British Airways To Retire ALL Boeing 747s With Immediate Effect
In an email sent out to employees a few hours ago, British Airways effectively announced the end of the road for its Boeing 747s. With the travel world still in turmoil and with recovery not expected for a number of years, the viability of BA's least efficient aircraft was always going to be called into question, so it's not altogether surprising to read that the 747 has flown its last commercial flight for British Airways.
Big News: American Airlines In Surprise Tie-up With JetBlue
American Airlines and JetBlue have today announced that they are entering into a strategic partnership that will see American Airlines launch new international services out of New York JFK, JetBlue expanding at all three New York airports, and members of both airlines' loyalty programs enjoying reciprocal elite benefits.
Air France USA Routes & Frequencies For Sept/Oct 2020
Most airlines have been operating skeleton schedules for most of the past few months but, over the past few weeks, we've slowly started to see a few airlines announcing plans to increase the number of flights they offer. The latest airline to announce increased routes and services to/from the US is Air France.
Which Delta Sky Clubs Are Open And Which Are Opening?
Delta managed to keep approximately 15 of its Sky Clubs open for most of the current crisis and, so far in July, the airline has reopened a further 4 Sky Clubs and is promising to reopen at least 3 more before the end of the month.
American’s Seattle – London Service Is Open For Bookings
American Airlines will be starting service between Seattle and London from the end of March 2021 and the plan was to have the service bookable from early May of this year. The crisis that unfolded since the original route announcement saw American Airlines delay the opening of reservations for its newest route but, following a recent schedule update, tickets are now on sale.
Delta Has Restarted Select Beverage Services On Domestic Flights
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Qatar Airways Now Requires Masks AND Face Shields For Economy Class Passengers
In a move that's almost certain to polarize opinion, Qatar Airways has modified the health and safety rules enforced onboard its aircraft to include a requirement for Economy Class passengers to wear both a mask and a visor for the duration of the flight. Business Class passengers will continue to be asked to wear a mask and/or shield at their own discretion.
Emirates Starts To Reopen Lounges & Restarts Services To 11 Destinations
Emirates has announced the reopening of one of its lounges in Dubai and has confirmed that its Chauffeur Drive service is once again being offered to customers with select premium bookings. In addition, the airline has continued to restart routes to countries around the world and will offer services to over 50 cities in July.
American Airlines Premium Economy Boeing 777-200ER review
American Airlines offers a Premium Economy cabin on most of its long-haul fleet and this is a review of the airline's product on its Boeing 777-200 aircraft flying between London Heathrow and Los Angeles. With a flying time scheduled at well over 10 hours, there was plenty of time to get a good sense of what the American Airlines Premium Economy cabin and service are all about.
Qantas’ Recovery Plan Could Mean That It Never Operates Its A380s Again
Qantas has unveiled the 3-year recovery plan it will be following as it navigates its way out of the current crisis, and the details shared by the airline show Qantas cutting a significant number of jobs, keeping a large proportion of its fleet grounded, retiring its 747s earlier than planned and admitting that the days may be numbered for in A380 aircraft.
Qatar Airways Suggests It Will Introduce A New First Class Cabin
Qatar Airways offers arguably the best all-around Business Class product in the world and it's a product that's better than a number of First Class cabins that I can mention. It also currently only offers its own First Class product on its Airbus A380 aircraft which the airline has already said it will be retiring...so will Qatar Airways really introduce a brand new First Class cabin?
Are People Actually Jealous Of Legacy British Airways Cabin Crew?
The dispute between British Airways crews and management has been well documented in the press and on various blogs and, aside from the actual plight that the British Airways crews find themselves in, the thing that has struck me most in all of this has been the nature of some of the comments directed at British Airways legacy cabin crews made by people seemingly unconnected to the airline - they make no sense.
Emirates Brings Back Its A380 To London & Paris
The Airbus A380 may be the world's largest commercial aircraft but in an era of economical aircraft like the A350s, the A330neo, and the Boeing Dreamliners, the A380 is an uneconomical dinosaur. None of the airlines that operate the A380 have been flying them during the current crisis and some airlines have gone as far as to say that they'll never fly their A380s again...but for Emirates that's not an option.
Qatar Airways Expands Services To Offer 270+ Flights To 45+ Destinations
Qatar Airways has grown to be the largest airline in the world during the current crisis, primarily due to the fact that it has continued to serve a variety of routes while most other large airlines have dramatically shrunk their capacities. Now, as airlines around the world begin to ramp up their services once more, Qatar Airways has confirmed that it now offers over 270 weekly flights to over 45 destinations...and the numbers keep growing.
Virgin Atlantic Plans To Be Flying To 23 Destinations By October
Virgin Airlines has been living on the edge ever since the current crisis first hit the headlines as, unlike a lot of its competitors, it found itself unable to access the aid on offer from its home government. In its fight for survival, we have seen the airline cut over 35% of its workforce and abandon one of its hub airports and we have seen multiple pleas for help from the UK government go unanswered...but the airline keeps soldiering on.
Malaysia Airlines Introduces Hand Baggage Only Economy Class Fares
Malaysia Airlines has announced that it has introduced "enhanced Economy fare options, putting customers’ needs as priority" which, in normal everyday language, means that it has introduced "hand baggage only" Economy fares which offer customers very little in return for no price decrease at all. Regardless of how Malaysia Airlines tries to spin this news, this isn't good for passengers.
Etihad Plans Increased Services To Chicago & New York
Etihad has joined the growing list of airlines that are scheduling increased services between their home hubs and various cites in the United States and, in some cases, restarting routes that have been mothballed since the start of the current crisis. Etihad's latest schedule changes seen the airline planning to significantly increase services to Chicago and New York in just a few weeks' time.
American Airlines Is Trying To Raise $3.5bn From Equity, Bonds & Loans
American Airlines chose to use Sunday afternoon to announce that it is looking to raise at least $3.5 billion through a combination of a public stock offering, the issuing of loan stock, and a new secured credit facility.
Qatar Airways Announces Its Return To Four Major US Cities
Qatar Airways has been the only big Middle Eastern carrier that has kept a number of services operating to the United States throughout the current crisis and now, as the airline enters an eight week period during which it hopes to get as many as 70% of its routes back online, it has announced plans to resume flights to four major US cities.
JetBlue Launches Mint At Newark & Announces 30 New Routes
JetBlue has offered a nice distraction from the current travel crisis to announce a series of new routes out of nine East Coast/Florida airports and the introduction of its acclaimed Mint Business Class cabin to two new transcontinental routes out of New York Newark airport. Additionally, the airline also announced that nine temporarily closed cities and several summer seasonal destinations will reopen in early July.
Emirates Returns To Washington DC And Nine Other Destinations
Emirates has announced plans to boost flights to 14 of the cities it currently serves and it has confirmed the dates on which it plants to recommence services to 10 destinations it dropped when the current crisis took hold. It won't be all plain sailing, however, as some of the planned destinations are currently closed to overseas visitors, but Emirates has a plan for this.
Qatar Airways Is Canceling Aircraft Orders & Pushing Back Deliveries By Up To 10...
The CEO of Qatar Airways gave a live interview to a British news channel yesterday afternoon and, as is always the case with Akbar Al Baker, he didn't mince his words and he wasn't short of a few opinions. The interview covered a broad spectrum of aviation issues and Al Baker revisited some old ground, but one of the more interesting revelations to come out of the interview is the fact that Qatar Airways wants to push back deliveries of new aircraft by up to a decade. That's incredible.
I Was Very Impressed With How American Airlines Handled My Refund
One very noticeable theme that has been running through the travel world since the current pandemic brought daily life to a grinding halt has been the theme of airlines doing everything in their power to withhold refunds from customers to whom refunds are owed. With that as a backdrop, I wasn't sure what to expect when I submitted a refund request to American Airlines but, as the title of this post suggests, I've been very pleasantly surprised.
If You Have To Fly, Wear A Face Mask (It’s Really Not A Lot...
While in recent weeks, it has been heartening to read reports that fewer and fewer people are choosing to ignore the "wear a mask" advice, it's clear that there are still a significant number of flyers who, for reasons best known to themselves, are refusing to wear a mask on board an aircraft...and that's a shame. At a time when we should be doing our best to act in the interests of everyone around us as well as ourselves, this kind of selfishness is, to put it mildly, disappointing.
Good News: California Will Get More A350 Service From Virgin Atlantic
In a recent schedule update, Virgin Atlantic has reversed a decision taken back in February which saw California lose the prospect of getting a new A350 route and it has added a further A350 flight to a city already served by the airline's flagship aircraft. If the schedules don't change again (admittedly that's a very big "if"), California will be getting a lot more A350 service from Virgin Atlantic starting from this fall.
What’s The Point Of United’s Health Self-Assessment?
United Airlines has announced that it is now asking all passengers to complete a health self-assessment during the check-in process as part of its "CleanPlus" approach to customer safety....but I'm struggling to see the point if it. Can anyone help?
The Japan Airlines July International Schedule Shows How Bad Things Still Are
It can be hard for a lot of travelers (like me) to get a feel for how things are really looking in the aviation world right now, but if you want to see how bad things still are (in the very near term) you only have to take a look at the latest international schedule Japan Airlines (JAL) has published for July
British Airways Is Now Issuing Some Refunds Within 24 Hours
A disappointing number of global airlines have spent most of the past few months doing their best to avoid offering customer refunds when their flights have been cancelled. British Airways has been particularly poor at letting passengers know when they're entitled to refunds (a lot of people have mistakenly accepted vouchers from BA because they didn't know a refund was due) and, even when a refund was processed, the airline has been taking weeks and weeks to return customer funds. Those days may be coming to an end.
Air France Retires All Its A380 Aircraft…And Does Me A Favor
Air France hasn't shown its A380s much love for quite some time but it was still a big surprise to most when the airline took time out yesterday to announce that it was retiring all of its A380 aircraft with immediate effect.
Delta Restarts Two Routes To Europe & Adds Cape Town To Its Network
As of today, Delta is operating two more routes between the United States and Europe than it operated last week (it plans to offer nine transatlantic routes in June) and the airline's president told yesterday's employee virtual town hall that Delta would be modifying its operations to/from South Africa to include Cape Town when those services resume.
Quick Look: British Airways Club World Boeing 777 Cabin
On overnight flights, I like to board, settle down and get some rest as quickly as possible (especially on flights as short as the New York - London route) so I generally don't eat any of the meals served and my interactions with the crew are pretty limited. That's why what follows isn't going to be anything like a standard flight review and, instead, is just a look inside the Club World (Business Class) cabin of a British Airways 777.
The Airline Cancelled My Flight So This Is What I’m Going To Do
Yesterday, I got an email from British Airways to let me know that my Finnair flight from Helsinki to Los Angeles (booked for a few months' time has been cancelled) so I thought I'd write a quick post setting out how I plan to tackle this minor set back in the hope that it may give less experienced travelers an idea of how to approach any similar situations they may encounter.
Qatar Airways Is Now Codesharing on American Airlines Flights
Back in February, American Airlines backtracked on two key positions it had taken in recent years. First, the airline did a u-turn on its relationship with Alaska Airlines and the two are now best friends and, just a few days later, American Airlines forgot that it had been calling for Qatar Airways to be banned from operating services to/from the US and announced a strategic partnership with the Middle Eastern carrier. The first stage of that partnership has now kicked into action.
British Airways vs Cabin Crew: A Lot Of People Are Missing Two Key Points
It's no secret that we're in the midst of the biggest crisis the airline industry has ever seen so it's no surprise that a large number of airlines are currently taking significant measures to protect their business. One such airline is British Airways and the measures that British Airways is taking have led the airline into direct conflict with a key part of its workforce - the cabin crew.
Delta Confirms It Is Retiring Its Boeing 777 Fleet This Year
Delta is the proud operator of 18 Boeing 777 aircraft and it has refitted each of these aircraft with its highly acclaimed "Delta One Suites" that have taken US airline premium cabins to a whole new level. With that in mind, it's more than a little surprising to see Delta announce that it will be retiring all 18 of these aircraft by the end of this year.
WOW: The New Qatar Airways Cancellation Policy IS As Good As Some Suspected
I'm delighted to be able to hold my hands up and say that I was wrong. Earlier, when I wrote about the latest changes to Qatar Airways' cancellation policies, I stated that I thought one of the options was far too good to be true and that I would be very surprised if the option worked as a number of people suggested it would. Well, not only am I very surprised, I'm stunned!
Emirates is Restarting Flights To Nine Destinations
Most of the world may be living under significant travel restrictions but Emirates has announced plans to restart flights to nine destinations from later this month as it looks to find a way out of the current crisis. The first flights the airline will offer since it grounded its fleet at the end of March are mostly to cities within Europe, but the United States and Australia will be seeing select services resume too.
Richard Branson Is Raising $400m To Help Rescue Virgin Atlantic
"Vieco 10" probably won't mean much to most people but it's the name of the investment company owned by Virgin Group (and therefore Richard Branson) which holds a controlling interest in Virgin Galactic. Last night, in a statement to the New York Stock Exchange, Vieco 10 confirmed that it is disposing of up to 25m shares in Virgin Galactic as Richard Branson seeks to raise funds to save a number of ailing travel enterprises.
The UK Will Impose Quarantine On Visitors…Sort Of…Sometime…
In last night's address to the nation, Prime Minister Boris Johnson made a series of announcements regarding the progress being made and the path his government will steer over the course of the coming weeks and months and, as far as travel goes, he made one very important announcement
These Airlines Now Require Passengers To Wear Face/Mouth Coverings
For reasons that haven't always been very clear, there has been a lot of debate, discussion, and controversy over the use of face masks during the current pandemic but, regardless of how you feel about wearing something that covers your mouth and nose, a number of major airlines now insist that passengers take precautions on board.
United Airlines Is Raising $2.25 Billion To Pay Off A Loan
Towards the end of last month, United Airlines announced that it was planning to raise $1.1 billion from a public stock offering to go alongside the $5.0 billion the airline has received from the US government and now the airline is heading back to the markets to raise yet more cash. This time it's cash that it needs to pay down an existing loan.
Qantas Presses Pause On Project Sunrise
Project Sunrise is Qantas' ambitious plan to offer non-stop flights from the Australian east coast to cities in Europe and cities on the east coast of the United States. Back in December, the airline announced that it had selected the Airbus A350-1000 to be the aircraft that would operate the first groundbreaking routes and that it would be making a final decision on the viability of the project in March 2020. That announcement now seems like a lifetime ago.
Virgin Atlantic Is Abandoning Gatwick & Cutting Over 35% Of Its Workforce
Virgin Atlantic has just announced that it plans to "reshape and resize" its operations in a bid to survive the current crisis. With the airline struggling to raise desperately needed funds and with the British government still apparently not inclined to offer a lifeline, Virgin Atlantic says that it will be closing down its operations at Gatwick and shedding 3,150 jobs.
Virgin Atlantic Premium Economy review (Airbus A330-300)
Virgin Atlantic's Premium Economy cabin is known for offering the widest seats you'll find outside of a First or Business Class cabin and, combined with the airline's reputation for friendly flight attendants, that's what made this cabin an appealing choice for an overnight flight that I had to take between Washinton D.C. and London at a time when Business Class fares were sky-high.
Gold Star Service From A Fantastic British Airways Cabin Crew
've been meaning to write about this experience for some time and just haven't got around to it but, now that we're living through a period when most of us can't travel and when airline crews must be going through a terrible time, I thought it might be nice to recognize some really nice, kind and thoughtful service Joanna and I received on a flight earlier this year.
Why I Generally Avoid Using Travel Agencies For Flight Bookings
For a lot of frequent travelers, there's a very obvious reason why booking hotels through one of the many online travel agencies may not be the best policy (you won't earn hotel loyalty points and your elite status will not be recognized), but because airlines aren't often seen to be treating travelers who have booked through agencies any differently to travelers who have booked directly, often there isn't the same level of reservation when it comes to using agencies for airfare bookings. Perhaps there should be.
Delta Is Raising $3 Billion To Ease Its Liquidity Issues
Yesterday, I wrote about United Airlines heading to the stock market to raise up to $1.1 billion to add to the $5 billion the US government just handed the airline, and now it's Delta's turn to tap up big investors for more cash as it announces a bond issue and a new Term Loan B facility which will total an impressive $3 billion.
United Airlines Is Raising $1.1 Billion From The Stock Market
It was just last week that United Airlines revealed that it was receiving a $5 billion bailout from the US government with around $3.5 billion of that bailout coming as a government grant which will never have to be repaid. Apparently that wasn't enough as the airline has now announced that it's now raising over a billion dollars in cash from a public offering of common stock.
Is Anyone At American Airlines Actually Doing Any Thinking?
For the past few days, I've been drafting a blog post which was going to point out something that I found interesting. American Airlines, the airline that has done a superb job of destroying its loyalty program, making its aircraft increasingly uncomfortable and generally annoying as many of its customers as possible, appeared to be negotiating the current crisis with a rarely seen level of skill...at least as far as customer service goes.
Of Course Virgin Atlantic Should Be Saved…It Just Has To Be Done Correctly
There's an incredible amount of nonsense doing the rounds right now and the lastest involves suggestions that the British government shouldn't be offering assistance to Virgin Atlantic and that the airline should be allowed to go to the wall. As usual, these suggestions are coming from people with little or no understanding of what Virgin's demise would mean, people who don't understand how bailout could be structured and people who are incapable to see past their dislike of Sir Richard Branson. Hopefully, the UK government will ignore them all.
Emirates’ New Cancellation Options Are Fantastic (Especially If You’ve Already Accepted A Voucher)
Emirates is one of the many airlines that have been showing a very serious reluctance to offer passengers refunds on their canceled flights even though refunds are exactly what these passengers are entitled to but, somewhat unexpectedly, Emirates has had a big change of heart and is offering customers a variety of options that now put a lot of other airlines to shame.
British Airways Refunds: It May Still Be Possible To Request Refunds Online
Up until a couple of weeks ago there were at least a couple of well-documented workarounds to requesting a British Airways refund online but British Airways got wise to these loopholes and shut them down pretty quickly. Of late, it has appeared as if last remaining ways to request a refund from BA involve phone calls or emails and that all online options have been removed...but that may not be so.
Delta Pauses Automatic Advance Upgrades & Blocks Middle Seats
Delta has just announced a series of new measures which it hopes will help passengers to continue practice social distancing in the air as well as on the ground. These measures include pausing advance complimentary upgrades and blocking seats in most cabins across the airline's remaining route network.
I Love Air Canada’s Innovative Offers To Its Elite Flyers
I don't have very many dealing with Air Canada so I can't really comment on how well or badly the airline is dealing with customers in the current environment, but I can say that I love a couple of innovative offers that the airline put to its elite members in an announcement it released yesterday.
How To Get A Refund From British Airways – The Last Working Ways
British Airways has been one of the many airlines that have been trying their very best not to offer customers refunds (or making refund requests as difficult as possible) when their flights have been cancelled, and this is despite the fact that the European Commission and the US Department of Transport both recently restated that refunds have to be offered.
A Quick Update On British Airways Refunds
A little over a week ago, a couple of workarounds were found (by people a lot more tech-savvy than me) which allowed British Airways customers to request their refunds via an online form rather than having to wait on the phone lines for hours on end and, as I seem to be getting more and more questions about the state of these refunds, I thought I'd post a quick update on what I've experienced and what I've noticed.
Incredible! Now Some Airlines Are Seeking Permission To Rip You Off
I've long thought that most airlines (not all) are run by people with little or no soul and by people who have little to no regard for their customers. Sadly, it's taken a worldwide pandemic to prove me right.
Remember How Airlines, Hotels and Agencies Are Acting Right Now
At some point in the future, life will return to what it was like just a few months ago and people will be going about their lives and doing their best to forget the chaos that we're witnessing right now...but I hope we don't forget everything.
How To ‘Force’ The British Airways Website To Offer A Cash Refund (Canceled Flights)
There's a saying that says that desperate times call for desperate measures, and a number of airlines appear to be taking that saying very literally as they blatantly attempt to circumvent laws that dictate that passengers are due a refund if an airline cancels their flights. British Airways is one such airline.
This Is Why I’ll Never Be A United Airlines Frequent Flyer
Right now there are a few corporations in the travel world that aren't doing a very good job of looking after their customers but there's only one that's actually taken measures that will very obviously make their customers' lives worse...and all at a time where the very opposite is what's needed - meet United Airlines.
Review: British Airways 747 First Class (MIA-LHR)
For a recent trip, I was booked to fly in British Airways Club World (Business Class) on an overnight flight between Miami and London. I asked the agent at the check-in counter if they were offering any upgrades to First Class and was quoted a price of $950 - I turned it down. On an overnight flight where I'm going to spend the majority of my time resting or sleeping $950 is considerably more than I'm prepared to pay.
On What Routes Does Virgin Atlantic Fly The A350 (New Business Class)
When an airline takes delivery of a new type of aircraft it's not always a key moment in its timeline but, in Virgin Atlantic's case, the day its first Airbus A350-1000 took to the skies with a planeload of passengers was the day that Virgin Atlantic finally brought its A-game to the transatlantic premium cabin table.
Fly In More Comfort With These Four American Airlines Domestic Wide-Body Services
Widebody aircraft mean large premium cabins (good for upgrades from cargo class), large numbers of seats with extra-legroom (for when the upgrade doesn't clear) and lie-flat seats in the frontmost cabin (for when the upgrade does clear or for when you're paying to fly upfront) so it's always good news when we see Dreamliners and 777s scheduled to fly between various US cities.
Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A330-300 review (LHR-IAD)
It has been quite some time since I last flew with Virgin Atlantic and while my last experience in the airline's Premium Economy cabin was very good, my feelings towards the older of the Virgin Atlantic Upper Class A330 cabins were less than positive. It would be interesting to see how I felt this time around.
Review: BA1 – British Airways A318 All-Business Class Flight (LCY – JFK)
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Huge News: Alaska Airlines To Join Oneworld + American Expands In Seattle
Alaska Airlines and American Airlines have issued a joint statement in which they have announced a new "West Coast International Alliance" under which Alaska's West Coast network will connect up to (and feed) American's long-haul network, which will see Alaska Airlines becoming a member of the oneworld alliance in 2021 and which will see American Airlines launching a new route to Asia and a new route out of Alaska's hub in Seattle.
American Schedules Increased Service To Rio De Janeiro In 2021
American has recently been trying to make up for the collapse of its partnership with LATAM (and the exit of that partner from the oneworld alliance) by partnering with GOL, a Brazilian airline based in Sao Paulo.
British Airways Reschedules A350 Service To Tokyo (And Consolidates Service)
The British Airways A350-1000 may have been the launch aircraft for the airline's new Club Suite Business Class product but it's also the aircraft that has been at the center of the recent controversy surrounding how the airline has chosen to equip the latest addition to its fleet.
United Adds A 777 To A Transcon Route (Summer Months Only)
Savvy travelers are always looking to book the most comfortable cabins possible when planning their trips and with most domestic routes dominated by narrow-body abominations, the appearance of a wide-body aircraft on a domestic route is often a great chance to travel that route in considerably more comfort than normal and a great chance for flyers to try out an international premium cabin for a lot less than it would usually cost.
Qantas Flyers Lose Access To The American Airlines Arrivals Lounge In London
The entry criteria to the American Airlines arrival lounge at London Heathrow T3 have always been stricter than the entry requirements to most other oneworld airline lounges and now it seems that the lounge is about to get even more exclusive as Qantas pulls the plug on access for its flyers.
Odd: United Adds True Polaris Business Class To A Seasonal Route
United's Boeing 787-10 Dreamliners all offer true Polaris Business Class seats and are mostly (possibly entirely) based at the airline's Newark hub and, in a recent schedule change, one such aircraft has been scheduled on a route that I didn't expect to see it operate.
Qatar Airways Adds Qsuite Service To Another UK Airport
Thanks to the introduction of new aircraft and the increased speed with which Qatar Airways is refitting its older aircraft, the Qsuite Business Class cabin is not nearly as hard to find and book as it once was...but it's still exciting to see it being rolled out to more and more new cities.
Review: American Airlines 767 Business Class (JFK-MIA)
One of the best ways to fly domestically is, unsurprisingly, to fly in First/Business Class and one of the best ways to fly domestic First/Business Class is to book a flight which offers lie-flat seating in its premium cabin(s) - that's why I was pleased to find that I could book American's widebody 767 aircraft for a flight between New York JFK and Miami.
Qatar Airways Announces 8 New Routes (And One Is Great News For Me)
Qatar Airways is undoubtedly one of the best airlines in the world (especially if you're flying in Business Class) and thanks to some of the amazing premium cabin fares that it offers between Europe and Asia it's also one of the more popular airlines too.
That's why the news that the airline is launching 8 new routes between March and November 2020 will bring a smile to quite a few people's faces...and to mine in particular thanks to one specific route coming later this year.
Two More US Cities Will Get Qatar Airways Qsuites Service This Year
Qatar Airways has gradually been increasing the number of aircraft and number of routes on which it offers its highly acclaimed Qsuites Business Class cabin and 2020 will be the year in which all of the airline's US routes will finally offer passengers Qatar's premium Business Class cabin.
Asiana Cuts Planned Business Suites & Significantly Reduces Business Class To NYC
Asiana is one of a number of airlines that haven't enjoyed the best of health in recent years and it has been taking various measures to improve its financial performance. In 2019 we saw the airline scale back its First Class offering by rebranding its most premium cabin as "Business Suites" and removing true First Class dining and services and we saw it axing a number of its less profitable routes as well.
Now it looks as if Asiana is scaling back its premium cabin offering between Seoul and New York City.
Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class (Perth-Doha)
It has been a while since I've posted a review of the Qatar Airways A380 aircraft and that's probably because, despite the fact that I fly with Qatar Airways reasonably frequently, I rarely seem to find myself traveling on routes where the airline offers its largest aircraft.
On a recent trip to Australia that all changed and I found myself booked on the Qatar Airways whale-jet for the 11+ hour flight between Perth and Doha.
United Adds Summer Domestic Wide-Body Service Out Of Denver
One of the cheaper ways of trying out an international premium cabin product is to find a domestic route on which one of the big international airlines is using a widebody aircraft in full international configuration, and right now that what United has scheduled on one of its routes out of Denver.
Delta Schedules More A330-900neo Service Out Of Seattle
Delta started taking delivery of the new Airbus A330-900neo back at the end of May and it has been operating the latest-generation aircraft on routes out of Seattle since July. So far we've seen the aircraft operating to Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo Narita but a recent schedule update shows Delta adding more A330-900neo service out of Seattle in 2020.
Quick Look: The New Qantas First Class Lounge In Singapore
Today marks the opening of the new Qantas First Class lounge in Singapore which will work in tandem with the existing Qantas Business Class lounge at Changi Airport Terminal 1. Qantas has now released details and a few images of the new lounge and it looks pretty good.
United Cuts Service To Hong Kong (Again) As American Doubles Down On Tel Aviv
These are tough times in Hong Kong and with the protests showing no real sign of dying down for good (and having dragged on for far longer than anyone had expected) the appetite for travel to the 'Special Administrative Region' has dropped significantly.
Air France Making Positive & Negative Changes To Its San Francisco Service
Sometimes it can be quite amazing what a difference an aircraft swap can make and a recent change of heart by Air France is a great example of how an airline's decision on which aircraft to use can make a significant difference (both positive and negative) to its offering on any given route.
British Airways Opens Its Renovated Lounge In Geneva
British Airways is in the middle of a much needed lounge investment program and after announcing the reopening of a significantly improved lounge in Johannesburg a couple of weeks ago, the airline now says that it has reopened its revamped lounge in Geneva.
The New Virgin Atlantic A350 Is Coming To LAX From 19 April 2020
I have a strange love/hate relationship with Virgin Atlantic. I love Virgin's crews, its ground staff, the atmosphere onboard its aircraft and the airline's excellent Premium Economy Class product, but I hate the airline's Upper Class seat with a passion....and that's why I've been waiting for this news for months!
LATAM Will Leave Oneworld In October 2020
At the end of September it was announced that the planned joint venture between American Airlines and LATAM would not be going ahead following the failure of both airlines to find a solution to an unfavorable ruling by the Chilean Supreme Court earlier in the year.
How I’m Choosing My Flights Should Worry American Airlines
A few months ago I explained why I thought American Airlines often makes it easy for travelers to dislike it and with no signs on the horizon that American Airlines management has any interest in improving its customer-facing operations, I thought I'd share how my own travel choices have been changing and why this should be of concern to the airline.
Hong Kong Airlines Has Scaled Back Planned Service To Vancouver
Last week's move to cut its route to Los Angeles left Hong Kong Airlines airline with only a route between Hong Kong and Vancouver as evidence of its once big plans for transpacific travel and, as some suspected, a recent schedule update now shows this route is also facing an uncertain future.
Quick Look: The New British Airways Lounge In Johannesburg
British Airways has announced the reopening of its lounge at Johannesburg International Airport following extensive renovation works and the airline has now shared some images and details of what customers can expect when they next visit the facility.
Virgin Atlantic Is Adding More Flights To Las Vegas & Orlando
I'm always happy to see airlines adding new routes or more capacity to existing routes as the more seats that airlines have to fill the harder it is for them to increase prices...and I hate paying any more than I absolutely have to for the flights I book.
Delta Opens A New Sky Club In New Orleans Today
If you're a Delta flyer based in New Orleans the airline has some good news for you - as of today, 6 November 2019, the latest Sky Club is opening at Louis Armstrong New Orleans international airport.
Hong Kong Airlines Cancels Los Angeles Route And Exits The US Market
After flying its last flights between Hong Kong and San Francisco at the beginning of October, Hong Kong Airlines has now announced that it will be closing down its route to Los Angeles from February 2020.
Air New Zealand Will Offer More Legroom In Economy Class (For A Price)
Air New Zealand appears to believe that there are a significant number of flyers for whom its standard Economy Class seats are too tight and for whom the cost of Premium Economy is too high and it plans to monetize this group - welcome to "Economy Stretch".
American Adds Domestic Wide-Body Service Out Of Philadelphia (Very Briefly)
This is just a quick note to let readers know that American Airlines has scheduled a 787-8 Dreamliner to briefly operate on two of its domestic routes out of Philadelphia - if you'd like to try out a long-haul lie-flat bed this may be one of the cheaper ways to do it.
Qatar Airways Adds More Qsuite Service To Copenhagen
Select high-value destinations (e.g New York and London) have seen Qatar Airways offer them Qsuite Business Class service on multiple daily flights for some time but now that exclusive list is growing and it looks like Copenhagen will be the next city to have more than one daily flight offering Qsuites Business Class service.
Fiji Airways Reveals New A350 Business Class (Coming To Los Angeles)
Earlier this year Fiji Airways and Airbus let it be known that it would be taking delivery of two Airbus A350-900 aircraft in the latter part of 2019 and that the new aircraft would come fitted with an all-new lie-flat Business Class cabin as an enhancement to the angle-flat Business Class seats the airline currently offers.
United Announces The First 15 CRJ-550 Routes (Flights On Sale Tomorrow)
United Airlines has announced that fares for flights on its new regional Bombardier CRJ-550 aircraft will go on sale from 12 October 2019 for travel commencing 27 October 2019. The airline has also announced the first 15 routes on which the CRJ-550 will operate.
Qantas A330 Business Class review (Sydney – Perth)
A review of the Qantas A330-200 Business Class cabin, service, and experience on an evening flight between Sydney and Perth. Get a view inside the A330 all-aisle-access Business Class cabin, have a look at the food served onboard and find how good or bad the service was on this 4+ hour flight.
American Airlines Pushes Back 737 MAX Service To January 2020
The saga of the 737 MAX aircraft continues as American Airlines confirms that it now doesn't expect the aircraft to be returning to its operations before the middle of January next year.
San Francisco To Get Service From Two More European Airlines
I love it when we get more transatlantic service to the West Coast because the more seats we see scheduled to fly to Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego the harder it becomes for airlines to increase fares...and right now I'm very happy.
American Brings Back Boston – London Service (And Not With The Aircraft I Expected)
A little over a week ago, when American was doing its very best to make everyone believe that the loss of LATAM as a partner wasn’t a big deal, the airline announced a number of new flights to South America, an extended summer season for a number of European routes, and the return of its Boston – London route.
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