My travels/observations

Category Archives for My travels/observations.

Booking airline tickets online: Easy or irritatingly difficult?

As a blogger I bookmark and follow a huge amount of travel-related websites that feature news and reviews in the airline and travel industry. One of them is Tnooz.com whose tagline is “Talking Travel Tech.” It really is a fantastic site and they frequently cover global distribution system (GDS) issues and stories for which I…

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Vintage Airline Menu: United Airlines Business Class – Paris to Chicago 1991

In 1991 I flew from Chicago to Paris to spend a couple of weeks with the family of an exchange student I befriended in high school. It was my first international trip (besides Canada) and I was so excited to finally leave North America. On the day of departure I got a phone call advising…

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Oversold airline flight? Show up early to volunteer your seat and fly for free

Last month I flew a roundtrip same day mileage run on United Airlines from Los Angeles to St. Louis connecting through San Francisco. It was just an “okay” run since it didn’t net a huge amount of elite qualifying miles. The fare was $160.80 and I received 4,470 EQMs, which comes in at 3.60 cents-per-mile.…

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Bereavement airfares still exist, but policies vary widely by airline

When a family member or loved one is seriously ill, possibly near death or has already passed, airlines used to have very generous bereavement airfares back in the 1980s and 1990s. They have generally disappeared and I believe when I worked for United Airlines in the 1990s such airfares no longer existed. During a recent…

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CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 884 Hong Kong-Los Angeles

CX Trip Report: Introduction & American Airlines flight to San Francisco CX Trip Report: Check-in and British Airways’ Terraces Lounge San Francisco Airport CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong CX Trip Report: Amenity Kit Review – Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival†lounge Hong…

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Amenity Kit Review: Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit (Summer 2011)

As part of my Cathay Pacific trip report, here is the next installment of my series on Amenity Kit Reviews featuring the men’s First Class kit. I was also able to get a women’s version that I’ll review another time. For a better description of each category and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review…

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Video: Check-in, British Airways’ Terraces lounge SFO and Cathay Pacific First Class to Hong Kong

I finally finished editing the immense amount of video I took on my trip in First Class on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and posted it yesterday on YouTube. Yes, it’ll be 10 minutes out of your life if you watch it in its entirety, but if you’re an aviation geek like me, you’ll absolutely…

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CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Pier” First Class lounge Hong Kong Airport

CX Trip Report: Introduction & American Airlines flight to San Francisco CX Trip Report: Check-in and British Airways’ Terraces Lounge San Francisco Airport CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong CX Trip Report: Amenity Kit Review – Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival†lounge Hong…

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The reality of flying today and what pundits expect of the DOT and airlines

The Department of Transportation has been taking a much more active interest in how airlines sell tickets and deal with passengers during delays and cancellations. The next round of passenger protections goes live January 24, 2012 and will require airlines to advertise all-in prices inclusive of taxes and fees, allow 24-hour holds or refunds and…

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CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Wing” First Class lounge Hong Kong Airport

CX Trip Report: Introduction & American Airlines flight to San Francisco CX Trip Report: Check-in and British Airways’ Terraces Lounge San Francisco Airport CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong CX Trip Report: Amenity Kit Review – Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival†lounge Hong…

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