Throwback to August 1992 when American Airlines operated to three ‘London’ airports
Aeroroutes has published a fun post in which it shows what American Airlines operations between the US and London looked like almost 32 years ago. Back then, TWA was still around, American Airlines still had the iconic polished airframes, 10-across seating in Economy Class was still a few decades away, reality TV wasn’t a thing, and to be a ‘celebrity’, you actually had to do something of note. Halcyon days!
Qatar Airways customer service is not always what it should be
I'm a big fan of Qatar Airways because my onboard experiences have always been pretty good. Some flights have been noticeably better than others, but I'm fortunate enough to be able to say that I've never had a bad in-flight experience when traveling with the airline (the fact that I'm always in Business Class probably helps!)
The British Airways First lounge at T5 has been given a minor refresh
I haven’t passed through the British Airways First Lounge at Heathrow T5 since mid-October last year, but since my last visit the lounge has undergone a minor refresh.
The BA First Wing security lanes are closed. This is what it’s like now.
As we reported last week, British Airways has, without any real warning, closed the two security lanes that are attached to the First Wing at London Heathrow T5 while works are done to install new scanners. Since then, I’ve had a chance to try out the alternative arrangement and as promised in last week’s article, here’s an update on what eligible passengers can expect.
Connecting through Heathrow with British Airways? Check your bookings!
If you're traveling with British Airways and connecting at Heathrow Terminal 5, you may need to check your booking to make sure that everything is still in order because thanks to a small change that the airline has made, some passengers will need to be rebooked on to an alternative connecting flight.
British Airways closes its top-tier elite security lines at Heathrow (temporarily)
Access to the 'First Wing' at London Heathrow Terminal 5 is one of the big perks of British Airways top-tier status as it offers First Class travelers, Executive Club Gold members, and Oneworld Emeralds a sea of tranquillity amidst, what can be, an ocean of stressed-out passengers, screaming children and security lines that go on for miles.
2024: Another year in travel, miles & points coming up
So, here we go again. Another year has past and another begins and that means that, for a lot of us, the the quest for the miles and points that make that our travels more comfortable and more affordable begins all over again.
American Airlines applies for a new Tokyo Haneda route
Following United's announcement (yesterday) that it has applied to the DoT to operate a service between Houston and Tokyo Haneda, American Airlines has now stepped up and confirmed that it has applied to operate a new service between New York JFK and Haneda.
JetBlue has a transatlantic problem (fares, offering, frequency, etc…)
We're now two years into JetBlue's transatlantic expansion and while we've seen the airline launch routes to London, Paris and more recently, Amsterdam, I'm not convinced that JetBlue's transatlantic offering is as compelling as a lot us hoped that it would be when it was first launched.
ITA Airways will fly between Rome and Chicago in 2024 (Business Class awards available)
ITA Airways (Italy's Alitalia in a new guise) will be operating between Rome and Chicago from April next year and seats for this new route are already on sale. From a miles & points perspective, it's good to see that Business Class awards are also now available with surcharges starting at just $5.60.
United Airlines slightly improves schedules on select summer 2024 transatlantic routes
In the past few days, United Airlines has pushed through a number of updates to its schedules which have seen the airline make (mostly) positive changes to a number of the transatlantic routes that it plans to operate during summer 2024.
Multiple changes made to Qatar Airways & Emirates schedules/aircraft for winter season
Qatar Airways and, to a much lesser extent, Emirates have both made updates to their winter 2023/24 schedules. These updates include flights being added and removed and changes to the aircraft that are set to operate select routes, so if you have a booking with either carrier, this would be a good time to check your bookings and your seat selections.
JetBlue Mint Studio A321neo Paris – New York review
A review of the JetBlue Mint Studio suite (JetBlue's largest Business Class seat) as experienced on the airline's route between Paris Charles de Gaulle and New York JFK.
Reusing pajamas? Is Japan Airlines taking sustainability just a little bit too far?
Impressive First Class cabin and in-flight dining aside, buried within the press release outlining what JAL will be offering on board it's A350-1000 aircraft was a line that caught the eyes of quite a few people.
United Airlines announces new/refreshed Polaris amenities from Therabody & Saks
United Airlines has said that it is undertaking "the largest overhaul since 2016" of United Polaris Business Class. Sadly, this only appears to refer to the amenities offered in the Lounges and in its Business Class cabins and doesn't refer to a much needed return to what Polaris was like when it was first rolled out.
United Airlines delays the return of three transpacific routes
United Airlines probably has the strongest international route network out of all the US carriers and that network was due to get even stronger with the reinstatement of a transpacific route that fell by the wayside when the Covid pandemic hit and two other transpacific routes that were suspended last year. With the latest schedule changes, however, that all changed.
Emirates is bringing Premium Economy to São Paulo & Tokyo
It was only earlier this year that Emirates celebrated its first full year of offering a Premium Economy cabin on select routes (it came late to the game), but the rollout has been pretty steady and now we're told that two more of its routes will offer the airline's newest product by the end of 2023.
Lufthansa confirms new A320 cabins are coming in 2025
Lufthansa operates somewhere in the region of 80 Airbus A320 aircraft on its short- and medium-haul routes and today, the airline has confirmed (it has been rumored for a while) that a sub-set of these aircraft will be retrofitted with new cabins starting in 2025.
The Lufthansa A380’s are making their comeback on routes to the US
In 2021, Lufthansa's CEO told the world that the airline's A380 would not return from their pandemic-induced grounding and in April 2022, the same CEO reiterated that Lufthansa's A380s were gone for good. Just 3 months later, however, the narrative suddenly changed and the largest passenger aircraft around found itself with a new lease of life within the Lufthansa fleet.
Lufthansa will operate three new routes to the US in 2024
Business travel may not be back to pre-pandemic levels, but that doesn't appear to be a major issue for Lufthansa with the airline announcing three new routes to the US from summer next year (two of which include destinations that the airline has not served in the past).
British Airways extends its double Tier Points offer through 2024
Following on from Tuesday's news that British Airways will be moving, in part, to a revenue based loyalty program, the airline has now also announced that it is again extending its offer of double tier points on bookings made through its British Airways Holidays subsidiary.
Alaska Airlines announces two new coast-to-coast routes
Alaska Airlines is probably best known for being a West Coast carrier specializing in flights out of the Pacific Northwest, but it has some transcontinental routes too and starting this winter, two new coast to coast routes will be added to the airline's schedules.
I tried out the British Airways ‘Best Price Guarantee’ earlier today
The fact that most large hotel chains offer some sort of guarantee that the price a customer will pay when they book directly through them is the lowest price available is pretty well known. What appears to be less well known is that a number of airlines offer a similar policy and earlier, I finally had a chance to see how well (or badly!) BA's best price guarantee policy can work.
The very odd booking issue with JetBlue’s new Paris route
Yesterday was the day that JetBlue opened up bookings on its new route between New York JFK and Paris and while it was nice to see the airline offering special discounted rates to publicize its new flights, it was a little odd to find that JetBlue had failed to highlight one key issue that some customers will face when trying to book.
Was the latest United Airlines flash promotion a rip-off? What am I missing?
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Etihad will offer double daily service to New York starting this summer
Etihad has announced that with advanced bookings looking strong and with demand for travel not really showing much sign of waning (despite the economic outlook), it will increase its frequencies between Abu Dhabi and New York to offer flyers in those cities a double daily service.
British Airways is now permitting fee-free flight changes for Heathrow & Gatwick arrivals (Border...
A couple of days ago, British Airways announced that because Heathrow Airport was suffering significant delays and issues due to weather, it would permit some passengers to change their outbound flights. Now, the airline is saying that some passengers whose arrival dates coincide with the UK Border Force's strike days later this month, can make select fee-free changes to their bookings.
British Airways is offering limited free flight changes for Heathrow departures
In the past few days, southern England has seen a light dusting of snow and because most of the UK's transport infrastructure is utterly incapable of dealing with any kind of weather that isn't light rain, various services have been disrupted.
Delta is resuming flights to Cuba next year
Delta has confirmed that it plans to restart service to Havana in the first half of next year following the route's suspension in March 2022. The route will operate twice daily from Miami and will link into Delta's service from ten other US airports.
[Updated] Etihad is bringing back its A380s this summer
The rumors that Etihad would bring back at least some of its A380 grew strongest in late summer and now, after a period in which the airline hasn't been saying much about its Whale Jets, we finally have news that the rumors were true. Four Etihad A380s will be returning to the skies later this year.
Finnair is bringing its new Business Class & Premium Economy cabins to Miami
Towards the beginning of the year, Finnair surprised quite a few people when it unveiled a new and very different Business Class seat alongside its long rumored Premium Economy Cabin. Since then, we've seen the new cabins appearing on select routes to Asia as well as on a couple of Finnair's US routes, and now they're coming to Miami.
Iberia will add more flights to Dallas & has moved into JFK T8
Iberia has confirmed that it will be increasing the number of flights that it offers on its route between Madrid and Dallas and that it has now followed in the footsteps of British Airways by moving its New York JFK operations into Terminal 8 alongside American Airlines.
Virgin Atlantic will fly to the Maldives and the Turks & Caicos from next...
British Airways may have announced yet another route to the US yesterday, but Virgin Atlantic has just stolen all the thunder in the UK by announcing that it plans to launch services to the Maldives and the Turks & Caicos Islands in 2023.
British Airways has just announced a new route to the United States
Speculation that British Airways was planning to announce a new route to the US has been growing for some time and the range of potential new US destinations that people have been suggesting has been impressive - Indianapolis, Hartford, Detroit, Cleveland, and Salt Lake City are just a few destinations that have been mooted. The time for speculation is now over, however, as we finally know what the new route will be.
Big news: JetBlue announces new transatlantic routes to Paris
JetBlue is obviously very happy with how its first foray into the transatlantic market has been going (the airline's London routes) because it has just announced that it will be adding two new transatlantic services to Paris next year.
British Airways is trialling biometrics for international departures
Biometrics are not exactly a new thing in the travel world - British Airways has been using biometrics to speed up boarding on domestic flights since 2017 and American Airlines, British Airways, Lufthansa, and others have been using biometric boarding gates at various US airports since 2018 - but now British Airways has announced a trial that will take things a step further at London Heathrow.
British Airways will add more flights to Pittsburgh in 2023
Pittsburgh Airport has announced that British Airways will be increasing the number of flights that it offers to/from London Heathrow once the summer 2023 schedule is in place.
British Airways A320 Club Europe (Business Class) review
Club Europe is the name that British Airways gives to the short-haul Business Class product offered on its flights within Europe and last week, I got to see what the current Club Europe product is looking like when I flew on a British Airways A320 to Sofia.
British Airways website not working? This workaround may be able to help
Over the weekend, British Airways was, once again, having serious issues with both its desktop site and its app and as this is becoming a common occurrence, now seems like a good time to mention that the next time you're struggling to access your British Airways account or check-in for a flight online, there is a small workaround that can sometimes come to your aid.
United Airlines opens a new Grab-and-Go “club concept” in Denver
Designed to coincide with the opening of the Concourse B expansion at Denver International Airport, United Airlines has today opened a new "club concept" at the airport which allows eligible flyers to get some food and drinks "to go" before heading to their gates to catch their flights.
Emirates brings its Airbus A380 Whale Jet back to Tokyo
Earlier this week, finally Japan caught up with the rest of the world (well, most of it) and fully reopened its doors to visitors for the first time since the pandemic first became a thing. Now, as demand for travel to Japan starts to spike, airlines are rushing to meet that demand in whatever way they can.
Aer Lingus will return to Connecticut after a 3 year hiatus
Aer Lingus has confirmed that its Dublin - Harford (CT) route will be returning next year following its suspension at the start of the Coronavirus pandemic. News of the returning route is the second US announcement that Aer Lingus has made recently following the news that Cleveland will be added to the airline's network next summer.
United Airlines announces new routes to Spain, Germany, Italy & more
United Airlines likes a good teaser more than most and it was back to its old ways yesterday in a social media post that suggested that we should expect new routes to far-flung parts of the globe. Well, the teasing is now over as United has just announced its latest plans for 2023.
Austrian Airlines adds more Premium Economy seats to its 777s
Austrian Airlines updated its 777 aircraft to include a Premium Economy cabin back in 2018 and now, just 4 years later (keep in mind that for two of those years the travel world was at a standstill), the airline has confirmed that it will increase the size of its Premium Economy cabin by 67%.
Save time by using British Airways ‘overnight bag drop’ at Heathrow & Gatwick
Air travel is noticeably less fun when the hours before a flight are spent in a seemingly never moving line waiting to drop off your checked baggage instead of relaxing in a lounge or at the gate and when it comes to long lines, London's two primary airports can be especially bad. Fortunately, some British Airways flyers may be able to save themselves from the lines by using the airline's 'overnight bag drop' option.
British Airways will fly the new Club World suite to Singapore & Sydney
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Aer Lingus has announced a surprising new route …to Cleveland
If you sat me down and asked me to name as many transatlantic routes as I can (both existing and potential), I'm not sure that the Dublin to Cleveland route would appear in my first thousand guesses. That, however, is exactly the route that Aer Lingus has now announced that it plans to fly.
Virgin Atlantic delays (slightly) the introduction of its new A330-900neo aircraft
Virgin Atlantic was excited to announce that it will join the SkyTeam alliance in 2023 earlier today but what it hasn't come out and told its flyers is that it won't be launching its new A330-900neo aircraft on the originally published schedule - the inaugural flight has been pushed back by a couple of weeks.
Big news: Virgin Atlantic will join SkyTeam in 2023
Big news in the world of airline loyalty - Virgin Atlantic has announced that it will join the SkyTeam Alliance next year and this means that Virgin Atlantic Flying Club members will soon have access to more routes and more elite benefits when flying with other SkyTeam airlines.
Delta enhances its European summer schedule (in a good way!)
Delta has announced that next year's summer season will see it relaunching a number of routes that were suspended while we dealt with the pandemic, relaunching a number of routes that the airline hasn't operated for years, and launching at least one completely new route (albeit not a very interesting one!). Most importantly from my point of view, Los Angeles will finally be getting a little love.
Qatar Airways brings back the A380 on yet another route
The Qatar Airways CEO doesn't like the Airbus A380 and had everything gone to plan his airline's Whale Jets would have never flown in its livery again. Things, however, haven't been going to plan and that's why you'll find a number of Qatar Airways A380s operating at this very moment and that's why the airline has just confirmed that yet another of its routes route will soon be served by the world's largest passenger aircraft.
United Airlines has a new route and a new partnership with Emirates
We've known for a few weeks that United Airlines and Emirates were going to be announcing a closer working relationship but it was only in the last 24 hours that full details finally emerged and, to be frank, they're a little underwhelming. A new route that is being born out of this relationship may interest some readers but on the whole, anyone expecting something exciting will almost certainly be disappointed.
American Airlines transcon A321 Business Class review (JFK-LAX)
American Airlines operates a sub-fleet of A321 aircraft which it has configured especially for a select number of high-profile domestic routes on which there is strong demand for a premium product that's considerably better than what passes for 'First Class' on most domestic routes.
El Al brings back plans for non-stop flights to Australia
It wasn't very long ago that EL AL's route options were incredibly restricted thanks to the political situation in the Middle East. With various Arab countries refusing to give the airline permission to pass through their airspace, flights to a number of destinations to Israels's east were uneconomical or logistically impossible. Recent events, however, have started to change this.
Hawaiian Airlines Boeing 717 First Class review (Intra-Island)
Hawaiian Airlines uses its Boeing 717 aircraft for the majority of its intra-island routes and as I was flying within the Hawaiian Islands last week, I had a chance to take a look at the First Class cabin that the airline offers on some of its shortest routes.
[Updated] British Airways reacts to the chaos at Heathrow with an improved flexible booking...
Following the decision by Heathrow Airport to attempt to limit the number of passengers that pass through its doors this summer, British Airways has temporarily updated its flexible booking policy to make it easier and cheaper for customers to change their plans.
Air New Zealand will boost capacity to Los Angeles (temporarily)
Air New Zealand has announced that it plans to temporarily boost the number of flights that it offers to one of its key destinations - Los Angeles will see more Air New Zealand flights from mid-August.
A quick look at the new Virgin Atlantic A330neo Premium cabin
Virgin Atlantic recently unveiled its impressive new Upper Class (Business Class) cabin that will debut on its new A330neo aircraft and at the same unveiling, the airline also gave us a look at what the Premium (Premium Economy) cabin will look like on the same aircraft.
American Airlines A321neo Economy Class review (Flying to Hawaii)
The Airbus A321neo is one of the youngest aircraft models in the American Airlines fleet and if you're traveling between the West Coast and Hawaii with American, this is probably the aircraft you'll find yourself flying.
Delta announces a huge order for an aircraft that Boeing has threatened not to...
After two or three years of rumors, Delta has used the Farnborough International Airshow to finally announce that it plans to throw Boeing a lifeline by ordering up to 130 of its 737 MAX aircraft. As with most aircraft orders that get announced at airshows, this order may or may not be fulfilled in the way that it's currently being presented but because this order involves the MAX 10, there's actually an outside chance that the order will not be fulfilled at all.
Qantas is removing its vaccination mandate for international travel
Towards the end of 2020, Qantas was one of the first airlines to introduce a rule that required all passengers to be vaccinated against Covid-19. Now, following the Australian government's decision to allow unvaccinated travelers to enter the country, Qantas has said that it will roll back its vaccination rule.
I got a good look at the new Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat &...
Last night, I was fortunate enough to attend the unveiling of the new Virgin Atlantic Upper Class seat that will debut on the airline's new A330-900neo aircraft so, for once, I didn't have to rely on a press release to get a feel for what a new seat is going to offer.
Virgin Atlantic confirms that it will launch flights to Tampa
Following a few weeks of rumors, Virgin Atlantic has now confirmed that it plans to launch a new service between London Heathrow and Tampa later this year as it continues to grow its post-pandemic route network.
Singapore Airlines will add flights to Los Angeles & extend Vancouver service
Singapore Airlines has announced that it expects its SIA group capacity to reach 81% of pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year and to help with that aim, it has confirmed that it will be increasing its frequencies to Los Angeles and Paris and that it will be extending its Vancouver service into the winter season.
Star Alliance’s EVA Air will launch two new routes to Europe
As things stand, EVA Air offers flights from Taipei to just four European cities - Amsterdam, London, Paris, and Vienna - but following an announcement earlier today, two more cities will soon be added to that list.
SAS flies for chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States
SAS, the Scandinavian airline, has been in financial turmoil for some time and had announced a plan to restructure its business earlier this year in an attempt to get its house in order. Now, however, with its pilots out on strike, the airline has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the United States.
Etihad is the first airline to restart non-stop service to Beijing
When Etihad flight EY888 landed in Beijing this morning at 05:25 (local time) it was a significant occasion. After all the turmoil that the past two years have thrown up, EY888 signaled the start of the first regular non-stop international passenger service to Beijing by a foreign carrier since the Chinese capital's authorities announced that services could resume.
Etihad brings back Abu Dhabi stopover deals – 3 offers available
As the travel world continues to recover from the shock of the past two years and airlines start to see demand claiming back towards levels last seen in 2019, Etihad has brought back its stopover deals for travelers transiting through Abu Dhabi.
Alert: 700 British Airways employees have voted to go on strike
With European airports already struggling with the increased demand in travel and with UK airports currently being hit particularly hard, it looks like things may get a lot worse for some passengers once the summer holidays are upon us.
Good news: The Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX is reopening
Unsurprisingly, the Qantas First Class Lounge at LAX closed down almost as soon as the travel world came to a screeching halt in March 2020 and it has remained closed ever since. The oneworld Business Class lounge at LAX which Qantas also operates reopened late last year but until now, there has been no sign of the First Class lounge reopening. That's about to change.
Qatar Airways will reduce select services to support flights for the 2022 FIFA World...
This coming winter, Qatar is set to be the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup which will see tens of thousands of football (soccer) fans descending on the Middle Eastern state to support their national teams. For Qatar Airways, this represents a considerable challenge as it now has to work out how to transport all of these fans from and to their home countries.
Oman Air confirms that it will join the oneworld alliance…eventually
OK, I admit it. I didn't think that this would be a post that I'd find myself writing.
The rumors that Oman Air was looking to join the oneworld alliance have been going around for some time (they date back well before it was ever suggested that Alaska Airlines would join oneworld) and I never really thought anything would come of it.
JetBlue secures permanent London Heathrow slots & adds a new Gatwick flight
JetBlue has made a number of announcements today that see the airline firming up its position at London Heathrow, expanding the service that it offers between New York JFK and London Gatwick, and slightly improving its customers' ground experiences at London's two biggest airports.
Is this easy path to oneworld Sapphire status now dead?
Historically, those of us who are in a position to book premium cabin flights for travel between Europe and Asia have had a very easy path to oneworld Sapphire Elite status courtesy of one of the world's best airlines - Qatar Airways. Now, however, it's starting to look like that path may have been shut down.
Korean Air will restart its Las Vegas route next month
From 1 July, Korean Air will bring back services thrice-weekly services to Milan Malpensa, and Vienna, while from 10 July it will also start to operate three weekly flights between Seoul Incheon Airport and Las Vegas.
Etihad confirms its return to Heathrow Terminal 4
Like all the pre-pandemic residents of T4, Etihad had to move into temporary accommodation as the pandemic ran roughshod over the travel industry and demand for flights plummeted, but with Terminal 4 now scheduled to reopen next week, the carrier has confirmed that it will be shuttering its operations in Terminals 2 and 3 and heading back to its original home.
United Airlines adds new plant-based items to menus on select routes & in select...
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British Airways ends its ‘Book With Confidence’ policy
Like pretty much every major airline around the world, British Airways introduced a flexible cancellation policy shortly after the Covid pandemic started playing havoc with everyone's travel plans. The policy was designed to encourage travelers to make future bookings at a time when the travel environment was highly unstable so with the worst of the pandemic apparently now behind us, the airline has chosen this moment to roll back its 'Book With Confidence' policy and to go back to its historic fare rules.
Finnair is bringing its new Business & Premium Economy cabins to the United States
Back in February, Finnair surprised the world when it unveiled a new (and different) Business Class seat alongside a new Premium Economy Cabin. At the time, it was thought that until a significant number of Finnair's long-haul aircraft had been retrofitted with the new cabins, the new seats would be limited to the airline's Asia routes but as it turns out, that's not going to be the case.
Qantas doubles its flights between Melbourne and Los Angeles (the A380 is coming back!)
Following on from the announcement that Qantas will launch a new service between Melbourne and Dallas/Fort Worth later this year, we now have confirmation that the airline is about to double the number of flights that it offers between Melbourne and Los Angeles and that its A380 will be making a very welcome reappearance on this route later in the year.
Qantas announces a new route to Dallas/Fort Worth
Dallas/Fort Worth is the home of American Airlines - Qantas' transpacific partner - so it's a destination that can act as a gateway for Qantas flyers wanting to reach a myriad of other locations within the United States. That's why Qantas already operates flights between Sydney and Dallas and why the airline has now announced that it will also fly to Dallas from Melbourne.
British Airways is paying out compensation from a recent meltdown
A few weeks ago, BA had one of its bigger meltdowns of recent years when an unspecified IT failure meant that, among other things, BA crews (both air and ground) could not be scheduled correctly which led to the airline canceling most of its short-haul flights on Saturday 26 February.
Air New Zealand will finally launch its long awaited New York service this year
In what now seem like the carefree days before the pandemic and before yet another war took over our TV screens, Air New Zealand was set to launch one of the longest flights in the world between Auckland and New York. Then the world put up the closed sign and the plan was mothballed. Now, with New Zealand taking its first tentative steps towards reopening, the Auckland to New York route is back on the agenda and scheduled for later this year.
Air Canada will bring back flights to Brisbane & Auckland and increase flights to...
With Australia now open to vaccinated travelers and with New Zealand set to welcome vaccinated travelers from over 60 countries in early May, Air Canada has chosen this moment to announce that it's going to increase its services to the Southern Pacific starting from this northern hemisphere summer.
British Airways clarifies its face covering rules…sort of
A couple of days ago, British Airways announced that it would be dropping its rule that requires passengers to wear face coverings onboard all of its flights but then, 24 hours later, we heard that British Airways was telling staff that it was backtracking on that decision and that face coverings would continue to be required. It was hard to know what was going on. Now, finally, we have a bit more information.
Qatar Airways will bring back its service to London Gatwick
At the height of the pandemic, Qatar Airways was the largest airline in the world as it continued to operate a significant number of international routes as other airlines mothballed their fleets. The airline's Doha to London Gatwick route, however, didn't survive those dark days but in a sign that we're continuing on the road back to normality, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it will return to Gatwick this summer.
British Airways backtracks on face coverings policy (mask wearing still required)
48 hours ago, we first started to hear stories that British Airways was planning to remove its rule that requires passengers to wear face coverings on all flights. Less than 24 hours ago, British Airways announced that as of today, face coverings would only be required onboard flights where the relevant authority with jurisdiction over the flight requires masks to be worn. Now, a story has emerged which suggests that British Airways has had a change of heart.
UK drops last travel restrictions + British Airways & Virgin Atlantic drop mask requirements
While guidance has remained in place in some areas, the UK population has been free of domestic Covid restrictions for almost a month and despite a sign that hospitalisations due to Covid may be on the rise, the UK government has announced that all remaining travel restrictions are being lifted and the UK's two long-haul carriers have announced an end to mask-wearing onboard.
Qantas brings its A380 back to London & announces restart of the Perth –...
It's safe to say that Qantas has been one of the airlines worst hit by the chaos that the pandemic brought to world travel but with most of Australia now reopened to vaccinated travelers, it looks like the airline is getting things back to 'normal' as quickly as events allow.
Aer Lingus is restarting another US route tomorrow
In the past few months, I've written about Aer Lingus more than at any other point in the short life of this site but somehow, somewhere down the line, I appear to have missed the announcement that from tomorrow, Aer Lingus is heading back to the West Coast.
Delta will offer three new routes to Hawaii next winter
The current winter season may still have over a month left to run but Delta is already getting ready for winter 2022/23 by planning a number of new routes to Hawaii. Both Oahu and Maui will be seeing new services from Delta with the new routes originating in Atlanta, Detroit, and New York.
American Airlines will suspend 3 routes, delay 1 route and cut another
Late on Friday, a leaked American Airlines memo delivered the news that over the weekend, the airline was planning to suspend services on three of its international routes, to delay the launch of an international route it had promoted with quite a bit of fanfare, and to halve the number flights on another international route. It's unclear if all these updates have now been processed but these cuts are very real.
JetBlue’s newest route to Mexico has now launched
The JetBlue and American Airlines "Northeast Alliance" may still be facing a number of regulatory hurdles, but that doesn't appear to have slowed down the number of new routes and added route frequencies that we've seen JetBlue bring to fruition in the past year. The latest announcement sees the airline confirming that it has lauched its newest leisure route between New York JFK and Mexico's Pacific Coast.
British Airways announces a new service to New York
British Airways has announced plans to launch a new daily service between London Heathrow and Newark Liberty later this year as the airline continues to revive its long-haul network following two years in the doldrums.
United will resume its San Francisco – Melbourne route in May
United Airlines hasn't operated either of its routes between the United States and Melbourne since the pandemic put life on pause but in a move that appears to be aimed at getting a head start on Qantas, the airline has now scheduled the return of its route between San Francisco and Melbourne.
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow T3 – A Review
The Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse at London Heathrow Terminal 3 is often talked about in the same breath as some of the best airport lounges around the world so as I was passing through T3 on a recent trip, I made some time to get some pictures of the Clubhouse and to reacquaint myself with a lounge that I seem to like more each time I visit.
Iberia confirms two new routes to the United States & returns to San Francisco
Back in November, Iberia announced that it had plans to launch two new routes between Madrid and the United States from April 2022. The new routes were to serve Dallas and Washington D.C. but at the time of the original announcement no schedule information was provided and no firm start dates were offered up either. Today, that changed.
The new Emirates lounge dedicated to unaccompanied minors
In recent years, a number of airlines have stopped offering dedicated services for unaccompanied minors but Emirates appears to be bucking that trend with the announcement of a new Dubai lounge for the exclusive use of young passengers who are traveling solo.
Aer Lingus is resuming non-stop flights to Miami (Business Class awards available)
Aer Lingus has announced that it plans to restart non-stop flights between Dublin and Miami later this year and as long as this plan isn't upended by an unexpected turn of events courtesy of the coronavirus, this should be good news for fans of Avios who have been burned by the latest British Airways devaluation.
This is the new Finnair Premium Economy cabin
Earlier today I wrote about Finnair revealing an entirely new Business Class cabin but, arguably, the bigger news of the day was that Finnair has also said that it will be fitting a Premium Economy cabin to all of its long-haul aircraft for the first time in its history.
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