The differences between international First class and Business class can sometimes be insignificant, but most airlines tend to differentiate the product offerings all the way down to the amenity kit. American Airlines, however, currently provides just one “Premium†version to its First and Business class passengers. In this edition of Amenity Kit Reviews, I take…
Four reasons I love window seats when I fly
I’m in the middle of a mileage run today and just wanted to post a few pictures. While my windows weren’t the cleanest I’ve had, the pictures still came out well enough. (You can click each picture for a full-size view.) Even though I’ve flown upwards of a million miles in my life, I never…
Video: Boeing 747 Classic Cabin Schemes
Since I brought you a retro seat map of a 747 earlier this week, here is a pretty cool video from YouTube showcasing interiors from many vintage 747s. Even coach appeared comfortable back in the 1970s. The American Airlines aft lounge looks like it could be in use today as a Virgin Atlantic Upper Class…
US frequent flyer programs focusing more and more on revenue than miles & segments
As being widely reported in the news and blogs this week, Southwest Airlines is launching their revised frequent flyer program on March 1, 2011. Instead of the current segment-based earning system, it will now be based on the price of your ticket, with 6 points per dollar earned for the lowest fares, and 12 points…
Delta Air Lines and voluntary denied boarding aka “The Bump”
Last week, I raked in some nice compensation from United Airlines in the form of travel credits by volunteering my seat. Overselling flights has long been a common practice in the airline industry, and the airlines come out the winners much more often than the losers. Having worked in the department that handles this optimization,…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Northwest Airlines 747
As I mentioned in my original Vintage Airline Seat Map post, the DC-10 is absolutely one of my favorite airplanes. The 747 is right up there, so I’d be hard-pressed to ever commit to an all-time favorite. This week, I’m featuring a Northwest Airlines 747. I’m not exactly sure if this is a -100 or…
The evolution of airline ticket sales
My interest remains high watching a little battle unfold in the travel industry regarding airline ticket sales and distribution channels. As I blogged about previously, American pulled its flights from Orbitz after the Online Travel Agency (OTA) refused to connect directly to American’s availability, thereby skirting the traditional Global Distribution Systems (GDS). This, then, would…
Bonus point promotion: 10,000 goldpoints for a one night stay at Country Inn & Suites
Country Inn & Suites is offering 10,000 bonus goldpoints by staying just one night (Sunday through Thursday) before February 17, 2010. I took advantage of a similar deal last year, and fully intend to make a qualifying stay once again. My goal for 2011 is to hit 100,000 points in the program, and will then…
System reset: The race is on for 1K status in 2012
Happy New Year! Every January 1st is a bittersweet moment for the ranks of frequent flyers. We’ve all been knocked down to zero miles & segments flown for the year, so the race to achieve status begins all over again. Since I once again took a voluntary denied boarding (VDB) last night, I have a…
Watching stellar United Airlines gate agents in action last night
As I tweeted yesterday, I took a voluntary denied boarding (VDB) off my flight back to LAX last night and earned a $400 travel credit for future use, plus the obligatory hotel and meal voucher. I was dead tired from all my traveling around Europe for a couple of days, and ended up getting a…