2PAXfly
QANTAS: Ex CEO Alan Joyce boards his reputational rescue flight with ‘Riding the Jet Stream’
Former Qantas chief executive Alan Joyce has published Alan Joyce: Riding the Jet Stream. It’s a 464-page attempt to explain how he became one of Australia’s most successful corporate leaders. And, by the end, one of its least popular. Published by Hardie Grant today (28 July 2026), the memoir follows...
2PAXfly
QATAR AIRWAYS: takes Qsuites to Auckland, New Zealand, via Melbourne and Brisbane. New way to cross the Tasman
Qatar Airways is preparing to reshuffle its Auckland service through Australia, ending the fifth-freedom flights via Adelaide and creating two new daily trans-Tasman options, but not at the same time. The via Adelaide flights to Auckland will cease on 16 September 2026. From December 2026, the airline will extend its...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 26 July, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from Sydney! I’ve had a very comforting week at home. The first few instalments of the Oh Canada! Trip reports have started dropping, including my experience checking in at the Qantas First Counter in Sydney and my flight on a Dreamliner to Vancouver. What happened last week? Qantas has...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise A350 reaches Melbourne Australia after 19-hour test flight
Qantas’ Project Sunrise aircraft has touched Australian soil for the first time, completing a marathon non-stop test flight from Toulouse to Melbourne. The specially modified Airbus A350-1000ULR landed at Melbourne Airport at about 10.46am on Friday, 24 July, after spending 19 hours and 13 minutes in the air. The aircraft...
Also on BoardingArea
Points With a Crew
Which Hilton credit card is the best? (Higher Welcome Offers End Wednesday)
There are 4 different Hilton credit cards - each with their own set of perks and benefits. Let's take a look at the pros and cons and decide which Hilton card is best
The Gate with Brian Cohen
United States Passport Will Only Be Available With 38 Pages in 2028
The United States passport will only be available with 36 pages in 2028 instead of the two passport book sizes that are currently issued by the State Department of the United States: one is 26 pages; and the other is 50 pages. The shift of the passport book to only contain...
Frequent Miler
Philippine Airlines flights now bookable with Alaska Atmos Rewards: Book biz class from 75K points
Just over a year ago, Alaska Airlines and Philippines Airlines launched a partnership. Up until now, that partnership was somewhat limited as it wasn’t possible to redeem Atmos Rewards points to book award flights on Philippine Airlines. That’s changed as of today. You can now redeem Atmos Rewards points to...
View from the Wing
American Airlines Halted Nationwide By IT Outage — Flights Missed Their Chance To Take Off Between Northeast Storms
American Airlines briefly halted departures nationwide after a systemwide IT outage took down key operational systems, triggering an FAA ground stop for American and its subsidiaries. The systems came back, but for some flights the damage was done: the outage caused them to miss narrow departure windows between severe weather...
Frequent Miler
American Express Platinum Card® vs. Robinhood Platinum | Coffee Break Ep116 | 7-28-26
The Robinhood Platinum card now live for invited members, so in today’s episode, we’ll see how it compares with another Platinum card, the American Express Platinum Card®. American Express Platinum Card® vs. Robinhood Platinum Watch the full episode below, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. You can click the...
The Bulkhead Seat
Hyatt Regency to Debut in Armenia with New Dilijan Resort
Hyatt has announced plans to bring its Hyatt Regency brand to Armenia for the…
Your Mileage May Vary
Airlines Warn That Making Daylight Saving Time Permanent Could Disrupt Air Travel
If you had the chance to stop changing your clocks twice a year, would you take it? A majority of Americans say yes. In fact, lawmakers are once again considering…
Frequent Miler
Buy Hilton points for 0.53 cents each
Hilton has returned with a new sale, although this latest one has a lower bonus than usual. Rather than the more common 100% bonus that results in a sale price of 0.5 cents per point, this latest sale is offering members a 90% bonus when purchasing Hilton Honors points. That...
Miles To Memories
Is Premium Economy Actually Fine? Plus Bilt Responds, Hilton Overcharges & Mark Influences Again!
Bilt responds to Mark's criticism, an issue with Hilton overcharging, the need for more consumer protections, transfer bonuses ending and how Mark finally "influenced" Shawn.
One Mile at a Time
My Delightful Saudia 787 Business Class Flight: What Happened To The Airline?!?
Hello from Saudi Arabia, as I just flew Saudias Boeing 787-10 business class on the 5hr20min flight from Amsterdam (AMS) to Jeddah (JED), as I continue my review trip.
View from the Wing
Amex Points Can Now Book Ritz Paris And 425 Luxury Hotels — Here’s When The New Transfer Partner Is Worth It
American Express Membership Rewards now transfers 4:1 to Leading Hotels of the World, unlocking Ritz Paris and hundreds of independent luxury hotels at roughly 2 cents per point—if you avoid the program’s traps.
Miles To Memories
Save Up To 10% at On Your Next Marriott Stay With New Chase Offer
You could snag up to 10% off your next hotel stay with this new Marriott Bonvoy Chase Offer that works for tons of hotel brands.
Points With a Crew
Kickstarter: ZERA Mini Cooling Fan
The ZERA Mini is billed as the world's first truly "card-sized" fan - about the size of a credit card. It's on Kickstarter right now, but only for a few more ...
Your Mileage May Vary
These Cards All Offer Primary Rental Car Coverage—But That Doesn’t Mean They’re Equal
We rent cars often enough that primary rental-car coverage is one credit card benefit I pay attention to. I hope I never need to use it, but when I’m declining…
Frequent Miler
IHG promo: Earn 10K bonus points for every 2 nights spent at its Ruby Hotels brand
If you’ve been interested in checking out IHG’s (somewhat) recently acquired brand Ruby Hotels, now could be a great time to do that. That’s because there’s a new promotion that’s awarding 10,000 bonus points for every two nights you spend at Ruby Hotels properties through early November. The Deal Earn...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
$50 New Member Referral Bonus With Rakuten
This is your chance to cash in on a $50 new member referral bonus when you sign up as a new member of Rakuten; and you will receive a bonus of $50.00 via referral when you spend a minimum of $50.00 within the first 90 days of your new membership,...
View from the Wing
Atlanta Airport Police Stopped Passengers For Drugs — Took Money Instead, Settled Lawsuit
Comedians Eric André and Clayton English have settled their lawsuit over Clayton County officers stopping passengers on Atlanta airport jet bridges, taking their IDs and boarding passes, questioning them about drugs, and searching bags. During an eight-month period, officers made 402 stops, found only tiny amounts of drugs, charged two...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Cathay: Receive 10% bonus Asia Miles on credit card and hotel transfers – Canada & U.S. (July 28 Bonus Offer Highlight)
Today’s bonus offer highlight is the next transfer bonus from Cathay Pacific who are offering members in Canada and the U.S. a 10% bonus on conversions from credit card and hotel partners. Check out all of the new bonuses added today:
Your Mileage May Vary
He Tried To Outsmart U.S. Customs. It Ended Very, Very Badly.
We already told you about the passenger who made, shall we say, some questionable life choices while going through U.S. Customs. She was talking on her phone, a Customs and…
Miles To Memories
Wells Fargo and US Bank Cardholders: Get 10% Cash Back at Best Buy
Select Wells Fargo and US Bank cardholders have an offer for 10% cash back at Best Buy when using an eligible card.
Points Miles and Bling
Aeroplan Redemption Days: Save Up to 15,000 Points on Travel
Between now and August 3, 2026, Aeroplan is offering discounts on many non-flight redemptions through a new promotion called Aeroplan…
Travel Points Playbook
Win 50k Atmos Points: San Diego Zoo Alaska Airlines Sweepstakes
I’ll have more content coming out soon from my trip to San Diego last week; I’m planning a…
Frequent Miler
Get waived purchase fees at MastercardGiftCard.com, VanillaGift.com, & AmexGiftCard.com
MastercardGiftCard.com, VanillaGift.com, and AmexGiftCard.com are all offering waived purchase fees at the moment when buying their respective cards. The Deals Get waived purchase fees when buying cards from the following sites: Mastercard gift cards from MastercardGiftCard.com when using promo code BTS26 Direct link to offer Vanilla Visa gift cards from...
Travel Codex
Seabourn Expeditions: South America & Antarctica Sale from $7,000!
When people ask me which Antarctica cruise line offers the best combination of luxury, service, and expedition experience, Seabourn is always near the top of the list. The challenge has typically been the price. Seabourn’s purpose-built expedition ships deliver an exceptional onboard experience, but fares have often placed them firmly...
Wild About Travel
Fargo: Wide, Weird, and Way Better Than You Think
I came expecting a dull, drive-through prairie city. I was wrong. Most visitors know “Fargo” from the 1996 movie and TV series about crime and weirdness. I also need to add that I watched a second, much less well-known 2014 movie, Kumiko, the Treasure Hunter, very loosely based on a...
2PAXfly
ALTURA AIRLINES: Majority Indigenous-owned carrier launches from Perth
Australia has another airline name in its skies. You won’t find Altura Airlines appearing beside Qantas or Virgin Australia when searching for your next Perth flight. The new majority Indigenous-owned carrier commenced operations from Perth on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. Its initial focus is charter flying for mining, energy, infrastructure...
2PAXfly
TRIP REVIEW: Qantas B787-9 Dreamliner, QF75 Sydney to Vancouver in Business Class. Oh Canada!
This is the next post in my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’ve covered the reason for this trip in the introductory post, as well as my check-in experience and the Qantas First Lounge pre-boarding experience. Now its time for the actual flight. This is my first time (I think) on...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: A better headrest may be as good as Economy seat innovation gets
Emirates has unveiled a new Economy Class headrest designed to stop passengers’ heads rolling sideways while they attempt the unlikely feat of sleeping upright. Called the U-Dream, the adjustable headrest folds around the passenger’s head and neck, rather like a built-in travel pillow. It may prove genuinely useful. It also...
2PAXfly
WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT: First international passenger flights 100 days away
Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will welcome its first overseas passenger flight on Monday, 26 October 2026, when an Air New Zealand Airbus arrives from Auckland. The same aircraft will then operate the first scheduled international passenger departure from the new airport, returning across the Tasman later that morning. Western...
Wild About Travel
Why Working From Cafés Around the World Reveals So Much About Culture
I just spent two hours in a café in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, and ended up observing how differently cafés work here compared to other places. People were happily shouting to each other across the room, kids running and dancing and playing games or videos on their phones. One group took...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 19 July, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from Adelaide! I’m here visiting family and friends. It’s the second of two short domestic trips this week. The previous one was to Canberra to view the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia, where I also sampled the Virgin Australia Lounge. What happened last...
2PAXfly
CATHAY PACIFIC: Adelaide to Hong Kong flights return for summer
Cathay Pacific will return to Adelaide for another Southern Hemisphere summer season, this time offering up to five weekly non-stop flights to Hong Kong during the busiest holiday months. The service will operate from 10 November 2026 until 27 March 2027. There will be three flights each week during November...