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...
Also on BoardingArea
Frequent Miler
Get $40 back when spending $250+ with Viator Amex Offer (can use twice)
Some American Express cardholders are being targeted with a Viator Amex Offer that’s giving $40 back as a statement credit when spending $250 or more. The Deal Spend $250+ in a single transaction at Viator & get $40 back as a statement credit with a targeted Amex Offer. Key Terms...
Frequent Miler
Bank of America widely offering $175 retention bonuses, even on no annual fee cards
If you have any Bank of America credit cards, it might be worth trying to close one or more of them—even if you want to keep them open. That’s because many cardholders are being offered a retention offer of a $175 statement credit when spending $1,500 within 90 days of...
View from the Wing
TSA Is Encouraging Travelers To Bring Hammocks To The Airport — Just Don’t Ask Where To Hang Them
TSA says travelers can bring hammocks through airport security, but actually hanging one is another matter. Airports may ban sleeping setups, block terminal obstructions, or simply have nowhere passengers are allowed to use them.
Frequent Miler
(Last chance) Amex Hilton cards: Improved welcome offers up to 175K
Update 7/22/26: Quick reminder that the limited time welcome offers on these Hilton credit cards end on July 29, 2026. ~ The offers on all Amex Hilton Honors credit cards have improved, with two cards now offering up to 175,000 points. In addition, the annual fees for the Business and...
Miles To Memories
Tap-to-Gamble Is Coming to Vegas, the Fontainebleau Renovation & F1 Finally Pays Up
Fontainebleau is already renovating, tap to pay is coming to slots & Vegas airport traffic may soon be improving.
View from the Wing
Congress Already Banned Inflight Calls — Now Lawmakers Want DOT To Finally Enforce It
Congress already banned inflight calls in 2018, but DOT never finished the rule to enforce it. The new Quiet Skies Act would force action, even as faster Wi-Fi makes listening to calls and joining meetings in the air more practical.
Frequent Miler
Singapore Airlines now requires minimum of 1K miles to search for award flights
Historically, it’s been pretty easy to perform award searches with Singapore Airlines. All you needed was to be logged into a free-to-create Krisflyer account and you could run as many searches as you wanted to your heart’s content. Singapore Airlines has sadly added an irksome new requirement—a balance of at...
Points With a Crew
This Is How To Combine A Hyatt Free Night Certificate and Points On The Same Reservation
It's actually surprisingly easy to combine a Hyatt free night certificate and points on the same reservation. All you need to do is ...
Your Mileage May Vary
They Asked What Travel Was Like Before Smartphones. I Suddenly Felt Very, VERY Old.
I won’t tell you exactly how old I am… …but I was already an adult before the internet became part of everyday life. That means I booked airline tickets over…
Frequent Miler
Get a 40% discount when buying Choice points (buy points for 0.62 cpp)
Choice Privileges has launched its latest points sale. This latest deal gives a discount of up to 40% which means you can buy points for as low as 0.62 cents per point. That’s slightly more expensive than the 45% discount sale that ended a couple of days ago, but it’s...
Miles To Memories
Can We Actually Book Cruises With Some Hotel Points? Yes, But…
There is a now an option for using Hilton Honors points for cruises with their latest partnership, but what kind of value does it offer?
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Earn Up to 2,000 Bonus Atmos Points by Shopping for Back to School
Effective through Monday, August 10, 2026 at 11:59:59 in the evening Eastern Daylight Time, you can earn up to 2,000 bonus Alaska Airlines Atmos points — in addition to the standard Atmos points earned — during the Back to School Bonus campaign at the Atmos Shopping portal by spending the...
View from the Wing
American Airlines Started Grading Flight Attendants. California Law May Get In The Way
American Airlines has started grading flight attendants using customer scores, attendance, delays, reports, Teams usage, and other data. The union says California privacy law may get in the way—but federal labor law may preempt much of the fight.
The Bulkhead Seat
Air Astana Wants to Launch First Nonstop Flights Between Kazakhstan and the United States
Air Astana is taking the first step toward launching the first-ever nonstop commercial flights…
Frequent Miler
(Update) Awful new Qatar Airways restriction limits ability to redeem Avios for other people
Update 7/22/26: Last month, Qatar Airways added some strict limitations regarding your ability to redeem Avios to book award flights for other people. Head For Points has now confirmed that there’s a carveout, although it’ll likely not be of much use to many of you. If you have Gold or...
One Mile at a Time
Air France-KLM Limited Time Credit Card Bonus: 70K Miles + 100 XPs
The Air France-KLM Visa Signature Card is issued by Bank of America in the United States, and it recently underwent a refresh.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Southwest Engulfed in ICE Storm After The ‘Luv’ Airline is Accused of Being Complicit in Woman’s Detention at Denver Airport
Southwest Airlines has found itself engulfed in a ferocious social media backlash after it was accused of being complicit in the detention of a woman by undercover ICE agents as she went to board a Southwest plane at the Denver International Airport on Tuesday. A video shared on Instagram by...
Your Mileage May Vary
Airlines Want You To Pay To Offset Your Flight. But Does It Actually Work?
Airlines spend plenty of time telling us what they’re doing to protect the environment. But when it comes time to book a trip, does any of it actually affect which…
Miles To Memories
Improved Bonuses for Capital One Spark Cash Plus and Spark Cash Cards
Capital One Business has improved the signup bonus for the Spark Cash Plus and Spark Cash credit cards, adding travel credits to the existing welcome bonuses.
Frequent Miler
Preferred Hotels promo: Earn 2,500 I Prefer points at new properties
Preferred Hotels is once again offering 2,500 bonus I Prefer points when booking stays at their new properties. The Deal Earn 2,500 bonus points when staying at new Preferred Hotels properties. Direct link to offer. Key Terms Book by September 30, 2026 for stays through December 31, 2026. Booking must...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Flight Attendants Accuse American Airlines of Violating California Privacy Law Over New Performance Tracking App
Flight attendants at American Airlines have accused the carrier of potentially violating California’s privacy rights laws over a controversial new performance tracking app, which was introduced without warning in April, but which had been secretly collecting data for up to a year before flight attendants were made aware of its...
Economy Class & Beyond
Farnborough Air Show 2026: Day 3 Digest – The Silence of the Chalets
Day Three of the Farnborough Air Show has been and gone. And it’s been quiet from the show floor, to put it mildly. Welcome to the silence of the Chalets. Onto the headlines I’ve scavenged for today. Airbus BermudAir signs for the A220 BermudAir has become a new A220 customer...
Miles To Memories
Apple Back to School Sale, Get Up to $150 Gift Card with Select Purchases
Eligible students, parents, faculty, and staff can receive a gift card worth up to $150 when purchasing a qualifying Mac or iPad through the Apple Education Store.
Traveling For Miles
How to earn Delta Lifetime Medallion Elite status [2026 edition]
Way back in 2021, Delta made a positive update to its Million Miler elite status program by giving flyers the chance to lock in its top-tier SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status for life (albeit for the life of the program, not the life of the traveler) and that was a surprisingly...
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...
2PAXfly
LOUNGE REVIEW: Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge
I just had my first experience of the Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge. Yesterday, I spent time in Canberra seeing the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia and the John Brack and Noel McKenna exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I had one of those lingering credits with...
2PAXfly
UNITED AIRLINES: WTF! Adds European Business class rows to 321XLRs
Oddly, that is not how United Airlines is promoting this ‘innovation’. They are adding the curse of European Business Class blocked-off centre seats. British Airways call this arrangement ‘Club Europe’. United is promoting it as ‘Economy Plus Seats with Extra Elbow Room. They should hang their heads in shame! A321XLR...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: B777s are getting new business class suites, better than on new Dreamliners
Air New Zealand has revealed the replacement for the ageing Business Premier seats on its Boeing 777-300ERs. These older aircraft may end up with an off-the-shelf business class seat that many travellers will prefer to the bespoke product installed on its newer Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. From 2027, Air New Zealand’s...
2PAXfly
SYDNEY AIRPORT: Pay AU$20 to skip the international security queue
Passengers departing from the T1 International Terminal can now pay AU$20 per person for access to a priority queue at the main security checkpoint, regardless of airline, travel class, or Frequent Flyer status. The new SYD Fast Track service effectively opens Sydney Airport’s existing Priority Entry pathway to any international...
2PAXfly
LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney
This is the second instalment of my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’m lucky that many of my international trips start at Sydney Airport at the Qantas First Check-in facility. And that is closely followed by a visit to the Qantas First Lounge. That was the case this day, with my...