General

Aug 04 2016

British Airways has some of the best airline advertising in the world. A couple of years ago they they highlighted ‘the Welcome of Home’ and it was a really touching piece about a woman needing to feel connected to friends because they could die.

It made me swallow hard, but after watching it I had no idea after watching it why it’s better to transit Heathrow on BA enroute to India than to fly any of their competitors? The ad gave me no reason whatsoever to choose British Airways, and I’m pretty sure that would be true even if I were an Indian woman living in Canada like the one featured in the ad.

Continue Reading »

Aug 04 2016

Korean Air SkyPass is an incredible program for US members because of access to fantastic award availability, low change fees, generous award holds, and great partner awards.

You can transfer points from both Chase Ultimate Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest to Korean Air’s SkyPass program.

Continue Reading »

Aug 04 2016

Premium cabin international award availability has gotten better though things seem to go in waves, feast or famine, and you have to jump on the space when it opens up wide.

Right now there is a ton of availability on certain routes January through May 2017. Here are the key things to know:

Continue Reading »

Aug 04 2016

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Continue Reading »

Aug 03 2016

The CEO of Qatar Airways said he was launching service from Doha to Atlanta ‘to rub salt in the wounds’ of Delta which sought to shut Qatar, along with Gulf carriers Emirates and Etihad (but not Delta partner Saudia, or Delta partner Alitalia which is controlled by Etihad) out of the US market and raise prices on consumers.

Delta President Glen Hauenstein argues the flight will inevitably fail because “the Atlanta-Doha market has fewer than five people a day.” Yet it’s running with an almost 85% load factor. The flight from Atlanta isn’t as full as the one to Atlanta and offers amazing business class award availability.

Continue Reading »

Aug 03 2016

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.

Continue Reading »

Aug 03 2016

United just announced changes that will go into effect on October 6.

They are introducing a new, better online award booking engine; imposing new restrictions on free stopovers on roundtrip awards; eliminating round the world awards; and revamping award change fees (to be mostly higher and more restrictive). But the changes actually could have been a lot worse.

Continue Reading »

Aug 03 2016

A typhoon caused significant flight cancellations and delays out of Hong Kong and passengers got so frustrated they tried to storm a security barrier Tuesday morning.

With over 500 flights disrupted, passenger queues became unmanageable.

Continue Reading »

Aug 03 2016

Emirates flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram, India to Dubai was involved in an accident. The Boeing 777-300, registration number A6-EMW, caught fire on the ground in Dubai.

Thankfully the Dubai government reports that all 275 passengers and crew onboard were evacuated safely though again early reports are subject to change.

Continue Reading »

Aug 02 2016

Air France’s miles are best used for Air France and KLM business class awards when partners like Delta and Alaska aren’t offering space. And the program is strategically useful for its oddball airline partners, promo awards (especially to Israel), and oddball discounted routes that match your travel needs.

Continue Reading »