On a recent flight back from UK to the US, there was a sudden hubbub on the flight as people started looking out the widows and taking pictures. (After a few seconds of panic) when I looked out the window I found that we had picked up a wingman. A Swiss Air aircraft was flying…
Airlines
Reviews of Airlines and their Frequent Flyer Programs
Turkish Airlines, Istanbul: Best Airline Lounge in the world?
I have visited my share of airline lounges. From the dump they call the Lufthansa lounge in Chennai (MAA) to the massive United lounge in Tokyo Narita (NRT). But my recent visit to the Turkish Airlines Lounge in Istanbul Ataturk (IST) Airport left me overwhelmed. I had over 2 hours to kill and I don’t…
Lounge Review: Maple Leaf Lounge, Frankfurt
I have flown thru Frankfurt airport (FRA) tens of times. Living in the DC area, it is one of the best connected cities in Europe with 4 flights every day – 2 each by United and Lufthansa. (London’s Heathrow (LHR) has the best connectivity with 7 flights per day, thru three airlines – United, British…
Air China coming to Washington Dulles (IAD)
Air China is starting service to Washington Dulles (IAD) from Beijing (PEK) from next month – June 2014. It will operate 3 times a week on a 777-300ER aircraft. United already flies non-stop to Beijing from Dulles, so this adds more flights on this busy route. Air China is the first Chinese carrier to start…
Future 787 flights to North America
As a follow-up to my last post on all existing 787 flights to North America, I wanted to post all the future planned 787 flights to North America. Here is the list I found sources from airlineroute.net. Some interesting facts: New airlines added to the list – Air Canada and Royal Jordanian Airport to get most…
All the 787 flights to and from North America
The latest aircraft to enter the flying fleet of commercial airlines is the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. Touted as the most efficient aircraft on the planet, the 787 is extremely well suited for ‘thin-long routes’ – routes with long distances but low traffic. This has resulted in some interesting routes (Oslo – Ft. Lauderdale!) and of…
Did a US Air Force U2 spy plane cause the FAA outage last week?
There is speculation by Reuters and other new agencies that a US Air Force U2 spy plane caused the massive outage at FAA’s LA Central facility last week. The outage, positioned as a ‘computer glitch’ in FAA radar system, caused massive delays all around the US, spawned by ground by almost every airport in Southern…
A tale of two Richards: NPR interview of Delta and Virgin Group leaders
Earlier today I heard an excellent interview of Richard Anderson, CEO of Delta Airlines, and Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, on NPR. They had a lively discussion (Sir Branson more so than Mr. Anderson) on customer experience, what customers care about, the future of airline travel and yes, the Delta – Virgin…
Is AP bashing the 1%-ers of the traveller world?
I am not in the 1% (yet). But due to my diligence with miles and understanding of the upgrade process, I fly in upper class more often than not. So, I am actually not sure what to make of this article by AP’s Scott Mayerowitz. While highlighting some of the awesome features available for upper…
United adding non-stop Los Angeles – Melbourne with 787-9
United is adding a new non-stop route to Australia – Los Angeles (LAX) to Melbourne (MEL). It will be using a 787-9 aircraft. United already flies to Melbourne, but it is via a stopover in Sydney (SYD). The current route is LAX – SYD – MEL. Or the alternate SFO – SYD – MEL. Once…
