2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: biggest Boeing 737 is coming — eventually
Virgin Australia has put a date, of sorts, on the next stage of its fleet renewal. It expects to receive its first Boeing 737-10 in late 2027. That’s like more than 12 months away. The PR department must have been light on for stories to report for this to be...
2PAXfly
BOEING: Bird strikes, smoke and the cabin air problem that won’t go away
There are bird strikes. There are fume events. And then there are bird strikes that lead to smoke or oil mist entering the cockpit and/or cabin. That is the issue now ruffling feathers around Boeing’s 737 MAX, its LEAP-1B engines, and the regulators charged with deciding whether this is a...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 14 June, 2026
Greetings from Canada (I’m still here)! I’ve actually spanned the continent and just spent some delightful days enduring the cold of Newfoundland. I’ve also seen puffins at Gull Island and whales out of Bay Bulls Harbour. Both of which were wonderful experiences. Arrival at Montreal, not so much, but they...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: introduces confirmed upgrades with cash
Qantas has added a new way to upgrade your seat that takes the element of chance out. Confirmed Upgrades is a fixed-price cash upgrade offer for selected passengers on selected Qantas flights, with confirmation (or not) within half a day. This becomes the third form of upgrade you can use...
Also on BoardingArea
Frequent Miler
(Walmart & Atlantis added) Capital One Shopping adds Apple gift card redemptions (and Princess Cruises, Best Western, and more)
Update 6/16/26: Capital One Shopping has added even more gift card redemption options, but deleted a few others. Perhaps the most welcome one for many people will be the return of Walmart as an option, although not everyone is seeing that. You can also redeem your shopping portal rewards for...
Points With a Crew
Kickstarter: Solvest Cooling Vest (Back By Wednesday)
The Solvest Cooling Vest is designed for outdoors in the summer, and can get to 9 degrees Fahrenheit instantly. It's on Kickstarter, but only for a few more ...
Live and Let’s Fly
American Airlines Will Make Passengers Sit Upright Earlier Before Landing, Making Redeyes Even Worse
American Airlines is preparing cabins for landing earlier, a move meant to protect flight attendants from turbulence injuries during descent. I understand the safety concern, but I still think this is an overreaction that materially worsens the passenger experience, especially on redeye flights. However, there’s a compromise that I hope...
Points Miles and Bling
Flying Porter’s Inaugural Flight from Montreal MET Airport (YHU)
There are inaugural flights, and then there are inaugural flights. At 6 a.m. on a Monday morning, I found myself…
Your Mileage May Vary
Flying Southwest’s Independence One: A Special Plane At A Very Different Time For Southwest
Most Southwest flights are pretty ordinary. This one wasn’t. That wasn’t because of where we were going, or because Southwest suddenly started offering lie-flat seats and champagne. It was because…
Miles To Memories
Chase Guts Their Most Popular Cards, Amex Terms Change To Monitor, Half Off ChatGPT & More
Plus, do you need a Sapphire Reserve now, has Hyatt lost "it", profitable Lowe's Chase Offer is back, how to find cheaper awards & more.
View from the Wing
Marriott Owners Rebel Over Bonvoy Free Nights, And Guests May Pay With Higher Award Prices
More than 50 Marriott hotel owners, representing 1,000 hotels, say Bonvoy award nights do not reimburse them enough, even as Marriott’s credit card and loyalty revenue grows. If owners win more money for free-night stays, Bonvoy members may ultimately pay through higher award prices and weaker point value.
Frequent Miler
Delta Cars & Stays promos: Earn 5X miles, earn 1X MQDs, & get 15% off bookings with SkyMiles
Delta Cars & Stays is having quite the push at the moment with trying to get people to book hotel stays and/or car rentals through them. There are multiple different offers that can earn you 5X bonus SkyMiles, 1X Medallion Qualification Dollars (MQDs), or save you 15% when redeeming SkyMiles...
The Bulkhead Seat
JetBlue Revamps Mint® Dining With New York Restaurant Partners
JetBlue is upgrading its Mint® Business Class dining experience through a new partnership with…
The Bulkhead Seat
Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines Announce Premium Summer Beverage Lineup
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are refreshing their onboard beverage offerings this summer with…
Miles To Memories
(Now Live) Target Circle Deal Days: $100 Circle Card Bonus and More
Apply for a Target Circle Card between June 14-26 and, if approved, receive $100 in Target Circle Rewards. You also get 15% off your first purchase as a new Target Circle member.
Traveling For Miles
We still don’t know when key Atmos Rewards changes will go live
Alaska Airlines rebranded its Mileage Plan program as Atmos Rewards back in August 2025, unifying it with Hawaiian Airlines' HawaiianMiles into a single program. Some of the changes that came with that rebrand are already live while others are still waiting to be rolled out and as we approach the middle...
One Mile at a Time
Our Wild Austrian Flight To Skiathos: A Fall, Two Go Arounds, And A Diversion
In a previous installment, I wrote about our really bad luck flying from Miami (MIA) to Skiathos (JSI). The previous installment was about our first flight, which was delayed, then canceled, and then had a baggage situation. Oh well.
Frequent Miler
Capital One Shopping/Offers: Earn 6%/9X on Apple purchases (albeit with many exclusions)
Apple is the boosted retailer today on the Capital One Shopping and Capital One Offers shopping portals. I’m seeing rates of 6% and 9X respectively, but there might be even better targeted offers out there. The Deal Earn 6% cashback through Capital One Shopping or 9X miles through Capital One...
Economy Class & Beyond
KLM introduces its first Airbus A350 – Enter “The Night Watch”
KLM is on target to receive its first Airbus A350-900, with the paintwork laid on it. The aircraft has been named The Night Watch, after the renowned painting by Rembrandt. However, there’s a tinsy little problem. For the Airbus A350 fleet, KLM has chosen to name its aircraft after iconic...
Live and Let’s Fly
Air Canada Opens New Café Lounge At Québec City Airport With Barista Coffee, Local Specialties
Air Canada has opened a new Air Canada Café at Québec City Jean Lesage International Airport, expanding a lounge concept that love this concept: good coffee and local specialities in a quiet environment ideally situated for smaller airports like YQB. Air Canada Opens New Café Lounge At Québec City Airport...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
The Real Reason Why Flight Attendants Will Switch On the Seatbelt Signs When There’s No Turbulence… No, it’s Not Because They’re Lazy
If you’ve ever been on a plane and the seatbelt sign has been switched on despite the fact that the aircraft is flying as smoothly as a hot knife through butter, then there’s probably one of two reasons that you’re being confined to your seat for seemingly no reason: Yes,...
Miles To Memories
False Alarm! 5x Earning On Office Stores Is Marked Safe From Devaluation
I have great news to share with you, there are no changes to the Ink Plus 5x earning categories, and 5x office stores is not going anywhere.
View from the Wing
Guests Charged $16 For In-Room Coffee At W Las Vegas As Visitors Pull Back From Nickel-And-Dime Fees
W Las Vegas charges guests $16 for in-room coffee even as the hotel adds a resort fee, turning a basic amenity into another minibar-style charge. The fee captures the broader Las Vegas nickel-and-diming problem as visitors pull back from higher costs and fewer included perks.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
$50 New Member Referral Bonus With Rakuten
This is your chance to cash in on a $50 new member referral bonus when you sign up as a new member of Rakuten; and you will receive a bonus of $50.00 via referral when you spend a minimum of $50.00 within the first 90 days of your new membership, which is...
Live and Let’s Fly
Porter Airlines Launches 12 Routes From New Montréal Metropolitan Airport
Montréal has opened a new secondary airport called Montréal Metropolitan Airport, and Porter Airlines is betting big that travelers will embrace convenience over Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. Porter Airlines Bets Big On New Montréal Airport With 12 Routes Porter Airlines has launched service from the new Montréal Metropolitan Airport...
Frequent Miler
Southwest shopping portal promo: Earn 2K bonus points when spending $200 (ends 6/29/26)
The Southwest shopping portal launched a new promotion yesterday and it’s far more generous than normal. If you spend a cumulative $200 in one or more transactions through the portal, you’ll earn 2,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points. The Deal Earn 2,000 bonus Rapid Rewards points when spending $200+ through the...
One Mile at a Time
Profitable Aer Lingus May Be Forced To Shrink Because It’s Not Greedy Enough
International Airlines Group (IAG) is reportedly on the verge of forcing subsidiary Aer Lingus to shrink due to lack of profitability… even though the airline recently reported its second-best financial results in history, and the margins are among the best in the industry. Is this just a logical way to...
Traveling For Miles
Will Amex’s purchase of TheFork boost a Platinum Card benefit?
American Express has announced a proposed $700 million acquisition of TheFork, a restaurant reservation platform operating across 11 European countries. On its own, that's probably not that interesting to most people, but for holders of the Platinum Card® from American Express, there's an angle worth considering. Could this acquisition lead to...
2PAXfly
WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT: Finally an opening date, and Jetstar gets first dibs
Western Sydney International Airport will welcome its first paying passengers on Sunday, 25 October 2026, with Jetstar being the first commercial passenger carrier off the tarmac. The inaugural flight from Western Sydney International, officially the Nancy-Bird Walton Airport and known by the code WSI, will be a Jetstar flight, JQ362,...
Wild About Travel
draft Kalogorlei ourback tnwn
I almost came to Kalgoorlie decades ago but never made it. I have travelled across Western Australia’s 2,527,013 square kilometres (975,685 sq mi), from Esperance in the south to Wyndham in the north, and through many towns, beaches, deserts, and mountain ranges in between. I love the state. Kalgoorlie remained...
2PAXfly
RIYADH AIR: New aviation deal with Saudi Arabia puts passennger flight on Australia’s horizon
Saudi Arabia has signed a new aviation agreement with Australia, opening the way for direct flights into Avalon in Victoria and Toowoomba Wellcamp in Queensland. The first flights are likely to be freight, chilled meat, seafood and dairy and not business class suites. But this raises the possiblity that Riyadh...
2PAXfly
RIYADH AIR: Initial destinations and flight schedule
We finally have the launch schedules and first five destinations for the long-awaited launch of Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Air. Launch pricing is intriguing rather than sensational, but at least any travellers on these flights will get the full Riyadh experience in Riyadh Air’s fully kitted-out cabins. But don’t expect an...
2PAXfly
INDONESIA: Bali giveth to Australians, and taketh away from influencers
Bali is preparing to make holidays cheaper for Australians by restoring visa-free entry. At the same time, Indonesian immigration authorities are making life more complicated for influencers, content creators and assorted digital nomads by requiring them to obtain work visas. No longer will they be able to treat a tourist...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Taj hotel discounts for frequent flyers, with future status match
OneWorld executives have been busy. Qantas frequent flyers can now receive discounts at more than 630 Taj and Indian Hotels Company properties, under a new partnership linking the Oneworld airline alliance with the Taj InnerCircle–NeuPass loyalty program. The agreement stretches beyond Taj’s grand palaces and luxury hotels to include everything...
2PAXfly
ONEWORLD: Philippine Airlines is joining, and that’s good news for Australian travellers
Philippine Airlines (PAL) is preparing to join the oneworld alliance, bringing a Southeast Asian carrier into the same airline family as Qantas. The Philippine flag carrier has signed a Memorandum of Understanding to become oneworld’s 16th member, following an invitation from the alliance’s governing board. The announcement was made at...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Looking at Superjumbo A380 replacement
Qantas is reportedly considering an order for about 20 additional widebody aircraft, potentially setting up another contest between Airbus and Boeing for a large slice of the airline’s international fleet. According to Reuters aviation correspondent Tim Hepher, Qantas is discussing either additional Boeing 787 Dreamliners or the Airbus A350-900 with...