2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 31 May, 2026
Greetings from Canada! I’m here crossing the continent over the next few weeks. It’s my first time in this part of North America. I flew with Qantas to Vancouver, stayed overnight at the airport before meeting up with my husband, and then proceeded to our next Canadian destination. What happened...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Expands points redemptions on Philippine Airlines
Qantas Frequent Flyers can now use points to book Classic Reward seats across the full Philippine Airlines (PAL) network, opening up 15 new island and regional destinations via Manila. Qantas Points can now take you beyond Manila to places like Boracay, Cebu and Palawan with their suspiciously perfect beaches and...
2PAXfly
JETSTAR: Consumer protections threaten airline’s existence
In an article in the SMH, Jetstar chief executive Stephanie Tully warns that the proposed new aviation consumer protections could “undermine Jetstar’s existence”. Quite a phrase from a low-cost airline owned by the Qantas Group. The comments were made to a Senate committee examining the federal government’s planned Aviation Consumer...
Wild About Travel
Drfat Perth
OverviewWhen you hear the name “Perth,” it’s worth noting that there are actually three places that share the name: Perth in Scotland, Perth in Tasmania, and the vibrant capital of Western Australia, which I’m reviewing here. Perth, WA, is known for its vast open spaces, stunning coastlines, and year-round sunshine....
Also on BoardingArea
View from the Wing
Memphis Lets Hotels Add A 5% Tourism Tax — Then Spend The Money On Themselves
Memphis lets certain hotels add a 5% “tourism” tax to guest bills — but unlike ordinary hotel taxes, much of the money goes back to the same hotel to fund renovations, expansion, or redevelopment. It looks like a mandatory government charge, but economically it’s a hidden room-rate increase with city...
Your Mileage May Vary
How Hotels Decide Who Gets The Best Rooms
Most travelers assume hotel room assignments are pretty simple. You check in, they hand you a key, and that’s that. In reality, assigning rooms can be a daily puzzle involving…
Frequent Miler
Hyatt loses more ground to Marriott and Hilton, Flying Blue is on the rise, be ready for long lines in Europe and more
The Frequent Miler team often shares stories internally that we find interesting, so now and then we like to publish a list of interesting reads from around the Internet that are worth checking out. Hyatt Now Lets Park Hyatt Sydney And Tokyo Pretend They’re Resorts To Dodge Elite Late Checkout...
Live and Let’s Fly
Your Miles Are Losing Value Faster Than Cash
Aeroplan, LifeMiles, Emirates, and Cathay all raised award prices within weeks. Call it what it is. The miles in your account are inflating away. The Month Everyone Reached Into Your Account There are times where one program tightens the screws and the rest of us grumble and move on. May...
Miles To Memories
Amex Is Raising The Annual Fee For Some Cardholders, 8 Can’t Miss Music Festivals & Americans Ditching Summer Travel At Alarming Rate
Roundup: Articles From Around the Web Here are some posts that caught our eye that I thought you may find interesting!  Let me know if there is anything good I missed.  Email me anything awesome that you find, or write, at Mark@milestomemories.com. Interesting Articles Here are some interesting articles I found...
Points With a Crew
Flight Attendants Instantly Know If You’re “That Passenger” — Here’s How
Flight attendants say they can tell within seconds what kind of passenger you are. Find out the habits they notice most, and how you can ...
One Mile at a Time
Aeroplan Updating Award Chart As Of June 2026: It’s A Devaluation, Mostly
Air Canada Aeroplan is one of the most useful frequent flyer programs out there for redeeming points, thanks to the huge number of airline partners the program has, the reasonable award pricing, and the ability to add stopovers for 5,000 points.
View from the Wing
United Flight Map Glitch Replaces The Plane With A Devil Wears Prada Stiletto [Roundup]
United passengers are seeing a flight map glitch where the airplane icon is replaced by the spiked stiletto from *The Devil Wears Prada*. Also: Bilt cardholders report surprise $50,000 credit limits, Chase Sapphire Lounge DFW appears closer to opening, American basic economy bag fees get worse, and oneworld Ruby members...
Your Mileage May Vary
Want A Better First Class Meal? These Airlines Let You Preorder
When you pay for First Class, whether with cash, miles or an upgrade, you generally expect more than a wider seat and an earlier boarding group. On flights long enough…
View from the Wing
Hyatt CEO Says Members Like The Award Chart Devaluation — Top Hotels Can Cost 67% More Points
Hyatt’s CEO says members have reacted positively to the new award chart, which is an interesting way to describe top hotels costing up to 67% more points. Hyatt may still have a fixed chart, but when one night that used to require $45,000 of card spend now takes $75,000, calling...
Frequent Miler
Fee-free Visa Gift Cards in-store at Staples
Staples is again offering fee-free fixed $200 Visa Gift Cards, through Saturday, June 6, 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...
The Bulkhead Seat
United Flight Diverts After Bluetooth Device Named “BOMB” Sparks Security Scare
A United Airlines flight from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Palma de Mallorca…
Miles To Memories
Last Chance To Lock In CardPointers’ Valuable Service For Half Off!
There is a great deal going on right now with this CardPointers 50% off sale. Reminder that this one is set to end tonight!
One Mile at a Time
Hot Take: Diverting Flights Over “Bomb” Wi-Fi & Bluetooth Names Is Dumb
I suspect this will be a hot take, though I don’t think it should be…
Live and Let’s Fly
Air Canada Joins The Long-Haul Narrowbody Club
Air Canada’s first A321XLR brings 14 lie-flat suites to thin transatlantic routes like Montreal to Toulouse. The narrowbody long-haul era is officially here. Another Single Aisle Crosses The Atlantic Air Canada took delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR in April, and with it the airline joined a club that is...
View from the Wing
Southwest Took Austin Airport’s Planned Bank Lounge Space — Now The Airport May Add Two Credit Card Lounges
Austin airport’s long-planned credit card lounge did not disappear just because Southwest appears to have taken the original West Infill space for its own “Project Oasis” lounge. The airport now says it still plans a bank lounge RFP — and is weighing space in the new Concourse B, the current...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Rainbow at Niagara Falls. Sunday Morning Photograph.
A rainbow at Niagara Falls only enhances this legendary natural wonder that is located on the Niagara River between the province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York in the United States. If you want to see the rainbow for yourself...
Frequent Miler
Capital One Shopping/Offers: Earn 35% or 20X (or more) at StubHub
Capital One Shopping and Capital One Offers have boosted rates for StubHub today. I’m seeing 35% cashback or 20X miles, but there might well be even better targeted rates out there for some people. This could therefore be a great day to redeem the StubHub credit if you have a...
One Mile at a Time
Award Ticket Change Fees Are Getting Ridiculous: This Is Just The Beginning
I hate to make negative predictions, but I cant help but feel like this is only the start of a trend that were going to see a lot more of in the coming years
TravelUpdate
Does anyone remember the obscure Italian Savoia-Marchetti S.66 flying boat?
The Savoia-Marchetti S.66 was a twin-hull cantilever monoplane Italian flying boat. While the hull and wings were metal,…
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Transatlantic United Airlines Flight Makes Emergency ‘Terror Threat’ Diversion Over Bluetooth Speaker Name
A transatlantic United Airlines flight from Newark to Palma de Mallorca made an emergency diversion back to New York on Saturday night because a Bluetooth speaker carried by a teen passenger on the flight had been named ‘BOMB.’ United flight UA-236 had departed nearly two hours late at around 6:08...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
International Flight Attendant Appreciation Day: Cabin Crew Have Been Telling You The Truth All Along
The flight attendants are primarily here for your safety: Any regular traveler has no doubt heard this line many times before, but it’s a comment that can attract exaggerated eye rolls because it is, on occasion, used to justify bad and sometimes even ugly service. But on International Flight Attendant...
View from the Wing
Spirit Airlines Is Gone — So Is The Lawsuit Against Them For Tracking Customer Clicks And Keystrokes
Spirit Airlines may be gone, but one of its remaining lawsuits just died too. Customers claimed Spirit’s website tracked clicks, keystrokes, searches and browsing behavior through session-replay code, but the court said that without a concrete injury or sensitive personal information disclosed, creepy website tracking alone was not enough to...
Monkey Miles
Bilt strikes deal with Mindbody (earn/burn points at 7k fitness studios ) + earn 3x Flying Blue miles on rent payments.
Bilt is continuing to expand it’s footprint into Neighborhood via a very popular fitness booking app, Mindbody. I use Mindbody quite often to book pilates classes ( there are over 7k small business across the country who use Mindbody for booking ). You’ll need to book via the Bilt app...
2PAXfly
STARLUX: Taiwan’s ‘luxury’ airline to fly to Sydney and Auckland
Sydney looks set to gain a new Taiwanese contender in 2027, with STARLUX, the Taiwan-based airline, having confirmed (ET) plans to launch direct flights between Taipei and Sydney, with Auckland added as a trans-Tasman tag flight. That means Australians could soon have another way to reach Taiwan, North Asia, North...
2PAXfly
QATAR & ETIHAD: A380s retreat from Australia as the superjumbo shuffle continues
Qatar Airways is cutting back planned A380 service to Australia and China, with the superjumbo now concentrated on a much smaller number of routes as the airline rebuilds its network after disruption in the Middle East. AeroRoutes schedule filings show Qatar’s regular A380 operations from 16 June to 15 September...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise slips again due to ‘supply chain’ delay, now aiming for April 2027
The first Airbus A350-1000ULR for Project Sunrise, the aircraft Qantas is banking on to finally make non-stop Sydney and Melbourne flights to London and New York a commercial reality, will now join the fleet in April 2027 according to reports in the SMH. That is later than previously announced, when...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 24 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. Back at home for a week or so before I head out on my next trip. Later this week, I’m heading eastward to the Americas. Precise location and cities to visit will be revealed as the trip progresses. These will all be totally new destinations for me,...
2PAXfly
WEBJET: Travel agent squeezed as Virgin Australia cuts commissions
Webjet is warning investors that trading conditions remain “fluid and challenging” after Virgin Australia cut the commissions it pays the online travel agent, according to an article in the SMH. For travellers, that could mean fewer sharp Webjet airfare deals on Virgin flights. For Webjet, it is another revenue hit...
2PAXfly
UNITED STATES: Trump administration floats airport squeeze on ‘sanctuary cities’
I have refrained largely from reporting on USA affairs. That’s partly because I don’t want to besmirch my reputation if I decide to travel to the USA again. However, there are just some things that need to be reported in the interests of Australians travelling to the USA. The Trump...
Wild About Travel
Dubrovnik. Dragons, Demons,
Dubrovnik looks almost unreal at first glance. Terracotta roofs stacked above polished limestone streets, all wrapped in thick medieval walls with the Adriatic on three sides. It is indeed a real‑world city. It became King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. Many key scenes were filmed in and around its medieval...
Wild About Travel
Berlin: Cities I Love #2
I have been coming to Berlin since the Wall fell. I have watched it change beyond recognition and yet remain, stubbornly, itself. It is a city that has survived everything history has thrown at it, and it wears that history openly, without flinching. There is nowhere else like it. 01...