2PAXfly
INDONESIA: Bali giveth to Australians, and taketh away from influencers
Bali is preparing to make holidays cheaper for Australians by restoring visa-free entry. At the same time, Indonesian immigration authorities are making life more complicated for influencers, content creators and assorted digital nomads by requiring them to obtain work visas. No longer will they be able to treat a tourist...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Taj hotel discounts for frequent flyers, with future status match
OneWorld executives have been busy. Qantas frequent flyers can now receive discounts at more than 630 Taj and Indian Hotels Company properties, under a new partnership linking the Oneworld airline alliance with the Taj InnerCircle–NeuPass loyalty program. The agreement stretches beyond Taj’s grand palaces and luxury hotels to include everything...
2PAXfly
ONEWORLD: Philippine Airlines is joining, and that’s good news for Australian travellers
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is preparing to join the oneworld alliance, bringing a Southeast Asian carrier into the same airline family as Qantas. The Philippine flag carrier has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become oneworld’s 16th member, following an invitation from the alliance’s governing board. The announcement was made at...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Looking at Superjumbo A380 replacement
Qantas is reportedly considering an order for about 20 additional widebody aircraft, potentially setting up another contest between Airbus and Boeing for a large slice of the airline’s international fleet. According to Reuters aviation correspondent Tim Hepher, Qantas is discussing either additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners or the Airbus A350-900 with...
Also on BoardingArea
View from the Wing
Delta First Class Passenger Finds Vomit In Her Purse, Gets A $50 Voucher And Clorox Wipes
A Delta first class passenger says she woke before landing to find vomit in and on her purse, with her AirPods and belongings damaged. Delta offered a $50 voucher.
Frequent Miler
What’s the single best card for your “player two”? | Ask us Anything Ep87 | 6-3-26
How has SAS Eurobonus award availability been in the months since the Million Mile Madness challenge? What’s the single best card for your “player two”? We answered these questions and more on the Ask Us Anything hosted live on YouTube on June 3rd, 2026. What’s the single best card for...
Travel Codex
Seabourn’s $9,999 Kimberley Deal, Last Chance to See Australia’s Wild Frontier Before it Closes
Luxury expedition cruises love to throw around words like “remote” and “untouched,” but very few places actually deliver outside of the polar regions. The Kimberley is another place that really does delivery. It’s mostly unknown, untouched, and soon will be closing to ships and most tourists. This rugged stretch of...
Your Mileage May Vary
Which U.S. Hotel Brands Still Allow Smoking Rooms?
Most travelers under a certain age have probably never even stayed in a smoking hotel room. But despite decades of smoking bans on airplanes, in restaurants, and in public spaces,…
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Will The Real Mile High Step Please Step Up?
The State Capitol building of Colorado in Denver is famous for its steps — one of which demarcates the distinction of being one mile above sea level, which is one reason why Denver is also known as the Mile High city. Unfortunately, no fewer than three steps have received this...
One Mile at a Time
70 AvGeeks Fly To Seven United Airlines Hubs In One Day, And It Got Messy
Some very passionate aviation geeks had quite the day yesterday, and it probably didn’t go quite as smoothly as they (or the airline) had planned.
View from the Wing
Climate Advisers Want Frequent Flyer Programs Banned—While Real Aviation Emissions Problems Are Ignored
Climate advisers in the U.K. have floated restrictions on frequent flyer rewards as an “easy” way to reduce emissions, and commentators are now using that to explain why British Airways Avios keep getting worse. That gets the story backwards: BA is devaluing because loyalty is profitable, while bigger, fixable aviation...
Economy Class & Beyond
Airplane Art – United Airlnes Boeing 787-9 taking off from London Heathrow Airport
It’s Sunday again, so it must be time for some more Airplane Art. This week, we have United Airlines Boeing 787-9 taking off from the South Runway at London Heathrow Airport as it begins the journey to North America. United Airlines operates a fleet of 53 Boeing 787-9 aircraft in its widebody fleet. The...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Top Airline Chief Blasts Proprosed Changes to European Passenger Compenation Rules, Says They Are ‘Poster Child of Bad Regulation’
Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), a trade body that represents nearly every major international airline, has slammed proposed changes to generous European passenger compensation rules, saying it has become the “poster child of bad regulation.” Speaking at IATA’s annual conference in Brazil, where...
2PAXfly
INDONESIA: Bali giveth to Australians, and taketh away from influencers
Bali is preparing to make holidays cheaper for Australians by restoring visa-free entry. At the same time, Indonesian immigration authorities are making life more complicated for influencers, content creators and assorted digital nomads by requiring them to obtain work visas. No longer will they be able to treat a tourist...
Points With a Crew
Yes, you will fly that airline again (even if you say you won’t)
Listen, when you say you're "NEVER FLYING (fill in the blank) AIRLINE AGAIN", we all know you're lying. You'll still fly them if the schedule and price are ...
Your Mileage May Vary
Wyndham’s Boutique Hotel Brand Is Still Hiding In Plain Sight
Wyndham may be best known for Days Inn, Super 8 and La Quinta, but there’s a small boutique hotel collection inside its world that still feels oddly easy to miss.…
Frequent Miler
Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards, Save $15
Office Depot and OfficeMax stores have returned with their profitable gift card deal on Mastercard gift cards. The Deal Buy $300+ Mastercard gift cards at Office Depot/OfficeMax & get $15 off instantly. Key Terms Valid 6/7/26-6/13/26 Limit 10 per household/business (different stores may try to impose various limits that don’t...
Miles To Memories
Hot & Cold – The Points I’m Accumulating and Ignoring Right Now
I'm always earning loyalty points and miles, but what I pick up inevitably changes. These are my hot and cold rewards currencies today.
Travel Codex
Philippine Airlines Joining oneworld Is Big News for Alaska and American Flyers
Oneworld is growing with plans of Philippine Airlines joining the alliance in 2027.  Southeast Asia already has Oneworld airlines, but the Philippines is not well connected to the alliance or any alliance for that matter. Sure, you could connect through Hong Kong on Cathay Pacific, Tokyo on Japan Airlines, or...
View from the Wing
Pilot’s Engine Failed, So He Landed On A Highway—Then Tribal Officials Seized His Plane For Flying Too Low
A private pilot’s engine failed over northern Minnesota, leaving him to choose between a lake, a swamp, or a highway. He picked the safest option and landed on a state road crossing the Red Lake Reservation—only for tribal officials to seize his plane for six months, claiming he had violated...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Taj hotel discounts for frequent flyers, with future status match
OneWorld executives have been busy. Qantas frequent flyers can now receive discounts at more than 630 Taj and Indian Hotels Company properties, under a new partnership linking the Oneworld airline alliance with the Taj InnerCircle–NeuPass loyalty program. The agreement stretches beyond Taj’s grand palaces and luxury hotels to include everything...
Your Mileage May Vary
She Boarded The Flight. The Airline Said She Didn’t. So They Canceled Her Return Ticket.
Most travelers worry about missing a flight. Few worry about an airline mistakenly deciding they missed a flight they actually took. But that’s exactly what happened to one passenger, who…
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Qatar Restricts Flights Through Airspace as Iran Vows Retaliation For Israeli Strikes On Beirut
The state of Qatar has restricted flight movements through its airspace, affecting aircraft departing from Doha Hamad International Airport and planes routing through its airspace that have departed from an airport in Saudi Arabia. The restrictions were sent out to airlines in the form of a Notice to Airmen or...
Live and Let’s Fly
Inside L.E/Miami: The Invite-Only Show For Posh Hotels
I was inside L.E/Miami, the invite-only show where the world's poshest hotels court travel's inner circle. Here is what the luxury set is planning.
One Mile at a Time
Riyadh Air Launches: Six Routes Unveiled (London First), With Tickets Now On Sale
It’s an exciting time for ambitious airline startup Riyadh Air. The airline has just taken delivery of its first factory fresh Boeing 787-9s, which will be used to launch regularly scheduled commercial service. The airline took delivery of three of these Dreamliners almost immediately, with several more coming soon, and...
Miles To Memories
Buy No-Fee $200 Virtual Visa Gift Cards at Staples.com
Staples.com is selling $200 Virtual Visa Gift Cards online with a waived activation fee. That fee is normally $7.95.
TravelUpdate
Does anyone remember the Boeing 367-80, the famous Dash 80?
Once upon a time, a company based in Seattle bet their entire worth on a new aircraft project.…
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Etihad Airways Plans to Expand Capacity Above Pre-Iran War Levels Despite Continuing Uncertainty in the Region
Etihad Airways plans to increase capacity beyond its pre-Iran War levels within days and is finalizing a massive new order for widebody aircraft, despite continuing uncertainty in the Middle East, its chief executive, Antonoaldo ​Neves, has confirmed. The Abu Dhabi-based airline is currently operating up to 78% of its pre-war...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 7 June, 2027
Greetings again from Canada! I’ve spent just shy of a week in the Canadian capital, Ottawa. I’ve also had my first experience of Air Canada, and its Express and Rouge brands. I’m impressed on the whole with their Business Class. Less so by their lounges. What happened last week? Don’t...
2PAXfly
EXPLAINER: What’s the difference between narrow-body versus widebody aircraft?
It used to be largely true that wide-body aircraft were for long-haul flights and narrow-body aircraft were for short-haul flights. Bue recently, and especially since the advent of the Airbus A321XLR, that distinction no longer holds. What largely holds is the level of comfort and service provided on the different-sized...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Corporate affairs head demonstrates double standards on social media
This story was reported by Hannah Wootton, in the AFR. As you will see, there are now deleted posts involved, making this difficult to verify independently. However, the AFR is a journal of record and demonstrates traditional journalistic ethics, so I am inclined to trust their reporting. Since he’s Virgin...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise, test flights start, certification and other delays
On the day Qantas celebrates the successful maiden test flight of the first Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR, I thought it might be timely to look more closely at the project. Below, I examine publicly available information and other possible reasons for the delay in the aircraft and project launches. The...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Last chance to claim Travel Credits from COVID-19 period
If you still have a Virgin Australia COVID-era travel credit sitting unloved in your digital bottom drawer, it’s your final boarding call. Credits issued for cancelled flights between 21 April 2020 and 31 July 2022 expire on 30 June 2026. And here is the kicker, Virgin says you don’t just...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Trialing automated gates in Sydney at T3
“Computer says no” is coming to a Qantas departure gate near you. The airline is trialling automated boarding gates at Sydney Airport’s domestic Terminal 3, with the machines set to do what gate agents have been trying to do for years: enforce Group Boarding without having to smile through clenched...
Wild About Travel
Daftv hotek rules
From five stars in Singapore to a rickety bed and breakfast in Blackpool, a tree house in Zimbabwe, a 747 parked at Stockholm airport, a draughty youth hostel in Nirehn, Scotland, and everything in between means I have slept in a lot of hotel beds. A friend of mine scored...
2PAXfly
BORDER FORCE: Melbourne Airport pilots digital Australia Travel Declaration form with Qantas
Why is it so difficult for Australia to digitise its Travel Declaration card? I certainly don’t know. But apparently, given this is at least the third try, it is. The Australian Border Force is piloting (again) the Australia Travel Declaration (ATD) form, you know that yellow form we all have...