In a year in which two Malaysian Airlines aircraft have tragically been lost, another airliner has sadly lost contact with air traffic control this evening. The AirAsia Indonesia A320 was (hopefully is) carrying 155 passengers and seven crew members. An...
I’ll Be Home For Christmas!
Happy Christmas to all and may I just say that it is great to be home in Los Angeles! After a marathon visa process, including an unexpected month in South Africa, the visa finally arrived and Heidi and I...
Woman Spends Weekend in Jail for Changing Seats on United
When I was thrown off a United Airlines flight for taking a picture of my seat, many were quick to attack — blaming me for being over-entitled and concluding that I was wrong to even question the FA’s confusion...
United Airlines Fantasy Flights 2014 (Video)
I first wrote about United’s Fantasy Flights five years ago and I am thankful that this wonderful Christmas tradition has not been one of the cutbacks of the post-merger United. In fact, the program has expanded to 12 airports...
Personal Thoughts on Travel and a New Era of US-Cuban Relations
It was seven years ago that President George W. Bush announced his Administration was doubling down on its bid to isolate the communist Cuban regime. More travel restrictions and more money restrictions, all with the end goal of bringing...
Mileage Earning Debit Cards Revisited
After lots and lots of emails and comments from a post written over 10 months ago, it seems like it is time for an update. But before we get into that you should sign up for our email...
Air New Zealand to Start Auckland to Buenos Aires Route
For Star Alliance flyers trying to connect between Australia or New Zealand and South America, options are not just limited — there are no flights at all. Connecting via North America or Africa is required, adding hours to an...
New Greeting for AA Phone Reps
This is totally an airline nerd thing, but I spend a chunk of my day each day (sometimes a huge chunk) on the phone with various airlines booking awards. The bulk of my clients are based in North America...
Hyatt Updates 2015 Gold Passport Award Chart
Hyatt has announced its annual update to the Gold Passport award chart and thankfully changes are limited for 2015–here is what you need to know: 70 Hyatt properties are changing categories 22 hotels are moving up a category 48...
Exclusive: SPG Opens an Opulent New Milanese Property
***It’s time you UPGRD your inbox. If you haven’t yet subscribed to the UPGRD Newsletter you could be missing out on giveaways, events, and more. Click here to subscribe and enter a comment below with what you like most...
FTU Dallas Tickets Now on Sale
Tickets to FTU and FTU Advanced in Dallas, from 17-19 April 2015, are now on sale at FTUniversity.com. I will be doing my usual talks on United Airlines, but will also be talking miles and exotic travel at this...
United Airlines Now Processing Lufthansa GPU Upgrades Electronically
United Airlines and Lufthansa were both founding members of the Star Alliance and have maintained a close relationship as both codeshare and joint venture partners over years. United’s top-status 1K flyers receive six GPUs (Global Premier Upgrades) each year...
