Wild About Travel
Surviving Sakura Cherry Blossom – 12 survival tips
I always said I’d never visit Japan in peak sakura season.Too busy, too expensive, too intense.And then I did. I described my 12 marvellous days yesterday. It was beautiful.It was also crowded, overloaded, and at times exhausting.Here are a few things I did that helped, and that I’d do again....
2PAXfly
QANTAS: First Project Sunrise A350-100ULR jet rolls out
After years of hype, delays and plenty of scepticism, Qantas, or more accurately, Airbus, has rolled out its first ultra-long-haul Airbus A350-1000ULR from the factory in Toulouse, marking a major milestone for Project Sunrise. It’s a timely occurrence, with the current Middle East trauma, that this aircraft could fundamentally change...
Wild About Travel
Marvellous 12 days in Japan
It is a bit of a grim world right now, so I thought I would share a positive, beautiful, and delicious 1000-mile journey through one of my favourite countries in Sakura (Cherry blossom). Despite it being insanely busy, I enjoyed the landscapes, food, museums, shopping, temples, parks, and, of course,...
Wild About Travel
Gulf Aviation After the Ceasefire: What Travellers Need to Know Now
A two-week ceasefire for Iran was announced on 7th April. On 9th April, several Gulf governments reported a full day without any new missiles or drones. The UAE’s defence ministry said the country was “free of any air threats” that day, after weeks of intercepting ballistic and cruise missiles and...
Also on BoardingArea
Live and Let’s Fly
Bill Maher Slams United Airlines Food…And Flaunts His Delta SkyMiles
Comedian and Real Time host Bill Maher has a beef with the meals on United Airlines…and boasts of a big Delta SkyMiles balance. Bill Maher Has A Problem With The Food On United Airlines (And A Large Delta SkyMiles Balance) During his “New Rules” editorial at the end of his...
Miles To Memories
(New Offers) Targeted Chase Spending Offers: Earn Up To 7x More Points
The targeted Chase My Bonus quarterly spending offers are back with the new quarter. We have a way to check to see if you're targeted.
The Bulkhead Seat
Delta Unveils Next-Generation Delta One® Suites
Delta Air Lines is making a big leap forward in its premium travel offering…
Points Miles and Bling
Marriott PointSavers: Worth It or Not?
PointSavers remains one of the few ways to score discounted award redemptions in the era of Marriott dynamic pricing. However,…
One Mile at a Time
Delta Airbus A330s Getting Tip-To-Tail Retrofit, New Business Class Suites
Delta has made some exciting passenger experience announcements today. In addition to revealing its new business class suites that will be available on upcoming Airbus A350-1000s, the airline has also announced plans to retrofit its Airbus A330-200/300s with a new (but different) business class product.
Frequent Miler
Office Depot/OfficeMax: Buy $300+ Mastercard Gift Cards, Save $15
Office Depot and OfficeMax stores have returned with their profitable gift card deal on Mastercard gift cards. The Deal Buy $300+ Mastercard gift cards at Office Depot/OfficeMax & get $15 off instantly. Key Terms Valid 4/12/26-4/18/26 Limit 10 per household/business (different stores may try to impose various limits that don’t...
From The Tray Table
The biggest thing missing from Delta’s new posh suites
Delta Air Lines just took the wraps off its highly anticipated next-generation business-class suites. In many ways, this…
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
British Airways Starts Cancelling Some Short-Haul Services in May as Jet Fuel Prices Surge
British Airways has confirmed that it has become the latest international airline to start trimming back its schedule from next month as oil prices surge and speculation mounts that Europe could be facing a jet fuel crisis within weeks. Over the last couple of days, British Airways passengers have been...
View from the Wing
Delta Finally Announces Its New Business Class Suites — But The Most Important Upgrade Is Actually In Coach
Delta has finally made its new business class suites official for the Airbus A350-1000 and refreshed A330s, with longer beds, more privacy, and the usual premium-cabin polish. But the more important news for most travelers may be that Delta is also putting real effort into the back of the plane,...
One Mile at a Time
Unveiled: New Delta One Business Class Suites For Airbus A350-1000
We’re seeing quite some nice improvements to the long haul business class products of major airlines in the United States. We recently saw American introduce its new Flagship Suite business class, and United is also rolling out its new Polaris business class, and next up it’s Delta’s turn.
TravelUpdate
Review: Singapore Airlines 777 Business Class New York to Frankfurt
Background and Booking To start my Singapore and Thailand journey, I flew from New York (JFK) to Singapore…
Miles To Memories
Profitable Office Depot Mastercard Gift Card Deal Returns (Plus Bonus Points!)
The Office Depot Mastercard Gift Card Deal has returned which means a chance to earn some "free" bonus points and maybe a little profit.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Earn 10,000 Radisson Rewards Points Per Stay With Spotlight Hotels
You can earn 10,000 Radisson Rewards points for every stay with participating hotel properties of Spotlight Hotels — which is a curated selection of some of the most popular destinations of Radisson Hotels — through Monday, May 18, 2026... ...but you must...
Frequent Miler
45% / 35X miles (maybe more?) at TripAdvisor via Capital One Shopping (4/13 only)
Capital One Shopping’s Top Deal of the Day for Monday, April 14, 2026, is TripAdvisor. We’ve seen email offers as high as 45% back this morning via the public Capital One Shopping portal (which anyone can join, no need for a specific card), and we have found an offer for...
One Mile at a Time
United Adds Tiered Fares, “Basic” Polaris Business Class With Major Restrictions
While the concept of basic economy has now been around for well over a decade in the United States, we’ve known that airlines here are planning to expand that concept to premium cabin tickets. Executives at the ”big three” US carriers — particularly Delta and United — have been clear...
Economy Class & Beyond
Virgin Atlantic to accelerate its Starlink rollout, with Airbus A350 family to lead
Virgin Atlantic is progressing with its Starlink in-flight connectivity programme, with plans to accelerate the deployment. Virgin Atlantic will begin introducing Starlink connectivity onboard its Airbus A350 fleet from May, with all A350s to be connected by early summer. The first customer flight is slated for early May on the VS153 from London Heathrow to New York, JFK. The installation programme will then...
Miles To Memories
(Last Chance) Capital One Venture Card Signup Bonus: $250 Travel Credit and 75,000 Miles
New Venture cardholders can enjoy a one-time $250 Capital One Travel welcome credit when they open their account. That's in addition to the usual bonus of 75,000 miles.
From The Tray Table
Delta reveals next-generation Delta One Suites, big A330 cabin refresh
Delta Air Lines was the first U.S. carrier to introduce business-class suites. Now, it’s ready to raise the…
Live and Let’s Fly
A Perfect Aperitif At 35,000 Feet: SWISS Alpine Essence Cocktail
It was 5:00 pm somewhere…specifically, on my SWISS flight from London to Zurich. SWISS introduced its own signature cocktail last year called Alpine Essence, but I only recently had the chance to try it on my evening hop to ZRH. SWISS Alpine Essence Signature Cocktail The cocktail is a riff...
Frequent Miler
(Now live) The Free Spirit Debit Card has launched: Here are its features
Spirit Airlines teased the launched of a debit card last year, but it hadn’t materialized yet. More details about the card emerged a couple of months ago and the card itself is now available for applications via the new Free Spirit Rewards Debit Card app; links to the app can...
Miles For Family
Airlines Increase Checked Baggage Fees, Travel Pet Peeves and More
Happy Monday! Rumor: Southwest to Ban Carry-on Bags on its Cheapest Tickets: Wow, I sure hope this rumor isn’t true! I haven’t flown Southwest much these past few years because the fares (in cash and points) have not been competitive with American Airlines from my home airports. But still, this...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
KLM’s Sky High Wage Bill For Aircrew and CEO is Proving Highly Controversial in the Netherlands
Soaring wage bills for aircrew at the Dutch flag carrier KLM, and an inflation-busting bonus package for its chief executive, are proving to be incredibly controversial in the Netherlands, where the country’s finance minister has vowed to object to the bonus at the airline’s next general meeting. It’s no secret...
From The Tray Table
United basic Polaris: what you’ll pay to pick a seat
When United unveiled plans to bring basic fares to business class, it didn’t say how much these tickets…
One Mile at a Time
Etihad Massively Expands China Flights, Goes From One Route To Six
Etihad Airways has been on quite the expansion kick lately, as the airline is trying to grow its destinations at a record pace. We’ve seen the airline add quite a few new routes in recent months, though here’s perhaps the single most concentrated regional expansion we’ve seen.
2PAXfly
TURKISH AIRLINES: Leadership shake-up. Why?
A recent leadership overhaul at Turkish Airlines has sparked industry attention. Here’s a clear breakdown of what we know as fact and what is informed speculation. The interest in this story stems from Turkish Airlines’ recent commencement of non-stop flights to Istanbul from Australia. A flight I recently took, and...
2PAXfly
THAILAND: Travel insurance for tourists may become compulsory
Thai authorities are moving toward making travel insurance mandatory for all foreign visitors, as hospitals struggle with rising unpaid medical bills from tourists. It’s not law yet, but according to the Bangkok Post, the direction for travellers is clear, so Australians should take note. Why Thailand is cracking down The...
2PAXfly
NEW ZEALAND: Top of the South Island, what we did and ate in Picton, Havelock and Blenheim
We had three nights/four days at the Picton Waterfront Apartments, and were mainly interested in rest and relaxation. We also did a little sightseeing, and winery wining and dining. This post is a short summary of some of those activities. Hope it gives you an idea of what you can...
Wild About Travel
Sendai: The City of Trees
A 90-minute hop from Tokyo on Japan’s fastest train, the Hayabusa Shinkansen, brings you to Sendai, the city of trees! My critique of many Japanese cities is that they have a lot of concrete and asphalt, and not much green space. In the 19th century, Sendai’s local ruler encouraged tree...
2PAXfly
EUROPE: New EES entry system for Australians
From April 10, a major overhaul of border control across much of Europe comes into full effect, replacing the familiar passport stamp with biometric data, digital records. I experienced this when entering the Czech Republic at Prague Airport in March, and it was surprisingly efficient. It’s called the Entry/Exit System...
2PAXfly
LOYALTY: Airline programs now worth billions. Qantas in top 10
If you’ve ever wondered why airlines seem more interested in selling points than seats, a new global report puts some serious numbers behind that suspicion. According to the latest On Point Loyalty Top 100 report, airline loyalty programs have evolved into multi-billion-dollar businesses, and for Australian travellers, that shift is...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Launch of new reward seats search tool
Earning points is easy. Finding a decent reward seat, especially in business class, is where things usually fall apart. Virgin Australia is promising to fix that, with a new calendar-based Reward Seat search tool rolling out across its website and app. The airline is calling a ‘step change’ in how...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: Cuts 1,100 flights, affecting 44,000 passengers due to Middle East conflict
If your upcoming trip involves Air New Zealand, it’s worth double-checking your booking. The Kiwi carrier is cancelling around 1,100 flights through to early May, impacting roughly 44,000 passengers, as surging fuel prices ripple through the aviation industry. Most travellers are expected to be rebooked onto the same-day flights, as...