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...
Also on BoardingArea
The Gate with Brian Cohen
The Vennbahn Former Railroad Line: Belgium Winds Inside of Germany
The Vennbahn is a former German railway line about which I first mentioned in this article pertaining to 13 of the most fascinating international borders in the world; but it became part of Belgium after the Treaty of Versailles — even in several areas which are supposed to be part of...
Economondo
Review: Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800 – Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok
Flying from Kuala Lumpur to Bangkok on a Malaysia Airlines Boeing 737-800
View from the Wing
Airports Still Feel Like Adventure — Until The Lines, Crowds And $18 Beers Take Over
Airports still have a strange kind of magic: permission to be untethered, drink coffee too early, watch planes, people-watch, and feel the trip begin before you board. The problem is that modern airports keep burying that romance under TSA lines, crowding, lounge waitlists, bad terminals, and $18 beers — so...
Your Mileage May Vary
Why Planes Don’t Fly Over The Pacific Ocean
If you’ve ever watched your flight map while traveling between the U.S. and Asia, you may have noticed something odd. The plane almost never seems to fly where you’d expect…
Miles To Memories
(Link To Check) 120K Membership Rewards Amex Business Platinum Upgrade Offer
There is a new Amex Business Platinum upgrade offer going out to more targeted people. It comes with a pretty hefty 120K bonus attached.
Live and Let’s Fly
Spirit’s Gone, And Now Look What Fares Did On Its Routes
FLL to Dallas jumped from $39 to $124 within 48 hours of Spirit's May 2 wind-down. Two weeks in, the routes Frontier didn't backfill are still up 20%.
One Mile at a Time
Mayday: Emirates Boeing 777 Pilots Declare Fuel Emergency In Miami
Fuel planning is an important part of the job that dispatchers and pilots perform before a flight can depart. It’s not just about having enough fuel to get to the destination, but also about having reserves if there’s bad weather enroute, if a diversion is needed, etc.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Emirates Boeing 777-300 Declares ‘Mayday’ For Low-Fuel in Miami After the Pilots Had to Abandon Two Landing Attempts
The pilots of an Emirates Boeing 777-300 with as many as 328 passengers on board declared a low-fuel ‘mayday’ distress signal after two attempts to land at Miami International Airport (MIA) on Sunday morning ended in failure. Emirates flight EK-213 had been in the air for more than 17 hours...
Points With a Crew
19 Tech and Travel Deals at Amazon This Weekend
Some decent Amazon weekend deals on travel and tech gear going on this weekend, including headphones, luggage, locks, packing cubes and supplies, travel books and ...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Mountains of Luggage Pile Up at Heathrow Airport As Passengers Slam British Airways For Chaotic Response to Baggage Breakdown
Passengers have slammed British Airways and vowed never to fly with what was once the ‘world’s favorite airline’ over its chaotic response to a baggage system breakdown at its flagship hub at Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport, on Friday, which is still being felt two days later. Mountains of bags have...
Economy Class & Beyond
Airplane Art – Riyah Air Boeing 787-9 taking off from London Heathrow
It’s Sunday again, so it must be time for some more Airplane Art.  This week, we have a Riyadh Air Boeing 787-9 taking off from London Heathrow as it heads back to Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Riyadh Air currently has a single Boeing 787-9 in its fleet – HZ-RXX. The airline...
Your Mileage May Vary
The Old Incognito Mode Flight Hack Is Back… Sort Of
You’ve probably heard this travel tip before: search for flights in Incognito mode and airlines won’t raise the price on you. It’s one of those travel “hacks” that refuses to…
Miles To Memories
American Gaslights Their Most Premium Customer, Amex Loosens Application Rule & Two Unexpected New Airport Lounges
In our Around the Web series we take a look at interesting articles that cover miles, points, travel and personal finance.
View from the Wing
Passenger Spots Loose Wing Part On Boeing 737 — Forcing Airline To Pull Jet From Service
A passenger on a Shenzhen Airlines Boeing 737 noticed something wrong with the wing, photographed it, and showed the cabin crew — and after landing, the jet was pulled from service for maintenance. It appears to have been a loose or detached flap rail fairing, the kind of issue passengers...
The Points of Life
Tahiti Triumph: Trip Recap
                The post Tahiti Triumph: Trip Recap appeared first on The Points Of Life.
Live and Let’s Fly
Europe Just Told Airlines They Owe You Compensation Anyway
Carriers spent two weeks leaning on 'extraordinary circumstances' to dodge EC261. On May 8, the Commission published guidance that said no in writing.
The Bulkhead Seat
Qantas Flight Diverts to Tahiti After Passenger Allegedly Bites Crew Member
A passenger traveling from Australia to the United States is now in police custody…
One Mile at a Time
Amex Gold Card Credits For Dining & Uber: How To Maximize $424 In Value
The American Express Gold Card (review) is one of the best cards for earning Membership Rewards points, and it also has an excellent welcome offer. The card is ideal for anyone who spends a lot on dining, whether at restaurants or supermarkets, and in my experience, getting approved for the card...
Miles To Memories
(Book Now) Devastating! Hyatt Makes Their Award Chart 25%+ More Expensive (& Confusing)
There are some new Hyatt award chart changes coming that will change everything about World of Hyatt, and not in a good way.
View from the Wing
3 American Airlines Passengers Each Left $4,500 Richer After Delaying Greece Vacation By One Day
American Airlines is not known for Delta-style bidding wars when flights are oversold. But on a Philadelphia–Athens flight, the airline reportedly kept raising the offer until three passengers got $4,500 each to delay their Greece trip by one day — an unusually rich payout from a carrier that normally stops...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Red Chairs on Prince Edward Island in Canada. Sunday Morning Photograph.
I may have spotted red chairs on Prince Edward Island — but it was not the first time I found red chairs in Canada. These red chairs are one of six sets that are currently on Prince Edward Island as part of the...
The Bulkhead Seat
CLEAR Launches at Northwest Arkansas National Airport
CLEAR has launched operations at Northwest Arkansas National Airport (XNA) to bring its biometric…
One Mile at a Time
Transfer Citi ThankYou Points To Preferred Hotels & Resorts With Bonus
The Citi ThankYou program has just launched a new transfer bonus, in addition to the one to Wyndham Rewards. Funny enough, just weeks ago we saw the transfer ratio between the two programs devalued, and now there’s a transfer bonus, which doesn’t even get us back to the old transfer...
TravelUpdate
Do you remember when Concorde rudders kept breaking off?
On Wednesday, 12 April 1989 the people of Sydney, Australia were looking forward to a rare visitor. A…
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...
2PAXfly
NEW ZEALAND: Flight from Blenheim to Wellington on Air New Zealand
Our return to Wellington was from Blenheim Airport (BHE). It’s a tiny airport adjacent to a New Zealand Air Force facility. No lounge, and not much of anything else except a big waiting room with two ‘gates’, one at either end. The Airport Facilities are minimal, no lounge, for example,...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 10 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. As you will find out below, I have been battling an awful case of jet lag. It has filled me with brain fog, sleep deprivation, irritability, and a general lack of thought capability. I’ve written a post about what I should have done to combat it. What...
2PAXfly
JET LAG: I have been suffering the worst jet-lag of my life. Here is what I should have done
About a week ago, I returned from London to Sydney via Istanbul and Singapore. My flights were mostly with Turkish Airlines, with the last leg on a wet-leased Finnair A330 on a Qantas ticket. It’s been a week, and I am still desperately sleep deprived, irritable, brain fogged, and useless....
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Double Status Credits in ‘Pick your bonus’ promo. A longer runway than Qantas
Virgin Australia has responded to Qantas’ latest double rewards offer with its own ‘Pick Your Bonus‘ 2026 promotion, giving Velocity Frequent Flyer members the choice of double Status Credits or double Velocity Points on eligible flights. Qantas’ current offer is limited to flights between 12 May and 31 August 2026....
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Double Status Credits surprise, but only for Australia and New Zealand
Qantas has launched a short, sharp ‘double rewards’ offer for Frequent Flyer members. You can choose between double Status Credits or double Qantas Points on eligible flights within Australia and across the Tasman. The booking window is tight. You need to register and book between 12.01 am AEST on 5...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 3 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. My month-long stay in the UK has come to an end, and I’m back home to enjoy the dwindling warmth of Autumn. It was a great time catching up with friends, seeing way too much theatre, and adding to my long list of galleries, museums, and artworks...