Review: Singapore Airlines A380 First Class Suites – Regional (HKG-SIN)
This was my first time experiencing Singapore Airlines First Class....and it wasn't just First Class....it was Singapore's "Suites Class" on the A380 and, waiting in the Hong Kong KrisFlyer Lounge, I was almost giddy with anticipation.
Qatar Airways Announces Cardiff Service Launch
You know that summer is drawing to a close when airlines start ramping up their new route/service/schedule announcements. Recently we've heard from United about its new routes to Europe for 2018, Delta scheduling its Atlanta - Shanghai service, United Airlines (again) announcing a new route to Sydney and Cathay Pacific announcing new routes to Europe.
Now we have news that Qatar Airways has finally settled on a start date for its proposed route between Doha and Cardiff, the schedule has been set and fares loaded into the system. More importantly, Business Class awards are currently available on the new route.
Review: Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class (NRT-HKG)
After a really great few days in Tokyo we took the Narita Express train from Shinjuku station to Tokyo’s Narita airport where we were due to catch a Cathay Pacific A330 Business Class flight to Hong Kong from Terminal 2.
Cathay Pacific’s check-in areas are in area D of Narita airport and, as there was no line at all for First Class check-in (courtesy of my oneworld status), getting our boarding passes and lounge invitation didn’t take long at all.
Japan Airlines (JAL) 777 First Class In Pictures
I tried and reviewed the JAL 777 First Class product between Japan and Europe earlier in the year so, although this was the cabin Joanna and I flew between London and Tokyo on our trip to Asia, it doesn't make all that much sense to write another review.
Having said that they do say that a picture is worth a thousand words so I thought I'd pull together some images from our flight.
Review: Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class Overnight Flight (ICN-DOH)
I've reviewed the Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class in the past but, as that review was for a daytime flight and on this occasion the flight was overnight, I think it's worth taking another a look at what the offering is like.
My flight was scheduled to take off from Seoul Incheon Airport at 01:20 and boarding was called at 00:20. As there is no First Class cabin on the Qatar Airways 777s I was first onboard and had a few seconds to take some unobstructed pictures of the cabin.
Review: Qatar Airways A320 Business Class (PSA – DOH)
I had wanted to try out the Qatar Airways A320 Business Class product for quite some time so, when I saw a great fare between Pisa and Seoul (via Doha) which would allow me to see what it was like, I jumped at the chance.
Review: Virgin Atlantic A330 Upper Class (Business Class)
When booking our flights from New York to London on Virgin Atlantic I'd had a decision to make: Do I book us to fly out of JFK where Virgin has a highly lauded Clubhouse lounge and fly on an Airbus A330 or do I book us to fly out of Newark (where the lounge isn't really anything special) and fly on Virgin's Dreamliner which is reported to have the best Upper Class cabin?
Review: Japan Airlines 777-300ER First Class (HND-LHR)
I'd had a pretty good experience with my JAL Business Class flight a few days beforehand so I was looking forward to seeing what the airline would offer in its long haul First Class cabin. With a scheduled travel time of over 12 hours there would be no shortage of time to try out the product properly.
Review: American Airlines 777-300ER Economy Class Night Flight (LAX-LHR)
On my flight from London to Los Angeles my upgrade had cleared at check-in despite having been requested 6 months ahead of my flight (a new reality now that American has changed how it prioritizes upgrades) but this was the flight on which my upgrade request really counted. It has been at least 7 years since I last spent a 9 -10 hour overnight flight in Economy Class and I can't say that I was looking forward to that run ending.
Review: Virgin Atlantic A330 Premium Economy
Joanna and I had been planning to visit New York for some time and we were still in the middle of making our plans when the travel Gods smiled down on us in two wonderful ways.
First Virgin Atlantic came out with some fantastic premium cabin fares for travel between London and New York and then Amex came out with an offer of $200 off a $1,000 spend with Delta.....and it doesn't really get better than that.
Review: Alitalia A320 Economy Class (FCO-LHR)
I normally book my short-haul European flights on British Airways as I can credit them to American Airlines AAdvantage and earn a few miles out of what is usually a pretty disappointing experience...but this time I couldn't do that. My Qatar Airways flight from Doha wasn't due in to Rome until 18:55 and the last British Airways flight from Rome was scheduled for around 8pm - that would be cutting things a little fine and could land me in trouble if my Qatar Airways flight faced any kind of delay.
Review: JAL 787 Business Class
My JAL 787 Business Class flight was scheduled to depart from gate D5 at Frankfurt airport's terminal 2 and because of where the JAL lounges are positioned I had to pass through security to get to the gate.
There's even a warning sign posted outside the entrance to the JAL lounges letting passengers know that, unlike most other airports, there's no lounge past airport security.
Review: Qatar Airways 777-300ER Business Class Daytime Flight (KUL-DOH)
My flight to Doha from Kuala Lumpur was on a Qatar Airways 777-300ER and this would be the third new Qatar Airways aircraft I was going to experience on this trip. Before visiting Kuala Lumpur I hadn't reviewed the airline's 787 Dreamliner or A340 Business Class cabins and now I was about to see what the 777-300ERs Business Class cabin was like and what kind of service you get flying between Kuala Lumpur and Doha in the daytime.
Review: Qatar Airways A340 Business Class Night Flight (DOH-KUL)
One of the reasons I booked my trip to Kuala Lumpur was because the routing gave me a chance to try out three different Qatar Airways Business Class products none of which have been reviewed on Traveling For Miles before. Before this trip I already had a very good idea what the 777-300ER experience would be like (on the Kuala Lumpur - Doha return part of my journey) as I had already reviewed the sister aircraft (777-200LR) on my Auckland trip earlier this year....but I had very little idea of what to expect of the airline's A340 Business Class cabin.
Review: Qatar Airways 787 Business Class Daytime Flight (FCO – DOH)
I was looking forward to trying out the Qatar Airways 787 Business Class cabin as I'd heard very good things about it from a number of people who have experienced it first hand. On top of that I had been impressed by the level of service on my Auckland - Doha flight earlier in the year so I was interested to see if that had been a one-off or if the airline could maintain those standards.
Review: Delta One Business Class 767 (Overnight JFK – MAD)
Amazingly, after more years of flying than I care to admit to, this was my first ever experience of flying with Delta and, as such, this was my first ever visit to Terminal 4 at New York's JFK airport.
I was really looking forward to trying out Delta's transatlantic Business Class product (Delta One) as I wanted to see just how good a product the airline offers to make up for its atrocious rewards program (Delta SkyMiles has been nicknamed SkyPesos for a reason!).
Qatar Airways New Business Class Unveiled – Meet The “QSuite”
Earlier today Qatar Airways used a press conference at the ITB Berlin exhibition to launch its highly anticipated new Business Class seat to the world. After years of waiting to see what Qatar Airways would come up with after its CEO His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker had promised us a "Super Business Class" that would rival the First Class offerings from a number of competitors, we finally got to see what all the excitement and fanfare was about.
Review: Delta Sky Club JFK Terminal 4
In recent years most of my travels have been on OneWorld airlines so, to get a better perspective on what other options look like, I decided to make a conscious effort to try out a few other airlines when possible. Towards the end of last year this saw me trying out Air France's short-haul Business Class product, the Air France 777-300ER Business Class cabin (which I loved) and Delta's DeltaOne Business Class product out of New York - that's how I came to find myself in Delta's Sky Club at JFK.
Review: Qatar Airways 777-200LR Business Class (AKL-DOH) – The World’s Longest Flight
On Sunday 5 February 2017 Qatar Airways launched its Doha to Auckland route which now holds the crown as the longest route (time-wise) in the world and, as luck would have it, I was booked to fly on day two of this new route - this is my review of that flight.
Tomorrow I’m Flying On The World’s Longest Commercial Flight (I Must Be Mad!)
This Traveling For Miles post is coming to you from sunny Auckland where I'm currently enjoying a particularly good flat white and thanking the weather gods for blessing my whirlwind trip with decent weather (every other time I've visited this city it's been mostly grey and overcast....and I've always visited in the summer!).
Review: Air France Business Class 777-300ER (CDG-JFK)
Air France would appear to start its international boarding process earlier than most airlines I've flown because, when I got to the gate with a little over an hour to go before departure, I was faced with a sea of travelers ahead of me and boarding had already started.
Review: Air France A320 Business Class (MAD-CDG)
This was my first flight on Air France in years (I'm not even sure I remember the last time I flew with the airline), it was my first flight in Air France's short-haul Business Class and my first flight in an Air France A320. That's a lot of "firsts". Combine those facts with the fact that I'd just flown in to Madrid on an Iberia A320 and you'll see why I was interested to see what Air France would offer.
Review: Iberia A320 Economy Class (LHR-MAD)
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Review: Cathay Pacific A350 Business Class (HKG-DUS)
I'd had a very nice time at Cathay Pacific's Pier First Class lounge but now it was time for the second reason I was taking this trip - to try out Cathay Pacific's Airbus A350. The first reason for the trip, to try out Cathay Pacific's First Class on the 777, had gone very well so I was looking forward to see what Cathay would offer on their newest aircraft.
Take a Look Inside Aeromexico’s New 787-9 Dreamliner
Aeromexico's first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner has been delivered and the airline has been keen to show of some of the aircrafts new features - like a serve-yourself bar, ergonomic seats and touchscreen TVs.
This is the first of ten 787-9 Dreamliners that Aeromexico has ordered and will join the nine 787-8 Dreamliners already flying on Aeromexico's routes.
A Look Inside The New Qantas Business Class Lounge In Brisbane
If there is one thing that I like most about Qantas it's that it can do airport lounges very well when it puts it's mind to it. The First Class lounge in Sydney is fantastic, the Qantas First Class lounge at LAX is my favorite lounge in the US and I can't wait for the new Qantas lounge to open at London Heathrow Terminal 3 next year. All this is why I was particularly interested to see what Qantas would be offering at its new Brisbane International Lounge which opened its doors yesterday.
LOT Polish Airlines Adds Flights To Los Angeles…And That’s Great News!
LOT Polish Airlines is a member of the Star Alliance and, as of yesterday, the airline opened up reservations on its new route between Warsaw and Los Angeles which is scheduled to start in Spring 2017. The route will be operated by LOT's new 787-8 Dreamliners and will be the first direct service between Central Europe (a.k.a Eastern Europe of old) and the US West Coast.
Etihad Aligns Benefits Across All Its Partners & A Possible Way To Make The...
Etihad doesn't belong to an airline alliance but, thanks to its investment in a number of other airlines, it does have what it calls "a partnership". The partnership is made up of 8 airlines contains Alitalia and, more surprisingly, airberlin which is a member of the oneworld alliance. Up until now, from a flyer benefits perspective, the partnership hasn't been that well coordinated...but Etihad has just changed all of that.
Cathay Pacific Succumbs To 10-Across Economy Class Cabins And We’re To Blame
I expect airlines like American, Air France and Emirates to cram their passengers in to annoyingly tight seats that no human should have to endure but there are other airlines where we've come to expect better...and Cathay Pacific is one of those airlines.
Cathay Pacific has long been considered one of the all-round premium airlines in the skies and that's a reputation that has been earned not only because of the amazing service in its First Class cabin but also because the airline hasn't historically treated its passengers like self-loading cargo. But it looks like those days are nearly over.
Review: Cathay Pacific 777 First Class (ZRH – HKG)
I was having a pretty relaxing time in the Aspire First Class lounge and enjoying the freedom of the balcony that the lounge opens up on to but, about an hour before my departure time, I decided to head down to the gate.
I'm not normally one to get to the gate particularly early (unless I need to make sure that there will be room for my carry on in the overhead bins) but I wasn't exactly sure how long it would take me to the gate and I wanted to be one of the first on the aircraft to make taking pictures a lot easier.
CONFIRMED: British Airways Will Charge For Food On Short – Haul Fights
The rumors have been doing the rounds for a few weeks now but finally, today, British Airways has announced that it will be charging for all food and drink in the Economy Class cabin on its short-haul flights. The airline has confirmed that the change will be brought in at the beginning of next year and that the food will be catered by Marks & Spencer.
Qatar Is Relaxing Visa Rules For Travelers On Short Visits
I'm an unabashed fan of Qatar Airways and that's primarily because the airline offers some truly fantastic Business Class deals from various cities in Europe to any number of cities in Asia. Unsurprisingly all of Qatar Airways flights route through their home base in Doha so, although this can take a little longer than a direct flight, it also offers an opportunity to visit Qatar.
Cathay Pacific First & Business Class Trip – Introduction
I've never had a yearning to fly in First Class, it's not something that's ever really interested me. I've always been of the opinion that Business Class travel is more than enough for my needs and that the extra miles it would cost to fly in First Class could be put to better use elsewhere. This mantra has been with me for a while but it's taken a bit of a back seat of late thanks to two completely unrelated events.
British Airways Status May Be About To Become Much Harder To Earn (For Some)
I was sitting in an airport lounge idly browsing through my Twitter feed when I noticed two tweets, one after the other, which made me sit up and pay attention...literally. They weren't tweets from an official source but they were from someone who's got a pretty decent track record of getting information before it has been released and, if I understand these tweets correctly, some BA flyers are about to find that earning status is going to get a lot harder.
Review: British Airways A380 First Class (SFO-LHR) – Part 2
In Part 1 of this review I focused on the British Airways A380 First Class cabin and seat while in this part I'll take a look at everything else that makes up the British Airways First Class experience. I've already said that although the British Airways First Class seat is spacious and comfortable it isn't that much better than some of the excellent Business Class seats you can book...so will all the other aspects of the First Class experience justify what BA regularly likes to charge for this cabin?
Review: British Airways A380 First Class (SFO-LHR) – Part 1
Back in July I took Joanna on a trip to Las Vegas and San Francisco (introduction and full details of the trip are here) and now we were on our way back to the UK. We'd already tried out the Cathay Pacific lounge and the British Airways First Class lounge at SFO and now we were about to fly back to the UK in First Class on a British Airways A380.
Finnair Will Fly To San Francisco In 2017
In news that's sure to be welcomed by oneworld flyers, Finnair has announced that it intends to operate a seasonal route between Helsinki and San Francisco from summer 2017. The Scandinavian airline plans to employ its Airbus A330-300 aircraft on the new route which will operate 3x/week.
Review: Iberia Business Class Airbus A330-300 (Part 2)
In Part 1 of this review I took a look at the Business Class seat that Iberia has installed on its A330-300 aircraft and in this part I'll take a look at the onboard Wifi, entertainment options, the food and the service. Bearing in mind this wasn't exactly the longest flight in the world I did somehow manage to get a really goof feel for what the aircraft offers.
Review: Iberia Business Class Airbus A330-300 (Part 1)
A few months ago I noticed that Iberia was in the habit of scheduling its wide-body A330 aircraft on its Madrid - London route and, as I hadn't checked out Iberia's long-haul Business Class cabin in the past, this seemed like a good way to see what the carrier offers. Sure, I wouldn't exactly get the full long-haul experience...but I would get a good look at the cabin, the seat and I'd get to see what the Iberia service was like.
British Airways Opening The “First Wing” At Heathrow T5
British Airways has revealed details of an upgrade it is introducing to the First Class check-in experience at Heathrow Terminal 5. From April 2017 British Airways First Class passengers and OneWorld Emerald card holders will have access to what the airline is calling a new "First Wing" which should make the whole check-in process feel a little more "premium".
Is This When American Airlines Will Officially Introduce Premium Economy?
Considering how much the product has been discussed it's surprising we still don't know quite a few things about American Airlines' new Premium Economy product. We don't know for sure which aircraft will have the cabin and which won't, we don't know what percentage of seats in each aircraft will be given over to Premium Economy and, perhaps most importantly, we don't really know when American Airlines plans on fully unleashing its Premium Economy product on the flying public....but we may now have a hint.
British Airways Doesn’t Understand Its Own Promotion
British Airways launched a Triple Avios promotion last week but, what should have been a simple enough promotion to understand, turned out to be confusing and contradictory. The blame for the mess lies squarely at the feet of whoever drafted the promotion details and whoever gave the go ahead to post those details to the British Airways website.
Review: Virgin America First Class A320 (LAS – SFO)
Before this flight I'd only flown Virgin America once before and that was in Economy Class on a flight between Chicago and Los Angeles. At the time I remember liking the in-flight entertainment options (I watched the Bears been the Packers on live TV) and I remember the flight attendants being friendly and helpful. But, if I'm being honest, none of that had too much bearing on why I booked Joanna and I into Virgin America First Class for the short flight between Las Vegas and San Francisco.
The New Delta One Suite Looks Fantastic!
You have to feel a little sorry for United and American Airlines (ok you don't really). United and American have been playing catch-up to Delta for years and things looked like they were starting to go their way. American Airlines finally has some excellent Business Class cabins on its long haul aircraft (the 777-300ER currently has the best Business Class seat across the Atlantic and the 787 seats aren't too far behind) and United must have been looking forward to a long period where it clawed back some of the customers it haemorrhaged to Delta with its own impressive-looking Polaris Business Class that is coming in December.
Review: British Airways First Class 747 (LHR-LAS) – Part 2
In the part one of this review (posted earlier today) I took a look at the first impressions I got of the British Airways First Class cabin on the 747 aircraft as well as a closer look at the seat that was to be my home for 10+ hours. In this second and final part of the review I'll take a look at the amenities, the food, the entertainment options and the service before I go on to conclude my thoughts of the experience as a whole.
Review: British Airways First Class 747 (LHR-LAS) – Part 1
This was the first time I'd flown in First Class since 2012 and only the second time I've ever flown international First Class in my life (Business Class is more than enough for my needs) so I was particularly keen (ok, I was excited!) to see what it was going to be like. The fact that this was going to be British Airways First Class added and extra element of interest as I'm really not a fan of the BA Business Class product at all....so how would First Class turn out?
Review – British Airways Economy Class A320 (LHR-LCA)
British Airways has two daily flights between London Heathrow and Larnaca in Cyprus - one that leaves at around 7:20am and the other which leaves at around 11:30am. The first flight is the one I try to avoid if I possibly can because it's easily the worst of the two options - to catch it I'd have to get up way earlier than I'd ideally like to and, if that wasn't bad enough, it's operated by an Airbus A320...the workhorse of British Airways' short-haul fleet and a lot less comfortable than the 767 which operates the later flight.
Cathay Pacific’s New A350 Premium Economy
Cathay Pacific has had a Premium Economy cabin for quite a few years now but its new A350 aircraft are set to be fitted out with an entirely new cabin and, up until now, we haven't really know what to expect.
Now Australian Business Traveller has broken the news that the new Cathay Pacific Premium Economy seat will be the B/E Aerospace MiQ seat that, coincidentally, has also been chosen by American Airlines for their new Premium Economy cabin. And it looks pretty good:
United Airlines New Polaris Business Class
After a lot of speculation and waiting United Airlines, today, finally announced its new Business Class product - United Polaris Business Class.
Rather than just an update of their Business Class seat United have revamped their entire Business Class offering from lounges and pre-flight dining through to a new onboard Business Class cabin with new seats, amenities and food/drink options. From what United have presented it looks like United Polaris Business Class is a make over from top to bottom.
Etihad Opens New First Class Lounge In Abu Dhabi
It's been a long time coming and faced a number of long delays but the Etihad First Class Lounge & Spa Abu Dhabi is finally open as of today.
Without having visited the lounge in person (clearly!) I'm not in much of a position to comment on what the Etihad First Class lounge in Abu Dhabi is like so, what follows is all the information and pictures Etihad has supplied so far.
Virgin Atlantic Launching New Route To Seattle
There's been no announcement from Virgin Atlantic and, as far as I can tell there haven't even been any rumors of this in the travel press but, according to the latest schedule update, Virgin Atlantic is launching a new non-stop flight between London and Seattle in 2017.
Emirates Considering Premium Economy Cabins
A report in Australian Business Traveller indicates that Emirates, the biggest of the Middle Eastern carriers, is looking at introducing a Premium Economy cabin on to its aircraft at some point in the future. To put things in perspective this isn't going to happen overnight and may yet not happen at all but Emirates is definitely looking into its options.
Review: Air Tahiti (Tahiti – Bora Bora)
Air Tahiti and Air Tahiti Nui are two completely separate airlines. The fact that they have such similar names doesn't help to distinguish them but the similarities end right there, at the names. While Air Tahiti Nui is an international airline and the one we used to fly from Los Angeles to Tahiti, Air Tahiti is an inter-island operation within French Polynesia.
Cathay Pacific The Pier Business Class Lounge – Sneak Peek
Cathay Pacific has been refurbishing a number of its lounges over the past year and yesterday it offered up a preview of its Pier Business Class lounge at Hong Kong airport to a select group of guests (clearly my invitation was lost in the mail!).
British Airways New A350 Business Class Seat Not Good Enough For Rest Of Fleet
In a conversation with Business Traveller, British Airways' new CEO, Alex Cruz, has confirmed that the new Business Class seat the airline has selected for its soon-to-be-delivered Airbus A350 aircraft isn't worth retrofitting to its existing fleet because.....and I love this......"it doesn't appear to be sufficiently revolutionary"
Singapore Airlines Premium Economy Awards & Upgrades
Singapore Airlines is one of the latest airlines to add a Premium Economy cabin to its aircraft and, while the addition of the new cabins has been anything but smooth, the airline is on track to have the all of the refits completed by the end of 2016.
Now that Singapore Airlines is actually flying aircraft with their new Premium Economy product (e.g. A350 service between Singapore and Amsterdam) the airline has decided to upgrade its award chards to reflect the new product.
British Airways Launches New Route To Santiago
British Airways has announced that it will be launching service between London Heathrow and Santiago, Chile, from January 2017. The flight will become British Airways' longest flight at over 7,200 miles and is scheduled at 14 hours and 40 minutes.
Virgin Australia’s New Business Class & New Premium Economy Cabins
Virgin Australia has released details and images of its New Business Class and Premium Economy cabins on its Boeing 777-300ER aircraft which fly from Australia to the United States and Abu Dhabi.
Review: Air Tahiti Nui Business Class A340 (LAX-PPT)
I had absolutely no idea what to expect from our Air Tahiti Nui Business Class experience and, for someone who reads and writes quite a few reviews, that's quite an unusual situation to be in. But it was actually quite a nice feeling.
A British Airways “Enhancement” I Managed To Miss?
A few weeks back I was flying out of London Heathrow's Terminal 5, in Economy Class, and I encountered an 'enhancement" from British Airways that I hadn't come across before. Not only was this enhancement new to me but it also appears to contravene published OneWorld tier status benefits.
Japan Airlines (JAL) To Upgrade Cabins On 777-200 Aircraft
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British Airways New Short-Haul Fares Now In Effect – Good Or Bad News?
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Review: British Airways Euro Traveller A319 (MXP-LHR)
For my last flight on my 8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days trip I flew from Milan's Malpensa airport to London on a British Airways Airbus A319 aircraft in their Euro Traveller (Economy Class) cabin. I was still reasonably tired after my overnight flight from JFK to Milan on an American Airlines 767 (although I would have considerably more tired had I not been in Business Class!) and I hadn't found the Sala Montale Lounge at Milan Malpensa particularly comfortable. I was looking forward to my own bed!
Singapore Airlines To Introduce New Premium Cabins – Some With Fewer Seats
Singapore airlines has long been associated with some of the best premium cabins in the sky. They seem to be able to offer the service that you often see on the Middle Eastern carriers without the ostentatious decor, over-the-top furnishings or questionable workplace practices. And now those premium cabins are about to get a new look.
Review: American Airlines Business Class A321 (LAX-JFK)
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Review: American Airlines Business Class 787 Dreamliner
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Review: British Airways Economy Class A320 (LHR-CPH)
After having a little bit to eat and getting some work done in the British Airways Galleries First lounge it was time for my first flight of the eight that I would be taking in the next five days. This was my "positioning flight" to Copenhagen which would allow me to catch my flight to Los Angeles the following day.
American Airlines & LATAM Announce Plans For a Join Business Agreement
American Airlines has announced that it will be seeking regulatory approval to enter into a Joint Business agreement with the South American airline group LATAM. The airlines also intend to file for antitrust immunity from the US DOT and the "appropriate authorities in South America"
Qatar Airways CEO Thinks 10-Across Seating Is Comfortable
Qatar Airways CEO, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, is one of the best known CEOs in the airline world and he likes to ruffle feathers. He also likes the sound of his own voice. The upside to this is that Akbar Al Baker is one of the more entertaining airline CEOs to listen to while the downside is that can come up with a good deal of nonsense too.
When Things Go Very, Very Right
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8 Flights, 7 Lounges & 3 Hotels In 5 Days – Introduction
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American Airlines Still Won’t Tell Us When Mileage Earning Will Change
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Joanna’s British Airways Flight To NYC
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Review: Etihad Business Class 777-300 (AUH-LHR)
After a relaxing time in the Etihad Premium Lounge it was time to try out my second Etihad Business Class product of the trip - this time on their Boeing 777-300ER aircraft.
I arrived at the gate after boarding had already commenced but there was no line for priority boarding so I was soon on the jet bridge looking at the aircraft that I was about to board.
SWISS New First & Business Class Cabins – Boeing 777-300ER
Staring in January 2016 SWISS will take delivery of the first of nine Boeing 777-300ER aircraft with a "state-of-the-art cabin product in all seating classes". That's a big claim to make although, if SWISS' present cabin products are anything to go by, they may well be telling the truth.
Review: Etihad Business Class A380 (LHR-AUH) – Part 2
In part one of my review of the Etihad Business Class A380 product (posted yesterday) I concentrated on the Etihad A380 cabin and the Etihad Business Class "Business Studio" seats while, in today's post, I'll take a look at the rest of the onboard product including the entertainment, the connectivity, the food and the service provided.
Review: Etihad Business Class A380 (LHR-AUH) – Part 1
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Booking Premium Award Travel From Europe Instead Of The UK
In this post I’m going to walk you through my search for an ultra-premium cabin award and I’ll show you the steps I go though when trying to spend as little cash as possible on an award ticket.
Star Alliance Introduces Connecting Partners
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American Airlines Introduces Premium Economy Cabin For Long Haul Fleet
A little under two weeks ago I posted a blog that suggested American Airlines was considering introducing Premium Economy cabins to its fleet. These weren't going to be token Premium Economy cabins like Main Cabin Extra is right now but, instead, would be full-blown Premium Economy cabins like we find on British Airways, Singapore Airlines and others.
American Airlines Considering Premium Economy Cabins
Australian Business Traveler (ABT) has reported that American Airlines is considering introducing Premium Economy cabins into its fleet. According to ABT, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker confirmed that Premium Economy cabins were on the agenda - what are the chances of this actually happening and what are the implications for top-tier elites?
Air New Zealand Mashup Video Pokes Fun At American Airlines & Qantas CEOs
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A British Airways crew shows how to handle an idiot
Everyone was in their seats on BA662, the aircraft had pulled away from the gate and we were taxiing towards the runway (we may have even been on the taxiway parallel to the runway at this point)......
American Airlines AAdvantage Changes – Effect on Redeemable Miles
A couple of days ago I published a post discussing how the recently announced changes to the AAdvantage Program would affect award redemptions by European based AAdvantage members (American Airlines AAdvantage Award Chart Devaluations – Euro Travelers’ Viewpoint) and it wasn't pretty. In this post I'm going to show how the changes to how we earn redeemable miles, being introduced from late 2016, makes everything doubly bad. Yep, I'm full of good news this week!
Review: British Airways Economy Class 767 (LHR-LCA)
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Review: American Airlines First Class 737-800 (MIA-LGA)
Boarding started around 15 minutes late, but the doors were closed by 2:11 (just 4 minutes after our scheduled departure time) and we pushed back at 2:15 - not too bad.
There were no major issues during the boarding process. The gate agents were good at making sure that passengers boarded only when it was their turn but they were as lax as usual when it came to ensuring that passengers weren't bringing on ridiculous sized "hand baggage". I saw some truly colossal cases brought onboard.
VIDEO: Finnair Airbus A350 XWB Landing At Heathrow
Back on 15 October I took a quick day-trip to Helsinki to try out the latest Finnair aircraft - an Airbus A350XWB - which was still flying "crew orientation" flights around Europe. The Finnair Airbus A350XWB is fitted with two exterior cameras - one on the underside of the aircraft and one on/around the tail - and the cool thing is that you can watch the feeds from these cameras on the personal TV screen at your seat. This is a video of what I could see on my TV screen as we came in to land at London Heathrow Airport - I haven't edited the sound or picture in any way so the noise and the shake are very real! :)
Review: American Airlines 737 Economy Class (MIA-AUA)
Boarding started very promptly 45 minutes before the scheduled departure time. Luckily, due to the overcrowding in the Amex Centurion lounge, we had headed to the gate earlier than we normally would have and we got to the gate just in time for Priority Boarding.
Kudos to the American Airlines Gate agents who were not shy in turning back people with "Group 3" printed in a big, bold, font on the boarding passes while First Class and Executive Platinums boarded.
Review: American Airlines Economy Class 777-200 (LHR-MIA)
If you've read the introduction to this trip report you'll know that we booked our flights to Aruba with cash and in the Economy Class cabin in the hopes that my Systemwide Upgrades would see us flying in Business Class. Having booked the flights in January (a full 9 months before departure) I felt reasonably confident that the upgrades would come through. They didn't.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 2
In Part 1 of this review I took a look a the pre-boarding/boarding experience with Finnair and the cabins & seats on the Airbus A350XWB. In this part of the review I'll take look at the rest of the offering onboard from the entertainment and WiFi to the food and service offered.
Review: Finnair Business Class A350 XWB (HEL-LHR) – Part 1
This was the big event and the whole point of my lightning trip to Helsinki. The Finnair A350XWB wasn't anywhere to be seen when I landed at Helsinki Airport and there was good reason for that....it was en route from Munich on another of its "crew familiarisation" trips.
Review: Finnair Economy Class A320 (LHR-HEL)
I’m starting to find myself flying on Finnair a lot more nowadays. They’re a member of the OneWorld Alliance which means that I can credit my flights on Finnair to my American Airlines AAdvantage account. That, in turn, means that I earn AAdvantage miles as well as miles towards American Airlines status which I value quite highly.
The Best Michael O’Leary Quotes
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Review: British Airways Club Europe A320 (LHR-HEL)
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[VIDEO] Taking Off From London Heathrow On A Beautiful Sunny Day
I've never been one for videoing too many things (I'm pretty terrible at it) but a beautiful sunny day with no low clouds was...
Cathay Pacific Reiterates Wish For A Revenue-Based Loyalty Program
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[VIDEO] London From The Air & Landing At Heathrow
I've lost count the number of times I've flown on this exact flight path and seen this view of London from the air (when...