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...
Wild About Travel
Drafyh Bergen: Norway’s Fjord-Framed Gem
There are some cities I like, some I love, and some that just smack you in the face with their wow factor. Hence the language in my headline’ Surrounded by seven mountains and nestled beside deep blue waters, Bergen’s scenery is more than spectacular. Founded in 1070, Bergen is Norway’s...
Also on BoardingArea
One Mile at a Time
Chase Sapphire Reserve Travel Credit: How I Use The $300 Annual Credit
The Chase Sapphire Reserve Card (review) and Sapphire Reserve for Business (review) are lucrative premium travel cards. There are lots of reasons to consider picking up these cards, including great rewards structures, lounge access, and more.
Live and Let’s Fly
Cathay Pacific Forced To Close Manila Lounge, And The Reason Looks Suspicious
Cathay Pacific has been forced to permanently close its excellent Manila lounge, and the apparent reason is not lack of demand or due to any wishes of the Hong Kong carrier. Rather, it looks like NAIA’s operator wants to push passengers into airport-operated lounges and charge airlines for the privilege....
One Mile at a Time
Transfer Amex Points To Air France-KLM Flying Blue With 25% Bonus: Worth It?
Amex Membership Rewards has just rolled out its newest airline points transfer bonus, which I’m sure many members will find to be valuable (I certainly do, and will be moving over lots of points). I’d consider this to be more useful than the 20% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Passengers Are Still Discovering the Hard (And Expensive) Way That Ryanair Charges You to Check-In at the Airport
Passengers have long loved to loathe Ryanair, knowing all too well that the bargain basement base fares advertised by the budget carrier often come with a sting in their tail in the form of expensive additional fees and charges that can catch unsuspecting travelers off guard. Europeans who are accustomed...
Live from a Lounge
No Indication that Airport Photography has been banned by the DGCA
Is it true that you can't click a selfie at the airport anymore? Does not seem true
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Delta Air Lines is Considering Ditching its Long-Awaited Business Class Seat Meant For Transcontinental Flights
Delta Air Lines is reportedly drawing up plans to abandon its flagship lie-flat Business Class seat, which was to be featured on new Airbus A321neo narrow-body planes used to replace an ageing fleet of Boeing 757s on transcontinental flights, such as Los Angeles to New York JFK. The issue appears...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Marywayne Mullin Walks Back Threat to Pull CBP Officers From Newark Airport Over Clashes at Delaney Hall 
Markwayne Mullin, the chief of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), has walked back a threat to pull all Customs and Border Protection officers from Newark International Airport in New Jersey due to clashes taking place at a nearby immigration detention facility known as Delaney Hall. The threat to remove...
Frequent Miler
What are Hilton points worth? (hint: less than they used to be)
At Frequent Miler, we keep a database of point valuations called “Reasonable Redemption Values.” These are estimates of the “worth” of airline miles, hotel points, transferable points, and more. The idea is that we try to identify the point at which it is “reasonable” to get that much value or...
Live from a Lounge
HSBC Credit Card holders can now earn 5X-6X Reward Points on Apple purchases through Unicorn
HSBC Credit Cards has partnered with Unicorn to offer up to 6X points on select credit cards when buying Apple Products. This is a potentially rich offer for those who are planning Apple purchases.
Economy Class & Beyond
Another London Underground Strike in play (2nd and 4th June)
There’s nothing like the RMT taking its drivers out on strike, with London Underground drivers set to walk out on both the 2nd and 4th of June. According to Transport for London, strikes will run on: Tuesday 2 June from 00:01 to 23:59 Thursday 4 June from 00:01 to 23:59...
Points With a Crew
Save Up to 50% on Amazon with Amex Rewards Dollars (Targeted)
Act fast if you want to save up to 50% on your Amazon purchases, possibly even including gift cards. Find out how by ...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Senator Questions Bilt Rewards About Transaction and Payment Issues
One of the two senators of the United States who represents the commonwealth of Massachusetts — who is also a ranking member of the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee — questions Bilt Rewards about transaction and payment issues as the company transitions between partners. Elizabeth Warren sent a letter...
Frequent Miler
Get a 25% bonus when converting hotel points to United
United is once again offering a bonus when converting points from hotel programs. This latest edition of the offer is giving a 25% bonus when making a transfer by the end of June. The Deal Get 25% bonus United miles when converting hotel points to your MileagePlus account. Direct link...
One Mile at a Time
Wow: Delta May Ditch Its New Business Class Seat Over Certification Issues?
We’ll have to mark this as ”developing” for now, but if this turns out to be true, it would be the ultimate reflection of just how much of a headache aircraft seat certification issues have become as we’ve seen the continued evolution of seats…
Your Mileage May Vary
My Suitcase Went Missing On The Way To Germany
We thought the hard part of getting to Germany was over once United rebooked our flight. After our original flight from Washington Dulles to Frankfurt returned to IAD due to a…
The Bulkhead Seat
Taste Test: Veal Osso Bucco Ravioli on United Airlines
I got to try one of United’s newer First Class meals while flying today…
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...
One Mile at a Time
The Case For Buying Airline Stocks: The “Down 30 In 30” Trading Rule, And More
To state the obvious, this blog isn’t about investing (well, other than ”investing” in your points balance), though I do often discuss airline economics, and sometimes the topic of airline stocks comes up.
Frequent Miler
$50 off Blacklane with promo code FUTBOL26
As reported by Doctor of Credit, it is possible to get $50 off a Blacklane reservation with promo code FUTBOL26. That could come in handy for anybody who still has Blacklane credit to use on their Citi Strata Elite card for the period from January to June 30th. get $50...
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...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Marriott Bonvoy: Earn 20,000 Bonus Bonvoy Points on Vacations by Marriott packages (June 1 Bonus Offer Highlight)
Today’s bonus offer highlight is this month's offering from Vacations by Marriott who are providing 20,000 bonus Bonvoy points on 5+ night vacation packages around the world. Check out all of the new bonuses added today:
View from the Wing
Six Injured When Smaller Jet Hit Invisible Turbulence From An Emirates A380 Flying 9 Miles Ahead
An Emirates A380 was about 9 miles ahead of a smaller Airbus A320 at cruising altitude when the smaller jet hit the invisible turbulence the superjumbo left behind, injuring six people and throwing a flight attendant into the cabin ceiling. It sounds impossible because the planes were miles apart, but...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Receive a 25% bonus when you convert hotel points to United MileagePlus Miles
United has brought back their annual bonus for converting hotel points to MileagePlus miles. Just like last fall we see a 25% bonus for conversions and each member can earn up to 25,000 bonus miles with this offer. The up to 25% Bonus: Receive 25% bonus MileagePlus Miles when you...
Frequent Miler
20% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy from American Express Membership Rewards
American Express Membership Rewards has launched a 20% transfer bonus to Marriott Bonvoy. With this bonus 1,000 American Express Membership Rewards points become 1,200 Marriott Bonvoy points. In most cases that’s a really poor deal that isn’t worth considering except perhaps to top off for a particularly valuable redemption. The...
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....
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,...