British Airways Opening The “First Wing” At Heathrow T5
British Airways has revealed details of an upgrade it is introducing to the First Class check-in experience at Heathrow Terminal 5. From April 2017 British Airways First Class passengers and OneWorld Emerald card holders will have access to what the airline is calling a new "First Wing" which should make the whole check-in process feel a little more "premium".
Is This When American Airlines Will Officially Introduce Premium Economy?
Considering how much the product has been discussed it's surprising we still don't know quite a few things about American Airlines' new Premium Economy product. We don't know for sure which aircraft will have the cabin and which won't, we don't know what percentage of seats in each aircraft will be given over to Premium Economy and, perhaps most importantly, we don't really know when American Airlines plans on fully unleashing its Premium Economy product on the flying public....but we may now have a hint.
British Airways Doesn’t Understand Its Own Promotion
British Airways launched a Triple Avios promotion last week but, what should have been a simple enough promotion to understand, turned out to be confusing and contradictory. The blame for the mess lies squarely at the feet of whoever drafted the promotion details and whoever gave the go ahead to post those details to the British Airways website.
Review: Virgin America First Class A320 (LAS – SFO)
Before this flight I'd only flown Virgin America once before and that was in Economy Class on a flight between Chicago and Los Angeles. At the time I remember liking the in-flight entertainment options (I watched the Bears been the Packers on live TV) and I remember the flight attendants being friendly and helpful. But, if I'm being honest, none of that had too much bearing on why I booked Joanna and I into Virgin America First Class for the short flight between Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The New Delta One Suite Looks Fantastic!
You have to feel a little sorry for United and American Airlines (ok you don't really). United and American have been playing catch-up to Delta for years and things looked like they were starting to go their way. American Airlines finally has some excellent Business Class cabins on its long haul aircraft (the 777-300ER currently has the best Business Class seat across the Atlantic and the 787 seats aren't too far behind) and United must have been looking forward to a long period where it clawed back some of the customers it haemorrhaged to Delta with its own impressive-looking Polaris Business Class that is coming in December.
Review: British Airways First Class 747 (LHR-LAS) – Part 2
In the part one of this review (posted earlier today) I took a look at the first impressions I got of the British Airways First Class cabin on the 747 aircraft as well as a closer look at the seat that was to be my home for 10+ hours. In this second and final part of the review I'll take a look at the amenities, the food, the entertainment options and the service before I go on to conclude my thoughts of the experience as a whole.
Review: British Airways First Class 747 (LHR-LAS) – Part 1
This was the first time I'd flown in First Class since 2012 and only the second time I've ever flown international First Class in my life (Business Class is more than enough for my needs) so I was particularly keen (ok, I was excited!) to see what it was going to be like. The fact that this was going to be British Airways First Class added and extra element of interest as I'm really not a fan of the BA Business Class product at all....so how would First Class turn out?
Review – British Airways Economy Class A320 (LHR-LCA)
British Airways has two daily flights between London Heathrow and Larnaca in Cyprus - one that leaves at around 7:20am and the other which leaves at around 11:30am. The first flight is the one I try to avoid if I possibly can because it's easily the worst of the two options - to catch it I'd have to get up way earlier than I'd ideally like to and, if that wasn't bad enough, it's operated by an Airbus A320...the workhorse of British Airways' short-haul fleet and a lot less comfortable than the 767 which operates the later flight.
Cathay Pacific’s New A350 Premium Economy
Cathay Pacific has had a Premium Economy cabin for quite a few years now but its new A350 aircraft are set to be fitted out with an entirely new cabin and, up until now, we haven't really know what to expect.
Now Australian Business Traveller has broken the news that the new Cathay Pacific Premium Economy seat will be the B/E Aerospace MiQ seat that, coincidentally, has also been chosen by American Airlines for their new Premium Economy cabin. And it looks pretty good:
United Airlines New Polaris Business Class
After a lot of speculation and waiting United Airlines, today, finally announced its new Business Class product - United Polaris Business Class.
Rather than just an update of their Business Class seat United have revamped their entire Business Class offering from lounges and pre-flight dining through to a new onboard Business Class cabin with new seats, amenities and food/drink options. From what United have presented it looks like United Polaris Business Class is a make over from top to bottom.
Etihad Opens New First Class Lounge In Abu Dhabi
It's been a long time coming and faced a number of long delays but the Etihad First Class Lounge & Spa Abu Dhabi is finally open as of today.
Without having visited the lounge in person (clearly!) I'm not in much of a position to comment on what the Etihad First Class lounge in Abu Dhabi is like so, what follows is all the information and pictures Etihad has supplied so far.
Virgin Atlantic Launching New Route To Seattle
There's been no announcement from Virgin Atlantic and, as far as I can tell there haven't even been any rumors of this in the travel press but, according to the latest schedule update, Virgin Atlantic is launching a new non-stop flight between London and Seattle in 2017.
Emirates Considering Premium Economy Cabins
A report in Australian Business Traveller indicates that Emirates, the biggest of the Middle Eastern carriers, is looking at introducing a Premium Economy cabin on to its aircraft at some point in the future. To put things in perspective this isn't going to happen overnight and may yet not happen at all but Emirates is definitely looking into its options.
Review: Air Tahiti (Tahiti – Bora Bora)
Air Tahiti and Air Tahiti Nui are two completely separate airlines. The fact that they have such similar names doesn't help to distinguish them but the similarities end right there, at the names. While Air Tahiti Nui is an international airline and the one we used to fly from Los Angeles to Tahiti, Air Tahiti is an inter-island operation within French Polynesia.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge – Sneak Peek
Cathay Pacific has been refurbishing a number of its lounges over the past year and yesterday it offered up a preview of its Pier Business Class lounge at Hong Kong airport to a select group of guests (clearly my invitation was lost in the mail!).
British Airways New A350 Business Class Seat Not Good Enough For Rest Of Fleet
In a conversation with Business Traveller, British Airways' new CEO, Alex Cruz, has confirmed that the new Business Class seat the airline has selected for its soon-to-be-delivered Airbus A350 aircraft isn't worth retrofitting to its existing fleet because.....and I love this......"it doesn't appear to be sufficiently revolutionary"
Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Awards & Upgrades
Singapore Airlines is one of the latest airlines to add a Premium Economy cabin to its aircraft and, while the addition of the new cabins has been anything but smooth, the airline is on track to have the all of the refits completed by the end of 2016.
Now that Singapore Airlines is actually flying aircraft with their new Premium Economy product (e.g. A350 service between Singapore and Amsterdam) the airline has decided to upgrade its award chards to reflect the new product.
British Airways Launches New Route To Santiago
British Airways has announced that it will be launching service between London Heathrow and Santiago, Chile, from January 2017. The flight will become British Airways' longest flight at over 7,200 miles and is scheduled at 14 hours and 40 minutes.
Virgin Australia’s New Business Class & New Premium Economy Cabins
Virgin Australia has released details and images of its New Business Class and Premium Economy cabins on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which fly from Australia to the United States and Abu Dhabi.
Review: Air Tahiti Nui Business Class A340 (LAX-PPT)
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from our Air Tahiti Nui Business Class experience and, for someone who reads and writes quite a few reviews, that's quite an unusual situation to be in. But it was actually quite a nice feeling.
A British Airways “Enhancement” I Managed To Miss?
A few weeks back I was flying out of London Heathrow's Terminal 5, in Economy Class, and I encountered an 'enhancement" from British Airways that I hadn't come across before. Not only was this enhancement new to me but it also appears to contravene published OneWorld tier status benefits.
Japan Airlines (JAL) To Upgrade Cabins On 777-200 Aircraft
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British Airways New Short-Haul Fares Now In Effect – Good Or Bad News?
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Review: British Airways Euro Traveller A319 (MXP-LHR)
For my last flight on my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip I flew from Milan's Malpensa airport to London on a British Airways Airbus A319 aircraft in their Euro Traveller (Economy Class) cabin. I was still reasonably tired after my overnight flight from JFK to Milan on an American Airlines 767 (although I would have considerably more tired had I not been in Business Class!) and I hadn't found the Sala Montale Lounge at Milan Malpensa particularly comfortable. I was looking forward to my own bed!
Singapore Airlines To Introduce New Premium Cabins – Some With Fewer Seats
Singapore airlines has long been associated with some of the best premium cabins in the sky. They seem to be able to offer the service that you often see on the Middle Eastern carriers without the ostentatious decor, over-the-top furnishings or questionable workplace practices. And now those premium cabins are about to get a new look.
Review: American Airlines Business Class A321 (LAX-JFK)
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Review: American Airlines Business Class 787 Dreamliner
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Review: British Airways Economy Class A320 (LHR-CPH)
After having a little bit to eat and getting some work done in the British Airways Galleries First lounge it was time for my first flight of the eight that I would be taking in the next five days. This was my "positioning flight" to Copenhagen which would allow me to catch my flight to Los Angeles the following day.
American Airlines & LATAM Announce Plans For a Join Business Agreement
American Airlines has announced that it will be seeking regulatory approval to enter into a Joint Business agreement with the South American airline group LATAM. The airlines also intend to file for antitrust immunity from the US DOT and the "appropriate authorities in South America"
Qatar Airways CEO Thinks 10-Across Seating Is Comfortable
Qatar Airways CEO, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, is one of the best known CEOs in the airline world and he likes to ruffle feathers. He also likes the sound of his own voice. The upside to this is that Akbar Al Baker is one of the more entertaining airline CEOs to listen to while the downside is that can come up with a good deal of nonsense too.
When Things Go Very, Very Right
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8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days – Introduction
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American Airlines Still Won’t Tell Us When Mileage Earning Will Change
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Joanna’s British Airways Flight To NYC
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Review: Etihad Business Class 777-300 (AUH-LHR)
After a relaxing time in the Etihad Premium Lounge it was time to try out my second Etihad Business Class product of the trip - this time on their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
I arrived at the gate after boarding had already commenced but there was no line for priority boarding so I was soon on the jet bridge looking at the aircraft that I was about to board.
SWISS New First & Business Class Cabins – Boeing 777-300ER
Staring in January 2016 SWISS will take delivery of the first of nine Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a "state-of-the-art cabin product in all seating classes". That's a big claim to make although, if SWISS' present cabin products are anything to go by, they may well be telling the truth.
Review: Etihad Business Class A380 (LHR-AUH) – Part 2
In part one of my review of the Etihad Business Class A380 product (posted yesterday) I concentrated on the Etihad A380 cabin and the Etihad Business Class "Business Studio" seats while, in today's post, I'll take a look at the rest of the onboard product including the entertainment, the connectivity, the food and the service provided.
Review: Etihad Business Class A380 (LHR-AUH) – Part 1
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Booking Premium Award Travel From Europe Instead Of The UK
In this post I’m going to walk you through my search for an ultra-premium cabin award and I’ll show you the steps I go though when trying to spend as little cash as possible on an award ticket.
Star Alliance Introduces Connecting Partners
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American Airlines Introduces Premium Economy Cabin For Long Haul Fleet
A little under two weeks ago I posted a blog that suggested American Airlines was considering introducing Premium Economy cabins to its fleet. These weren't going to be token Premium Economy cabins like Main Cabin Extra is right now but, instead, would be full-blown Premium Economy cabins like we find on British Airways, Singapore Airlines and others.
American Airlines Considering Premium Economy Cabins
Australian Business Traveler (ABT) has reported that American Airlines is considering introducing Premium Economy cabins into its fleet. According to ABT, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker confirmed that Premium Economy cabins were on the agenda - what are the chances of this actually happening and what are the implications for top-tier elites?
Air New Zealand Mashup Video Pokes Fun At American Airlines & Qantas CEOs
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A British Airways crew shows how to handle an idiot
Everyone was in their seats on BA662, the aircraft had pulled away from the gate and we were taxiing towards the runway (we may have even been on the taxiway parallel to the runway at this point)......
American Airlines AAdvantage Changes – Effect on Redeemable Miles
A couple of days ago I published a post discussing how the recently announced changes to the AAdvantage Program would affect award redemptions by European based AAdvantage members (American Airlines AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluations – Euro Travelers’ Viewpoint) and it wasn't pretty. In this post I'm going to show how the changes to how we earn redeemable miles, being introduced from late 2016, makes everything doubly bad. Yep, I'm full of good news this week!
Review: British Airways Economy Class 767 (LHR-LCA)
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Review: American Airlines First Class 737-800 (MIA-LGA)
Boarding started around 15 minutes late, but the doors were closed by 2:11 (just 4 minutes after our scheduled departure time) and we pushed back at 2:15 - not too bad.
There were no major issues during the boarding process. The gate agents were good at making sure that passengers boarded only when it was their turn but they were as lax as usual when it came to ensuring that passengers weren't bringing on ridiculous sized "hand baggage". I saw some truly colossal cases brought onboard.
VIDEO: Finnair Airbus A350 XWB Landing At Heathrow
Back on 15 October I took a quick day-trip to Helsinki to try out the latest Finnair aircraft - an Airbus A350XWB - which was still flying "crew orientation" flights around Europe. The Finnair Airbus A350XWB is fitted with two exterior cameras - one on the underside of the aircraft and one on/around the tail - and the cool thing is that you can watch the feeds from these cameras on the personal TV screen at your seat. This is a video of what I could see on my TV screen as we came in to land at London Heathrow Airport - I haven't edited the sound or picture in any way so the noise and the shake are very real! :)
Review: American Airlines 737 Economy Class (MIA-AUA)
Boarding started very promptly 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Luckily, due to the overcrowding in the Amex Centurion lounge, we had headed to the gate earlier than we normally would have and we got to the gate just in time for Priority Boarding.
Kudos to the American Airlines Gate agents who were not shy in turning back people with "Group 3" printed in a big, bold, font on the boarding passes while First Class and Executive Platinums boarded.
Review: American Airlines Economy Class 777-200 (LHR-MIA)
If you've read the introduction to this trip report you'll know that we booked our flights to Aruba with cash and in the Economy Class cabin in the hopes that my Systemwide Upgrades would see us flying in Business Class. Having booked the flights in January (a full 9 months before departure) I felt reasonably confident that the upgrades would come through. They didn't.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 2
In Part 1 of this review I took a look a the pre-boarding/boarding experience with Finnair and the cabins & seats on the Airbus A350XWB. In this part of the review I'll take look at the rest of the offering onboard from the entertainment and WiFi to the food and service offered.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 1
This was the big event and the whole point of my lightning trip to Helsinki. The Finnair A350XWB wasn't anywhere to be seen when I landed at Helsinki Airport and there was good reason for that....it was en route from Munich on another of its "crew familiarisation" trips.
Review: Finnair Economy Class A320 (LHR-HEL)
I’m starting to find myself flying on Finnair a lot more nowadays. They’re a member of the OneWorld Alliance which means that I can credit my flights on Finnair to my American Airlines AAdvantage account. That, in turn, means that I earn AAdvantage miles as well as miles towards American Airlines status which I value quite highly.
The Best Michael O’Leary Quotes
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Review: British Airways Club Europe A320 (LHR-HEL)
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[VIDEO] Taking Off From London Heathrow On A Beautiful Sunny Day
I've never been one for videoing too many things (I'm pretty terrible at it) but a beautiful sunny day with no low clouds was...
Cathay Pacific Reiterates Wish For A Revenue-Based Loyalty Program
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[VIDEO] London From The Air & Landing At Heathrow
I've lost count the number of times I've flown on this exact flight path and seen this view of London from the air (when...
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