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...
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...
Also on BoardingArea
View from the Wing
American Airlines Passenger Paid $1,600 For First Class — Then Was Told To Sit In Back For A Working Tray Table
American Airlines told a passenger who paid more than $1,600 for first class that his tray table was inoperative — and that his alternative was to sit in the back. That leads this morning’s roundup, along with a first-of-its-kind border search prosecution, Hyatt suite upgrade exclusions, an Austin airport lounge...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
The Oldest Stone Span in Australia: Richmond Bridge in Tasmania
On the way to Hobart International Airport to catch a flight back to Sydney, we decided to stop at the oldest stone span in Australia: Richmond Bridge in Tasmania, which is also currently the oldest surviving bridge in Australia. This shallow section of Coal River has long been...
Points With a Crew
Kickstarter: MagCharge Pro Modular Magnetic Fast Charger (Back By Sunday)
The MagCharge Pro is a modular magnetic charger that solves the problem of tangled cords with 540 degrees of flexibility and instant magnetic charge. It's on Kickstarter for a few more ...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Ryanair Sacked Captain Who Used Legal Authority to Extend Rest Period For Cabin Crew After Long Day at Work
The European low-cost behemoth, Ryanair, allegedly sacked a Captain based at the airline’s Barcelona hub who used his legal authority to extend the rest period for a group of cabin crew who had worked beyond normal working hours under a special provision called ‘Commander’s Discretion.’ The SEPLA pilots’ union, which...
One Mile at a Time
Chase Sapphire Preferred & Reserve Card Bonus Eligibility Rules: Earn Up To 400K Bonus Points With Three Cards
TheChase Sapphire Preferred Card (learn more) andChase Sapphire Reserve Card(learn more) are among the most popular personal travel rewards cards, while theSapphire Reserve for Business(learn more) is quickly becoming one of the most popular premium business travel rewards cards.
Live and Let’s Fly
Aerolíneas Argentinas Was Supposed To Collapse, But Now It Is Profitable And Ordering 20 New Jets
Aerolíneas Argentinas has finalized plans to add 20 new aircraft, including six Airbus A330neos and eight Boeing 737 MAX 10s. But the aircraft themselves are only half the story. Far more remarkable is how an airline that consumed billions of dollars in government subsidies became profitable after Argentina effectively told...
The Points of Life
AA Business CLT-MAD: We’re Out of Paella
Let’s not bury the lead. The reason I flew AA from CLT-MAD was to try the paella. Imagine my surprise when the flight attendant came around and said too many people had pre ordered it and there was none left. Pre ordering a meal on AA? What is this SQ...
BoardingArea
Review: Air India Maharaja Lounge – San Francisco Int’l (SFO), Concourse A
Terrific lounge that surpasses expectations The summary My flight into SFO from Denver arrived early and in the D gates. Thus, with a 3.5 hour layover, I made the 15 minute walk over to Concourse A to check out the new Air India Maharaja Lounge. If I had less time,...
View from the Wing
Doctor Says DFW Airport Theft Was An Accident—But Police Found The Jewelry Five Zippers Deep In Her Bag
A doctor headed to Kansas said she didn’t realize she had taken two pieces of Kate Spade jewelry at DFW. Bodycam shows police finding the matching-tag merchandise deep inside her bags—and telling her she was going to jail.
View from the Wing
Earn Up To 12% Back On Hotel Stays Without Giving Up Direct Booking Benefits
Hotel chains often pay rebates through shopping portals even when you still book direct, keep elite benefits, and earn hotel points. Current offers show up to 12% back on some stays, making it worth checking a portal before going straight to Hyatt, IHG, Marriott, or Expedia.
Frequent Miler
Picking up a hidden gem card, looking on the upside of shutdowns, a Hyatt safety tip and more (Week in Review)
After recording this week’s podcast episode, I got online to see if I could chat with a representative and product change my US Bank Altitude Go Card (which was originally a Club Carlson Visa back in the day) to a US Bank Altitude Connect Card. Unfortunately, I had a really...
Eye of the Flyer
A Delta Pilot Was Warned About a Possible Rocket Launcher on Final Approach to LaGuardia — It Was a Hoax, and a Man Was Dragged Into the Sea and Killed by a Crocodile at a Marriott Resort Beach in Mexico — Plus More Travel News!
Here are this week’s travel news headlines from around the web and interweb I found the most interesting. Take a look: A Delta Pilot Was Warned About a Possible Rocket Launcher Mid-Approach to LaGuardia. It Was a Hoax, But Still. Buckle up for this one. Delta Flight 2604, arriving from...
Live from a Lounge
HSBC India cracks down on credit card reward point abuse
HSBC Credit Cards is taking one of the stronger stances in the industry around credit card abuse. Here is how and why.
Live and Let’s Fly
Air China Announces Lie-Flat Business Class To Iceland On A Fascinating European Fifth Freedom Route
Air China is launching an unusual new route to Iceland via Copenhagen, creating a fifth freedom link that will offer lie-flat business class seats between Denmark and Keflavík. For travelers who find Icelandair’s premium cabin underwhelming, this could be a very attractive alternative. Air China Launches Fifth Freedom Service To...
View from the Wing
United Cardmembers Can Book Polaris Business Class For 27,000 Miles — And Use The Polaris Lounge
United cardmembers are seeing unusually good Polaris business class award space between Newark and Los Angeles or San Francisco for just 27,000 miles. These premium cross-country awards can include Polaris Lounge access before departure and on arrival, making the deal much better than the mileage price alone suggests.
One Mile at a Time
Remember That Alaska Airlines Family Flight Saga? Here’s The Conclusion…
Several weeks ago, I wrote about how Alaska Airlines wrongly denied a family boarding, and then kicked them off the next flight, with that second removal being due to a ”clash of personalities” with the crew. There are a lot of details there, so please read those two posts before...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
British Airways is Moving Crew Out of Hotel in Hyderabad After Three Pilots Suffered Violent Food Poisoning On Flight
British Airways is moving crew out of its layover hotel in the Indian city of Hyderabad after all three pilots of a return flight to London Heathrow suffered violent food poisoning at 35,000 feet, with one pilot becoming so sick that he became “incapacitated” and had to be put on...
Live from a Lounge
Qatar Airways Privilege Club returns as an Axis Bank transfer partner: Here’s what it means for cardholders
Qatar Airways Privilege Club is back on the roster of travel transfer partners for Axis Bank's TravelEDGE. But some things have changed under the hood.
Points With a Crew
Get An Easy $50 From Rakuten
If you don't have a Rakuten account, sign up and get an easy $50 by signing up and spending at least $50 (including on gift cards to many retailers!) in the first 90 days.
The Bulkhead Seat
Marriott Expands All-Inclusive Portfolio with New Resorts in Jamaica and Tanzania
Marriott is expanding its all-inclusive footprint with two new resort agreements that will bring…
The Gate with Brian Cohen
How To Know If Packaged Food is Kosher
Back in the 1960s, Henry S. Levy and Sons embarked on what is now considered to be a legendary and iconic advertising campaign for its real Jewish rye bread with caraway seeds, a thick crust, and dense texture: You don’t have to be Jewish to love Levy’s real Jewish Rye, with...
Frequent Miler
Turo Amex Offer: Get 20% back, up to $30 (Rental Car Alternative)
There’s another Turo Amex Offer that could save you money on their alternative rental service. There are also often Chase and Citi offers out there with a similar discount. The Deal Earn 20% back as a one-time statement credit after using your enrolled card to make a single purchase of...
Frequent Miler
Hidden Gem Credit Cards | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep368 | 7-24-26
In today’s podcast episode we’ll talk about Seats.aero enhancements, The Amex Green mystery, and credit cards that are rarely talked about but worth a look. Hidden Gem Credit Cards Watch the full episode below, or listen on your favorite podcast platform. You can click the timestamps below to navigate directly...
Frequent Miler
What are Marriott points worth? About as much as usual.
They say that there are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics. Over the last month, it was widely reported that Marriott had devalued its points by ~10%. Although headlines appeared across the blogosphere, they were mostly based on data collected by a Chinese award search tool called Zaozao,...
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...
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...