2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 3 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. My month-long stay in the UK has come to an end, and I’m back home to enjoy the dwindling warmth of Autumn. It was a great time catching up with friends, seeing way too much theatre, and adding to my long list of galleries, museums, and artworks...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: More cuts to domestic flights but flights to Paris and Rome extended
Qantas has confirmed it will extend its 5% reduction in domestic capacity through to September, stretching what was initially a short-term cut from May–June into a full winter slowdown. Its low-cost sibling Jetstar is following suit, with both airlines also trimming flights across the Tasman and within New Zealand. For...
2PAXfly
VIRGIN AUSTRALIA: Restarting Doha flights with Qatar Airways from June
Although Qatar Airways has resumed some of its Australian network flights as of 1 May, Virgin Australia’s wet-leased flights using Qatar Airways aircraft are not returning until June The return to the wet lease agreement is cautious because of the Middle East conflict. Virgin Australia has confirmed its Doha flights...
2PAXfly
QATAR AIRWAYS: Network begins to rebound restoring Australian flights
Qatar Airways is ramping up flights to Australia, restoring capacity after months of disruption caused by Middle East airspace closures. From May, the Doha-based carrier is progressively returning to a full schedule across Sydney, Melbourne and Perth, with daily flights reinstated after a period of reduced services. Australian routes return...
Also on BoardingArea
View from the Wing
American Airlines Adds Private Terminal Access for ConciergeKey Passengers
American Airlines has struck a deal with the PS terminals to offer a complimentary use to ConciergeKey members.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
$50 New Member Referral Bonus With Rakuten
This is your chance to cash in on a $50 new member referral bonus when you sign up as a new member of Rakuten; and you will receive a bonus of $50.00 via referral when you spend a minimum of $50.00 within the first 90 days of your new membership, which is...
Frequent Miler
Marriott targeting some members with free $25 or $50 promo card via email
Update 5/5/26: Marriott is continuing to send out this free promotional cards. I received an email today with the subject line “Happy Birthday from Marriott Bonvoy! Enjoy a gift card on us!” which contained a $25 card. The email didn’t list any kind of expiry date, but when opening the...
Economy Class & Beyond
Introducing Eva from Geven Seating, to fly first with Wizz Air
There was an announcement (one of many) that passed me by during the busy period that is Aircraft Interiors Expo, with Geven Seating partnering with Wizz Air to launch a new seat – the Eva. Wizz Air has been a long-term customer of Geven, taking on their Essenza seat for its...
View from the Wing
Passenger’s $5,000 Jewelry Stolen From Checked Bag — Airport Worker Sells It On Facebook [Roundup]
News and notes from around the interweb: Charlotte airport staffer stole $5,000 in jewelry from a passenger’s luggage and sold it on Facebook. Their defense? ‘I didn’t steal it, I found it’ (cough) but it still didn’t belong to them and they still sold it, it seems. Court documents said...
One Mile at a Time
Chase Sapphire Preferred & Reserve Card Bonus Eligibility Rules Explained
Link: Learn more about the Chase Sapphire Preferred Card, Chase Sapphire Reserve Card, or Sapphire Reserve for Business
The Bulkhead Seat
Westin Launches Its First All-Inclusive Resort in Mexico at Playa Vallarta
In September, I wrote about Westin planning to rebrand The Westin Resort & Spa…
Miles To Memories
Earn 80,000 Miles with Citi AAdvantage Platinum Card, Plus Waived Annual Fee for First Year
The Citi® / AAdvantage® Platinum Select® World Elite Mastercard has a new signup bonus of 80,000 AAdvantage miles.
View from the Wing
Citi Strata Elite Looks Premium — But The Real Value Is 75,000 Points And American Airlines Miles
Citi Strata Elite arrives in a surprisingly premium package, but the real value is what the card earns. The current offer delivers 75,000 points and credits worth up to $1,200 in the first year, and its points now transfer to American Airlines AAdvantage.
Points Miles and Bling
Why Canadians Should Care About United Airlines
As a Canadian, you should care about United MileagePlus! Now there’s a sentence I never thought I’d say. There are…
woman shares airline issue (l) Southwest airlines (r)
BoardingArea
‘Fly Frontier’: Charlotte Woman Has To Buy 3 Seats To Avoid ‘Harassment’ Due To Southwest’s Size Policy. Then They Tell Her She Can’t Use $300 Flight Credit
"Shame on Southwest!!!!!"
Frequent Miler
Bilt Cash redemptions for Grubhub are now promo cards that expire, not gift cards
Bilt Rewards continues to whittle away at the value you can get when redeeming Bilt Cash earned from spending on its credit cards if you’ve selected the Bilt Cash-earning option rather than the housing rewards-only option. One redemption option is for Grubhub which was already limited in its usefulness as...
The Bulkhead Seat
Portland’s Escape Lounge Tops Priority Pass 2026 Excellence Awards
Priority Pass has announced the winners of its 2026 Excellence Awards. These recognize the…
Travel Codex
Airbnb Finally Earns Air Miles
Airbnb has always been a terrible deal for points people. Afterall you can’t use points for AirBnB and you earn no loyalty either. Yet personally I love AirBnb as they often offer more space than hotel rooms for less money. Great for value and often the obvious choice for longer...
Frequent Flyer Bonuses
Thai Airways Royal Orchid Plus: 1,000 ROP Miles and 2x CentaraThe1 Points for stays at Centara Hotels & Resorts (May 5 Bonus Offer Highlight)
Today's bonus offer highlight is another great promotion from Thai Airways and Centara where you can earn bonus ROP Miles and CentaraThe1 points on stays with the hotel chain. Check out all of the new bonuses added today:
The Bulkhead Seat
Southwest Airlines Expands in Las Vegas and Orlando With Lots of New Routes
Southwest Airlines is doubling down on two of its largest markets and announced a…
Miles To Memories
Save 10% on Your Next Great Wolf Lodge Stay with This Chase Offer
Chase has rolled out a new offer for Great Wolf Lodge, and the good news is that is is available for many cardholders.
You Are Travel
M&A Fun: Hotel Chains I Could See Being Acquired (and Who Should Buy Them)
​tl;dr – Hotel chains that could make for intriguing acquisitions. Recently, I profiled a few hotel chains [1],[2],[3]…
Frequent Miler
Ask Us Anything Live: Wednesday, May 6 at 9pm ET
Every month, the Frequent Miler team takes your questions live on YouTube. View on YouTube here We normally hold Ask Us Anything at 9pm on the first Wednesday of the month. That means that our next Ask Us Anything session will therefore be live at 9pm Eastern Time on Wednesday,...
Points With a Crew
Tokyo Sumo Review
I recently returned from Tokyo and one of the highlights of our trip was attending a Tokyo Sumo practice. This Tokyo sumo review will cover the cost, logistics, and the ...
Live and Let’s Fly
American Airlines Pilots Open To Takeover Talks, Say “Any Path Forward” Is On The Table
The union representing pilots at American Airlines is now openly entertaining the idea that the airline might be better off being taken over. American Airlines Pilots Open Door To Takeover As Pressure On Management Intensifies As flagged by View From The Wing, the president of the Allied Pilots Association, which...
Economy Class & Beyond
Not so Sour Times – Great Western Railway to bring back trains on the Portishead line
There’s good news for people in the Bristol region and beyond, with the planned reopening of the line between Bristol, Portishead and Pill, with contracts signed today in a ceremony at Bristol Temple Meads. It will allow the Portishead line to reopen, last used in passenger service in 1964. The...
Your Mileage May Vary
Buyer’s Remorse After Buying Frontier’s “Unlimited Flights” Pass
Frontier’s “all-you-can-fly” pass sounded like a dream when it launched. But for many travelers who bought it, the reality has been… a lot more complicated. The loss of Spirit Airlines…
Miles To Memories
Yes! You Can Match To The 150K Sapphire Reserve Offer (Kind Of)
A popular question being asked right now, is Chase matching the Sapphire Reserve offer that is increased to 150k? Yes, but only for some.
2PAXfly
INTERNATIONAL FLYING: Middle East conflict and fuel crisis cuts one in four flights
Almost a quarter of international flights from Australia were cancelled in April. That’s according to the AFR, as airlines scrambled to deal with soaring fuel prices and widespread airspace disruptions. The trigger is the escalating conflict involving Iran, which has effectively shut down large parts of Gulf airspace since late...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: Talk of First Class private suites with en suite bathrooms
Rumours are mounting that Emirates could be working on a new First Class concept featuring private suites with their own en-suite bathrooms. It sounds ambitious, but this is the airline that already put showers on board the Airbus A380 and introduced fully enclosed suites on the Boeing 777. If any...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: New open skies deal between Australia and Canada opens more flights and destinations
A new open skies agreement between Australia and Canada has removed limits on flights between the two countries, giving Qantas the green light to expand its services. The updated air services arrangement allows unlimited passenger capacity for Australian carriers, replacing the previous cap that effectively limited Qantas to a daily...
2PAXfly
FIJI AIRWAYS: Dallas USA flights dropped from September
Fiji Airways is reshaping its network, cutting its Dallas route while boosting capacity on other key services amid rising fuel costs. The airline will suspend flights between Nadi and Dallas Fort Worth from 7 September, marking a retreat from one of its longest and most operationally demanding routes. That removes...
2PAXfly
EMIRATES: A380s to get Starlink WiFi
The first Starlink-equipped superjumbo is now in service, marking the start of a rollout the airline says will extend across its entire fleet by mid-2027. And, it’s free. Emirates is ditching its current pay-to-use model, which charges up to around US$20, in favour of complimentary high-speed access for all passengers....
Wild About Travel
Draft Future of First Class?
From Railway to Runway I juts tcked ofve r 1800 flights. of hthsoe, just 23 havebeejn fistc alss Some quick history. The class system in air travel, evolved from the British railways of the 1830s and originally aligned closely with the British Class System. Understanding this evolution from railways to...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 26 April, 2026
I’m still in London, but will be departing soon. It’s really begun to warm up now, just in time for the London Marathon today. Not that I’m a participant. In fact, the only reason I know is because of its effects on public transport. And there seem to be a...
2PAXfly
SYDNEY AIRPORTS: July will see changes to flight paths as Western Sydney Airport starts cargo flights
Sydney’s skies are about to change, and if you live under a flight path, brace for impact. A shake-up of airspace across the city kicks in on July 9, paving the way for the first cargo flights into Western Sydney Airport later that month. It’s all part of getting the...