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...
Also on BoardingArea
Miles To Memories
Hilton Offering 125% Bonus on Purchased Points Through TPG Flash Sale
Hilton Honors is running a limited-time flash sale in partnership with The Points Guy that gives members a 125% bonus when purchasing Hilton Honors points.
Miles To Memories
Could Bank of America Points Eventually Transfer to Alaska’s Atmos Rewards?
A comment made by Alaska Air Group CFO Shane Tackett has sparked speculation that Bank of America points could soon become transferable to Alaska's Atmos Rewards program.
View from the Wing
Wells Fargo Cuts Rewards Sharing, InKind Offers $75 In Free Food, And REAL ID Isn’t Reliable
Wells Fargo is cutting rewards features, InKind has a $75 food-credit play, REAL ID gets undermined in court, and China rideshare drivers add karaoke and haircuts.
One Mile at a Time
Fascinating: Richard Quest Interviews Qatar Airways’ Mysterious New CEO
Maybe I’m the only one who finds this interesting, but we’ve finally heard from Qatar Airways’ new CEO, roughly six months into his tenure!
Frequent Miler
(Update: Website referral link) Bank of America adds referral bonuses for some customers (targeted)
Update 6/9/26: When Bank of America launched referrals a couple of weeks ago, it seemed like the ability to refer—if you were even targeted with that ability at all—was only available in the Bank of America app. It’s now also available on the Bank of America website, for some people...
Points With a Crew
Buy United miles with up to a 100% bonus
For a limited time, you can get up to a 100% bonus miles when buying United miles. But is it worth it? Actually I only recommend buying miles in 3 instances: if you ...
Live and Let’s Fly
70 United Airlines AVGeeks Flew To All 7 Hubs In One Day, And United Went All In
70 AVgeeks recently flew to all of seven of United Airlines’ continental USA hubs in one day. Here’s a review from three of the travelers who organized the trip and took part in the journey. With special thanks to Brian Won, the primary author, as well as Carl Brothers (who...
Monkey Miles
June Transfer Bonuses – 30% Chase to Virgin Atlantic Added ( Active and Historical Bonuses, Full Partner Lists, and Calculator )
  
Your Mileage May Vary
Southwest Premier Card Review: Is The Middle Option Finally Worth Considering?
The Southwest Rapid Rewards Premier Credit Card has always felt like the middle option in Southwest’s lineup. The Plus Card costs less. The Priority Card comes with more perks. That…
View from the Wing
American Airlines Touts New Greenwashing Deal With Google, When Their Contrail Work Matters Far More
American Airlines and Google are touting a sustainable aviation fuel deal, but SAF remains costly, supply-constrained, and subsidy-driven while they actually found a way to reduce emissions.
Points Miles and Bling
The Best Perks of Business Travel (Beyond the Free Points)
I recently wrote about the hidden costs of frequent work travel – the exhaustion, the missed holidays, constantly being in…
Frequent Miler
Save up to 40% on Southwest flights with promo code FLYWOW
Southwest launched another new sale yesterday, this time giving a discount of up to 40% on both paid and award flights when using promo code FLYWOW. The Deal Save up to 40% on Southwest flights when using promo code FLYWOW. Direct link to offer. Key Terms Use code FLYWOW for...
The Bulkhead Seat
American Express to Open New Centurion Lounge at Amsterdam Schiphol Airport in 2026
American Express is expanding its global Centurion Lounge network with the addition of a…
View from the Wing
United’s Premium Regional Jet Rollout Gets Weird As The Plane Re-Enters Service With Its Old Cabin
United showed off a premium CRJ-450 regional jet meant to offer first class, Starlink, and a luggage closet, but the same aircraft is now flying with its old CRJ-200 cabin.
One Mile at a Time
Amex Blue Business Plus Card Review: Worth It For 2x Membership Rewards?
It’s amazing how credit card rewards structures have evolved over the years. Back in the day, you’d typically only earn one point per dollar spent on credit cards. Then we saw some cards introduce up to 1.5x points per dollar spent. Then in 2017, a card was introduced that offers...
Miles To Memories
Oneworld Expansion Infighting, Hyatt Says You Like Their Devaluation & Get $1500 Amazon Gift Card To Buy … A Car?!
In our Around the Web series we take a look at interesting articles that cover miles, points, travel and personal finance.
Points Miles and Bling
Choosing the Right Card for Award Travel Insurance
Travel insurance for award tickets can be a dicey topic, with so many “yikes” and “gotcha” possibilities. To be frank,…
Economy Class & Beyond
Riyadh Air opens bookings for five destinations
With the delivery of three Boeing 787-9 aircraft to the airline, Riyadh Air has opened public ticket sales for five destinations as it begins its commercial service. The five destinations being served initially by Riyadh Air (after London Heathrow) are: Jeddah, – 14th June Dubai, UAE – 18th June Cairo,...
Live and Let’s Fly
Review: Delta One Lounge Los Angeles (LAX)
Here’s a brief update to my full review from last year, with this bottom line: the Delta One Lounge at Los Angeles International Airport remains just as great as ever and it’s easily my favorite lounge at LAX. I used this lounge ahead of my Los Angeles – Atlanta flight,...
The Bulkhead Seat
Frontier Airlines Returns to Oakland and Adds New Boise Service From Las Vegas
Frontier Airlines is adding two new routes from Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport…
Miles To Memories
Excellent Lowe’s Chase Offer Is Back! Get Up To $50 Off
There is a new Lowe's Chase Offer that could save you a nice chunk of money on that honey-do list (up to $50 off your purchase).
TravelUpdate
Don’t you love it when airplane roulette results in a better seat?
When you book an airline ticket, the aircraft due to operate your flight generally doesn’t change. That means…
The Bulkhead Seat
Singapore Airlines Becomes Southwest Airlines Eighth International Partner
Southwest Airlines and Singapore Airlines have announced a new interline partnership that will allow…
View from the Wing
Hilton Starts Charging Elite Members For Better Rooms As Free Upgrades At Check-in Become Airline-Style Upsells
Hilton Honors will start selling upgrades to elite members of the Honors program through their mobile app.
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...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 7 June, 2027
Greetings again from Canada! I’ve spent just shy of a week in the Canadian capital, Ottawa. I’ve also had my first experience of Air Canada, and its Express and Rouge brands. I’m impressed on the whole with their Business Class. Less so by their lounges. What happened last week? Don’t...
2PAXfly
EXPLAINER: What’s the difference between narrow-body versus widebody aircraft?
It used to be largely true that wide-body aircraft were for long-haul flights and narrow-body aircraft were for short-haul flights. Bue recently, and especially since the advent of the Airbus A321XLR, that distinction no longer holds. What largely holds is the level of comfort and service provided on the different-sized...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Corporate affairs head demonstrates double standards on social media
This story was reported by Hannah Wootton, in the AFR. As you will see, there are now deleted posts involved, making this difficult to verify independently. However, the AFR is a journal of record and demonstrates traditional journalistic ethics, so I am inclined to trust their reporting. Since he’s Virgin...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise, test flights start, certification and other delays
On the day Qantas celebrates the successful maiden test flight of the first Project Sunrise Airbus A350-1000ULR, I thought it might be timely to look more closely at the project. Below, I examine publicly available information and other possible reasons for the delay in the aircraft and project launches. The...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Last chance to claim Travel Credits from COVID-19 period
If you still have a Virgin Australia COVID-era travel credit sitting unloved in your digital bottom drawer, it’s your final boarding call. Credits issued for cancelled flights between 21 April 2020 and 31 July 2022 expire on 30 June 2026. And here is the kicker, Virgin says you don’t just...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Trialing automated gates in Sydney at T3
“Computer says no” is coming to a Qantas departure gate near you. The airline is trialling automated boarding gates at Sydney Airport’s domestic Terminal 3, with the machines set to do what gate agents have been trying to do for years: enforce Group Boarding without having to smile through clenched...