My travel goals on United have changed this year due to several factors, including a move to a more expensive cost per mile (CPM) originating airport and the increasing likelihood that all U.S. airlines will add some type of elite status revenue requirement to their frequent flier programs. My goal on United this year is…
Commentary
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The Reality Check That Is United Airlines Global First Class
I’ll post my full flight review in the coming days, but I feel compelled to dedicate a post on the less than international first class service I received and observed in United Global First last week. It’s no secret that United is remarkably inconsistent when it comes to in-flight service and I think it’s most…
Would This American Airlines Livery Have Been a Better Choice?
In the odd chance you haven’t already heard, American unveiled their new livery and logo today. American will no longer be able to sport a polished aluminum look as some of the new fleet types on order are made of composite materials, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. And so, at 9:00 a.m. CST today, American…
My Thoughts on Delta’s Likely SkyMiles Program Changes
Delta Air Lines published upcoming changes to the SkyMiles program earlier today. Whether it was deliberate or an error, the page has since been taken down from Delta’s website. But not before an astute Flyertalker captured the details, as shown below. [Updated 1/17: Delta has indeed announced the MQD portion below this morning] Earning Medallion…
Amenity Kit Review: Iberia Business Plus
I mentioned in my last review that I’m running a bit light on current-generation amenity kits – donations are accepted 😉 – so I dug deep into my bins and found this Iberia business class offering from 2007. For a better description of each Amenity Kit Review category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please…
Is Southwest’s Standby Policy a Major Blow to Elites?
I flew home from Las Vegas on Tuesday and needed to get back a bit earlier than my ticketed flight. Having absolutely no idea what Southwest’s standby policy was, I looked it up online before heading to the airport. As I was on a Wanna Get Away fare, standby required a buy-up to the Anytime…
United’s Premier Accelerator Rates Have Dropped… But Still Pricey
I never really paid attention to United’s Award and Premier Accelerator program until just recently. If you’re not familiar with it, the program allows you to purchase redeemable MileagePlus miles with the option to add Premier Accelerator giving you an equivalent amount of Premier Qualifying Miles (PQMs). The offer appears on each of your ticketed…
Looking Back at 2012 and What’s in Store for 2013
On Monday I posted a quick snapshot of my 2012 flying showing a map of my travels. I’ve been LAX (pun sort-of intended) in updating my FlightMemory over the years, but I plugged my 2012 data yesterday to reveal the following: In total, I flew 126,452 miles during the year. That’s less than 2011 and…
American’s New Bundled Pricing ‘Choices’ for Coach Travel
American Airlines today introduced new options for fliers to purchase bundled travel “choices†when making a one-way or round-trip coach reservation within the 48 contiguous United States. American’s travel options displayed during a flight search now include: Choice: The lowest fare available in the Main Cabin that gives customers the flexibility to purchase additional products…
United Airlines Sues Owner of Complaint Website Untied.com
The Chicago Tribune reports today that United filed a lawsuit in Canada against Jeremy Cooperstock, the owner of Untied.com – a website devoted to collecting and airing complaints about United from passengers and employees. According to the article: Two suits filed in Canadian courts allege the complaint site violates the airline’s copyright and trademarks. It…