2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 31 May, 2026
Greetings from Canada! I’m here crossing the continent over the next few weeks. It’s my first time in this part of North America. I flew with Qantas to Vancouver, stayed overnight at the airport before meeting up with my husband, and then proceeded to our next Canadian destination. What happened...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Expands points redemptions on Philippine Airlines
Qantas Frequent Flyers can now use points to book Classic Reward seats across the full Philippine Airlines (PAL) network, opening up 15 new island and regional destinations via Manila. Qantas Points can now take you beyond Manila to places like Boracay, Cebu and Palawan with their suspiciously perfect beaches and...
2PAXfly
JETSTAR: Consumer protections threaten airline’s existence
In an article in the SMH, Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully warns that the proposed new aviation consumer protections could “undermine Jetstar’s existence”. Quite a phrase from a low-cost airline owned by the Qantas Group. The comments were made to a Senate committee examining the federal government’s planned Aviation Consumer...
Wild About Travel
Drfat Perth
OverviewWhen you hear the name “Perth,” it’s worth noting that there are actually three places that share the name: Perth in Scotland, Perth in Tasmania, and the vibrant capital of Western Australia, which I’m reviewing here. Perth, WA, is known for its vast open spaces, stunning coastlines, and year-round sunshine....
Also on BoardingArea
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
International Flight Attendant Appreciation Day: Cabin Crew Have Been Telling You The Truth All Along
The flight attendants are primarily here for your safety: Any regular traveler has no doubt heard this line many times before, but it’s a comment that can attract exaggerated eye rolls because it is, on occasion, used to justify bad and sometimes even ugly service. But on International Flight Attendant...
View from the Wing
Spirit Airlines Is Gone — So Is The Lawsuit Against Them For Tracking Customer Clicks And Keystrokes
Spirit Airlines may be gone, but one of its remaining lawsuits just died too. Customers claimed Spirit’s website tracked clicks, keystrokes, searches and browsing behavior through session-replay code, but the court said that without a concrete injury or sensitive personal information disclosed, creepy website tracking alone was not enough to...
Monkey Miles
Bilt strikes deal with Mindbody (earn/burn points at 7k fitness studios ) + earn 3x Flying Blue miles on rent payments.
Bilt is continuing to expand it’s footprint into Neighborhood via a very popular fitness booking app, Mindbody. I use Mindbody quite often to book pilates classes ( there are over 7k small business across the country who use Mindbody for booking ). You’ll need to book via the Bilt app...
One Mile at a Time
JFK ATC Sassily Schools Copa 737 Pilot: “I’m No Gonna Yell At You,” But…
I’ve gotta hand it to New York’s most well-known (notorious?) air traffic controller — this is how you can be sassy without being a total jerk. Well, maybe he’s still being a bit of a jerk, but it’s an improvement…
Eye of the Flyer
Delta Loyalty Concerns, Southwest’s New Seats, Norwegian Viva Dining, and a $5 Million Pool Deck Lawsuit – Weekly Recap
A few things worth knowing this week: René lays out exactly why a near-two-million-miler is done with Delta for the foreseeable future, we got a first-hand look at Southwest’s new Extra Legroom seats (spoiler: better than Delta Comfort+), René ran through specialty dining on the Norwegian Viva, a big business...
View from the Wing
The Burger King Crown Returns To A Plane — And This Time The Tables Have Turned
Years after the “Racist Burger King” passenger made the airplane crown infamous, the crown has returned to a plane with a very different energy. This time, a Black passenger sits calmly in the window seat wearing a similar gold crown — subverting the meme and taking back the symbol.
One Mile at a Time
Hawaiian Airlines Cuts Free Meals In Economy, Frames It As A Positive
It’s the end of an era when it comes to dining in economy on domestic flights in the United States. That’s sort of sad, but also logical…
Live and Let’s Fly
ETIAS Is Coming But You Probably Won’t Need It Yet
Europe’s ETIAS authorization arrives in late 2026 with a €20 fee. Here is what it requires, and why your fall trip is probably not affected. ETIAS Headlines Have Travelers Worried This week there has been plenty of coverage warning that Americans will soon need a “visa” to visit Europe. It...
View from the Wing
United Flight To Spain Turns Back To Newark After Teen’s Bluetooth Speaker Named ‘BOMB’
United Flight 236 was headed from Newark to Spain when passengers were repeatedly ordered to turn off Bluetooth — then the 767 turned back after a teen’s speaker reportedly showed up as “BOMB.” The flight landed back in New Jersey under a security response, passengers were deplaned and re-screened, and...
Live from a Lounge
8 great miles and points buying opportunities available as of May 31, 2026
Here are some amazing opportunities for you to buy miles and points and plan your next vacation at literally 40-50% of the usual prices!
Points With a Crew
Get An Easy $50 From Rakuten
If you don't have a Rakuten account, sign up and get an easy $50 by signing up and spending at least $50 (including on gift cards to many retailers!) in the first 90 days.
Frequent Miler
Last Chance Deals: 3 transfer bonuses, Aeroplan awards at current pricing, travel Amex Offers & more
Welcome to our weekly list of what’s ending this week as well as a collection of some other deals that are due to end soon. Sunday marks the end of the month which means there are lots of deals ending this week. That includes three transfer bonuses to Southwest, TAP Air...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
What Is Wrong With This Photograph? Part 355
Nova Scotia Trunk 4 is a provincial highway that stretches almost 415 kilometers or 258 miles across the northeastern half of the province and was originally called the King’s Highway. During one mild cloudy day, I pulled the vehicle over near Wentworth Valley and stopped to photograph one part of...
woman shares air bnb issue with her home (l) Air bnb app (r)
BoardingArea
Woman Peeks Outside Her House And Sees Woman With Suitcases On Her Driveway, Realizes Someone Rented Her Home On Airbnb: ‘It Wasn’t Me’
“It is pictures of my house fully furnished.”
Frequent Miler
9 Tips for remote working while traveling (A Carrie commentary)
The Coffee Break podcast last week, where Greg and Nick talked about the trials and tribulations of podcasting from the road, reminded me of some of the big pain points I experienced in my nomad years, especially as I attempted to work from the road. I wasn’t podcasting at that...
Economy Class & Beyond
Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (30th May)
It’s the end of a scorcher of a week in the United Kingdom, and as the weather cools off a little, it’s time to sit in front of a fan, moan about the lack of air conditioning and look at some links in Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond....
Your Mileage May Vary
Cruise Line Left Family Of 9 Behind After Cruise-Sponsored Excursion
One of the biggest selling points of cruise-line-sponsored excursions is peace of mind. Pay a little extra, and if something goes wrong getting back to the ship, you’re supposedly protected.…
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 31 May, 2026
Greetings from Canada! I’m here crossing the continent over the next few weeks. It’s my first time in this part of North America. I flew with Qantas to Vancouver, stayed overnight at the airport before meeting up with my husband, and then proceeded to our next Canadian destination. What happened...
The Bulkhead Seat
2026 Weekly Review: May 30th
Greetings from Tampa! I spent this past week in Toronto and Cincinnati. It’s good…
View from the Wing
Man Drove To Detroit Airport To Meet Tom Cruise — Then Crashed His Cadillac Into Terminal
A 67-year-old man reportedly drove to Detroit Metro Airport saying he was there to meet Tom Cruise and save his dad — then crashed his black Cadillac SUV through the Evans Terminal doors. Police say he appeared disoriented, no weapons were found, and no one was seriously hurt, but this...
The Bulkhead Seat
Alaska Airlines Unveils Toy Story 5 Aircraft Livery Ahead of 45th Anniversary
Alaska Airlines has a brand-new Disney and Pixar-themed aircraft to celebrate the upcoming release…
One Mile at a Time
Weekly Review: May 30, 2026
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far, and that summer (well, at least post-Memorial Day) travels are going smoothly! I have a little over a week left at home, before we embark on a long time trip to Europe with the entire family. On the points &...
Points With a Crew
Kickstarter: MUITAVY Gen2 300W Charging Hub (Back By Sunday)
The MUITAVY Gen2 300W charging hub lets you charge 7 devices at once, and provides 3-zone smart distribution. It's on Kickstarter, but only for a few more ...
View from the Wing
Spirit Airlines Lost $327 Million In Its Final Full Month — A $500 Million Bailout Wouldn’t Have Saved It
Spirit Airlines’ final bankruptcy filing makes the blame game look beside the point: in its last full month, the airline lost $327 million and had just $72 million left in unrestricted cash. Even the proposed $500 million taxpayer bailout would not have saved it for long, because Spirit had not...
2PAXfly
STARLUX: Taiwan’s ‘luxury’ airline to fly to Sydney and Auckland
Sydney looks set to gain a new Taiwanese contender in 2027, with STARLUX, the Taiwan-based airline, having confirmed (ET) plans to launch direct flights between Taipei and Sydney, with Auckland added as a trans-Tasman tag flight. That means Australians could soon have another way to reach Taiwan, North Asia, North...
2PAXfly
QATAR & ETIHAD: A380s retreat from Australia as the superjumbo shuffle continues
Qatar Airways is cutting back planned A380 service to Australia and China, with the superjumbo now concentrated on a much smaller number of routes as the airline rebuilds its network after disruption in the Middle East. AeroRoutes schedule filings show Qatar’s regular A380 operations from 16 June to 15 September...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise slips again due to ‘supply chain’ delay, now aiming for April 2027
The first Airbus A350-1000ULR for Project Sunrise, the aircraft Qantas is banking on to finally make non-stop Sydney and Melbourne flights to London and New York a commercial reality, will now join the fleet in April 2027 according to reports in the SMH. That is later than previously announced, when...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 24 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. Back at home for a week or so before I head out on my next trip. Later this week, I’m heading eastward to the Americas. Precise location and cities to visit will be revealed as the trip progresses. These will all be totally new destinations for me,...
2PAXfly
WEBJET: Travel agent squeezed as Virgin Australia cuts commissions
Webjet is warning investors that trading conditions remain “fluid and challenging” after Virgin Australia cut the commissions it pays the online travel agent, according to an article in the SMH. For travellers, that could mean fewer sharp Webjet airfare deals on Virgin flights. For Webjet, it is another revenue hit...
2PAXfly
UNITED STATES: Trump administration floats airport squeeze on ‘sanctuary cities’
I have refrained largely from reporting on USA affairs. That’s partly because I don’t want to besmirch my reputation if I decide to travel to the USA again. However, there are just some things that need to be reported in the interests of Australians travelling to the USA. The Trump...
Wild About Travel
Dubrovnik. Dragons, Demons,
Dubrovnik looks almost unreal at first glance. Terracotta roofs stacked above polished limestone streets, all wrapped in thick medieval walls with the Adriatic on three sides. It is indeed a real‑world city. It became King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. Many key scenes were filmed in and around its medieval...
Wild About Travel
Berlin: Cities I Love #2
I have been coming to Berlin since the Wall fell. I have watched it change beyond recognition and yet remain, stubbornly, itself. It is a city that has survived everything history has thrown at it, and it wears that history openly, without flinching. There is nowhere else like it. 01...