It’s our Independence Day holiday here in the U.S., and it’s given me time to pause to realize the fact that (more than) half of the year has already passed. It’s crazy how time has flown for me this year.

I looked back at the top 10 viewed posts written so far in 2013 here on Frequently Flying, and figured today is a great day to share that list with you.

Happy Fourth of July!

1. The Reality Check That Is United Airlines Global First Class: This post summarizes my less-than-stellar service on an international flight with United in January, including some shocking flight attendant behavior.
2. How to Find Mileage Runs – 2013 Edition: Okay, I technically wrote this in December 2012, but it is indeed the second-most viewed this year.
3. Would This American Airlines Livery Have Been a Better Choice?: Once American rolled out its new look, I ask in this post if another popular design would have been preferred.
4. Flight Review – United Global First, San Francisco to Tokyo Narita: This is one of the flights that caused my “reality check” post featured above, and was part of an international mileage run I took in January.
5. How the American Express Platinum Card Can Pay For Itself: The card benefits from this post are no longer valid.
6. United’s Premier Accelerator Rates Have Dropped… But Still Pricey: At the turn of the year, United dropped the rates if you buy either of the Premier Accelerator choices on a reservation.
7. Save Time Using Hipmunk for Multi-Segment Mileage Run Bookings: Here, I show you how Hipmunk can be used to turn a mileage run found using ITA’s Matrix into a booking faster than on another website (airline, OTA, etc.).
8. United Airlines Global First Lounge Shower Room Amenities: I guess I’m not the only one who likes a review of what’s inside airport lounge shower rooms!
9. Lounge Review: ANA Suite Lounge Tokyo Narita Airport: This is a look at one of ANA’s First Class lounges at Narita, which was part of my mileage run in January.
10. How to Get Your Airline Friends and Family Fired: Yep, you read that correctly. This post looks at etiquette required (or not) when traveling on a buddy pass.

– Follow Darren Booth on Twitter, @FrequentlyFlyin, for more airline, hotel and travel industry news, reviews and opinions.