The Gate with Brian Cohen
Viroth’s Villa in Cambodia: My First Stay at a Mr & Mrs Smith Hotel Property — and The Verdict Is…
My first stay at a Mr & Mrs Smith hotel property occurred while I was at Viroth’s Villa in Siem Reap in Cambodia. The acquisition of the carefully curated and growing collection of greater than 1,500 boutique and luxury properties was officially announced by Hyatt Hotels Corporation on Friday, April...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
30 Places to See Cherry Blossoms in the Northern Hemisphere
The first day of spring started at the spring equinox on Friday, March 20, 2026 at 10:46 in the morning Eastern Daylight Time in the northern hemisphere; and what better way is there to herald its arrival but with colorful flowers — especially 30 places to see cherry blossoms in...
View from the Wing
United Says It’s Bigger Than Pan Am Ever Was — But Look At What They’re Actually Counting
United says its network is now bigger than Pan Am ever was, a claim designed to sound like a sweeping victory lap. The catch is what the airline is actually measuring. Depending on how you define network, cities, and connectivity, the boast can be made technically true — while still...
Frequent Miler
More easy rewards: Staples fee-free $200 Mastercard gift cards
Staples is again offering $200 Mastercard Gift Cards with no purchase fee from Sunday 3/29/26, through Saturday, 4/4/26. Note that there is a limit of nine per customer per day listed, but some may be able to purchase more at their local store. The Deal Staples will again be offering...
Frequent Miler
Up to 70% back at Belk / 45x miles via Capital One Shopping & Offers 3/29 only
Capital One Shopping (the public shopping portal) and Capital One Offers (only found within a Capital One credit card account) are offering elevated rates today-only (3/29) for Belk purchases. I’ve seen an email offer as high as 70% back today for Belk, while cardholders are seeing 45x miles per dollar...
One Mile at a Time
Which Routes Feature ANA’s New Boeing 777 First & Business Class Cabins?
In 2019, Japanese Star Alliance carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched an all new first and business class product. In this post, Id like to take an updated look at ANAs progress with installing these new cabins, especially with the IATA summer 2026 travel schedule officially kicking off as of...
One Mile at a Time
Which Routes Feature ANA’s New Boeing 777 First & Business Class Cabins?
In 2019, Japanese Star Alliance carrier All Nippon Airways (ANA) launched an all new first and business class product. In this post, I’d like to take an updated look at ANA’s progress with installing these new cabins, especially with the IATA summer 2026 travel schedule officially kicking off as of...
One Mile at a Time
Flying Blue Adds Elite Perks On Low Cost Carrier Transavia, Plans New Lounge
While the Air France-KLM Group primarily consists of (you guessed it!) Air France and KLM, the company also has a low cost subsidiary, Transavia. That subsidiary has both a French and Dutch division, with the former operating primarily out of Paris Orly (ORY), and the latter operating primarily out of...
View from the Wing
Delta Regional Flight Attendant Running For Congress — What The New York Times Left Out
A Delta regional flight attendant is running for Congress. She has become a full-time political figure with a labor-backed campaign, a sharp activist record, and a much tougher primary path than a flattering profile might suggest.
Live and Let’s Fly
JetBlue-Alaska Makes Most Sense, But Does Alaska Want It?
There’s been a lot of chatter this week about the possible targets from JetBlue for a merger, and among them Alaska makes the most sense, but are they interested? JetBlue Explores Merger Targets As Matthew recently reported in JetBlue Merger Talks Analysis, JetBlue has been actively exploring potential merger scenarios...
Monkey Miles
Want to pay your taxes with a credit card? Here’s how to make it profitable
Should you Pay your taxes with a credit card? Paying your taxes with a credit card is a pretty easy thing to do these days. In fact, the IRS has 2 official payment processors that are safe, secure, and are eager to charge you a fee to do it. If...
View from the Wing
Man Hands Out Vodka Shots In 4-Hour TSA Line At Houston Airport
A man started handing out vodka shots in a four-hour TSA line at Houston airport. With airport security waits spiraling during the shutdown, passengers stranded in one of the country’s worst lines got an unexpected morale boost from a traveler sharing the bottle he would never make it through the...
One Mile at a Time
Lufthansa Allegris: Which Planes & Routes Feature The New Cabins?
In 2024, we saw Lufthansa’s new Allegris passenger experience take to the skies, several years behind schedule. With these cabins flying, it’s understandable that people actually want to experience this product, and see what it’s like.
One Mile at a Time
Lufthansa Allegris: Which Planes & Routes Feature The New Cabins?
In 2024, we saw Lufthansa’s new Allegris passenger experience take to the skies, several years behind schedule. With these cabins flying, it’s understandable that people actually want to experience this product, and see what it’s like.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Cherry Blossoms in Taiwan. Sunday Morning Photograph.
I was not expecting to see cherry blossoms in Taiwan on my way to visiting Taipei 101, as I do not recall ever reading or hearing about them — but I was apparently there at their peak time earlier this month.
Look carefully through the trees and...
One Mile at a Time
SkyWest CEO Accused Of Delaying Flight For Daughter: The Defense Is Suspicious
Passengers booked on a Delta Connection flight operated by SkyWest claim that the flight was delayed substantially so that the CEO’s daughter wouldn’t miss the flight. While the airline mostly denies the accusations, I don’t find the response to be terribly reassuring.
View from the Wing
Yikes: Delta Regional Jet Was Landing At LaGuardia — The Wrong Controller Asks, “Where Are You?”
A Delta regional jet was already landing at LaGuardia when the pilots realized they had been talking to the wrong controller. The crew had switched to the wrong New York tower frequency on approach, and the mistake only became obvious when the controller asked the flight a simple question: where...
One Mile at a Time
Shocking Marriott Bonvoy Elite Inflation: 50%+ Of Guests Platinum Or Higher
I think most people would like to think that their elite status with an airline or hotel group makes them special to that company in some way. After all, the travel brands thank their elite members for being among their best customers, so they’re the ones responsible for the narrative....
One Mile at a Time
Air France Ends All Flights At Paris Orly (ORY), After 80 Years At The Airport
Up until recently, Air France primarily operated out of Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG), though the airline also had a limited network out of Paris Orly Airport (ORY). Generally Charles de Gaulle Airport is considered the more premium and global hub, while Orly Airport is closer to the city,...
