Imagine you step onboard a Delta flight and smell something horrible. Really horrible. You assume it is coming from the lavatory or perhaps elsewhere on the plane. You’re seated in first class and find your seat. As you settle...
Elite Status Is About More Than Upgrades
As the year closes, some elite travelers book unnecessary trips or hotel nights to maintain or “level up” their status. Some argue that status is just priority boarding and upgrades that don’t clear, causing irrational expenditure. But elite status...
Delta Flight Attendants Dismiss Credentials Of Black Female Doctor
A black female doctor who teaches at Harvard was dismissed by two Delta flight attendants, who insinuated that her license was fake. While tending to an ill passenger onboard a Delta Connection flight from New York LaGuardia to Charlotte,...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 26, 2018
It was an unseasonably cool week in LA and we are expecting more of the same in the week ahead. That has made being home all the more sweeter. I plan to be home again this week, but my...
How Delta SkyMiles Could Instantly Become A Leading Loyalty Program
Two words: first class. You can now book China Eastern First Class awards using your Delta miles. The value is not great, but it is fair…especially compared to how much Delta asks for some of its own flights. This...
Introduction: A SkyTeam Adventure in the Middle East
I’m closing in on my goal to try every member airline of the three of major alliances. My last trip focused on SkyTeam, with an opportunity to fly three new carriers: Aeromexico, Air France, and Middle East Airlines. Both...
Delta Compensates Me For Lounge Denial
Delta has compensated me for the embarrassing lounge access snafu at LAX earlier this month. In case you missed it, Delta denied me entrance to the Terminal 2 Sky Club at LAX even though I was traveling on a...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 19, 2018
Greetings from LA. After a busy weak of travel last week, it was nice to be home this week. I’m not planning on going anywhere in the coming week either. Here’s a review of the week’s top stories plus...
SkyTeam Sends Me A Note On Delta Lounge Incident
Yesterday I wrote about Delta’s response to my lounge denial incident at LAX. Now SkyTeam has weighed in. I received an email from Michael Schutzbank, Director of Customer Loyalty at SkyTeam. His email stated: Matthew, On behalf of SkyTeam...
UPDATE: Official Delta Response To Lounge Denial Incident
Last week, Delta agents denied me access to the LAX Sky Club in Terminal 2, even though I was traveling on an international business class ticket. Now Delta has officially weighed in on the issue. The day after the...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: August 12, 2018
I’m back in Las Vegas, anxious to get home to my family, after a whirlwind trip over the last several days to Mexico City, Paris, Dubai, Beirut, Frankfurt, and Washington, DC. All in a day’s work… Tomorrow, look for...
The BEST Airport Lounge Breakfast I’ve Ever Had…
I am careful to throw around the “best” adjective, but I cannot think of a better lounge breakfast than I had at the Delta Sky Club at LAX earlier this week. If you know me, you know I love...
Delta Denies Me Sky Club Access On International Business Class Ticket
Maybe I’m missing the obvious, but I don’t think Delta should have denied me access to the Sky Club in Terminal 2 at LAX earlier this week. I was flying Aeromexico Business Class from Los Angeles to Mexico City...
China Rejects Compromise On Taiwan By U.S. Airlines
China has rejected an attempt at compromise over the thorny Taiwan issue by the three U.S. legacy carriers. Earlier this week, I wrote that U.S. airlines agreed to Chinese demands that Taiwan not be listed as an independent nation...
Booking Aeroflot Award Space With SkyTeam Partners Proves Difficult
After a superb trip nearly a decade ago, Aeroflot Russian Airlines is a carrier I planned to fly this year. But booking award space has proved extremely difficult. I was hoping to get to Russia next month, but am...
Southwest Challenges American, Delta and United at Hollywood Burbank Airport
As the economy continues to grow and air travel picks up, one of LA’s smaller airports is witnessing a renaissance. While many carriers are adding capacity at Hollywood Burbank Airport, one airline is adding capacity to a tactical assortment...
Justice: Delta Passenger Forced To Pay Up For Flight Diversion
We read about flight diversions fairly regularly, but it is not often we read about who settles the bill. Diverting a plane cost moneys. There are fuel costs, landing fees, labor costs, not to mention passenger rebooking. A diversion...
Flight Attendant Throws Off Four Passengers For Giving Her “Attitude”
A SkyWest (Delta Connection) flight attendant kicked off four passengers, including a child, for giving her “attitude” when she confronted a passenger for failing to place her mobile phone in airplane mode. Now that passenger is claiming the move...
U.S. Airlines Brashly Defy China: Consequences Coming?
The Chinese government is insisting that U.S. airlines stop treating Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau as separate nations on their websites and other booking channels. Thus far, U.S. airlines have steadfastly refused. But what will happen when Beijing tightens...
$500 Fine Dropped Against Delta Passenger Who Carried Apple Into USA
A $500 fine has been dropped against a traveler who attempted to bring in an apple to the USA she was given as part of a Delta pre-arrival snack. As I wrote about in April, Crystal Tadlock was on a Delta...