This past weekend I noticed the following Twitter exchange between @JohnnyJet and American Airlines: According to Johnny’s tweet, he noticed that American offered boarding to passengers without carry-ons in the second group, likely after those with Priority Access. Curiosity peaked, I emailed American’s PR team on Monday and received the following reply yesterday (bolding mine):…
Are Airline Change Fees and Cancellation Penalties Fair?
I absolutely hate cancelling a non-refundable airline reservation. It feels like a kick in the gut, especially on “cheap” domestic airfares where the fee to reuse the ticket – $150 on most airlines – ends up eating away a significant portion of the overall ticket value. Last week, I was unable to travel and had…
First Reconfigured United Airlines Premium Service 757 Takes to the Skies
Flight 651 from Los Angeles arrived at JFK this afternoon six minutes ahead of schedule and became the first reconfigured p.s. Boeing 757s to take to the skies. For the fleet followers, it’s ship number 5996 (N596UA) and will be operating as flight 535 back to LAX this evening at 5:53 p.m. If you’re unfamiliar,…
How the American Express Platinum Card Can Pay For Itself
[Edited: This information from this post is no longer valid]
A Few Images of Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day
I visited Ireland for the first time last May and stayed in Dublin, though did the touristy thing and took an all-day excursion to Cork, Blarney Castle and Cobh. Here’s a few images from my trip and I’m definitely looking forward to returning one day. Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Related posts: Flight Review: United Airlines…
Amenity Kit Review: American Airlines Business Class – Eames Case
American Airlines last December rolled out new amenity kits and they finally offer separate kits for first and business class passengers. Previously, American provided the same “premium†kit in both cabins. A couple of weeks ago I reviewed the current first class offering, and here now is the business class kit for this installment of…
Frequently Flying Will Be Back by Monday
Hi everyone, Sorry for the blog silence as I’ve been taking care of some health and other issues – all is well! I’ll be back to a regular posting schedule by Monday March 18. Till then, happy flying! Darren
We Interrupt This Program…
Just a quick note to let you know that BoardingArea is moving to a new server late tonight and my ability to post (and your ability to comment) will be offline until Sunday March 10 at the earliest. You’ll still be able to view existing posts during the transition. Perhaps this move is aptly timed,…
My United Airlines Mileage Tracking Spreadsheet, Round Two
A couple of years ago I made a similar post revealing my mileage tracking spreadsheet for United (or any airline for that matter). And while I love technology and my favorite app that still tracks my United balance (and so much more: PageOnce), I get a certain satisfaction out of my old school method. I…
A Very Generous ‘Soft Landing’ to American AAdvantage Platinum
While not an officially advertised benefit, American Airlines has for years provided “soft landings†to elite members who fail to qualify for status the following year. And even though it’s a known program, I was a bit surprised that American was generous enough to grant me Platinum status through February 2014 given I barely flew…