The Travelers Club
Air France et KLM : payer le choix de son siège en Business, c’est désormais la règle (presque partout)
Depuis avril 2023, Air France et KLM facturent le choix du siège en classe Affaires sur les vols long-courrier (l’Advance Seat Reservation). Ce qui était déjà une mesure contestée vient d’être étendu : les frais s’appliquent désormais aux billets émis en miles sur l’ensemble des destinations long-courrier mondiales, ainsi qu’aux...
The Travelers Club
Bijoux Catering à Paris-Charles de Gaulle fermé par la préfecture
Des documents issus d’un contrôle sanitaire, rendus publics aujourd’hui, révèlent la fermeture administrative de Bijoux Catering, traiteur aérien dont le siège est à Zurich et qui opère depuis Paris-Charles de Gaulle. Motif retenu par la préfecture du Val d’Oise : un danger grave et imminent pour la santé publique. L’établissement...
The Travelers Club
Air France ouvre son propre salon à Heathrow avec spa Clarins et section La Première
8Le 7 juillet 2026, Air France a inauguré son propre salon au Terminal 4 de Londres Heathrow : 750 mètres carrés, 150 places, ouvert de 5h à 22h. L’espace était celui de l’ancien Malaysia Airlines Golden Lounge, fermé définitivement fin 2020. Pendant près de six ans, SkyTeam avait orienté ses...
The Travelers Club
KLM recevra son premier A350 en août (mais sa Business devra encore attendre)
En septembre 2026, KLM ouvrira une nouvelle page de son histoire long-courrier. Le premier Airbus A350-900 de la compagnie néerlandaise sera livré en août, et effectuera son premier vol commercial long-courrier le mois suivant, entre Amsterdam et Toronto, une route symbolique pour une compagnie qui a bâti une grande partie...
Also on BoardingArea
The Points of Life
Duty Free Alcohol: Who Knows the Rules?
I needs me rum when I travel. Accordingly, I bought a bottle of Don Q 7 for $33 from SJU airport. It was put in the sealed bag and tucked away in my carry-on (see). Upon my arrival to Madrid, I had an ‘oh shit’ moment when I found out...
The Bulkhead Seat
American Boeing 787 Diverts to Dublin After Six Flight Attendants Become Ill Mid-Flight
An American Airlines flight from Rome Fiumicino Airport (FCO) to Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)…
Your Mileage May Vary
One Reason I’m Still Keeping The Capital One Venture X
I’ve reached the point where merely breaking even on a credit card is no longer enough. If I have to pay a $395 annual fee and then carefully use several…
Travel Codex
Egypt Is Finally Moving to E-Visas
If you’ve ever arrived in Cairo after a long international flight, you know the drill. Before you can even think about heading to passport control, you’re usually stuck in another line buying Egypt’s famous visa sticker with cash and then taking the proof of payment to the immigration officer to...
View from the Wing
Defunct Airline Suing Boeing For $179 Million Over 1995 Crash Blamed On Engine Failure And Pilot Error
Boeing is suing to block a defunct airline’s $179 million claim over a 1995 Cameroon Airlines 737 crash. The accident report blamed engine failure and pilot handling, while Boeing says the airline’s purchase contract waived these claims decades ago.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
London Gatwick Airport Left With No Running Water With Toilets Left Backed Up, And Restaurants Shut,
London Gatwick Airport (LGW) has been left without any running water on a busy Sunday at the height of the summer holidays, leaving toilets backed up, restaurants shut, and airport staffers handing out bottles of water to travelers battling hot conditions in the South East of England. At around 11...
Miles To Memories
50% Off Amazon Order with Amex Membership Rewards Points!
There is a new 50% Off Amazon With Membership Rewards Points offer that you can check your account to see if you are targeted for it.
Live and Let’s Fly
America’s $250 Visa Fee Could Boomerang
The US now tacks $250 onto most visitor visas. The bigger risk for Americans is what happens when other countries decide to return the favor.
No Work All Travel
New Nonstop Flight from Tbilisi to Shanghai
Have you ever planned a trip to a place that doesn’t have flights to a particular country? No, that’s silly talk. With that out of the way, SkyTeam’s China Eastern Airlines has just started a new nonstop flight from Tbilisi to Shanghai. Firstly, as cool as it is to see Georgia...
View from the Wing
America Keeps Throwing Billions At Broken Air Traffic Control — Canada Built A Better System 30 Years Ago
The U.S. keeps pouring billions into FAA-run air traffic control while staffing, technology, and accountability lag. Canada’s nonprofit NAV CANADA model shows a better path: separate regulator from operator, fund the system through users, and modernize without waiting on Congress.
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Woman on Covered Bridge in Vermont. Sunday Morning Photograph.
A woman was walking ahead of me on the Historic Middle Covered Bridge — which crosses over the Ottauquechee River — in the rather quaint town of Woodstock in Vermont. This was one of...
One Mile at a Time
My Honest Four Seasons Yacht Cruise Experience: Amazing Ship & Crew, But Not Frictionless
Hello from Dubrovnik, as I just completed a cruise with Four Seasons Yachts, which is Four Seasons’ new cruising venture. I’ve been fascinated by the recent trend of luxury hotel groups launching cruise brands, and it’s wild to see how quickly this industry is evolving.
One Mile at a Time
Remember That Alaska Airlines Family Flight Saga? Here’s The Conclusion…
Several weeks ago, I wrote about how Alaska Airlines wrongly denied a family boarding, and then kicked them off the next flight, with that second removal being due to a ”clash of personalities” with the crew. There are a lot of details there, so please read those two posts before...
View from the Wing
Booked A Non-Refundable Hotel By Mistake? Here Are The Moves That Get Your Money Back
Non-refundable hotel bookings are not always impossible to fix, especially when there is an obvious mistake caught right away. But when a reservation runs through a third-party portal, the hotel, booking engine, and portal all have to communicate — and even when the refund happens, the traveler may never be...
Eye of the Flyer
A Surprise Birth Before a Royal Caribbean Cruise, Carnival’s Fork-and-Feet Incident, a 100K Points Offer Ending Soon, Hotel Cards Expiring July 29, and a Rocket Launcher Hoax at LaGuardia — Weekly Recap
I have traveled to many parts of the world and seen people behaving in some truly questionable ways. But this week Chris published a post about a Carnival cruise passenger that made me almost throw up. I’ll let you read it for yourself — but I will say this: should...
View from the Wing
American Airlines 787 Diverts To Dublin After Most Cabin Crew Fall Ill — Passengers May Be Owed $200,000
American Airlines flight AA719 diverted to Dublin after about six of nine flight attendants became dizzy and ill, leaving as few as three unaffected.
Traveling For Miles
Quick tip: Don’t convert Amex points to Avios right now
If you're in need of Avios (British Airways, Iberia, or Aer Lingus) and are thinking of converting some Amex Membership Rewards points to satisfy that need, it may pay to hold off right now if your circumstances allow.
Live and Let’s Fly
Even Your Transferable Points Buy Less Now
Chase trimmed Hyatt, Citi cut two hotel partners, and Amex slashed Flying Blue abroad. The points sold as inflation proof are being devalued.
Live from a Lounge
More positive news for HDFC Bank BizPower Customers: 22 Transfer Partners added
HDFC Bank is out and about pumping up HDFC Bank BizPower to be one of their best business credit cards. Here are the new details.
One Mile at a Time
Lufthansa Allegris Business Class Seat Fees Explained: A Complicated System
Lufthansa is in the process of rolling out its much anticipated new Allegris business class cabins, and so far, they’re installed on select Airbus A350-900s and Boeing 787-9s, consistently available on some long haul routes.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
American Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner Makes Emergency Landing After Six Flight Attendants Suddenly Fall Ill
An American Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner with as many as 284 passengers on board made an emergency landing in Dublin, Ireland, on Saturday afternoon after six of the eight flight attendants on the service from Rome to Philadelphia reportedly felt ill as the plane started its transatlantic service. American Airlines...
Frequent Miler
Last Chance Deals: 4 transfer bonuses, increased Hilton card offers, many Amex Offers, & more
Welcome to our weekly list of what’s ending this week as well as a collection of some other deals that are due to end soon. Friday is the last day of the month, so there are lots of deals ending this week. That includes transfer bonuses to Virgin Atlantic, Frontier, IHG,...
Points With a Crew
I may have found the worst Priority Pass lounge in the United States
A lounge with literally NO food options at all? I think that makes it the worst Priority Pass lounge in the United States, and maybe even the world...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
What Is Wrong With This Photograph? Part 363
Smyrna Inn in Georgia is currently an independent form of lodging that used to be part of the Knights Inn brand, which was once part of Wyndham Hotels before it was sold to Red Lion Hotels Corporation for approximately $27 million, which then became a part of Sonesta International Hotels Corporation on...
The Travelers Club
EU261 renforcé : l’UE a dit non aux compagnies et oui aux passagers
Le 15 juin 2026, le Conseil de l’UE et le Parlement européen ont finalisé un accord sur la réforme du règlement EU261, le texte qui encadre les droits des passagers aériens en cas de retard ou d’annulation. L’accord entrera en vigueur en 2027. Il y a un an, tout laissait...
The Travelers Club
Rencontre avec Willie Walsh : « Dans cinq ans, mon successeur ne devrait plus avoir à parler des motoristes »
À l’occasion de la 82ème édition de l’AGM IATA à Rio de Janeiro, The Travelers Club a été convié à participer à la dernière table ronde de Willie Walsh en tant que Directeur Général de l’Association Internationale du Transport Aérien. Un format restreint, quelques médias européens, une demi-heure d’échanges sans...
The Travelers Club
Air France : 100% de la flotte équipée du Wi-Fi Starlink gratuit dès fin 2026
En ce début juin 2026, près de 60 % de la flotte Air France dispose du Wi-Fi Starlink, ce qui place la compagnie au deuxième rang mondial en nombre absolu d’appareils équipés, derrière United Airlines. Pour un réseau aussi hétérogène en types d’avions, c’est une performance opérationnelle que peu de...
The Travelers Club
British Airways : 5 avions équipés du Wi-Fi Starlink sur 300
En mars, British Airways revendiquait une première : devenir la première compagnie britannique à proposer du Wi-Fi Starlink gratuit, illimité, accessible sans connexion au programme de fidélité, sur l’ensemble de sa flotte. Trois mois plus tard, le bilan tient sur les doigts d’une main : cinq Boeing 787-8 équipés, et...
The Travelers Club
Air France-KLM aligne 80 ans d’histoire et une capacité record au Brésil
Il y a des années où les calendriers s’alignent sans qu’on les ait programmés. 2026 en est une pour Air France-KLM au Brésil tandis que IATA y tient la 82e édition de son AGM et le World Air Transport Summit : le groupe y célèbre quatre-vingts ans de présence ininterrompue,...
The Travelers Club
Kérosène : l’œil du cyclone de l’été 2026 ? (IATA AGM 2026)
À Rio, en marge des sessions plénières de l’AGM, IATA a présenté un graphique que beaucoup ont rapidement regardé comme une bonne nouvelle. Il montrait l’évolution du prix du kérosène depuis novembre 2025 : une montée brutale jusqu’à 188 dollars le baril en avril, puis une décrue partielle, 158 dollars...
The Travelers Club
Retards de livraison Airbus et Boeing : 18 102 avions, dix ans d’attente
En 2025, Airbus a compté jusqu’à 60 appareils flambant neufs qui attendaient leurs moteurs sur ses tarmacs. Des avions complets, assemblés, jamais utilisés, auxquels il manquait le cœur. Ces « planeurs », comme les appelle l’industrie, sont l’image la plus précise de ce que IATA a présenté à Rio comme un record...
The Travelers Club
4,50 dollars par passager : l’aviation mondiale fait le plein sans faire de bénéfices
En 2025, IATA recensait 7,20 dollars de profit net par passager, un chiffre déjà modeste pour une industrie qui déplace cinq milliards de personnes par an. En 2026, ce chiffre est passé à 4,50 dollars, soit le prix d’un pão de queijo et d’une bouteille d’eau à Rio de Janeiro....