Wild About Travel
My Twelve Hotel Commandments
  From five stars in Singapore to a rickety bed and breakfast in Blackpool, a tree house in Zimbabwe, a 747 parked at Stockholm airport, a draughty youth hostel in nirehn Scootkanbd and everything ij betweemn means I ahve sleopt in a lot of hotel beds.   Thou shalt know where thy hotel...
2PAXfly
SINGAPORE AIRLINES: Bringing Caviar Service to Business Class?
According to Aaron Wong over at The MileLion, Singapore Airlines has issued a call for tender via its eProcurement portal, seeking suppliers of ‘farmed caviar for Business Class.’ Get back in the queue, Krug and Book the Cook. Singapore Airlines appears to be introducing a touch of fish egg luxury...
2PAXfly
HONG KONG: Airport to close for 36 hours due to Typhoon Ragasa from 6pm Tuesday 23 September
Hong Kong International Airport is closing from 6 pm Tuesday, 23 September, until 6 am Thursday,25 September, as Super Typhoon Ragasa bears down with expected fierce winds and heavy rain. Flights in and out will be suspended. If you’ve got Qantas, Cathay Pacific, or another carrier scheduled to pass through Hong...
Wild About Travel
300 Airports—300 Stories: Which do I love, hate and in between?
After adding 16 airports in 2024, I have now flown to 289 airports across 73 countries. I’ve actually visited 90 countries, but some I arrived in by bus (e.g., Honduras, Liechtenstein, Nicaragua, Zambia), or by ship (e.g., Aruba, Tahiti), or by train (e.g., Luxembourg) or walked in the case of...
Also on BoardingArea
One Mile at a Time
Horrifyingly Close Call, As EasyJet & Nouvelair A320s Have Runway Mixup
We constantly hear about close calls in aviation. I think it’s easy to become desensitized to these, and wonder which are actually dangerous, and which are just a bit too close for comfort. Along those lines, on Monday night we saw what’s easily one of the closest calls we’ve seen...
View from the Wing
Why This 239-Mile Coach Flight Costs $4,000—And How To Fly It For Just 30,000 Points Roundtrip
I find aviation in Canada fascinating, although I know comparatively little about it. So I wound up heading down a rabbit hole over an online complaint about the high cost of Arctic flying. The 239-mile flight from Grise Fiort (YGZ) to Resolute (YRB) was pricing out at CAD$3,793.99...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Underrated Margitsziget in Budapest is Full of Surprises
Athough the Park Inn by Radisson Budapest hotel property is located significantly north of central Budapest, I decided to walk because I read about the historic water tower on Margitsziget — which is known in English as Margaret Island — and its observation deck which is supposed to treat you to...
Frequent Miler
Capital One has 3 new transfer partners: Japan Airlines, Qatar Airways & Preferred Hotels
It feels like it’s transferable points currency week. We’ve had Citi launching three new bonuses – 50% to Turkish Miles & Smiles, 30% to Virgin Atlantic, and 25% to LifeMiles – when transferring ThankYou points, as well as Rove launching a 20% transfer bonus to both Finnair and Air France/KLM...
View from the Wing
Capital One Adds Three Transfer Partners — Qatar And JAL Lead The List
Capital One Venture, Venture X (which is the one I carry), Venture X business as well as VentureOne and Spark Miles let you transfer their miles to a variety of airline and hotel loyalty programs. They’ve just added (3) new transfer partners: Qatar Airways Privilege Club, Japan Airlines Mileage Bank, and...
Live and Let’s Fly
Fiji Airways Cuts Business Class Amenity Kits, Claims They Are Wasteful
Fiji Airways has quietly taken a bold step in business class by eliminating traditional amenity kits. The airline argues that many kits go unused or discarded, and that offering items individually makes more sense. Is this a reasonable change or just cost-cutting? Fiji Airways Drops Business Class Amenity Kits To Reduce...
One Mile at a Time
Amex Platinum Card Review: More Expensive & Valuable Than Ever Before
Link: Learn more about The Platinum Card® from American Express While premium cards are incredibly popular nowadays, this is really a market that Amex started, with The Platinum Card® from American Express. We’ve recently seen this card undergo a major refresh, whereby the annual fee was increased, but more perks were...
The Points of Life
Approved! Amex Business Platinum: 200k MRs, $895 Annual Fee
Can you imagine paying 2k for an iPhone? It is a reality coming to an Apple Store near you. Can you imagine paying an annual fee of $895? It is a reality I had to accept as the trade-off for being approved for the American Express Business Card. Why am...
Miles For Family
4 New Transfer Bonuses Just Added!
Some new transfer bonuses just came out this week. I’ve updated the September 2025 Transfer Bonuses post to reflect these additions. New: Citi 50% Transfer Bonus to Turkish Airlines Through October 18, 2025, get 50% transfer bonus from Citi to Turkish Airlines Miles & Smiles program. This is a rare transfer bonus...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Denmark Heavily Hints That Russia Could Be Behind Drone Attack That Shut Down Copenhagen And Oslo Airports
The Danish Prime Minister has heavily hinted that Russia could be behind a coordinated drone ‘attack’ that shuttered Copenhagen and Oslo airports for several hours on Monday night. “Of course, we are not ruling out any possibility as to who is behind it,” Mette Frederiksen said on Tuesday, adding that the...
TravelUpdate
5 reasons why the miles and points game getting tougher?
Earlier this year, I wrote about how this is going to be the year of premium credit cards. A lot of new issuers have stepped into the ring, launching premium offerings this year. Issuers like Chase and Amex have also refreshed their products. In a nutshell, customers have a lot...
One Mile at a Time
Wild: Massive Drone Attack Shuts Down Copenhagen Airport
Once in a while we’ll hear of airport operations being interrupted by unauthorized drones. However, last night we saw what seems to be a pretty unprecedented drone attack on a major airport. Drones cause operational issues at Copenhagen Airport On the evening of Monday, September 22, 2025, Copenhagen Airport (CPH) was shut...
View from the Wing
The Airline Demanded He Pay $5 For A Boarding Pass. He Refused, And Police Took Him To Jail Instead
Police were called to Allegiant Airlines check-in at Punta Gorda, Florida last month. Bodycam footage shows why. A passenger didn’t have a boarding pass, but had a reservation. They went to the check-in counter and were told about the airline’s $5 fee for printing a boarding pass at the...
Wild About Travel
My Twelve Hotel Commandments
  From five stars in Singapore to a rickety bed and breakfast in Blackpool, a tree house in Zimbabwe, a 747 parked at Stockholm airport, a draughty youth hostel in nirehn Scootkanbd and everything ij betweemn means I ahve sleopt in a lot of hotel beds.   Thou shalt know where thy hotel...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
13-Year-Old Stowaway Who Hid In Plane’s Landing Gear ‘Out Of Curiosity’ Miracously Survives Flight
A 13-year-old Afghan boy survived a flight from Kabul to New Delhi in the landing gear of an Airbus A340 jet that flew at altitudes of 35,000 feet, and apparently, he did it “out of curiosity.” The boy’s miraculous survival occurred on Sunday morning when he snuck past security at Kabul...
Eye of the Flyer
Worried About Your Fine Hotels Credits Expiring Soon? What If You Already Spent Your $200?
A potentially big benefit for some travel rewards card users debuted last week — but some might be scrambling to use it when they probably don’t need to. Fine Hotels + Resorts Statement Credit: Up to $600 As part of its Platinum-palooza last week, American Express increased The Platinum Card® from American...
One Mile at a Time
Spirit Airlines Slashing Capacity By 25%, Furloughing Pilots & Flight Attendants
It’s a tough time for Spirit Airlines. Several weeks ago, the airline filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for the second time in a matter of months, in a move that should’ve surprised no one (well, except the company’s management, seemingly). While Spirit kind of squandered its first Chapter 11 bankruptcy (by...
Live and Let’s Fly
British Airways Eliminates Hot Breakfast In Business Class, Offers Cold Snack In Latest “Trial”
British Airways is back at it with cost-cutting in Club Europe, this time eliminating hot breakfast from the menu on domestic flights. Passengers traveling in business class on routes within the UK will now find a far less impressive spread awaiting them onboard as BA “trials” a new reduced menu. British...
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Tunisian Airline Blames Bad Weather For Incident At Nice Airport That Nearly Ended In Catastrophe
A Tunisian airline, which was involved in a near-catastrophic incident at Nice Airport in the South of France when one of its planes nearly landed on top of a packed EasyJet aircraft on Sunday night, has pinned the blame on bad weather and low visibility. In its first public statement following...
Monkey Miles
Transfer Citi Thank You to Turkish with 50% bonus
The coincides with a massive amount of award space that was just released by Turkish ( which is bookable on partner point programs as well ), but if you have Citi Thank You points sitting around that you were looking to use for a trip – this could be a...
Monkey Miles
30% transfer bonus Citi Thank You to Virgin Atlantic
30% transfer bonus Citi Thank You to Virgin Atlantic Transfer bonuses are the time to pull the trigger. Virgin Atlantic is a program many overlook because of the heavy surcharges, but it’s also one I’ve taken advantage of a lot over the past year. Virgin Atlantic award flights earn you Elite...
One Mile at a Time
SWISS Unveils New Safety Video: Picturesque & Predictable
SWISS has just unveiled its newest safety video, which is the carrier’s first new safety video in many years. I’d say it’s an improvement over the old one, but it’s oh-so-predictable. SWISS safety video shows off Switzerland landscape SWISS is introducing a new safety video, which will debut onboard the carrier’s brand new...
One Mile at a Time
Uzbekistan Airways Orders Up To 22 Boeing 787-9s For Massive Expansion
Uzbekistan Airways has just placed the largest aircraft order in its history. I can’t wait to fly on one of these planes, and be told off for taking pictures! Uzbekistan Airways plans huge Dreamliner expansion Uzbekistan Airways has placed an order for up to 22 Boeing 787-9s, including 14 firm orders and...
2PAXfly
SINGAPORE AIRLINES: Bringing Caviar Service to Business Class?
According to Aaron Wong over at The MileLion, Singapore Airlines has issued a call for tender via its eProcurement portal, seeking suppliers of ‘farmed caviar for Business Class.’ Get back in the queue, Krug and Book the Cook. Singapore Airlines appears to be introducing a touch of fish egg luxury...
2PAXfly
CATHAY PACIFIC: Resuming Hong Kong to Seattle flights in 2026
Cathay Pacific is adding another dot back on its North America route map. From 30 March 2026, the Hong Kong carrier will once again fly non-stop to Seattle, USA. Seattle becomes Cathay’s ninth North American destination, joining Boston, Chicago, Dallas-Fort Worth, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Toronto and Vancouver. Plus,...
2PAXfly
REX: a possible buyer for the ailing airline Regional Express
Consulting firm EY has the AU$10 million task of administering Regional Express (REX) since it went into administration. EY has also been trying to find a buyer for the airline. After over a year in administration and some courtroom dramas, it looks like REX might have finally found a buyer. REX...
Wild About Travel
Beautiful Bold Bern Beckons
Floating through BernBern is best explored slowly. Overlooked by travelers in favor of Zurich or Lucerne, Bern is, tencpatoay of siwterlcmna – and fmy afvorute Swuiss city. (many foirtegebners asusme taht xurh ir genbeva are tehcoayal) . The city hme to 144000 epoepe , covers about 52 square...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: On which flights are cats and dogs now welcome on board
From 17 September 2025, you can finally book a seat for your furry companion on selected Virgin Australia flights. The cost, a cool AU$149 per pet, per flight. Australia’s first official Pets in Cabin service is now on sale. Where you can fly with your pet Initially, there are only two...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: More A321XLR domestic flights announced. Add Brisbane to the list
Qantas has a new toy and it ain’t wasting much time in showing it off. The first of the long-range Airbus A321XLR domestic flights are taking off on Thursday 25 September as previously reported. Now, even more services have been added across the capital city golden triangle plus a run...
2PAXfly
SYDNEY AIRPORT: New masterplan for 2046 — combine T2 and T3 terminals and make them international
Sydney Airport has unveiled its 2045 Master Plan, featuring diagrams with boxy light-filled concourses. However, what matters to you and me is how these changes will really impact the whole entrance-to-gate experience at Sydney Airport, Australia’s busiest gateway. Render of an airfield viow of the combined T2&3 of the Sydney Airport...
2PAXfly
SYDNEY AIRPORT: Taxis to city a flat AU$60 fare – no more AU$100 surprises
We’ve all been there. You land, drag your suitcase out, hop into a cab, and before you hit the CBD, the meter’s already off to the races. Sometimes you’re out $100 for the very pedestrian 13-kilometre slog into town. And then they add all those extra fees. Well, from 3 November...
2PAXfly
AIRLINE LOYALTY: Frequent Flyer Frenzy — How Australians can still win at the points game
When the mainstream press starts publishing articles about airline loyalty programs, you know that Australians are hooked on frequent flyer points. More than 30 million signed up to Qantas Frequent Flyer or Virgin Velocity schemes, swiping credit cards and topping up supermarket dockets in the eternal chase for ‘free’ flights....