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View from the Wing
Marriott Canceled Guest’s Prepaid Stay After Her Flight Diverted — Refused To Give Her A Receipt And Ordered Her Out
A Marriott Platinum member says severe weather diverted her flight and the AC Hotel Kansas City Plaza canceled her prepaid four-night stay and kept $596.76, while an identical amount later appeared pending. When she asked for a receipt, the front desk told her to “get the f— out”—but a hotel...

View from the Wing
American Airlines Took A Family’s Seats For Its Pilots—They Were Kicked Out Of Business Class Because They Used Miles
American Airlines downgraded a family from business class to make room for deadheading pilots, choosing them because their tickets were booked with miles. The $600 voucher offered doesn’t replace the mileage refund required after an involuntary downgrade.

Live and Let’s Fly
Air France Denies Its Paris Lounge Sauna Became A Sex Den, But The Explanation Doesn’t Add Up
Air France has now publicly denied that it closed the sauna in its Paris Charles de Gaulle lounge because passengers were engaging in sexual activity inside. Fair enough, but I stand by what I reported: that is what an Air France lounge manager told me when I specifically asked why...

Paddle Your Own Kanoo
American Airlines Flight to Dallas Makes Emergency Landing After Fire Breaks Out in Cabin Injuring Four Passengers
An American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Dallas Fort Worth was forced to make an emergency landing at DFW on Friday evening after a passenger’s laptop overheated and caught fire as the plane was on approach to the carrier’s home hub airport, injuring four to five passengers. The incident occurred...

One Mile at a Time
Hotel Brand Dilution: The Maddening But Predictable Trend Of Growth Over Quality
Here’s a topic that I’ve written about in passing endlessly, but which I’ve never dedicated a post to, so I think it’s time. Can we just take a moment to talk about the complete collapse of hotel brand standards over the years? What’s going on, what’s driving this change, and...

Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Dubai International Airport Completes Work On Massive Metal Cages to Protect Fuel Tanks From Iranian Drone Attack
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have completed the construction of massive wire cages surrounding fuel tanks on the outskirts of Dubai International Airport (DXB) to protect the ‘critical infrastructure’ from attack by Iranian-launched kamikaze drones. On March 16, Dubai International Airport suffered major disruption when one of the large...

View from the Wing
Husband And Wife Upgrade To Delta Business Class, But The Mother-In-Law Demanded: ‘Who’s Going To Help With The Baby?’
A woman used her own miles and money to move herself and her husband from Delta Comfort+ to lie-flat Delta One on a 10-hour family flight. Her mother-in-law said first class wasn’t for “kids”—and wanted to know who would help with the baby left in back.

View from the Wing
American Airlines Pilots Open Contract Talks A Year Early — Demanding A Seat On The Board
American Airlines pilots invoked a clause in their 2023 contract to begin bargaining on a new agreement nearly a year early. Base pay is already near the industry pattern; scheduling, profit sharing, contract execution and union politics will drive how negotiations progress.

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 29, 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...
Reviews
Read the latest reviews for road warriors and frequent flyers.
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Fifth Freedom on Bhutan’s Royal Airline: Guwahati to Singapore on a Drukair A320neo
August 23, 2026
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Review: United Airlines 737-700 Economy Class
August 22, 2026
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Machu Picchu Hotel: El MaPi by Inkaterra Review
August 22, 2026
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Italian Lufthansa: London City to Frankfurt on an Air Dolomiti Embraer
August 22, 2026

No Work All Travel
Turkish Airlines Starting Chengdu Flights
With Turkish Airlines starting Chengdu flights, that makes it the fourth city in China — after Beijing, Guangzhou, and Shanghai — to get TK service. Europe’s busiest airport continues to be on a tear. To wit, this new route is set to commence on November 11th…and it’s not even the...

One Mile at a Time
11 Hotel Habits Of Mine, From The Logical To The Irrational
We all have our routines in life. If you’re a frequent hotel guest, odds are that there are some habits that you’ve picked up over the years, whether logical or not. In this post, I thought it would be fun to share some of my habits when staying at a...

View from the Wing
I Stayed At The Renovated Grand Hyatt DFW — Still The Gold Standard For U.S. Airport Hotels
The Grand Hyatt DFW remains one of the best airport hotels in the country: physically connected to Terminal D, recently renovated, well soundproofed, and still excellent for runway views. It is expensive in cash and points, but when the price is not outrageous, the convenience, large rooms, Globalist treatment, and...

The Gate with Brian Cohen
A Woman Selling Souvenirs in Bucharest. Sunday Morning Photograph.
As I was wandering around Bucharest, I noticed an older woman who was selling souvenirs to tourists who wanted to take home something from Romania — and that simple scene caused me to stop for a moment and think about the history of this woman, who seemed to simultaneously be...

View from the Wing
United Airlines Is Building A New $21 Million Two-Story Seattle Lounge—Costing Over $2,900 Per Square Foot
United Airlines is moving forward with a $21 million, two-story Seattle lounge in the former American Express Centurion Lounge space, at an all-in cost exceeding $2,900 per square foot. The 7,181-square-foot club will include a full kitchen, family rooms and mezzanine views when it opens in December 2027—or more likely...

Paddle Your Own Kanoo
What Does It Mean When a Flight Attendant Says They’re “Slam Clicking”?
Walk down a corridor of a hotel used by flight crews from different airlines, and you’ll notice something odd: it’s eerily quiet. Not just quiet, but silent in a way that hotel corridors usually aren’t. No laughter drifting out from under doors, no muffled TV. Just an entire floor of...

Frequent Miler
Last Chance Deals: Cathay Pacific transfer bonus & award rebate, United Mile Play offers, & more
Welcome to our weekly list of what’s ending this week, along with a collection of other deals due to end soon. There are a dozen deals ending this week, two of which are Cathay Pacific-related. One of those is a 10% transfer bonus, while the other gives a points rebate...

The Gate with Brian Cohen
What Is Wrong With This Photograph? Part 367: Reader Edition
First, I would like to acknowledge how amazing the technological advances in restoring and maintaining the sense of sight has been in recent years; and I am thankful that services that were once restricted to a limited number of specialists in few locations are now widely available. The official web...

Economy Class & Beyond
Last Week at Econony Class and Beyond (22nd August)
We’ve hit the end of another week, and if you’re in the UK, a welcome break from the opressive heat. But its Saturday, I’ve been out raiding Mega Starmie, and its the end of the week. Time for Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond. Let it Rain! – Solihull...

2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 23 August, 2026
Hello travellers, This week, I have been catching up on life after two short trips in recent weeks to Melbourne and New Zealand. I’ve also got a big trip planned in about a month, so I’ve spent a lot of time planning for that. I’ll be spending the next few...

Frequent Miler
A few tips for longer Airbnb stays (A Carrie commentary)
In a recent “Ask Us Anything, Live“, someone asked the following question: I have a question for Stephen and Carrie. Now that I am retired my wife and I are interested in finding rentals for several weeks at a time. I am pretty good at finding good properties on Airbnb...

View from the Wing
American Airlines’ Most Important Turnaround Photo Isn’t A New Plane—It’s The CEO Working Alongside Employees At The Gate
rare photo of American Airlines CEO Robert Isom at a gate points to the work still required: persuading 130,000 employees to deliver the premium airline the company is finally building.

One Mile at a Time
Weekly Review: August 22, 2026
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far! I’m at home with family, and am planning a trip for a couple of weeks from now, which should involve some fun airlines… I’m excited to share the details soon, but in the meantime, will finish up my current trip...

The Gate with Brian Cohen
Last Chance Extended: Save 30% on Thrifty Traveler Premium Flight Deal Alerts
Just in time to celebrate National Cheap Flight Day tomorrow, Sunday, August 23, 2026, your last chance has been extended to save a significant amount of money on airfares throughout the year with a 30 percent discount on either Thrifty Traveler Premium flight deal alerts or with the Thrifty Traveler...






































