Delta One Pre-Select Meals Are Now Available Globally
Back in May Delta announced that customers flying in its Delta One Business Class cabins flying select routes from the US to Europe would be able to choose their meals in advance starting 1 June.
At the end of September the number of flights departing the US for Europe and offering pre-select meals was increased, a number of flights departing Europe (for the US) were added to the pre-select program, all Delta One domestic routes began offering the pre-select service and select routes between the US and Asia/Australia joined in too.
Looking Likely: Delta Will Install 29 Business Class Suites On Its New A330s
Delta is the first and only US airline to have installed suites into some of its long-haul aircraft and it's a move which has seen the airline go from having one of the older Business Class products on the market to an airline offering one of the best.
As things stand the Delta One suite is only to be found on the airline's new Airbus A350 aircraft and on a select number of its 777s but, if a clever bit of sleuthing turns out to be correct, the Delta One suites will soon be coming to another of Delta's aircraft.
United’s Premium Economy Cabin Goes On Sale On Monday (December 3rd)
United Airlines in the last of the three US legacy carriers to introduce a true Premium Economy product and the airline has just announced that the first seats will go on sale in a few days.
As of Monday 3 December 2018 United will begin selling it's "Premium Plus" product for travel on select international flights starting 30 March 2019.
Air New Zealand Releases “The Nicest Christmas Ever” Video (And Mocks Someone Famous)
The latest Air New Zealand Christmas video ("The Nicest Christmas Ever") is now available to watch and, this year, the video manages to combine a bit of festive spirit, a bit of Christmas tradition and a not-so-subtle bit of mockery that will probably go down well with quite a few people (and no doubt enrage a few too).
United Will Fly Between Denver & Frankfurt From 2019
I already knew that the past few weeks would have been busy for the United Airlines scheduling team (I have no idea if that's what they're really called) with all of the 787-10 Dreamliner routes being planed for next year but it now it would appear they've been working on more than just that - there's a new European route coming next year too.
American Airlines & China Southern Expand Partnership (Reciprocal Elite Benefits On The Way)
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Alaska Airlines May Soon Be A Oneworld Connect Partner….But What Does That Even Mean?
The oneworld alliance has scheduled a meeting for 5 December at which, it is said, that a new full member of the alliance will be unveiled (the first new member in over six years) and at which Alaska Airlines is rumored to be unveiled as the second airline to become a "oneworld connect" partner.
We don't know for sure which airline will be joining oneworld as a full partner (it looks like it will either be Royal Air Maroc or Philippine Airlines and neither see particularly exciting) but the more interesting story may be the one which suggests that Alaska Airlines will become a oneworld connect partner.
JetBlue Now Has Facial Recognition Working At JFK
Biometric gates are starting to gain traction and we're seeing more airlines trialling them and putting them into service all the time. Delta and BA were testing facial recognition gates back in 2017, BA expanded its US trials in March this year and Lufthansa joined in on the act at LAX a few weeks later. Now JetBlue has brought its biometric gate to New York.
Qatar Airways Is Playing Fast And Loose With The Words “Upgrade” & “Spacious”
Earlier today I wrote about how Qatar Airways is replacing one of its two Qsuite equipped aircraft on the Doha - Frankfurt route in favor of an Airbus A380. In the press release for that announcement the airline attempted to put a positive spin on the news despite the fact that, for Business Class travelers, the news was probably not what they wanted to hear.
In fairness to Qatar Airways there are some positives to having the Airbus A380 on the Doha - Frankfurt route (I pointed those out in the post earlier) so the press release wasn't entirely a smokescreen for bad news....but the airline has also released another press release in which facts really only play a half-part.
Qatar Airways Adds First Class But Cuts Qsuites On Its Frankfurt Route
Qatar Airways offers two daily flights between Doha and Frankfurt and this route was one of the first on which the airline offered its fantastic Qsuite Business Class cabin on all flights. Sadly, starting with the summer 2019 season, this will no longer be the case.
Is Cathay Pacific Now Even Closer To Leaving Oneworld? [Speculation]
These are tumultuous times for the oneworld alliance with more infighting than ever before and with at least one member already openly saying that it's considering exiting as soon as next year.
It's no secret that a number of oneworld's members don't really get on and some even openly dislike each other so it seems only a matter of time before something gives and we see one or more significant changes to the membership.
Your Credit Card Info May Be On The Dark Web Courtesy of British Airways
According to the Daily Mail the Russian team who successfully hacked British Airways earlier this year may have made around $12m (£9.4m) selling the credit card information it obtained courtesy of BA's ineptitude.
Qatar Airways Is Looking At Alternatives To Oneworld
The oneworld alliance is probably the most dysfunctional of the three major alliances as a good number of its airlines simply do not get on with one another.
The squabbles between BA and Qantas are well documented, Cathay Pacific and Qantas have never really seen eye to eye and American Airlines has spent the best part of the past five years trying to get the American government to impose sanctions on Qatar Airways.
I'd love to be a fly on the wall when all the members sit around a conference table to discuss whatever it is they discuss....it must be like the most awkward Thanksgiving dinner of all time!
United Airlines Announces First 787-10 Dreamliner International Routes
Just last week I wrote a post detailing the more important aspects you may need to know about United's new Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and now we know what the airline has planned for its new aircraft's first long-haul routes.
ANA Will Soon Let You Book Premium Economy Seats With Points
ANA first started to introduce a Premium Economy cabin to its fleet in 2015 and the cabin is now fitted to 59 of its aircraft flying 30 international routes.
Up until now it hasn't been possible to book Premium Economy awards on ANA (a bit like the situation we currently face with American Airlines) but the airline is looking to change that in 2019.
What You Need To Know About United Airlines’ New 787-10 Dreamliner
United Airlines took delivery of its first 787-10 Boeing Dreamliner on Monday and in one fell swoop became the first U airline to take delivery of this Dreamliner variant and the first airline in the world to operate all three Dreamliner variants (787-8, 787-9 & 787-10).
The Dreamliners get bigger as you progress though the list and the 787-10 is 18 feet longer that the previous longest Dreamliner United Airlines operated. This has allowed United the freedom to incorporate 4 different seat classes into its aircraft.
Finnair Will Introduce A Premium Economy Cabin … But Not Until 2020
You only have to look back a little over a decade to see a time when most transatlantic airlines didn't offer a Premium Economy cabin and when the likes of British Airways and Virgin Atlantic offered a product that few others did.
Air France and KLM added Premium Economy cabins in 2009 but things didn't start to speed up in the sector until 2014 when Lufthansa joined the Premium Economy club.
Since then we've seen American Airlines, Iberia, Delta, LOT and United Airlines(amongst others) jump on the Premium Economy bandwagon.
Now it's Finnair's turn.
American Airlines Simply Doesn’t Care About AAdvantage Or Its Members
There was a time when the American Airlines AAdvantage program was the clear leader in the airline loyalty sector and when the airline saw it as a genuine asset to its business. Nowadays all of that is rapidly becoming a distant memory as the current leadership team at American Airlines continues to dismantle AAdvantage and with it what little loyalty that is still felt towards the increasingly hard-to-like airline.
IAG Boss Thinks It’s “Highly Likely” That Qatar Airways Will Leave Oneworld
Last month Akbar Al Baker, the highly excitable CEO of Qatar Airways, announced that he was considering withdrawing his airline from the oneworld alliance because members of the alliance were acting negatively towards Qatar Airways.
Al Baker was specifically unhappy with American Airlines whom he accused of "talking against Qatar Airways" but, at the time, a lot of us thought that he was simply posturing (something he has been known to do in the past).
Well, apparently there may be more to all of this than just simply posturing.
Virgin Atlantic May Be About To Get A Lot More Interesting For Premium Cabin...
Virgin Atlantic has a solid Premium Economy product, a pretty reasonable Economy Class product (or so I'm told - I haven't flown it in years) and a truly terrible Business Class product. I tried out the Virgin Atlantic A330 Upper Class (Business Class) seat on an overnight flight not all that long ago and it's one of the only Business Class seats that has ever made me wish I was back in British Airways Club World. I genuinely have no idea how a modern, European airline gets away with such a bad seat....but deliverance may be on the way.
Iberia A350 Premium Economy & Economy Class Cabins – An Overview
I recently took the opportunity to try out the Iberia A350 Business Class cabin while the airline was still flying its newest aircraft on short-haul routes around Europe. After my flight landed I took the opportunity to walk a little further back in the aircraft to see what the A350's Premium Economy & Economy Class cabins looked like.
Review: Iberia A350 Business Class Cabin
Iberia took delivery of its first two Airbus A350s back in July and since then it has mostly been flying them on various short-haul routes around Europe as the airline gets its crews accustomed to the new aircraft.
The first Iberia A350 finally flew its inaugural long-haul flight in early August when it took over one of the airline’s two Madrid – New York JFK flights while the second A350 took over the second flight on the New York route this Saturday just gone (1 September).
Review: American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class LAX-LHR (Overnight)
After a number of Economy Class flights across the Atlantic it was nice to have one of my systemwide awards clear – that’s how I found myself in the American Airlines 777-300ER Business Class cabin.
Review: American Airlines Flagship Lounge At Los Angeles (LAX)
American Airlines has been paying a bit more attention to its lounges in recent years and its the Flagship lounges which have probably seen the biggest changes.
Not all that long ago the American Airlines Flagship Lounge at LAX was open only to First Class passengers (international and transcon only) and top-tier oneworld elites but not any more.
Review: American Airlines A321S First Class (LIH-LAX)
Two weeks earlier I had flown my first flight on an American Airlines A321S and, as my upgrade had failed to clear, I got to experience (and review) the aircraft’s Economy Class cabin.
On this occasion my complimentary upgrade cleared a whole 2 days before departure (miracles do happen!) so it was time to try out the A321S First Class cabin.
Review: Hawaiian Airlines Inter-Island First Class (Boeing 717)
I wouldn’t normally even consider booking a Hawaiian Airlines First Class fare for a flight as short as the one between Maui and Kauai (approximately 40 minutes) but, on this trip, the math more or less made sense.
Review: American Airlines A321S Economy Class (Los Angeles – Maui)
The Airbus A321S is American’s aircraft of choice on a number of its routes to/from Hawaii so, if you’re thinking of visiting the 50thstate, there’s a very good chance that this is the aircraft you’ll experience.
The First Class cabin on the American Airlines A321S holds 16 passengers but, as the cabin had been fully booked for months, I had known for a while that my complimentary upgrade was never going to clear….and it didn’t.
Review: American Airlines 777-200 Economy Class Day Flight (LHR-LAX)
One of the many reasons I'm not longer wedded to American Airlines is that the airline recently changed its upgrade policy to one which really doesn't suit me. The current upgrade policy is now one which puts me at a serious disadvantage when trying to use one of the 4 systemwide upgrades top-tier elites are given every year. It's also the reason I found myself sitting in American Airlines Economy class on one of the longer routes the airline flies.
Piecing Together A Big Hawaii Trip – The Planning, The Cost & The Issues
I actually really enjoy planning trips, finding great fares and researching destinations but every now and again a trip comes up for which the planning is a little bit more complicated and takes considerably more thinking and compromising than most - this was one such trip.
British Airways Opens A New Lounge In Rome
British Airways has opened a brand new lounge facility for passengers traveling through Rome Fiumicino airport. The new lounge is part of a broader lounge revamp program that the airline is undertaking as part of its often mentioned £4.5bn ($6.3bn) investment into aircraft, cabins and the passenger experience.
Review: Qatar Airways A380 Business Class (Night Flight DOH-BKK)
Considering how many Qatar Airways flights I’ve been on in the past few years it’s amazing that this was my first flight in the Qatar Airways A380 Business Class cabin.
I flew in the A380’s First Class cabin between Doha and Paris last year as an add-on to my Auckland – Doha flight and I wasn’t that impressed so I was interested to see what Business Class would be like.
You Can Now Mix British Airways Basic and Plus Fares In A Single Booking
A few weeks ago I speculated that a note that British Airways sent out to travel industry professionals indicated that flyers would soon be able to mix Basic Economy and regular Economy fares (Plus fares) in the same reservation.
Sure enough it now looks as if this is possible as the BA website flight searches now look slightly different.
How I Booked The Iberia A350 Business Class Cabin & Got A Great Deal
As regular readers of this blog will know I like to try out new aircraft and new premium cabins in the most cost effective way I can find. This usually involves booking flights on new aircraft while the airlines are testing them out on short-haul routes before letting them loose on the longer routes they were designed to fly.
New Air New Zealand Route To Chicago – Here’s What You Need To Know
Air New Zealand is the latest airline to announce that it will be launching an ultra haul flight using a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner as the airline schedules service between Auckland and Chicago. Ultra long-haul routes are now slowly becoming more common but the aircraft that operate them vary significantly and it's worth taking a closer look at what Air New Zealand offers before you think about trying this route out.
Singapore Airlines New Regional 787-10 Business & Economy Class Cabins
Singapore Airlines has just taken delivery of its first Boeing 787-10 Dreamliner and the airline has now revealed the cabins passengers can expect to find onboard.
The 787-10 aircraft are configured with 337 seats across two classes (no First Class or Premium economy on this aircraft) and will operate on Singapore Airlines flights of up to 8 hours.
Lufthansa Is The Latest Airline To Introduce Biometric Boarding To LAX
Around two weeks ago British Airways announced that its biometric gate trials have gone so well in Los Angeles that it has rolled them out to Orlando and New York as well...and now Lufthansa is joining in at Los Angeles International Airport too.
Air Tahiti Nui 787 Dreamliner – Here’s What You Need To Know
Towards the end of last week Air Tahiti Nui finally announced the dates on which we can expect to see it launch its brand new 787-9 Dreamliners on three of its routes. As this is the airline that offers one of only three ways to get between the US and French Polynesia non-stop I thought I'd take a look at what we can expect from the new aircraft.
British Airways Avios Changes On The Way … But To Whom Will They Matter?
Yesterday morning Head For Points ran a post quoting an interview Alex Cruz (BA's CEO) had with the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong. In the interview Cruz gave the SCMP an insight into how he sees the airline's loyalty program evolving and what we changes we can expect to start seeing later this year (or possibly in 2019). The changes Alex Cruz is describing are not in the slightest bit surprising but how they're perceived will depend on what group of flyer someone falls into and how the implementation actually works.
British Airways Is Changing The Way It Files Short-Haul Fares From 4 April –...
British Airways has sent a note out to travel industry professionals reminding them that the way the airline presents and files its short-haul fares will be changing from 4 April 2018. Normally how an airline presents its fares to the travel industry isn't really of importance or interest to regular travelers but, in this instance, there may be more to this than just a few name and presentation changes.
Review: Qatar Airways A330 Business Class Day Flight (HEL-DOH)
I've flown in Qatar Airways Business Class quite a few times but this was my first experience of the Qatar Airways A330 Business Class cabin. Technically speaking I tried out an very similar product last year when I flew in the airline's A340 Business Class cabin but, because I'm determined to review every aircraft Qatar Airways offers, I'm keeping this one separate.
Qatar Airway Introduces Oryx Kids Club – A New Loyalty Program For Kids
Qatar Airways' loyalty/rewards program is called "Privilege Club" but, to be a member, a traveler has to be at least 12 years of age. Now, however, in what appears to be an attempt to fill the age gap leading up to when a child can join the Privilege Club, Qatar Airways has introduced a new loyalty program for kids - the Oryx Kids Club
RUMOR: Emirates To Fly To Mexico City Via Barcelona
A number of Spanish news sources have reported that Emirates has reached agreement with Spanish and Mexican authorities to launch a 5th freedom flight between Barcelona and Mexico City. The Middle Eastern carrier has been looking for a way to start up service to Mexico's capital for a number of years and now, finally, appears to have found a way.
Review: Finnair Short-Haul Business Class (LHR-HEL)
Finnair flies its excellent Airbus A350 between London Heathrow and Helsinki on a daily basis but, as luck would have it, the A350's schedule wouldn't get me into Helsinki in time to connect on to my Qatar Airways flight to Doha so I was stuck with a narrow-body A319.
I don't normally book myself into short-haul Business Class (either with miles or points) as I don't generally see the value in paying considerably more for a cabin that differs only slightly from Economy Class. On this occasion, however, I had chosen to overpay for my flight and book the frontmost cabin as the math behind the tier points I'm earning this year showed that it was the right thing to do.
RUMOR: Qantas To Start Perth – Paris Service This Year
Qantas will be launching one of the longest routes in the world when it starts up service between Perth and London on 24 March 2018. The airline is on record as saying that it would like build on this route and go on to use its newly acquired Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners to establish Perth as its gateway to Europe.
British Airways Extends Biometric Gate Trials In The US
British Airways has been using biometric gates at its London Heathrow base for quite some time (I've yet to be given the chance to use one but they're definitely there) and, since November last year, BA has had three biometric gates at Los Angeles International airport where it has been trialling the technology.
Well, the trials must have gone pretty well at LAX because British Airways has extended the biometric trial to its facilities in New York (JFK), Miami and Orlando.
Lufthansa Is Adding “Buy On Board” Meals On Long-Haul Flights….But The News Isn’t As...
Buy on board food options are commonplace on most airlines' short-haul routes all around the world but, when it comes to long-haul flights, it's generally only the low-cost carriers like WOW and Norwegian that ask Economy Class passengers to pay extra for their food.
Now it looks like Lufthansa is joining the long-haul buy on board party...but not in a way that should worry fans of the airline.
British Airways Confirms It’s Making Its Heathrow 777s More Uncomfortable Too
At the beginning of the week British Airways unveiled the new cabins it is installing on the Boeing 777 aircraft it operates out of its Gatwick base. The biggest change passengers will see is that the airline has squeezed an extra seat into each row of Economy Class meaning that the already cramped seating conditions are about to get worse.....but it turns out that Gatwick will not be the only base to get these aircraft.
Virgin Atlantic Is The Latest Airline To Offer Basic Economy (Hand Baggage Only) Fares
Delta, Air France/KLM led the way with transatlantic Basic Economy fares, last week the oneworld airlines joined in and now Virgin Atlantic has also announced that it will start offering Basic Economy (aka "hand baggage only) fares across the Atlantic within the next few months.
Virgin Atlantic is actually doing things slightly differently to the other legacy airlines in that it's sub-dividing its Economy Class cabin into three separate offerings each of which offers a little bit more that the last.
British Airways Has Unveiled Its New Tightly-Packed 777 Cabins
British Airways will be unleashing its refurbished high-density Boeing 777 aircraft on a largely unsuspecting public in the next few months, and the airline has now released images to show what the refurbishment will look like and what passengers can expect.....sort of.
Emirates Reveals New 777-200LR Cabins – Business Class Just Got Better
Back in November Emirates confirmed that it would be refitting its ten 777-200LR aircraft with new interiors before launching the refreshed aircraft in March. We've known from the outset that the aircraft would be losing its First Class cabin and that Business Class would be losing a seat from each row but, until now, we didn't really know much more.
New Swiss First Class Lounge Opens In Zurich Today (There’s A New Chauffeur Service...
SWISS is opening the doors to its new First Class lounge at Zurich's Terminal A today and, at the same time, the carrier is launching a new chauffeur service for its First Class customers arriving into Zurich airport.
Joon Takes Over Another Air France Route
Air France has been slowly ceding it's less popular routes (or the routes with increased low-cost competition) to Joon and now the lower-cost carrier is getting a new destination courtesy of Air France.
Delta Changes Access To International Third-Party Business Class Lounges
Delta has announced that it will be changing the rules surrounding which flyers have access to third-party lounges at select destinations. In some cases lounge access is being withdrawn entirely while in others its elite members that are seeing their access rights withdrawn.
Fantastic Service From American Airlines As Iberia Really, Really Screws Up
I have done more than my fair share of American Airlines bashing over the past two years (it has been well deserved) but, right now, I'm incredibly grateful for some truly fantastic service from the airline after it got us out of a serious mess of Iberia's making.
British Airways 787-9 Dreamliner Business Class review (LAX-LHR)
Despite a reasonably good experience in British Airways Economy Class on the airline's A380 aircraft I wasn't expecting great things on my 787-9 Business Class (Club World) flight back to the UK.
This was to be my first experience of the British Airways Dreamliner but, having flown in BA Business Class quite a few times, I knew to expect high-density Business Class seating, no direct aisle access and certainly no internet connectivity.
Cathay Pacific’s New Hong Kong Lounge Set To Open – Welcome To “The Deck”
The Cabin was first Cathay Pacific lounge to offer the modern, sleek look we have come to expect when we walk through the doors on one of the airline's renovated spaces but, a little over seven years after it first opened, the lounge is set to close at the end of April this year. In its place comes "The Deck" and we finally have our first look at what the latest Cathay Pacific lounge will offer.
American Airlines & Qantas Want Government Permission To Price-Fix
Two years after withdrawing their last request American Airlines and Qantas have gone back to the US Department of Transport (DOT) asking for permission to form a joint venture and to revenue share across the Pacific. Essentially the airlines are asking permission to create a similar agreement to the one American Airlines has with British Airways, Iberia & Finnair for flights across the Atlantic.
New design Senator Lounge opens in Vienna
Senator lounges are the lounges that sit one tier below Lufthansa Group's exclusive First Class lounges and the newest Senator lounge has just opened its doors in Vienna revealing a new design.
United Announces First 737 MAX 9 Routes & Adds A Bit Of Nonsense For...
United Airlines has announced the first routes on which we'll see the airline try out its new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft and, with the announcement, the airline's PR team couldn't resist adding in a small bit of nonsense in the hope that no one will them out on it.
Review: British Airways A380 Economy Class Daytime Flight (LHR-LAX)
I genuinely don’t mind traveling across the Atlantic in Economy Class as long as three conditions are met - it’s a daytime flight, I’m booked into an exit row seat and I got a good deal on the fare. It’s because all three of those came together that I found myself boarding a British Airways A380 over the Holidays and settling in to my Economy Class seat.
Qantas Makes Its New Perth Lounge Very Exclusive
Qantas is expected to open its new international lounge at Perth Terminal 3 on 24 March just in time for the start of the new non-stop Perth - London route which will be operated by the airline's Dreamliners. While the plans for the lounge look very nice indeed it looks as if there will be a lot of disappointed Qantas flyers come opening day.
UK Regulator Investigating Airline Seating Policies
The UK's aviation watchdog/regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has announced that it is looking into the seating policies adopted by a number of airlines following complaints from the public that they have been unfairly separated from their traveling companions.
British Airways Starts Rolling Out Wi-Fi & Adds Lounge Access In Three European Airports
Two pieces of news coming out of BA and, for a change, both are pretty positive. The airline is finally putting aircraft in the air which offer Wi-Fi (although the rollout appears to be competing with the world's glaciers for the slowest possible speed) and it has negotiated lounge access for BA/oneworld elites (those flying with BA) at three more European lounges.
Is British Airways Ignoring Its Own Policy Change?
Despite having flown with British Airways for years I still consider myself a novice when it comes to the airline's rules and regulations.
Because most of my British Airways flying has been on inconsequential short-haul flights and because, up until now, my flights have all been credited to the American Airlines AAdvantage program, I've been a bit lax when it comes to keeping on top of how BA does things.
I say all this because right now I'm a little confused.
Lufthansa Opens A New Lounge At Milan Malpensa Airport
Lufthansa has announced that it has opened its new lounge at Milan Malpensa airport and, from the information provided by the airline, it looks as if flyers will have a nice new place to relax or get some work done before a flight.
Air France Reopens A Remodelled Business Class Lounge At Paris CDG
Air France has announced the reopening of its Business Class lounge in Hall "L" in Terminal 2 of Paris Charles De Gaulle airport. The lounge has been completely redesigned and is considerably larger than the facility it has replaced.
Delta Moves To Curb Fake Service & Support Animals On Board
If you ask US road warriors to list out the things that annoy them the most when they fly most of them will put unruly fake support animals down somewhere on their list.
Because the Air Carriers Access Act requires airlines to provide in-cabin travel for for service and support animals without charge, the number of animals seen onboard domestic flights had ballooned out of proportion and a lot of us suspect that a large percentage of these animals are neither genuine service animals or genuine support animals.
Review: Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suites – Long Haul (SIN-LHR)
Last year I reviewed the Singapore A380 Suites experience on a regional flight between Hong Kong and Singapore but, while that was a very nice experience, it was the true long-haul experience in Singapore Suites that I've looked forward to trying out for some time.
Singapore Airlines doesn't yet offer its new Suites Class on the Singapore - London route (that's coming on 16 February 2018) so the A380 that we flew in was equipped with the original suites....and these are the Suites that most Singapore A380s will offer for quite some time.
[VIDEO] Emirates’ Latest Marketing Campaign – Upgrade Your Airline, Not Just Your Seat
Emirates has unveiled a new marketing campaign in which it encourages travelers to upgrade the airline they're flying on and not just their seat.
The latest campaign pokes fun at travelers who try all kinds of tricks to try to score an upgrade (we've all seen them!) and ends with an apparently contented traveler checking in with Emirates.
Why Airlines Should Be Penalized Just Like Their Passengers
If ever there was an example of an industry in which the main players wanted everything their own way it's the airline industry. If you ever have a bout of insomnia try reading the detailed rules of an airline's loyalty program and you'll see just how skewed the rules are in favor of the airlines.
Review: Malaysia Airlines A330 Business Class (KUL-SYD)
I've flown in the Malaysia Airlines A330 Business Class cabin once already this year (I reviewed it here) but there's a very good reason why I'm writing about the cabin all over again. On this flight I was seated in a different seat to the one I enjoyed last time out and it made quite a big difference to my thoughts on the cabin.
British Airways Confirms That It’s Scrapping Credit Card Surcharges
From 13 January 2018 an EU regulation comes in to force which makes it illegal for entities to charge fees for processing payments from Visa or Mastercard credit cards. On top of this, the UK government has brought in extra legislation to ensure that all other forms of payment are covered by the no-fee rule too so that covers Amex cards as well.
British Airways Is Improving Its Economy Class Food Offering….Sort Of….
I have no idea what's going on at British Airways nowadays as I'm starting to struggle to keep up with the direction the airline is attempting to go. One minute the airline is cutting the services it offers to passengers and then, the next minute, it acts like it had changed its mind (although it's certainly not framing its latest move as a change of mind).
Introduction: Sydney For 3 Nights Using A Super Cheap Business Class Fare & Points
Whenever possible I like to write an introduction to the trips I take to give readers an idea of how much things cost, how I book and when I use points and when I choose to part with some cash. The point of this is to hopefully show just how doable these trips are and how, with a little bit of planning and a little bit of flexibility, these are trip that a lot of people can book.
For this trip I managed to combine a truly fantastic offer from an online travel agency with some Marriott points to book myself a business class flight and three nights in one of my favorite cities in the world.
I Loved The Crews On My Recent Qantas Flights
I don't get to fly with Qantas all that often as, let's face it, international premium cabin awards on Qantas aren't exactly easy to find and the airline never seems to discount its premium cabins down to what I'm prepared to pay. Having said that, I have fond memories of the Qantas flights I took back in 2011 (in Premium Economy) and I'm a big fan of the Qantas First Class lounges in LA and Sydney.
I’m SUCH A Hypocrite!
For the Holiday season British Airways has quietly relaxed the guesting rules at its lounges in the UK but it doesn’t appear to have told too many people about it.
Some BAEC members were lucky enough to get an email letting them know about the temporary changes but most people (if they don’t read FlyerTalk) probably have no idea.
British Airways’ CEO Alex Cruz Just Doesn’t Get It
A couple of weeks ago British Airways CEO Alex Cruz was at the annual Aviation Club lunch and made a few comments about his airline that are worth a closer look.
It hasn't been the greatest year for BA with IT outages causing chaos, crew strikes forcing the airline to borrow aircraft from Qatar Airways and the airline's overall approval ratings as low as I can ever remember them...but Alex isn't letting all that get to him.
American Airlines 777-300ER Premium Economy Cabin Revealed?
Earlier this year, at the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Transportation conference, American Airlines announced the Premier Economy retrofit schedule for the whole wide-body fleet. While the airline's 797-9 Dreamliners came ready-fitted with American's newest cabin American is having to retrofit the Premium Economy cabin to its existing aircraft....including its flagship 777-300ER.
Are British Airways Basic Economy Fares About To Get Better?
British Airways Basic Fares were once called "hand baggage only" fares and they started out life as a fare I would never, ever book. BA's Basic fares only apply to short-haul routes and, when they were first introduced, they stripped elite flyers of their seat assignment benefit. It didn't matter what status you held, if you booked a hand baggage only fare you did not get to select your seat at the time of booking.
Singapore Airlines Changes Fare Types, Miles Earning Rates & More
Singapore Airlines has announced that it will be introducing new fare types, changing its fees surrounding award redemptions and tweaking the number of miles its flyers earn from 20 January 2018.
Unusually for an airline making these kinds of changes not all the news is bad and how you view these changes will definitely depend on what type fares you book and how often you incur fees on award bookings.
The Math Tells Me Not To Credit Flights To American Airlines
I've been trying my hardest not to be one of those travelers who complains incessantly about an airline devaluing its frequent flyer program only to keep handing that same airline his/her cash on an ongoing and frequent basis.
American Airlines has destroyed the AAdvantage program for travelers like me (for a very small minority it may have improved) so my plan has been to avoid flying American Airlines as much as possible...but it's been quite hard.
Will Richard Branson Get To Kick Willie Walsh Where It Hurts? (Oh How I...
I really don't like Willie Walsh. I've never met the man and I have no wish to meet him, but anyone who thinks it's a good idea to stand up at a investors briefing in front of a slide that reads "show me the f*cking money" and then repeats the phrase is an idiot in my book.
Review: Qatar Airways A380 First Class (DOH-CDG)
Ok, I’ll admit it – I was excited. I’m not exactly shy about how much I enjoy flying in Qatar Airways Business Class so the thought of finally trying out the airline’s A380 First Class product was a very nice one indeed.
Qantas 737 Economy Class review (SYD-MEL)
I recently got to fly in the new Qantas 787 Business Class cabin while the aircraft was operating a domestic route on a crew familiarisation flight but, to catch my ride on the Dreamliner, I had to position from Sydney to Melbourne - that's where the Qantas 737 came into play.
The Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Lounge Kuala Lumpur – In Pictures
I recently spent quite a few hours in Kuala Lumpur International airport and, as the Malaysia Airlines lounges in the satellite terminal are both currently closed for refurbishment, I took a look around to see what other options are currently available.
I’ve already posted details of the Malaysia Airlines C.I.P Lounge in the satellite terminal, which is where some Malaysia Airlines passengers are being sent but, as that facility is (a) temporary, (b) small and (c) not exactly impressive, you may want to know what the Cathay Pacific Lounge is like.
British Airways Confirms “Group Boarding” From 12 December
Last week I wrote about a strong rumor which suggested that British Airways was about to make some significant changes to the debacle it calls a boarding process. At the time I was confident that the information being provided on FlyerTalk was correct and now we finally have confirmation from British Airways itself.
The Malaysia Airlines C.I.P Lounge Kuala Lumpur
Malaysia Airlines has three lounges in Kuala Lumpur International Airport – one in the regional terminal (main terminal) and two in the satellite terminal from where the international flights depart.
The two lounges in the satellite terminal (the Business Class lounge and First Class lounge) are currently closed for renovations with a scheduled re-opening date of 22 January 2018.
With that in mind, and because Kuala Lumpur is such a major transit point for travelers, I'm taking a look at 3 options oneworld flyers have when passing through
Qantas 787 Business Class Cabin Review
The first Qantas 787-9 Dreamliner landed in Sydney on 20 October and since 6 November the aircraft has been flying domestic routes as the airline gets its crews accustomed to the new aircraft.
This aircraft will not commence service on an international route until mid-December when it starts flying to LA so this is one of the first looks at what the Qantas 787 Business Class cabin is actually like to fly in.
GREAT NEWS: Delta Will Offer Complimentary Upgrades To Delta One On Domestic Routes
Delta will be adding its Delta One premium cabin to a number of new domestic routes from next year and, in an announcement today, the airline has confirmed that it will be shifting its domestic upgrade policy to include Delta One cabins going forward.
British Airways Actually Improves Something – The Boarding Process
The British Airway boarding process has, for a very long time, been a joke....especially if you're flying short-haul. What happens, in essence, is that the gate agents yell "charge!" and everyone tries to get on the aircraft at the same time.
In truth things are better on long-haul than short-haul but that's akin to saying that dysentery is better than cholera - both are still pretty terrible.
British Airways May Kill Avios, Will Invest Another $200m In Club World, Has 72...
British Airways had an investor day last week (on November 3rd) at which Willie Walsh managed not to say anything blindingly crass (unlike last year) and Alex "low-cost" Cruz didn't announce that the airline would start charging for in-cabin air so, by British Airways standards, it went well.
Qatar Airways Buys A Stake In Cathay Pacific & Makes Things Uncomfortable For American...
Qatar Airways already owns a little over 20% of IAG (the parent company of British Airways, Iberia and Aer Lingus), around 10% of LATAM in South America and now it has announced that it has taken a significant stake in another of its oneworld partners - Cathay Pacific.
Singapore Airlines New A380 Business Class – Full Details & Thoughts
Last Thursday Singapore Airline finally revealed what it plans to do with the cabins on its new Airbus A380s and, while a lot of focus has been on the new Suites Class product (which I took a look at on Friday), today I thought I'd take a critical look at the new Business Class seats on the Singapore Airlines A380.
Singapore Airlines New A380 Suites – Full Details & Thoughts
Yesterday I was traveling and, because airlines somehow just know when I have almost no internet access and therefore can’t post much, Singapore Airlines revealed its new A380 Suites Class product to the world.
I managed to post the images Singapore Airlines has released but I also promised a more in-depth look and my thoughts on the new product….so here those are.
Qatar Airways Adds Another New Thai Destination To Its Route Map
Qatar may still be having issues with its neighbors but that doesn’t appear to be stopping Qatar Airways from adding new destinations to its route network on what feels like a monthly basis.
Qatar Airways will be starting a seasonal service to Chiang Mai from 12 December, the airline already operates services to Bangkok, Phuket and Krabi and now it has announced that it will soon serve its fifth Thai destination – Pattaya.
Singapore Airlines New Suites, Business Class & Premium Class In Pictures
Singapore Airlines has today finally released details of its long anticipated update to its airbus A380 premium cabins including images of its new Suites Class, Business Class and Premium Economy cabins.
Review: Malaysia Airlines A330 Business Class (KUL-AKL)
Even before this trip started I was looking forward to trying out the Malaysia Airlines A330 Business Class cabin more than the equivalent cabin on A380. While the A380 still offers a Business Class cabin that dates back quite a few years Malaysia Airlines has fitted an all new cabin to its A330 fleet and I'd been hearing good things about it.
British Airways Eliminates Its Generous Baggage Policy – No Notice Given
British Airways, the airline that once called itself the "world's favourite airline", has changed its baggage policy to remove one of the last passenger-friendly benefits it offered....and this move comes with no notice to passengers or, it would appear, to anyone outside of the airline.
Review: Malaysia Airlines A380 Business Class (LHR-KUL)
I'd never flown with Malaysia Airlines before this flight so I was very interested to see what the airline was all about.....especially as the airline has been going through some pretty tough times over the past few years.
FANTASTIC: Southwest Announces It Will Serve Hawaii From 2018
The airline that so many of us have been hoping will one day fly to Hawaii has finally said that it plans to do exactly that. In an address to employees Southwest CEO Gary Kelly confirmed that the airline plans to operate flights between the continental US and Hawaii from next year.
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