Live from a Lounge
Get SkyTeam Elite Status by Status Matching with Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles across 47 carriers (match to top tier). Matching Hotel Status too.
Vietnam Airlines Lotusmiles programme is offering a status match opportunity for their loyalty programme to members from 47 airlines and 18 hotel chains across the globe. Lotusmiles would match member tiers up to the Platinum Tier in this generous status match opportunity.
Travel Codex
The Flight Range Atlas: See Where Any Airliner Can Actually Fly
Every time an airline takes delivery of a new long range jet, I catch myself asking the same question: where could they actually fly this thing? Route planners live in the world of aircraft range and great circle distance, but most of us only ever see a brochure number and...
Frequent Miler
Last Chance Deals: 40+ offers including 3 transfer bonuses, many Amex Offers, & more
Welcome to our weekly list of what’s ending this week, along with a collection of other deals due to end soon. It’s another busy week for expiring deals, with more than 40 set to end in the coming days. That’s because Monday is the last day of the month, so...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
What Is Wrong With This Photograph? Part 368
I was picking up an order at a McDonald’s restaurant recently when I noticed the electronic illuminated menu behind the counter, which immediately caught my attention for some reason.
For this edition of this popular game, can you guess what...
2PAXfly
WEEKLY REVIEW: Sunday 30 August, 2026
Hello travellers, Qantas and Virgin Australia both reported their financial year 2026 results. While Qantas profit slid, Virgin’s profit rose. Interestingly, Virgin Australia’s share price rose the day before the announed and fell slightly after the announcement despite paying out its first dividend in a long while. Qantas’ share price...
Frequent Miler
Where should Greg go as a weekend trip from Berlin? (A Carrie commentary)
In the most recent Frequent Miler on the Air episode, Greg asked for some advice about where he might want to go for a weekend trip from Berlin, Germany. I immediately had a bunch of ideas before I gave any thought to logistics… and then I did some research to...
Frequent Miler
(Avianca Lifemiles added) US Bank launches transfer partners. Now transfer to Accor, Flying Blue, and Ethiopian
Update 8/29/26: US Bank has now added Avianca Lifemiles as its 5th transfer partner. Points transfer 1:1 from the Altitude Reserve card (and likely also from old FlexPerks cards). It is great to see U.S. Bank expand partners already. Hopefully, this is an indication that we will continue to see...
View from the Wing
United Wants American Airlines Out Of Chicago—AI Backs Its $1.1 Billion Loss Claim By Inventing $2.8 Billion In Costs
A Claude-assisted analysis finds United earns 10.5% more per passenger-mile in Chicago, then swaps in modeled revenue and assigns American $2.8 billion in missing expenses. The data support United’s pricing advantage—not a $1.1 billion avoidable loss.
One Mile at a Time
Weekly Review: August 29, 2026
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far! I have roughly another week at home before I take my next trip, which reminds me, I need to actually finalize those details. Before I kick off that journey, I hope to finish up my current trip report series. On...
The Gate with Brian Cohen
Noisy Musical Dripping Shower in Hotel Room. With Short Raw Video.
Design can enhance functionality aesthetically for the improvement of an experience; but sometimes when design takes priority over functionality, the results may not be the most efficient or effective — such as with a noisy musical dripping shower in a hotel room of which a short raw video was taken...
View from the Wing
American Airlines Fixes A Bizarre Upgrade Glitch—You Keep The Seat, It Keeps Your Money
American Airlines has fixed a strange systems problem that stripped away a paid upgrade when a customer later used a systemwide upgrade elsewhere on the same itinerary. The passenger now keeps the upgraded seat—but American also keeps the payment.
View from the Wing
Bilt’s Authorized User Strategy Doubles Transfer Bonus Caps And 3X Spending—Here’s How My Wife And I Use It
Bilt lets adult authorized users receive points and Bilt Cash in their own accounts. I’m using that feature so my wife and I each get five Points Accelerators and separate Rent Day transfer bonus caps—then adding reciprocal Palladium and Obsidian cards.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
American Airlines Bolsters Maintenance Workforce to Combat Broken Seats, Wonky Tray Tables And Defective In-Flight Entertainment Systems
American Airlines has hired more than 60 additional maintenance technicians to finally get to grips with what the carrier’s frequent flyers, pilots, and flight attendants know all too well… the upkeep of its airplane cabins hasn’t been a big enough priority for far too long, with broken seats, wonky tray...
One Mile at a Time
Is American Really Losing $1 Billion A Year At Chicago O’Hare? Here’s What The Data Shows
Currently, Chicago O'Hare Airport (ORD) is probably the most fiercely competitive airport in the country. Both American and United have hubs there -- United has gained a huge advantage in recent years, though American is now trying to win back some of the market share it has lost.
Paddle Your Own Kanoo
Two Airlink Embraer E-Jets Perform Stunning Flyover of DHL Stadium in Cape Town, But Were the Planes Dangerously Low?
Two specially branded Airlink Embraer E-Jets performed a stunning low-altitude flyover of the DHL Stadium in Cape Town, South Africa, on Saturday just before kick-off between the South African Springboks and the New Zealand All Blacks as part of a new rugby tour called ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.’ The flyover was...
Economy Class & Beyond
Last Week at Economy Class and Beyond (29th August)
It’s still Saturday… is it? To paraphrase Ford Prefect from The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: “Time is an illusion, Time zones, doubly so”. Hello from Tokyo. Its… I’ve lost track of the time, but it looks like Saturday, so it must be time for Last Week at Economy Class...
Live from a Lounge
HDFC Bank BizGrow Credit Card is currently Lifetime Free: Should small business owners grab it?
When HDFC Bank refreshed its Business Credit Card line-up in 2024 with the Biz Cards range, i.e., Biz Black, Biz Power, and BizGrow, BizGrow was positioned as the entry point for self-employed professionals and small business owners who wanted a proper business card without paying premium fees. And now, there...
