2PAXfly
ALTURA AIRLINES: Majority Indigenous-owned carrier launches from Perth
Australia has another airline name in its skies. You won’t find Altura Airlines appearing beside Qantas or Virgin Australia when searching for your next Perth flight. The new majority Indigenous-owned carrier commenced operations from Perth on Tuesday, 21 July 2026. Its initial focus is charter flying for mining, energy, infrastructure...
2PAXfly
TRIP REVIEW: Qantas B787-9 Dreamliner, QF75 Sydney to Vancouver in Business Class. Oh Canada!
This is the next post in my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’ve covered the reason for this trip in the introductory post, as well as my check-in experience and the Qantas First Lounge pre-boarding experience. Now its time for the actual flight. This is my first time (I think) on...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: A better headrest may be as good as Economy seat innovation gets
Emirates has unveiled a new Economy Class headrest designed to stop passengers’ heads rolling sideways while they attempt the unlikely feat of sleeping upright. Called the U-Dream, the adjustable headrest folds around the passenger’s head and neck, rather like a built-in travel pillow. It may prove genuinely useful. It also...
2PAXfly
WESTERN SYDNEY AIRPORT: First international passenger flights 100 days away
Western Sydney International Airport (WSI) will welcome its first overseas passenger flight on Monday, 26 October 2026, when an Air New Zealand Airbus arrives from Auckland. The same aircraft will then operate the first scheduled international passenger departure from the new airport, returning across the Tasman later that morning. Western...
Also on BoardingArea
Traveling For Miles
How to earn Delta Lifetime Medallion Elite status [2026 edition]
Way back in 2021, Delta made a positive update to its Million Miler elite status program by giving flyers the chance to lock in its top-tier SkyMiles Diamond Medallion status for life (albeit for the life of the program, not the life of the traveler) and that was a surprisingly...
The Points of Life
Do You Read? Unedited & Uninhibited
For years, I have been attempting to make blogging more efficient. The more I tried, the more I failed. The closest I came to catching up to my Trip Reports was ‘thanks’ to Covid (see The Lost & Found Year(s): COVID Trip Report). Since then, I have traveled the world...
Frequent Miler
Alaska Airlines shopping portal promo: Earn 300-2,000 bonus Atmos Rewards points
With the United and Southwest shopping portals launching promotions last week and the American Airlines and Delta portals joining them this week, the Alaska Airlines portal has now entered the fray today with its own three-tiered promotion. The Deal The Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards shopping portal is offering the following...
Points With a Crew
4 Reasons to Get the Chase Sapphire Preferred® Card (100K Offer Ending Soon)
If you are starting out in the world of credit card miles and points, and aren't sure which card you should get - here are 4 reasons it should be the Chase Sapphire Preferred
Live and Let’s Fly
India Day 5: Church, Coffee, And Crap
The rain just doesn’t stop. It has been pouring nonstop since I arrived in Mumbai, often torrentially. The streets have been fairly resilient: I expected a lot of flooding and walking in ankle-deep water, but somehow the water is draining all right. India Day 5: A Beautiful Morning In Mumbai...
Your Mileage May Vary
The World’s Best Priority Pass Lounges Were Just Ranked. Four Are In The U.S.
Airport lounges have gone from being a nice perk to becoming a major part of the travel experience. Whether you gain access through an expensive premium credit card, elite airline…
Miles To Memories
Chase Adding Abuse Warning to Some Chase Offers
Some Chase Offers are now showing new language warning cardholders that abusing offers could result in losing access to future promotions.
Travel Codex
Mitsui Ocean Cruises A Japanese Foodie Paradise
When a cruise line launches, most travelers focus on the ship, suites, or itinerary. But after sailing with Mitsui Ocean Cruises on the new MITSUI OCEAN FUJI, I think the real story is the food. The luxury cruise market is crowded with lines boasting Michelin-inspired menus and celebrity chef partnerships....
saving cash (l) woman shares saving hack (c) Priceline booking app (r)
BoardingArea
Priceline Lays New Orleans Woman Off. Then She Reveals Their Biggest Money-Saving Secret: ‘I’m Using It To Plan A Trip’
“I used to work at Priceline..."
View from the Wing
American Airlines Passenger Took His Wife’s Business Class Dessert Back To Coach — Then Flight Attendants Confiscated It
An American Airlines passenger says a flight attendant confiscated the business class bread and dessert his upgraded wife couldn’t eat, rather than let him take it back to coach—turning cabin rules into a fight over a roll and cake.
Points Miles and Bling
Review: LOT Business Lounge Chicago O’Hare ORD
LOT Business Lounge ORD – Location and Access During my layover in ORD before my EVA Flight to Hong Kong,…
Frequent Miler
Hotels.com: Get $20 bonus OneKeyCash when booking by 7/26/26
Hotels.com is running a new promotion that’s awarding $20 bonus OneKeyCash when making a booking by July 26, although the stay doesn’t have to take place by then. While that’s a pretty good reward, it does expire after 30 days and so you’ll have to make another booking shortly after...
One Mile at a Time
Air Astana Plans To Fly From Kazakhstan To United States: Great Success?
Air Astana, the national airline of Kazakhstan, has just officially revealed plans to fly to the United States. While there are still some hurdles to overcome, this is a cool development, and I hope we see this service become a reality.
The Bulkhead Seat
Wreckage of 1952 Pan Am Crash That Changed Airline Safety Found After 74 Years
The wreckage of a Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) aircraft that crashed into…
Miles To Memories
Up To 5,000 Hyatt Bonus Points With New Authorized User Bonus
A new round of Hyatt Authorized User Bonus offers have gone out to targeted cardmembers that could be worth up to 5,000 points.
View from the Wing
United Wants Insurance To Reimburse Miles And Vouchers From CrowdStrike Outage — Lawsuit Says Airline Already Got Paid
United is fighting with its cyber insurer over CrowdStrike outage losses, including customer vouchers and MileagePlus miles. The insurer says United already recovered money from CrowdStrike and cannot use those same losses to unlock excess coverage.
Traveling For Miles
50,000 point welcome offer on the Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express [Targeted]
The Blue Business® Plus Credit Card from American Express is a solid TFM favorite thanks to its simple structure, its $0 annual fee and its useful earning rate on up to $50,000 of spending every year. It's one of the few cards that we consider a "must have" card for anyone...
Live from a Lounge
Deal: Etihad launches sale offering up to 20% off fares across its network in Business and Economy Class
Etihad has launched a new sale offering up to 20% off flights through most of this year. Here is what we know.
Frequent Miler
Get $40 back when spending $80 on Airbnb Experiences & Services (but not stays) with Amex Offer
There’s an eye-catching new Amex Offer out today that’s giving a $40 statement credit when spending $80+ on Airbnb. However, there is a catch that reduces its utility—it’s only valid on Airbnb Experiences & Services, not on Airbnb stays. It will stack nicely though with a Delta promo through August...
Live and Let’s Fly
Virgin Atlantic Agrees To Pay After Canceling Passenger’s $4,500 Business Class Award
UPDATE: View From The Wing shares that Virgin Atlantic has rectified this situation, instructing the passenger to purchase a second ticket and then file for reimbursement, which it has promised to repay. This is a positive solution and I commend Virgin Atlantic for doing the right thing, even if it...
Miles To Memories
OnePay Saves You $1 Per Gallon on Gas Every Wednesday
OnePay users can earn $1 or more per gallon back on eligible gas purchases every Wednesday through September 15, 2026.
View from the Wing
Someone Is Stealing Frequent Flyer Miles Using Fake Accounts Created In Passenger Names
Cathay Pacific passengers are finding mileage credit from completed flights diverted into fake partner accounts created in their names. Reports involving American, Qantas, Finnair, British Airways and Qatar suggest someone with access to booking records may be harvesting premium-cabin miles at scale.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Szalonej Środy With LOT Polish Airlines Means Crazy Wednesday Sale
LOT Polish Airlines has a promotion that occurs on many Wednesdays because Szalonej Środy translates from Polish into English as Crazy Wednesday, which is in effect only on Wednesdays — typically for the Polish market, as airports in Poland are usually the origination airports of the deals. As today...
Travel Codex
Swingers Your Newest Destinations for Swingers & Families!
Nobody goes to Las Vegas thinking, You know what this trip needs? More family activities. And yet, here we are with Las Vegas’ newest family attraction. Swingers Las Vegas. After spending an afternoon at Swingers Las Vegas inside Mandalay Bay, you too may be convinced the city’s most unexpectedly addictive...
Wild About Travel
Why Working From Cafés Around the World Reveals So Much About Culture
I just spent two hours in a café in Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, and ended up observing how differently cafés work here compared to other places. People were happily shouting to each other across the room, kids running and dancing and playing games or videos on their phones. One group took...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 19 July, 2026
Hello travellers, Greetings from Adelaide! I’m here visiting family and friends. It’s the second of two short domestic trips this week. The previous one was to Canberra to view the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia, where I also sampled the Virgin Australia Lounge. What happened last...
2PAXfly
CATHAY PACIFIC: Adelaide to Hong Kong flights return for summer
Cathay Pacific will return to Adelaide for another Southern Hemisphere summer season, this time offering up to five weekly non-stop flights to Hong Kong during the busiest holiday months. The service will operate from 10 November 2026 until 27 March 2027. There will be three flights each week during November...
2PAXfly
LOUNGE REVIEW: Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge
I just had my first experience of the Canberra Virgin Australia Lounge. Yesterday, I spent time in Canberra seeing the Arthur Boyd tapestries at the National Gallery of Australia and the John Brack and Noel McKenna exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery. I had one of those lingering credits with...
2PAXfly
UNITED AIRLINES: WTF! Adds European Business class rows to 321XLRs
Oddly, that is not how United Airlines is promoting this ‘innovation’. They are adding the curse of European Business Class blocked-off centre seats. British Airways call this arrangement ‘Club Europe’. United is promoting it as ‘Economy Plus Seats with Extra Elbow Room. They should hang their heads in shame! A321XLR...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: B777s are getting new business class suites, better than on new Dreamliners
Air New Zealand has revealed the replacement for the ageing Business Premier seats on its Boeing 777-300ERs. These older aircraft may end up with an off-the-shelf business class seat that many travellers will prefer to the bespoke product installed on its newer Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners. From 2027, Air New Zealand’s...
2PAXfly
SYDNEY AIRPORT: Pay AU$20 to skip the international security queue
Passengers departing from the T1 International Terminal can now pay AU$20 per person for access to a priority queue at the main security checkpoint, regardless of airline, travel class, or Frequent Flyer status. The new SYD Fast Track service effectively opens Sydney Airport’s existing Priority Entry pathway to any international...
2PAXfly
LOUNGE REVIEW: Qantas First check-in and Lounge, Sydney
This is the second instalment of my Oh Canada! Trip Report. I’m lucky that many of my international trips start at Sydney Airport at the Qantas First Check-in facility. And that is closely followed by a visit to the Qantas First Lounge. That was the case this day, with my...