Cafe Toronto: New Lounge Concept
American Airlines Mechanic Arrested For Sabotaging Plane
SeaTac Airport’s New Priority Pass Restaurant
Adria Flight Canceled Over 250EUR Compensation Claim
I Can’t Even: WOW Air Relaunching Flights Next Month
Ethiopian Airlines Adds Inflight Wifi On A350s
I hope everyone has a great rest of the weekend!
Can't wait for more details
Can't wait to see the trip report! I'm thinking of doing South Africa early next year and am wondering about the safety of Johannesburg (especially for women). Was thinking of skipping that city. Am looking forward to your reports!
More delays for the 777X...
Hey! Hope you’re enjoying time with your family. Have you seen news about Aigle Azur going under? If so, will you be covering it?
Hey Ben, just wanted to say something that I’ve been thinking (and I’m sure some others have too) – we readers really understand and it would delight us that you have the best time with your Dad and Ford! So a few days with “minimal” content is absolutely fine! You are having the time of your life and making wonderful, irreplaceable memories with your Dad. Make sure you enjoy each and every day to the...
Hey Ben, just wanted to say something that I’ve been thinking (and I’m sure some others have too) – we readers really understand and it would delight us that you have the best time with your Dad and Ford! So a few days with “minimal” content is absolutely fine! You are having the time of your life and making wonderful, irreplaceable memories with your Dad. Make sure you enjoy each and every day to the full and don’t ever be sorry for it.
I’ve been in situations where I’ve had to write articles while on holiday (it’s also what I do) and my family are kind of waiting around for me. I have never regretted stepping away from it sometimes to live in the moment. So please you do the same. I’m confident we will have our fill of reviews and interesting articles soon enough. Take care and have fun – Dennis
How Far from the Riots?
Hey Ben, just wanted to say something that I've been thinking (and I'm sure some others have too) - we readers really understand and it would delight us that you have the best time with your Dad and Ford! So a few days with "minimal" content is absolutely fine! You are having the time of your life and making wonderful, irreplaceable memories with your Dad. Make sure you enjoy each and every day to the...
Hey Ben, just wanted to say something that I've been thinking (and I'm sure some others have too) - we readers really understand and it would delight us that you have the best time with your Dad and Ford! So a few days with "minimal" content is absolutely fine! You are having the time of your life and making wonderful, irreplaceable memories with your Dad. Make sure you enjoy each and every day to the full and don't ever be sorry for it.
I've been in situations where I've had to write articles while on holiday (it's also what I do) and my family are kind of waiting around for me. I have never regretted stepping away from it sometimes to live in the moment. So please you do the same. I'm confident we will have our fill of reviews and interesting articles soon enough. Take care and have fun - Dennis