The most obvious statement of the century is that having kids changes everything.  Yes, everything.  That doesn’t mean everything changes for the worse, but it all changes.  Naturally, this includes, but is not limited to the world of travel. I remember when my daughter... Read more

This is Part 1 of the Defeating the Fuel Surcharge series.  Other posts include: What is a Fuel Surcharge? How to Find a Fuel Surcharge using the ITA Matrix Which Airlines Charge Fuel Surcharges and Which Don’t My Frequent Flyer Mile Earning Strategy to Avoid Fuel... Read more

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It’s been speculated in the press (and reported by me here) – and finally it’s come to pass that FlyBe has sold its entire slot portfolio at Gatwick Airport Flybe allocation of 25 slots at Gatwick is being sold to EasyJet for £20million. Services by FlyBe will... Read more

Something called me to Death Valley last week.  An irrational idea came to me that I could pass through Death Valley unaffected by the desolation and mid-May heat. But it didn’t turn out that way. California Highway 190 and 30 miles to Furnace Creek, Death Valley. A... Read more

While most of the information will be old hat to some, Scott McCartney does a good job in today’s Middle Seat column from The Wall Street Journal when describing strategies by airlines and passengers alike to reduce the stress of summer travel this year. Some things, like... Read more

Last Fall, American Express released an innovative new prepaid reloadable product called Bluebird (see “Bluebird takes flight and changes the game“).  While Bluebird was loaded with features, it wasn’t the features that made it innovative.  It was the... Read more

April showers bring May…thundershowers?  Bad weather today in the midwest and east coast has led to some significant delays with a domino effect on many other airports. Given my habit of booking evening flights, that means I’m stuck with compounded delays, something... Read more

Up until 2001, employees of the US federal government were not allowed to accrue frequent flyer miles from official travel and apply them towards personal trips. They were supposed to earn miles and use them to offset the cost of government travel. This didn’t really... Read more

There was a story at Flyertalk some weeks ago about some new service changes in Lufthansa First Class. The ones I noticed during my recent trip were as follows: Different sort of pillow: New butter knife design: New Salt and Pepper: New Napkin Rings (oooh!) New Cutlery Starters... Read more

Introduction Aloft San Francisco Airport Cathay Pacific Lounge San Francisco Cathay Pacific First Class San Francisco to Hong Kong Cathay Pacific First Class Hong Kong to Singapore St. Regis Singapore Singapore Airlines Silver Kris Lounge Singapore SilkAir Business Class... Read more

Many people know that Delta members cannot book one-way awards with SkyMiles unless they want to pay the full round-trip price. But what many don’t know is that you can book Delta one-way awards at reduced mileage. It is possible. The trick is it takes a few steps to complete,... Read more

I have spent much of May in China alternating between marathon sessions in boardrooms and entertaining. Between the Chinese ‘Great Firewall’ and my company’s own increasing firewall, I can only get to my blog and email in the few minutes between midnight and 6... Read more

I know I listed this as a recap of the week of May 13, but it actually started before then since I spent a weekend at my destination.  Note, I don’t do this regularly and I always make sure the airfare is cheaper to do this and don’t expense anything before I would have... Read more

The only thing I love more than taking a cruise is taking two cruises! Known as a back to back (or B2B), taking two cruises in a row on the same ship is an ideal way to really unwind, and make the most of your time on board. Admittedly, I can’t frequently take two week... Read more

Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook and Twitter! No significant news today, so here is a very good post from Gary about when airlines load their award seats. I found this tumblr site hilarious, thanks to Food, Wine, and Miles‘ post on FT. This is my favourite so... Read more

In article published this morning in Bloomberg, American Chief Commercial Officer Virasb Vahidi, discusses the major modification plans for the new A321 jets entering the American fleet this coming November. The jets will replace the current B767-200 equipment on the JFK-LAX... Read more

Members of AAdvantage can earn 250 AAdvantage miles for a minimum donation of $50 or 500 AAdvantage miles for a minimum donation of $100. The donation is for the American Red Cross Disaster Relief. The bonus can be earned only one time through June 30, 2013. Here is the link to... Read more