Weekly Wanderlust: A Curated Collection of Must-Read Posts – May 2nd

by BoardingArea | May 2, 2024 | 0 Comments

1. Union Threatens Termination Of American Airlines Flight Attendants Who Refuse To Pitch Credit Cards

Last week the American Airlines flight attendants union reminded cabin crew at the airline that they aren’t allowed to strike or take other actions that hurt the company, unless first permitted by the government to do so. They even have to make the optional credit card announcements. At a minimum, they’re warned, that if they write on social media that they aren’t going to pitch the credit card they may be fired.

2. Flight Attendant Banished Black Woman to Economy Class Lavatory for “Slamming” First Class Lavatory Door

A black woman and retired judge has claimed she was targeted for harassment by an American Airlines flight attendant for “slamming” the first class lavatory door.

3. Cheat Code: Use Cargo Schedules to Find Widebody International Planes Flying Domestically in the USA

Did you know that you can fly in lie flat business class (or better premium economy, economy) seats when flying domestically in the US? These planes are often on the transcontinental (LA/SFO to New York, DC, Boston, or Miami) routes, but you’ll regularly see them repositioning for long haul flights between hubs.

4. DFW Passenger Shoplifts a Wallet Before Attempting to Board Turkish Airlines Flight

In January, a Turkish Airlines passenger at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) was arrested while waiting to board his flight to Istanbul Airport (IST). He was caught on camera shoplifting a COACH wallet and his excuses once confronted by police are comical.

a man in a black hat with his hand on his chest

5. 2024 Travel Grievances – Are You With Me or Not?

Exploring ain’t all pretty, and my 2024 travel grievances are here to prove it. Have you experienced any of these people?

a woman with her arms raised in front of a car on fire

6. Dubai Unveil Plans to Transform Al Maktoum Int’l (DWC) to World’s Largest Airport

Dubai has unveiled a groundbreaking plan to transform Al Maktoum International Airport into the world’s largest airport with 260 million passengers yearly capacity, five parallel runways and 400 gates.

7. Devaluation of Latitude Fares on Air Canada – Impact on Upgrades

Learn how the devaluation of Latitude fares negatively impacts upgrades to Signature Class for Air Canada frequent flyers!

8. With One Simple Change, Southwest Airlines Will Deal Blow to Wheelchair Scammers, Unruly Passengers and Seat Savers

FBI agents complain that Southwest Airlines is frustrating to deal with in unruly passenger situations on aircraft because passengers can’t easily be identified by their seat assignment. Of course, there are two other huge advantages seat assignments will bring.

9. They’re Back: Credit Cards Made from Real 747 Planes! Here’s How You Can Get Yours!

A popular credit card promotion from a few years ago is back — with a brand new look!

10. Review: KLM Boeing 787-9 Business Class

Embark on a luxurious journey with the KLM Boeing 787-9 Business Class. Discover the comforts of lie-flat seats and attentive service in this comprehensive review.

11. News We’ve Been Waiting For: Peloton and Hyatt Collaboration!

Get ready for the ultimate fitness experience on your next hotel stay with the exciting collaboration between Peloton and Hyatt. Stay fit while you travel with access to Peloton’s renowned workouts at select Hyatt properties.

12. A Disappointing Park Hyatt Stay

Not every Park Hyatt property is a winner. For surprising reasons, this one falls short.

a bridge over water with a city in the background

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BoardingArea

BoardingArea is highly rated for delivering insightful tips, advice, and reviews about the topic of travel and travelers’ obsession with frequent flyer miles and points. This up-to-date information is tailored to all levels of travel expertise from a diverse collection of experienced contributors, including travel bloggers, industry insiders and avid adventurers. REQUIRED READING FOR FREQUENT FLYERS.

View from the Wing

‘Petty And Punitive’: Air Canada Grounds Staff Standby Travel As Strike Nears

Air Canada has cancelled standby travel benefits as flight attendants prepare to go on strike. Cabin crew and other employees will not be allowed to begin nonrev trips until at least August 23. An employees are lashing out in message boards, seeing the move as petty. Continue reading ‘Petty...

Altitude Yes

A Drive Through Rural Northern Japan & a Stop at an Ice Cream Shop Beloved by Locals

A scenic drive through the Japanese countryside took us to a local ice cream shop and a store selling local foods and goods. The post A Drive Through Rural Northern Japan & a Stop at an Ice Cream Shop Beloved by Locals first appeared on Altitude Yes.

Frequent Miler

(Update) Southwest Personal Cards: Excellent 100K Welcome Offers (and increased fees)

Update 8/13/25: Emails from Southwest state that these increased welcome offers will expire on September 17, 2025. Increased welcome offers are sometimes available via referral links for a few days beyond the public link expiry date, but we don’t know if that’ll be the case this time around. ~ All...

Economy Class & Beyond

Scoot expands flights to Chiang Rai, Okinawa and Tokyo (Haneda)… along with extra capacity

For those of you who love a discounted Singaporean experience, Scoot is introducing three new routes, as well as boosting its holiday-time capacity. Let’s see what’s new. The airline has announced the launch of new flight services to Chiang Rai in Thailand, and Okinawa and Tokyo (Haneda) in Japan. These...

Live and Let’s Fly

Do You Opt Out Of TSA Facial Recognition?

Maybe I’m hopelessly jaded, but I’m happy to trade privacy for convenience when it comes to TSA secrity checkpoints at US airports. That said, the crusade of one U.S. Senator to remind Americans of their privacy rights is commendable, even if naive. One U.S. Senator On A Crusade Against TSA...

View from the Wing

United Airlines Seattle Gate Move: Leaving Concourse A, Adding Brand New United Club In B

United Airlines is moving from concourse A to B in Seattle. This allows airlines with international flights to use the vacated international capable gates on Concourse A. And it's going to mean opening a new United Club there as well to replace the current one at gate A9. Continue reading...

The Gate with Brian Cohen

Save Up to 20% With Marriott Bonvoy

You can save up to 20% with Marriott Bonvoy off of the guest room standard rate when you stay at your choice of participating hotel and resort properties worldwide with its Escapes promotion, which offers exclusive savings every other Thursday through Sunday across select destinations... ...but you must... The post Save Up...

Frequent Miler

Get a 30% bonus on your first purchase through the Virgin Atlantic shopping portal

The Virgin Atlantic Shops Away shopping portal tends to fly under the radar, primarily because its earning rates don’t tend to be very good. There is a feature that has the potential to make it more compelling though: a 30% bonus on your first purchase through the portal. The Deal...

Live and Let’s Fly

Spirit Airlines CEO Downplays Survival Threat, But Flight Attendants Urged to Prepare For Worst

Spirit Airlines is trying to put on a brave face, but both its financial filings and internal communications reveal a far bleaker picture than the CEO is publicly admitting. As Spirit Airlines CEO Downplays Dire Financial Situation, Flight Attendants Face Stark Warning Yesterday, I shared about a concerning warning from...

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9 Things American Airlines Does Well, From AAdvantage, To Oneworld

American Airlines is the US airline that I fly most, given that I live in Miami. I’ll be the first to admit that I sometimes give American Airlines a hard time, though that doesn’t mean I think the airline is terrible. While there are a lot of areas where American...

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Fighter Jets Scramble to Intercept London-Bound Ryanair Flight After Mid-Air Security Threat

A Ryanair flight from the Bulgarian capital Sofia to London Stansted was intercepted by two fighter jets and ordered to avoid Czech airspace after a security threat was received against the aircraft. The incident involved a 14-year-old Boeing 737-800, which was operated by Ryanair’s Polish charter subsidiary Buzz but painted...

Economy Class & Beyond

Air India comences its retrofit programme

After some delay, Air India is all set to commence its refit programme for its Boeing 787-8 aircraft. VT-ANT at an Air India hangar in Mumbai before departure to Victorville – Image, Air India Air India has commenced the widebody retrofit programme for its legacy Boeing 787-8 aircraft, with the...

The Bulkhead Seat

Uh Oh: Air Canada to Cancel All Flights After Strike Called by Flight Attendants

Air Canada issued a statutory 72-hour lockout notice to the Canadian Union of Public… The post Uh Oh: Air Canada to Cancel All Flights After Strike Called by Flight Attendants appeared first on The Bulkhead Seat.

View from the Wing

‘Patient Zero’: United Passenger’s Inflight Bathroom Explosion Cancels Flight, Hazmat Crews Scrub Lavatory Walls

A United Airlines passenger’s explosive lavatory episode cancelled their flight, sparked a hazmat response, and became a viral confession. Continue reading ‘Patient Zero’: United Passenger’s Inflight Bathroom Explosion Cancels Flight, Hazmat Crews Scrub Lavatory Walls...

Eye of the Flyer

Cruise Lines are Expanding Their “Pay to View” Entertainment – This is NOT a Good Trend!

This is not good folks and if this trend continues it will be a major downgrade to the cruise experience. Let me give you some background of what I am talking about and why I hope this will not become the norm at sea. One of the biggest draws of...

Miles For Family

Largest Drop Waterslide at Sea Breaks Open; Passenger Plans to Sue for Injuries

Last week, a passenger on Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas was injured when the Frightening Bolt waterslide broke. Frightening Bolt is the largest drop slide at sea and begins with an almost-vertical fall through a trap door. The Incident On August 7, an acrylic piece of the Frightening Bolt...

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Rental car loyalty programs guide: Shortcuts to elite status, earning and redeeming free days, and more

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Spirit Airlines CEO Downplays Financial Issues, Claims Things Are Fine

Yesterday, I covered how Spirit Airlines issued a dire warning about its financial situation in a regulatory filing, stating that there’s ”substantial doubt” about the carrier’s ability to keep operating over the next 12 months. The carrier’s current credit card processor agreement expires at the end of 2025, and more...

Weekly Wanderlust: A Curated Collection of Must-Read Posts – May 2nd

1. Union Threatens Termination Of American Airlines Flight Attendants Who Refuse To Pitch Credit Cards

2. Flight Attendant Banished Black Woman to Economy Class Lavatory for “Slamming” First Class Lavatory Door

3. Cheat Code: Use Cargo Schedules to Find Widebody International Planes Flying Domestically in the USA

4. DFW Passenger Shoplifts a Wallet Before Attempting to Board Turkish Airlines Flight

5. 2024 Travel Grievances – Are You With Me or Not?

6. Dubai Unveil Plans to Transform Al Maktoum Int’l (DWC) to World’s Largest Airport

7. Devaluation of Latitude Fares on Air Canada – Impact on Upgrades

8. With One Simple Change, Southwest Airlines Will Deal Blow to Wheelchair Scammers, Unruly Passengers and Seat Savers

9. They’re Back: Credit Cards Made from Real 747 Planes! Here’s How You Can Get Yours!

10. Review: KLM Boeing 787-9 Business Class

11. News We’ve Been Waiting For: Peloton and Hyatt Collaboration!

12. A Disappointing Park Hyatt Stay

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