2PAXfly
RIYADH AIR: What are reviewers’ first impressions
Saudi Arabia’s new flag carrier, Riyadh Air, has now carried its first paying passengers in its own Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. The early verdict from critics is fairly consistent. Riyadh Air looks exceptionally good. It is serving food, drinks and attention at a level many established airlines would struggle to match....
2PAXfly
INDONESIA/WEST PAPUA: Pilot killed and aircraft burned in remote highlands attack
An American pilot flying one of the small aircraft that keep Indonesia’s remote Papuan highlands connected has been killed after his Pilatus PC-6 Porter was attacked and burned at an isolated airstrip. This tragedy highlights the perils of flying into disputed areas, amid political turmoil. Captain Nicholas F. Gosselin was...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: EconomyFlex fares gain free same-day Fly Ahead feature
For those whose business meetings end early and want to get back home sooner, Virgin Australia is extending its Fly Ahead feature to eligible domestic Economy Flex passengers. This allows them to move to an earlier flight on the same day without paying a change fee or fare difference. It...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: New-generation lounges roll out globally, but Sydney is still waiting
Emirates is rolling out a new ‘signature’ lounge concept across its global network, beginning with Munich and Frankfurt and continuing to Manchester, Mauritius and Istanbul later this year. The airline says it will spend more than AED50 million (AU$20 million) on each next-generation lounge. That is a substantial sum. Passengers...
Also on BoardingArea
View from the Wing
Southwest Airlines Built A Brand On Funny Twitter Replies. Now It’s Stopped Answering Customers
Southwest Airlines once staffed social care around the clock, answered thousands of Twitter mentions, and even built custom GIFs to make customer replies feel fun and on-brand. Now the airline appears to have stopped publicly replying to customers on Twitter since mid-June, another sign that the old customer-friendly Southwest is...
Eye of the Flyer
A Rock’n DIY Week at Home, Best Card for Delta Lounges, Free Miles for Late Bags, a Bank That Tried to Keep My Money, and World Cup Ticket Chaos — Weekly Recap
I’m home this week — which sounds relaxing until you see my to-do list. The 12V battery in Artemis (my Tesla Model S) needs replacing, and I’m deep into an ambitious solar project I’ll tell you a lot more about in an upcoming post but for now know it all...
View from the Wing
United Airlines Sent Its New 787 Back To Boeing. It’s Broken Again. [Roundup]
United’s brand-new 787 with Polaris suites went back to Boeing over TCAS antenna problems and is reportedly out of service again. Also: Amazon Leo reaches early continuous-coverage milestones for future airline Wi-Fi, oneworld keeps teasing alliance-wide upgrades, an American Airlines captain writes personal notes to passengers, and the Arizona Cardinals...
Live and Let’s Fly
Sweet Irony: Fourth Of July Celebration…In United Club London
In honor of America’s 250th birthday, I’m re-running this story from 2022, though I suspect there are even more extra special festivities going on today at the United Club in London Heathrow. Quite the ironic venue, eh? Stop by the United Club in London today for a celebration of the...
One Mile at a Time
VACAYA Plans First-Ever “Arabian Nights” Saudi Arabia Gay Cruise
Earlier, I covered how an upcoming Atlantis Events cruise (the company organizes cruises intended for LGBTQ+ travelers) faced a major issue on an upcoming Virgin Voyages charter, when Turkey revealed it wouldn’t let the ship dock in the country, citing moral standards and family values.”
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
United’s Brand-New 787 Dreamliner That Was Sent Back to Boeing Because it Kept Breaking Has Been Grounded Just Days After Being ‘Fixed’
A brand-new United Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner featuring the Chicago-based carrier’s upgraded ‘Elevated’ interiors with new Polaris Business Class suites and Polaris Studios has been grounded yet again, just days after it was returned to United after undergoing maintenance work by Boeing. The aircraft (registration: N61101) was only delivered to...
One Mile at a Time
Turkey Blocks Virgin Voyages Gay Cruise From Docking, Citing “Moral Standards”
A Virgin Voyages cruise organized by Atlantis Events was supposed to make a couple of stops in Turkey on a cruise that’s taking place this upcoming week, only for government officials to block this on the grounds of ”moral standards.” While it’s common for countries to have different laws surrounding...
Live from a Lounge
Riyadh Air to launch operations to Mumbai, effective August 4, 2026
Riyadh Air is finally ready to launch operations to India. Here is the upcoming entry and how it is planned.
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Qatar Airways Privilege Club: Earn 50% Bonus Avios on flights out of The Middle East & South Asia
Earn 50% Bonus Avios when you fly on Qatar Airways out of select countries in the Middle East and South Asia to select destinations worldwide. This offer is open to residents of eligible countries listed below. Book by Jul 5 for travel until Mar 31, 27 United Arab Emirates: Click...
Points With a Crew
Which Marriott credit card is the best? (150,000 Points Or 4 Free Nights)
There are 5 different Marriott credit cards - each with their own set of perks and benefits. Let's take a look at the pros and cons and decide which Marriott card is best
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Fun With Borders: Haskell Free Library & Opera House
We decided to have fun with borders at Haskell Free Library & Opera House in honor of the celebrations of both Independence Day in the United States and Canada Day in Canada, as this historic structure straddles the border between the two countries. Marked with a cornerstone that the building was...
Frequent Miler
Assessing the damage of Hyatt’s devaluation, a first time car rental claim for Greg, Nick’s lessons from canceled travel plans, and more (Week in Review)
As of last Monday, the entire Frequent Miler team is now 40 years old or above. Yes, I finally joined the guys in the over-the-hill club. Symptoms have included lame puns, grumbling about noise levels in public places, and a diligent morning routine of vitamins (even before coffee). Despite these...
Frequent Miler
Easy $300 checking bonus with Capital One 360
Capital One 360 is again offering a $300 bonus when you open a new checking account and receive two direct deposits of $500 or more within 75 days of account opening. That’s quite an easy bonus to hit, and at $600 for those playing in two-player mode, it becomes even...
Frequent Miler
12 things to know about Hyatt’s devaluation | Frequent Miler on the Air Ep365 | 7-3-26
On today’s episode, we’ll see how the 5x airline card saga continues, Nick will give us more reasons to use the Southwest app, we’ll hear some exciting news about Frontier, and we’ll dive deep into Hyatt’s devaluation. 12 things to know about Hyatt’s devaluation Watch the full episode below, or...
Altitude Yes
American to Open Grab-and-Go Provisions by Admirals Club at JFK Airport
The new Provisions lounge will be located by gates 12 and 14 in the main building, and will include a barista bar. The post American to Open Grab-and-Go Provisions by Admirals Club at JFK Airport first appeared on Altitude Yes.
Your Mileage May Vary
I Keep Complaining About The Venture X. So Why Do I Still Have It?
I’ve been giving the Capital One Venture X card a hard time lately. And honestly, I think it deserved some of it. I’ve been having an ongoing internal conversation about…
Frequent Miler
Chase Sapphire Reserve® and Reserve for Business℠ can have different Points Boost rates…on the same hotel
When Chase refreshed the Sapphire Reserve® card and launched the Sapphire Reserve for Business℠ card last year, it did away with the previous 1.5 cents per point (cpp) redemptions everywhere via Chase Travel℠ and replaced them with Points Boosts. This feature gives holders of either card the opportunity to redeem...
Miles To Memories
Bring Back the Mirage? Station Turns 50, Gold Spike Rumors & INSANE July 4th SPECTACLE!
Caesars digital key experience, how Vegas does the 4th, historic brand turns 50 & Vegas field trips hit different.
View from the Wing
Guest Arrested After Duping 300 Luxury Hotels Arrested, Skipping Hyatt Bill And Stealing Laptop
Police in Raipur arrested serial hotel scammer Bingson John after he allegedly skipped out on a Hyatt Raipur bill and took a hotel-provided laptop. Authorities say he has spent more than 30 years duping hundreds of luxury hotels across India, presenting himself as a tour guide, teacher, or yoga instructor,...
View from the Wing
Guest Arrested After Duping 300 Luxury Hotels, Skipped Hyatt Bill And Stole Laptop
Police in Raipur arrested serial hotel scammer Bingson John after he allegedly skipped out on a Hyatt Raipur bill and took a hotel-provided laptop. Authorities say he has spent more than 30 years duping hundreds of luxury hotels across India, presenting himself as a tour guide, teacher, or yoga instructor,...
The Bulkhead Seat
Allegiant Air Unveils New 250th Anniversary Aircraft Livery Honoring America
I’ve written several times recently about US carriers launching special liveries to celebrate this…
Frequent Miler
Rakuten offering up to $100 / 10K Bilt points for Chase Unlimited cards
For several months, Rakuten has been offering rewards after you apply through Rakuten’s link and are then approved for the Chase Freedom Unlimited® card. Now, another Chase card is in the mix: the Ink Business Unlimited®. The current rate for Freedom Unlimited is $90 in cashback or up to 9,000...
Points With a Crew
Kickstarter: OULIYO Slim Travel Adapter
The OULIYO travel adapter is card-sized, with dual AC outlets, a power bank, and an auto-recovery fuse. It's on Kickstarter, but only for a few more ...
Your Mileage May Vary
Traveler Discovers Unexpected Hotel Amenity At A JW Marriott. The Internet Takes It From There.
Every once in a while, you check into a hotel and discover something you weren’t expecting. Maybe it’s a disco closet like we found at a Hyatt Centric. Maybe it’s…
2PAXfly
QANTAS: COVID credit class action means more than a million customers will receive payout notices
More than one million Qantas customers are set to receive notices explaining how to claim compensation. These customers were issued flight credits, rather than refunds, for cancelled flights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Law firm Echo Law began contacting eligible customers on Monday, 29 June. This follows Qantas’ March settlement of...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Flooding closes LAX First Lounge, premium dining moves next door
Qantas’ Los Angeles First Lounge has been temporarily closed by flooding, according to the Qantas Lounge page. That means the closure of one of the best overseas lounge experiences for premium passengers on the long trek to Australia. The airline has not set a reopening date on its lounge website....
2PAXfly
VIETJET: launching Australian airline to rival Qantas and Virgin
Vietnamese low-cost carrier VietJet is reportedly seeking the approvals needed to launch an Australian subsidiary, in a move that could create a new domestic competitor for Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia. According to reporting by Ayesha de Kretser in the Australian Financial Review, VietJet has approached the Civil Aviation Safety...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: No First Lounge for London. Premier dining room instead
The original plan was to have a new First Class Lounge at London’s Terminal 3. It was to be ready for the debut of the Project Sunrise flights. Qantas has quietly shelved those plans, to the indignation of premium frequent flyers and passengers. Instead, the airline will refurbish and enlarge...
2PAXfly
CHINA AIRLINES: More flights to Australia from October, 2026
Taiwan’s China Airlines is increasing flights to Australia from late October, giving travellers more non-stop choices between Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Taipei. The headline act is Sydney, where China Airlines will lift its Taipei service to daily from 25 October 2026. Melbourne follows on 28 October with a fifth weekly...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Lounge pass rules change from 1 July 2026
From Wednesday 1 July, Qantas will tighten the rules governing Complimentary Lounge Invitations, ending the long-standing ability to transfer a pass to any other Frequent Flyer member, regardless of whether they are travelling with you. If you have a stash of passes, you only have days to give them away!...
Wild About Travel
concordes at last
She was the most beautiful aircraft ever created. She was the fastest passenger aircraft ever to fly. She was created through the cooperation of two countries, and the technology that came with her is still being used, with the breakthroughs she sparked continuing to impact aviation today. One fatal crash...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 28 June, 2026
Hello travellers, Well, I’m in Sydney, but not quite home yet. If you have ever had a renovation done, you will understand. I have spent the last week at a Meriton Suites in central Sydney. It’s been a mixed experience. Living in central Sydney has some great advantages, especially on...