Non-stop business class to and from Australia is one of the toughest frequent flyer awards in the world. Qantas has long been stingy with this space in particular.
However they’re planning to fly a Boeing 787 Brisbane – Los Angeles with 747 service a few days a week. And on the days where a 747 operates in September and through mid-October there’s generally two business class award seats available.
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.
A Norwegian flight from Oslo to Munich had to turn around because of lavatory problems. Or as Google translate puts it, due to “a mistake on the toilets on board.” That sort of ‘crap’ happens all the time.
However what was unique about flight DY1156 is that there were 85 employees of a plumbing company on the plane and “60-70 of them plumbers.”
There was no limitation on flights from Doha to the U.S. And it turns out that the actual agreement contains only a side letter indicating that Qatar’s civilian aviation authority is “unaware of any plans by Qatar Airlines to start” flights between third countries and the U.S. There is no promise about avoiding such flights in the future.
The Mile High Club is over 100 years old. The very first couple to try it were using a Curtiss Flying Boat C‑2 off Long Island. The woman was cheating on her husband who was serving abroad in World War I. They managed to disengage the autopilot while engaged in their congress, sending the plane into the water. They were found naked by duck hunters.
Usually passengers use the lavatory.
It doesn’t make sense to redeem miles for business class when it would cost you perhaps 55,000 miles plus taxes and in some cases fuel surcharges when you can just outright buy a business class ticket for a little over $700.
In December two basketball players claimed they were kicked off of an American Airlines regional flight for stealing blankets from first class. American apologized because they’re apologizing to anyone who claims they had a racial issue with the airline however a blog reader was on the flight and disputed the passengers’ account.
Now rapper Joey Bad Ass says an American Airlines flight attendant scolded him for using first class overhead bins even though he was a first class passenger.
A 72 year old man taking his first-ever flight on Emirates from Lagos to Dubai to Chicago last week was hospitalized after being “bound and beaten” on the flight.
David Ukesone was flying on EK235 to meet his family after receiving a US Green Card. They turned up to meet the man but he didn’t get off the plane with other passengers. He was removed by police officers who were told the man had been unruly, though no charges were filed.
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.
This week’s Airline Weekly (subscription only) interviews Delta CEO Ed Bastian. Delta doesn’t order new Boeing aircraft, but argues that foreign competition is bad for US jobs.
Despite a path towards declaring victory and going home in their fight against Gulf airline rivals, Bastian pushes back on criticisms over Delta’s purchase of subsidized Bombardier C-series jets by calling out Boeing for their willingness to sell planes to the Gulf carriers.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
