2PAXfly
QATAR & ETIHAD: A380s retreat from Australia as the superjumbo shuffle continues
Qatar Airways is cutting back planned A380 service to Australia and China, with the superjumbo now concentrated on a much smaller number of routes as the airline rebuilds its network after disruption in the Middle East. AeroRoutes schedule filings show Qatar’s regular A380 operations from 16 June to 15 September...
2PAXfly
QANTAS: Project Sunrise slips again due to ‘supply chain’ delay, now aiming for April 2027
The first Airbus A350-1000ULR for Project Sunrise, the aircraft Qantas is banking on to finally make non-stop Sydney and Melbourne flights to London and New York a commercial reality, will now join the fleet in April 2027 according to reports in the SMH. That is later than previously announced, when...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 24 May, 2026
Greetings from Sydney. Back at home for a week or so before I head out on my next trip. Later this week, I’m heading eastward to the Americas. Precise location and cities to visit will be revealed as the trip progresses. These will all be totally new destinations for me,...
2PAXfly
WEBJET: Travel agent squeezed as Virgin Australia cuts commissions
Webjet is warning investors that trading conditions remain “fluid and challenging” after Virgin Australia cut the commissions it pays the online travel agent, according to an article in the SMH. For travellers, that could mean fewer sharp Webjet airfare deals on Virgin flights. For Webjet, it is another revenue hit...
Also on BoardingArea
Frequent Miler
World of Hyatt Complete Guide (2026)
World of Hyatt has been our favorite hotel loyalty program for years. Points are easy to earn, largely through Hyatt’s partnerships with Chase and Bilt, and you can get great value from those points in comparison to other hotel programs. However, Hyatt recently made seismic changes to its award chart, moving from an 8-category...
The Bulkhead Seat
New Portal Lounge in Minneapolis Combines Gaming, Cocktails, and a Robot Bartender
Travelers heading out of Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP) will now have access to…
The Bulkhead Seat
Lounge Review: Air Canada Maple Leaf Lounge Express (YYZ – Terminal 1, Gates F84-F99)
While flying to Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), I had the chance to check…
Points With a Crew
The Easiest Way To Get Your Free $50 From Rakuten
If you're not sure how to take advantage of the easy $50 welcome bonus from Rakuten, here is in my opinion the best way to get some easy money. Simply ...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Design Flaw to Finally Be Fixed: Pedestrian Walkways to Be Built at Denver International Airport
A design flaw is finally slated to be fixed, as pedestrian walkways between concourses are officially planned to be built at Denver International Airport as the best alternative for passengers whenever the subterranean train becomes inoperable or unreliable. The only way that passengers can currently travel within the airport between...
Frequent Miler
(Offer ends 6/8/26) Capital One Spark Miles rebranded to Venture Business; Up to 150K welcome offer + up to $100 in new credits
Update 5/27/26: The current welcome offer on the recently-rebranded Capital One Venture Business card will be ending on June 8, 2026. ~ Capital One rebranded and revamped the Spark Miles for Business card yesterday. It’s now known as the Venture Business card—not to be mistaken for the Venture X card...
Miles To Memories
BTS Sells Out Vegas, F1 Locks In LONG TERM, Goodbye Casino & Park MGM Stands Alone!
BTS Vegas success, the rollback of anti-smoking, Raiders restaurant review, F1 through 2037 and Casino going away!
View from the Wing
United Airlines Will Send Maintenance Videos To Passengers — And AI Will Explain Every Flight Delay
Delta is using AI to price tickets. United wants to use it to better explain what is actually happening when your flight goes sideways. If Kirby delivers on maintenance videos and improved plain-English delay updates for every flight, that is the rare airline AI project passengers may actually like.
Your Mileage May Vary
Southwest Is Finally Warning Passengers About “Window” Seats With No Window
When Southwest moved to assigned seating, one problem was almost guaranteed to show up sooner or later: what happens when a passenger pays extra for a “window” seat…and there isn’t…
Frequent Miler
Bilt Rent Day for June: 25%-125% transfer bonus to TAP Air Portugal
Bilt Rewards has announced details of the next Rent Day, with this one happening on June 1. It offers a transfer bonus of 25%-125%, but it’ll likely be of limited appeal seeing as it’s to TAP Air Portugal. The Deal Transfer Bilt Rewards points to TAP Air Portugal on June...
One Mile at a Time
Saudi Arabia’s Futuristic “The Line” Gets Reality Check, As Project Suspended
Saudi Arabia is investing an unprecedented amount of money in tourism, and also in diversifying its economy away from oil. I’ve been watching this with great interest, as we’ve never seen a project to this scale before, and many have wondered just how realistic some of these ambitions are. I’m...
View from the Wing
United CEO Rules Out Buying American Airlines And JetBlue — But A JetBlue Bankruptcy Would Change The Math
Scott Kirby says United is not buying American Airlines or JetBlue — and calls a JetBlue deal “mathematically not doable.” But a bankruptcy scenario, recently floated by JetBlue's founder, would change the math.
Economondo
Review: Jin Air Boeing 737-800 – Seoul Gimpo to Jeju
This is review details my experience on a Jin Air Boeing 737-800 in June 2024. You can read my much more detailed full trip report of this flight by clicking here. About the Airline Expectations Pre-Flight Experience Once upon a distant time, booking a Korean domestic flight with an overseas...
Points With a Crew
No, Sorry – You Can’t Get A “Free Priority Pass Membership”
Despite what certain other blog authors might say, you can't have a "free" Priority Pass membership. Maybe travel isn't "free" but this isn't even close
Your Mileage May Vary
Can You Sit In An Exit Row If You Need A Seat Belt Extender?
Exit row seats are already confusing enough for some travelers. You have to be willing to help in an emergency, physically capable of opening the door, able to hear and…
One Mile at a Time
United CEO Scott Kirby Scoffs At Buying JetBlue, Says It’s “Last Thing” He’d Do
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is a very smart, but increasingly strange and unpredictable, leader. He does a great job propelling his airline in the right direction, but I feel like he’s saying more and more things that make you scratch your head, and make you wonder if he is...
Frequent Miler
Capital One Offers: Spend $20 & earn 1K bonus miles at many retailers (eBay, Home Depot, Dollar General, & more, targeted)
Capital One Offers is currently targeting some cardholders with nicely rewarding spending offers for a nominal amount of spend. In many cases, you can spend $20 at a wide range of retailers and earn 1,000 bonus miles. The Deal Spend $20 at select retailers & get 1,000 bonus miles from...
Miles To Memories
American Airlines to Install Starlink on 500+ Narrowbody Aircraft in 2027
American Airlines has announced a sweeping modernization of its narrowbody inflight customer experience with the installation of Starlink, the fastest Wi-Fi in the sky.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Earn Up to 2,500 Bonus Marriott Bonvoy Points With Uber
You can earn up to 2,500 bonus Marriott Bonvoy points with Uber — if you have not yet linked your Marriott Bonvoy and Uber accounts — when you complete up to three different ways to earn those points as an extension to the partnership which launched in Spring 2021 between...
Frequent Miler
Citi Custom Cash card is almost certainly being discontinued
Doctor of Credit published a post yesterday about a rumor that the Citi Custom Cash card will be getting discontinued by the end of this week. That sadly looks to be nigh on confirmed as they now have a screenshot of answers for Citi bankers to provide in relation to...
One Mile at a Time
Buy Wyndham Rewards Points With Up To 80% Bonus (0.72 Cents): Worth It?
Wyndham Rewards has launched its latest promotion on purchased points. While not quite in line with the best offers we’ve seen from the program, it’s still competitive. However, I’d only make a purchase with a specific use in mind, since Wyndham Rewards points have become less valuable over time.
View from the Wing
Saudi Arabia’s $1 Trillion Mirrored City Hits A Wall — The Tourism Bet Behind Riyadh Air Just Got Harder
Saudi Arabia’s mirrored megacity was supposed to help sell the kingdom as the next global tourism powerhouse. But with NEOM’s The Line now pushed beyond 2030 and other resort investments slowing, the travel demand behind Riyadh Air has gotten more challenging, as the country tries to figure out if...
You Are Travel
Norse Atlantic Airways Is Looking for a Buyer: Here’s Who Makes Sense
tl;dr – Who will end up with the Draupnir? ​Norse Atlantic Airways is reportedly up for sale and…
Your Mileage May Vary
We Went To Hamburg For The World’s Largest Miniature Airport. Miniatur Wunderland Was Much More Than That
If you hadn’t heard, we’re back from my wife Sharon’s big round birthday year trip. And in our house, those trips come with one simple rule: the birthday person gets…
2PAXfly
UNITED STATES: Trump administration floats airport squeeze on ‘sanctuary cities’
I have refrained largely from reporting on USA affairs. That’s partly because I don’t want to besmirch my reputation if I decide to travel to the USA again. However, there are just some things that need to be reported in the interests of Australians travelling to the USA. The Trump...
Wild About Travel
Dubrovnik. Dragons, Demons,
Dubrovnik looks almost unreal at first glance. Terracotta roofs stacked above polished limestone streets, all wrapped in thick medieval walls with the Adriatic on three sides. It is indeed a real‑world city. It became King’s Landing in Game of Thrones. Many key scenes were filmed in and around its medieval...
Wild About Travel
Berlin: Cities I Love #2
I have been coming to Berlin since the Wall fell. I have watched it change beyond recognition and yet remain, stubbornly, itself. It is a city that has survived everything history has thrown at it, and it wears that history openly, without flinching. There is nowhere else like it. 01...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: How to book the new Economy Skynest sleep pods
Air New Zealand’s much-hyped Economy Skynest is finally going on sale. Yep, those at the bunk beds you can rent by the four hour period. From this week (18 May 2026), passengers booked in Economy or Premium Economy will be able to add a four-hour lie-flat sleep session on selected...
2PAXfly
THAILAND: Visa-free stays for Australians cut back to 30 days
The Thai government has approved changes that would end the current 60-day visa-free stay for Australians and visitors from more than 90 other countries. That generous 60-day exemption only arrived in July 2024, when Thailand was still trying to goose its post-pandemic tourism economy. It applied to passport holders from...
2PAXfly
AIR NEW ZEALAND: Koru program replaces Airpoints
Air New Zealand has officially launched its refreshed loyalty programme, Koru, replacing the long-running Airpoints brand and shifting more than five million members into a new tier structure from 22 April 2026. Existing Airpoints and Status Points carry across, so members are not starting again from scratch. The less thrilling...
2PAXfly
AIR SERVICES AGREEMENTS: Direct flights to Maldives from Melbourne, and Western Sydney Airport to get Gulf carriers
The Australian government has signed four new or updated aviation agreements, opening the door to more flights and more codeshares. Although, as ever with aviation bilaterals, permission to fly is not the same thing as an airline actually putting metal in the sky. The Albanese Government says it has negotiated...
Wild About Travel
Navigating the world’s best airport: a flawless experience.
Changi, Singapore. Everything you need to know. Stunning takeoff out of Singapore Changi (SIN) after a transit between my flight from Sydney and to Asia. I have been through this airport 82 times flawlessly. There are few airports where anyone can say that about. The others that follow it in...