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Power When You Travel: Adapters, Converters, and Transformers, Which Do You Need?

by Gary Leff on January 20, 2019

Jan 20 2019

If you just need to power your phone and laptop, all you need is an adapter to plug it into the wall. A razor or electric toothbrush may work that way as well, you just want to know if your device is dual voltage.

If you need to use hair devices that operate on high heat you’re going to need a converter. You just need to know how many watts the device needs, and get a converter that supports materially higher wattage than that.

But if you’re using electronics that aren’t dual voltage you need a transformer. For travel you want the smallest one possible based on the wattage of your device — because 7 pounds works much better in checked luggage than 30 pounds or more!

British Airways European Business Class in Four Photos

by Gary Leff on January 19, 2019

Jan 19 2019

When you fly domestically in “first class” you get a bigger seat usually it’s two seats next to each other versus three in coach. You get something that passes for a meal, free drinks, and a checked baggage allowance. You get early boarding so you aren’t forced to get check your carry on bag when overhead bins fill up. But as a general matter there’s not a whole lot that’s special about the experience.

Many Americans are surprised – shocked even – at what passes for business class in Europe, though. And the remarkable thing is that over the past five or six years it’s generally gotten worse.

Why British Airways First Class is the World’s Second Best Business Class

by Gary Leff on January 19, 2019

Jan 19 2019

Six or seven years ago Lucky from One Mile at a Time and I debated whether British Airways first class was ‘the world’s best business class.’ At the time I still felt like BA’s first offered something approximating a first class product, even if it wasn’t one of the better or flashier ones.

Now that same product, which BA is still flying, doesn’t even qualify as the best business class out there.

The End of a Pioneering Travel Site and Also a Passenger Plane

by Gary Leff on January 15, 2019

Jan 15 2019

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.

Delta Backtracks, Will Honor Lounge Access Rules for Lifetime Members

by Gary Leff on January 14, 2019

Jan 14 2019

This year Delta raised SkyClub membership prices and eliminated single visit passes. They also started requiring passengers to be flying Delta or a partner airline to access the lounge even if they’re so-called ‘members’.

Since Delta announced the change to access rules we saw similar moves by American and by United mere days later. Of course we did.

Bird Flew in Singapore Airlines Business Class to London

by Gary Leff on January 14, 2019

Jan 14 2019

A bird was discovered in business class twelve hours into flight SQ322 from Singapore to London on January 7th. The bird continued to fly around and when the plane touched down it was “handed over to animal quarantine authorities.”

Naturally when the Mynah arrived at London Heathrow it declared, “boy are my arms tired.”

The Secret to Delta’s Sky Club Thai Chicken and Rice Soup

by Gary Leff on January 13, 2019

Jan 13 2019

Often the best inflight meals are soups. That’s something tough to mess up in a galley. They can be heavily seasoned to counteract the taste bud-dulling affects of cabin pressurization, and they just need to be heated.

Soups work well in club lounges as well. You don’t have to rely on actual skills from Sodexho or other outsourced employees to prepare a good dish, and they sit well too.

Bees Swarming an Airport is Normal, Maggots and Rats Not As Much

by Gary Leff on January 11, 2019

Jan 11 2019

AirAsia operates out of terminal 2 in Kuala Lumpur. And AirAsia’s CEO is none too impressed with the facility. He shared his thoughts on twitter, creating quite a buzz.

Well run airports have procedures in place to handle this, and airline CEOs don’t need to take to twitter to have the issue addressed.

EVA Air Business Class Has a New Soft Product That Really Is Like First Class

by Gary Leff on January 11, 2019

Jan 11 2019

My own take on world’s second best business class is Star Alliance member EVA Air based in Taipei. They should be on everyone’s radar because they also frequently have very good award availability from their US gateways and offer good connectivity into Asia.

Already they offer great seats — reverse herringbone that’s similar to what Cathay Pacific has — but they take things a step beyond with pajamas, pre-order meals, great champagne, and quality amenity kits. And their service is top notch.

American Taking Business Class Seats Out of 787-8s, Now They Don’t Know What to Do With the Aircraft

by Gary Leff on January 9, 2019

Jan 09 2019

When American ended Chicago – China service they freed up Boeing 787 aircraft and seemingly didn’t know what to do with them. They’re flying 787s now to Cancun and Anchorage.

Then they freed up even more 787-8 flying time. Since they removed business class seats from 787-8 aircraft, with the new configuration featuring only 20 seats up front, the plane no longer works for premium markets.