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...
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...
Also on BoardingArea
The Gate with Brian Cohen
New Bridge Between the United States and Canada Opens To the Public Tomorrow
Here is some news that you would not read about every day: a new bridge between the United States and Canada is scheduled to open to the public as early as noon tomorrow, Monday, July 27, 2026. The new bridge is officially called...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Revealed: CEO of United Airlines Floated Idea of Merger With Delta Air Lines, But Rival Carrier Rebuffed Idea
Scott Kirby, the chief executive of United Airlines, floated the idea of a merger with Delta Air Lines and even called the rival carrier’s CEO, Ed Bastian, to discuss the proposal, with the Atlanta-based airline carrying out early due diligence on the potential merger before ultimately ruling it out. The...
Frequent Miler
How do you decide whether to buy flights with cash or miles? | Question of the Week Ep10 | 7-26-26
How do you decide whether to buy flights with cash or miles? Follower Owen asked this question recently, saying: “On the podcast you guys often say that you rarely book flights with cash. I find that, especially when booking domestic flights, I often can’t get amazing value from my points (let’s...
Live and Let’s Fly
Scott Kirby Tried To Merge United With Delta In His Most Audacious Airline Deal Yet
Scott Kirby apparently did not stop with American Airlines. Before approaching American about a merger, the United Airlines CEO reportedly called Delta CEO Ed Bastian to explore combining the two most valuable U.S. airlines. Delta considered the idea, but the talks went nowhere. That outcome was probably inevitable, but Kirby’s...
Your Mileage May Vary
He Put A Camera On His Checked Bag. Here’s What Airports Did To It.
Once you hand your checked suitcase over at the airport, it’s pretty much out of your hands. You watch it disappear behind the check-in counter and—hopefully—see it again on the…
View from the Wing
United CEO Scott Kirby Pitched Delta On A Merger — One Airline Would Control 35% Of The U.S. Market
United CEO Scott Kirby reportedly pitched Delta CEO Ed Bastian on a merger that would have created an airline controlling roughly 35% of the U.S. domestic market. The idea went nowhere, and it is hard to see how it could survive antitrust review when the combined carrier would face objections...
Points With a Crew
What Should You Do If You Check In And Your Room Hasn’t Been Cleaned?
What to do if your hotel room hasn't been cleaned when you walk into the room? I had a recent dirty room experience and solved it by ...
The Bulkhead Seat
Wow: United Airlines Quietly Explored Merger With Delta Air Lines
United Airlines explored a merger with Delta Air Lines last year, but the discussions…
Your Mileage May Vary
Hotels Can’t Hide Resort Fees Anymore. So Why Are We Still Paying Them?
Hotels can no longer hide mandatory resort fees until the final booking screen. That’s an improvement, but it doesn’t make the fees any less annoying—or make the supposed benefits any…
The Bulkhead Seat
114-Degree Heat Forces American Airlines to Offload 50 Passengers in Las Vegas
Passengers aboard an American Airlines flight from Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)…
Miles To Memories
PSA – Three Hotel Programs Apply this Award Perk a Bit Differently
Three hotel loyalty programs offer an additional free award night perk when booking with points, but noteworthy differences exist.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge Officially Named UNESCO World Heritage Site
Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge has been officially inscribed as one of the newest United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization — which is more popularly known as UNESCO — World Heritage Sites as a natural property effective as of yesterday, Saturday, July 25, 2026. Much of Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge is...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Disgraced Former Qantas Boss Alan Joyce Breaks Cover… He’s Trying to Flog His Memoir
The disgraced former chief executive of Australian flag carrier Qantas, Alan Joyce, has broken his silence to defend his leadership of the airline, nearly three years after he was forced to resign by the board of directors due to a litany of mistakes made during the COVID-19 pandemic. Following his...
View from the Wing
Marriott Bonvoy Free Nights Can Cost Nearly $200 In Resort Fees — This Contradiction Is Cracking Hotel Loyalty Wide Open
Marriott Bonvoy free night awards are increasingly not free at all, with some hotels adding resort fees of nearly $200 per night even on points stays. That exposes the core conflict in hotel loyalty: chains promise value to guests while trying to lower costs for hotel owners, and eventually that...
Your Mileage May Vary
One Of The Rudest Things Air Travelers Do Now Even Has A Name
Air travel has always brought out the best—and the worst—in people. Every frequent flyer has seen it: the person who blocks the boarding lane, spreads out across three gate seats,…
Frequent Miler
Fee-free Visa Gift Cards in-store at Staples
Staples is again offering fee-free fixed $200 Visa Gift Cards, through Saturday, August 1, 2026. The limit is nine per customer per day in-store, although some stores may allow more. Different stores appear to have different policies regarding the variable-load cards that some Staples now sell. Some folks report that...
Live and Let’s Fly
American Airlines Is Growing Itself Into A Hole
American kept $71 million on nearly $17 billion, so it is ordering more widebodies it will borrow for. The people who built the debt want your trust to fix it.
Miles To Memories
Point.me Makes Finding Award Flights Easier With New Tools & Additions
Point.me has launched a new interactive Explore map tool for award flights, along with other new useful additions to the program.
Economy Class & Beyond
London Charing Cross and Waterloo East to close for 22 days for Engineering Work
For those of you in the South East of England, there are some major changes to travel as Charing Cross and Waterloo East stations close for part of the summer for engineering works during the next 22 days.  This impacts train services operated by Southeastern, with no trains serving either Waterloo East...
The Points of Life
Ryan Air Madrid to Mallorca: Why Not?
For weeks, I tried to find a points flight from Madrid to Mallorca. Air Europa showed no availability. Iberia only had flights with connections. In the end, I paid $150 to fly Ryan Air direct. For such a short flight, I have no complaints. I paid for carry on bag...
Frequent Miler
Staples.com is selling $200 digital Visa gift cards with no purchase fee
Staples is once again waiving purchase fees for digital Visa gift cards sold online. This type of deal is always popular, so you’ll want to buy ASAP if you’re interested. The Deal Buy $200 virtual Visa gift cards with no purchase fee at Staples.com. Direct link to offer. Key Terms...
Points With a Crew
5 Survival Tips For A Long Haul Flight With The Middle Seat
Is there anything more miserable than a middle seat for a long haul flight? If you're stuck there, here are 5 tips to make your flight a little less painful
The Points of Life
Duty Free Alcohol: Who Knows the Rules?
I needs me rum when I travel. Accordingly, I bought a bottle of Don Q 7 for $33 from SJU airport. It was put in the sealed bag and tucked away in my carry-on (see). Upon my arrival to Madrid, I had an ‘oh shit’ moment when I found out...
The Bulkhead Seat
American Boeing 787 Diverts to Dublin After Six Flight Attendants Become Ill Mid-Flight
An American Airlines flight from Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)…
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...
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...