Is there anyone online who does NOT give frequent flyer advice?  No, no there is not.  And let’s be honest, 98% of what you read about booking airline tickets is utter and complete garbage (Gary and Lucky excepted, of course). I know there are 10 things to be true about booking award tickets and today [...]

I mentioned on Wednesday how I believe that Ambien has changed long-haul travel more than any on-board amenity.  But then I was thinking that for short-haul, has anything changed the on-board coach experience more than airlines cutting off food service?  (Yes, Live TV…but that’s not what I’m writing about today) Terrible airline food was a [...]

I’ve been reading the news about the new Air New Zealand coach seats that convert into a bed-ish thingy (see here) and it got me thinking about whether we just complain way, way too much about the current state of coach seats.  And whether we fetishize business & first class seating way beyond the actual [...]

WASHINGTON, DC, Dec. 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ — The holiday season is a great time for terrorists looking to make a name for themselves by disrupting travel in the United States.  Given the popularity of this time of year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) offers some helpful hints for terrorists looking to make a splash during this [...]

Whew, has 2009 been a tough one for airlines. Globally, carriers are expected to lose $11 billion this year, with US airlines contributing about $2.5 billion worth of those losses.  Mainline carriers saw 10-15% drops in year-over-year Revenue per Available Seat Mile, and back in June US Airways reported a nearly 30% drop in year-over-year [...]

I’m back a bit early from my excursion (I’ve recently changed jobs, so I’ll be traveling more nowadays), and I thought I’d share 5 thoughts from the trip:
- Changing your return flight on an international trip can be ridiculous.  My roundtrip fare was originally $800.  I decided to come back early…the cost to make that [...]

With United’s announcement yesterday that they will begin serving Accra, Lagos and Bahrain (the latter two being extensions of other flights), I was reminded how much I appreciate when an airline takes on a route that is un- or under-served.  Today I bring the Top 5 Unique Routes Flown by US Airlines:
1) Continental’s Island Hopper. [...]

My final thought on the whole Easter Island trip:  Polynesians arrived on the island more than a thousand years ago likely by paddling 2,000 miles on a double-hulled canoe.  Air service to the island did not begin until the late 1960s — yes, until 40 years ago the only way to get to this remote [...]

When I was planning the Easter Island trip I found that the resources online were, shall I say, less than completely useful. Before I left I shared tips about how to plan a trip there using miles. Today I thought I’d pass along some additional logistical odds and ends.
The only flight gateways to Easter Island [...]

The OTR is headed to Easter Island for a few days (I’ll be back posting again next Thursday, most likely) thanks to frequent flyer miles and my somehow winning Voyage.Tv’s TweetYourTrip contest.  While doing some research about how to get to Easter Island using frequent flyer miles, I found that there wasn’t a particularly useful [...]