2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: How to book the new Economy Skynest sleep pods
Air New Zealand’s much-hyped Economy Skynest is finally going on sale. Yep, those at the bunk beds you can rent by the four hour period. From this week (18 May 2026), passengers booked in Economy or Premium Economy will be able to add a four-hour lie-flat sleep session on selected...
2PAXfly
THAILAND: Visa-free stays for Australians cut back to 30 days
The Thai government has approved changes that would end the current 60-day visa-free stay for Australians and visitors from more than 90 other countries. That generous 60-day exemption only arrived in July 2024, when Thailand was still trying to goose its post-pandemic tourism economy. It applied to passport holders from...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: Koru program replaces Airpoints
Air New Zealand has officially launched its refreshed loyalty programme, Koru, replacing the long-running Airpoints brand and shifting more than five million members into a new tier structure from 22 April 2026. Existing Airpoints and Status Points carry across, so members are not starting again from scratch. The less thrilling...
2PAXfly
AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS: Direct flights to Maldives from Melbourne, and Western Sydney Airport to get Gulf carriers
The Australian government has signed four new or updated aviation agreements, opening the door to more flights and more codeshares. Although, as ever with aviation bilaterals, permission to fly is not the same thing as an airline actually putting metal in the sky. The Albanese Government says it has negotiated...
Also on BoardingArea
The Bulkhead Seat
Sinkhole Shuts Down Runway at New York LaGuardia Airport
I was wondering why we were circling for so long before landing earlier today…
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: How to book the new Economy Skynest sleep pods
Air New Zealand’s much-hyped Economy Skynest is finally going on sale. Yep, those at the bunk beds you can rent by the four hour period. From this week (18 May 2026), passengers booked in Economy or Premium Economy will be able to add a four-hour lie-flat sleep session on selected...
Frequent Miler
What is dynamic pricing? An explanation and its positives & negatives
Over the past 5-10 years, we’ve seen an increasing number of airline and hotel loyalty programs move to a dynamic pricing model for award bookings (i.e. reservations made using your points or miles). We refer to dynamic pricing regularly on the site, but perhaps you’re not entirely sure what it...
Economy Class & Beyond
Emirates introduces its new three-class high-density Airbus A380 aircraft
Some aircraft are built for elegance and the most space, whilst some are configured as people movers. Emirates has been working through its retrofit programme, and is now starting on its two-class Airbus A380s, converting them to three-class aircraft. Emirates Premium Economy, on the Upper Deck of the A380 –...
View from the Wing
Delta Amex Cardholders May Soon Get Two Free Checked Bags On Domestic Flights
Delta Amex cardholders may soon get a second free checked bag on domestic flights, according to JonNYC. It could put Amex ahead of most airline cobrands and give a new reason for SkyMiles members to convert to the card.
Points With a Crew
5 reasons to sign up for the Chase Ink Business Unlimited® Credit Card
The Chase Ink Business Unlimited card has one of the highest signup bonuses ever for a card that comes with no annual fee. You can easily get hundreds ...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Seven Tips on How to Avoid Road Rage
Greater than 45 million Americans — approximately 200,000 more people than last year — will travel this coming Memorial Day weekend 2026, which would be the highest travel volume ever on record for Memorial Day, according to...
View from the Wing
Air France Flight Diverts To Canada Over “Virus” Concern After U.S. Refuses Landing
An Air France flight from Paris to Detroit diverted to Montreal after passengers were told U.S. authorities refused landing over a “virus” concern. Crew reportedly put on masks, onboard service stopped, and the diversion comes just as the CDC has started enhanced screening and entry restrictions tied to Ebola-related outbreaks...
View from the Wing
Sinkhole Shuts One Of LaGuardia’s Two Runways As Flights Cancel And Delay
A sinkhole found during LaGuardia’s morning airfield inspection shut down Runway 4/22, leaving the airport to run all traffic on its only other runway. By Wednesday afternoon, LaGuardia was leading the world in cancellations, with about 20% of flights canceled amidst thunderstorms as crews worked to determine how quickly the...
Your Mileage May Vary
The Best Travel Gift I Never Knew I Needed
When people think about travel gifts, they usually think of the obvious stuff. Packing cubes. Passport holders. Travel pillows. AirTags. Maybe a last-minute stocking stuffer for the frequent flyer in…
Frequent Miler
Capital One Offers: Earn 25X at CVS in-store (targeted)
Capital One Offers—the shopping portal/card-linked program for Capital One cardholders—sometimes has some very generous rates available. One such example at the moment is the ability to earn 25X transferable miles per dollar spent in-store at CVS. In addition to being a targeted rate, there are some important terms and conditions...
Miles To Memories
Heart Attack Grill Blasts Vegas, Sphere Goes Global & EDC’s $777K Bottle Menu
Heart Attack Grill closes while blasting Vegas, Sphere goes international, crazy EDC bottle prices and did they really jump the Caesars fountains?
View from the Wing
Why Are Airlines Still Making You Stand In Line For An Hour To Drop A Bag You Tagged Yourself?
Self-tagging a bag should mean the airline has removed the bottleneck. Instead, passengers can print their own tags in two minutes and still stand in line for an hour just to hand the bag to an employee — a completely unnecessary failure when automated bag drop already exists and some...
Points With a Crew
Amazon Music Unlimited 3 Month Trial (Includes Audible)
Amazon is currently out with an offer for Amazon Music Unlimited - different people apparently have different promotions, but a common one is for $0.99 for 3 months
Your Mileage May Vary
TSA Quietly Updated Its Rules About Traveling With Marijuana
For years, marijuana and air travel have existed in a weird legal gray area. Now the TSA has quietly updated its website in a way that could affect millions of…
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Air France Flight to Detroit Banned From Entering U.S. Airspace After Reports of a ‘Virus’ On Board the Plane
An Air France flight from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Detroit has reportedly been barred from entering U.S. airspace after officials became aware of a ‘virus’ on board the aircraft. Air France flight AF-378, which departed Paris at 4 pm on Wednesday, has been forced to divert to Montreal, where...
Frequent Miler
Unable to log in to buy IHG points? Here are 3 workarounds for Points.com issues
IHG launched its latest points sale yesterday. As has been the case for as long as I can remember, I was unable to log in to Points.com in order to see the terms of the sale. I’m evidently not the only one. Reader John commented to share that he was...
One Mile at a Time
Review: Rosewood Bangkok, Thailand (Solid, Second Tier Luxury City Hotel)
During my two-part birthday trip to the Golden Triangle, I checked out four different hotels in Bangkok, given that it’s one of the world’s best value cities for luxury hotels, and the market keeps getting better.
Miles To Memories
Chase Travel Introduces Price Match Guarantee for Sapphire Reserve Cardmembers
Chase Travel recently introduced Price Match Guarantee, which currently in beta to a select group of Sapphire Reserve and Sapphire Reserve for Business cardmembers.
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Get up to a 50% bonus when you buy Air Europa SUMA Miles (Use for SkyTeam flights)
Members of Air Europa’s SUMA program can buy miles with a bonus of up to 50% until June 3. The tiered bonus offers up 50% more miles with a maximum purchase of 100,000 miles. That means with the bonus you can buy 150,000 miles for 1,500 EUR or 1 Euro...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Now Open: Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort
The Diplomat Beach Resort officially debuted recently as Signia by Hilton Diplomat Beach Resort following an $80 million transformation. The evolution of the hotel property into the growing portfolio of Signia by Hilton approachable luxury hotels brings the exceptional service of the brand, sophisticated design, world-class experiences, and premier meetings and...
Points Miles and Bling
This Luxury Trip to Iguazu Falls Shouldn’t Have Worked
A last-minute opening in my schedule unexpectedly turned into one of the most memorable trips I’ve taken in years. What…
Travel Codex
100 Passengers Emerald Cruises’ Yacht-Style Sailings From $3K! Private Savings Up to 40% Off
Emerald Cruises isn’t usually the first name that comes up when people think about luxury small-ship cruising. The Australian brand isn’t as well known by Americans, but really that should change. When people think of small cruise ships it’s more often Windstar, Seabourn, or Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection that dominate the...
Live and Let’s Fly
I Tried American Airlines’ Centennial Chicken Florentine Roulade In Business Class
For this week’s Meal of the Week, I am looking at a “Chicken Florentine roulade” served in American Airlines Flagship business class from Los Angeles to Boston, part of AA’s centennial menu celebrating 100 years of flight. Meal Of The Week: Chicken Florentine Roulade On American Airlines American Airlines has...
Wild About Travel
Navigating the world’s best airport: a flawless experience.
Changi, Singapore. Everything you need to know. Stunning takeoff out of Singapore Changi (SIN) after a transit between my flight from Sydney and to Asia. I have been through this airport 82 times flawlessly. There are few airports where anyone can say that about. The others that follow it in...
2PAXfly
NEW AIRLINE: proposed ultra low cost carrier ZINC claims place as Australia’s Ryanair
Australia has a long and fairly brutal history of killing every attempt to form a third domestic airline to compete with Virgin Australia and the Qantas Group. Compass flamed out in the early 1990s. Impulse was folded into Qantas. Virgin Blue survived, but only after Ansett’s collapse turned it into...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 17 May, 2026
Greetings from Adelaide. I’m here for one of my regular catch-ups with family. You will be pleased to know that after more than 10 days, the jet-lag-induced brain fog I have been suffering from seems to have abated. My cold also seems to be receding. So, I hope to return...
Wild About Travel
Ode to Paris: My Favourite Things
Paris does something to me that no other city quite manages — it hits me every single time I arrive. The smells, the tower, the croissants, the hot chocolate, the coffee, the Seine, the packed brasseries, the art galleries, the markets, the parks. All beautiful. That’s the thing about the...
2PAXfly
AUSTRALIA: International travellers to be slugged another AU$10 to leave
Australian international travellers will pay more to leave the country from 1 January 2027. The Federal Budget confirms the Passenger Movement Charge (PMC) will rise by AU$10 from AU$70 to AU$80. This is a Commonwealth charge applied to most passengers departing Australia by air or sea. Airlines collect it through...
Wild About Travel
Cities I Love
A series for travellers, dreamers, and anyone who has ever fallen for a place. It’s a crazy time right now, isn’t it? In the midst of everything, I’ve been reminiscing about how lucky I’ve been to spend time in some of the most extraordinary cities on earth. Not just passing...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Digital upgrade — faster check-in, smarter app, and priority bag drops
Virgin has announced a major upgrade to its mobile app and domestic airport check-in experience. It promises a 50% redution in check-in times across 10 Australian domestic airports. The rollout starts this month, May 2026, and should rbe complete before the end of the year. What this actually means is...
2PAXfly
GOVERNMENT: Budget grounds taxpayer-funded Qantas Club memberships
The Australian Federal Government has cottoned on to the public service’s travel habit of taxpayer-funded airline lounge memberships. Finance Minister Katy Gallagher has banned Commonwealth agencies from charging taxpayers for Qantas Club, Virgin Australia lounge and similar airline memberships. The directive emerged from the 2026 budget papers. Lounge bill The...