American Airlines has just announced that it will be completely changing the concept for its Flagship First Dining facilities, as the airline eliminates international first class. These will simply become Flagship Dining facilities, and that’s totally awesome, as business class passengers will also have access. Well done, American!
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
In the past year we’ve seen JetBlue finally get into the airport lounge game, given the general trend we’ve seen toward premium travel, trying to build lucrative co-brand credit card portfolios, etc.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
If you’re an aviation geek, odds are that you’ve either taken an inaugural flight, or at least have been interested in taking one. In this post, I’d like to talk about these special flights in a bit more detail. How different are they than your typical flight, and are they worth seeking out?
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
This is the start of our new Community Stories series, where readers can submit their own stories, and they'll appear in the Reader-Stories section of the site. Learn more about community stories and our new features .
One Mile at a Time•1990_24 Aug
If you think you have a long commute to work, well, I have a Delta flight attendant I’d like to introduce you to…
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
If you ask me, or anyone who is even borderline objective, United Airlines has by far the most interesting route network of any US carrier (United flies to the most destinations and most countries of any US carrier), and the airline keeps expanding.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
United Airlines is finding itself in an interesting situation. While premium airline demand is all the rage these days, the Chicago-based carrier has reportedly had hundreds of business class seats in storage for years, but no longer has a use for them. What exactly is going on here?
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
For years, American AAdvantage miles have been the gold standard among mileage currencies at the ”big three” US carriers.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
There’s no denying that the miles & points world has changed a lot over the years, and in general, miles have become less valuable and compelling. We’ve seen award pricing devaluations, fewer award seats available, and an increasing number of restrictions on who can book award seats.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
The Citi ThankYou program, which is one ofthe major transferable points currencies, has just introduced its latest transfer bonus, for a 25% bonus when moving points to Leading Hotels of the World (LHW). This is the second time this year that we’ve seen such an offer, and for some people, this could prove to be worthwhile.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
Over the years we’ve seen some pretty major changes to hotel loyalty programs, particularly when it comes to the execution of elite perks, and also when it comes to the value of points. While I do think the World of Hyatt program has seen some negative changes in recent times, Globalist status in the program is still my favorite top tier hotel status, and I’d like to share why. But first let me talk about my current overall hotel strategy.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig24 Aug
There’s no denying that airport lounges have become a lot more crowded over the years, particularly after the pandemic. Admittedly the crowding issues are a bit uneven, and depend on the type of lounge, how you can access it, and the location. In this post I thought it would be interesting to take a bigger picture look at the issue of lounge crowding, and how we’ve gotten to this point.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig23 Aug
I often write about fifth freedom flights, though don’t typically go into much detail on why they exist, what their significance is, etc. While avgeeks and longtime readers will probably know what these are, I figured it’s useful to have a consolidated post about these very cool types of flights.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig23 Aug
Generally speaking, hotel elite status becomes most valuable when you get toward the higher tiers, as that’s when you start getting benefits like suite upgrades and breakfast. Admittedly many people end up with lower elite status as well, so I think it’s worth covering what that offers.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig23 Aug
We all have our routines in life. If you’re a frequent hotel guest, odds are that there are some habits that you’ve picked up over the years, whether logical or not. In this post, I thought it would be fun to share some of my habits when staying at a hotel. I think some of these make sense, while others might be a little strange.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig23 Aug
For the next flight of my Four Seasons Yacht via Turkmenistan and Saudi Arabia adventure, I flew Air India’s Boeing 777-300ER first class on the 9hr25min flight from Delhi (DEL) to Frankfurt (FRA).
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig23 Aug
I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far! I’m at home with family, and am planning a trip for a couple of weeks from now, which should involve some fun airlines… I’m excited to share the details soon, but in the meantime, will finish up my current trip report. On the points &
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig22 Aug
The Ink Business Cash Credit Card (learn more) is a phenomenal no annual fee business card with a welcome bonus of up to 100K points, up to 5x points bonus categories, and valuable perks, like rental car coverage. Personally I’d consider this to be one of the all-around most lucrative business credit cards, and in particular, one of the best no annual fee cards.
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig22 Aug
Here’s a topic that I’ve written about in passing endlessly, but which I’ve never dedicated a post to, so I think it’s time. Can we just take a moment to talk about the complete collapse of hotel brand standards over the years? What’s going on, what’s driving this change, and how should us consumers adjust our travel planning because of this?
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig22 Aug
A passenger traveling in United Airlines’ Polaris business class claims he boarded a long haul flight, only to find a blanket covered in feces at his seat. The crew had nowhere to move him to, so he was forced to stay in that seat for the entire flight… only to later discover that the pillow was covered in feces as well. What exactly is going on here?!
One Mile at a Time•Ben Schlappig22 Aug