Airlines tips

Lie-flat seats. Direct aisle access. Suites with privacy doors. Entire onboard "apartments." It's safe to say business and first class have gone through an evolution.

American Airlines is planning to open two new lounges — including its more upscale Flagship Lounge — at one of its major East Coast hubs.

All California hotels must disclose surprise junk fees starting July 1 thanks to two new state laws, including one specifically targeting hotel resorts and cleaning fees.

Flying Blue, the loyalty program of Air France-KLM, is offering a generous online status match for elite members of the Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan, American Airlines AAdvantage, JetBlue TrueBlue Rewards and United Airlines MileagePlus programs.

The excitement was palpable earlier this month as the inaugural American Airlines flight from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Copenhagen Airport (CPH) geared to take off. Speeches were made, a balloon arch filled with red-and-white Denmark flags decked the departure gate, and Danish pastries were served to the very loud and upbeat soundtrack of what can only be described as the Danish take on hip-hop.

The Happiest Place on Earth will be connected to Big Ben via new nonstop flights on Delta Air Lines.

It is not too late to fly to Europe in business class this summer at a reasonable price.

Air France is opening a new lounge at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) in the Tom Bradley International Terminal on Friday.

Finland's flagship carrier, Finnair, just completed a $200 million overhaul of its cabins, and it’s officially rolled out on flights across the United States.

Delta Airlines recently announced the start of new services around the world, including Aruba, London, Orlando, Salt Lake City, and more. Floridians seeking a European getaway will now have an easier route. Travelers will be able to fly from Orlando, Florida, to London's Heathrow Airport directly on Delta. The flight will operate as a seasonal, winter service from October 26, 2024 through March 29, 2025. Delta will operate the flight four times weekly on an Airbus A330-900neo which features the Delta One Suites and Delta Premium Select cabins, according to a release.  This is the latest expansion of Delta's Europe to Florida connection, as the airline previously announced a new route from both Tampa Airport and Orlando Airport to Amsterdam. Amsterdam serves as a major hub for KLM Airlines, which along with Delta, is a partner in the Sky Team Alliance.  “Our new route between Orlando and London seamlessly connects two diverse destinations, offering customers a wealth of experiences on both sides of the Atlantic Floridians can explore London’s historic landmarks like Buckingham Palace and enjoy world-class dining, while Londoners can escape to the sunny beaches and world-famous attractions of Orlando,” Delta’s Senior Vice President for Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and India Matteo Curcio shared in a statement to T+L.  Delta also announced an expansion of flights from the airline’s hub at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport (MSP). The airline will fly its «largest-ever winter Latin schedule» with new flights to Aruba and St. Maarten. The airline will operate new direct flights to Aruba on Friday and Sunday from MSP, and new flights to St. Maarten (SXM) on Thursdays and Saturdays. As part of the updated schedule, the airline increased service to Grand Cayman and San Juan, Puerto Rico.  Delta also shared with T+L that the airline would be expanding service to and from their hub in Salt Lake City, Utah. The airline will also begin a new weekly Saturday-only service from New York's LaGuardia Airport to SLC from December 21, 2024 through May 3, 2025.

Summer is officially here, and Australian airline Qantas is celebrating with a sale that has big savings on trips down under.

Ultra-low-cost carriers, or ULCCs, were a saving grace in college when I had limited fun money. I didn't care about the barebones planes or stuffing everything into a personal item so long as I could travel cheaply.

UK-based startup Global Airlines, which planned to begin flying Airbus A380s between New York and London as early as summer 2024, is already delaying its launch to 2025.

Popular low-cost carrier out of the United States (US), JetBlue Airlines, has confirmed that the demand for Jamaica remains high. In a meeting yesterday, led by Minister of Tourism, Hon Edmund Bartlett and his Senior Tourism executives, the Airlines’ Executives confirmed that Jamaica was in high demand in some of their key states in the US.

It just got easier to visit «The Big Easy» from the West Coast.Alaska Airlines recently announced new direct service connecting their popular Portland, Oregon hub to a new destination, New Orleans, Louisiana.  Travelers seeking this route on Alaska currently have to connect through Seattle, and the flight can take as long as nine hours. The new, direct flight will only take four hours and 25 minutes.

We boarded the rather new and rather lovely Japan Airlines A350-1000, which has all-new products in every cabin. In particular, the first- and business-class cabins are now some of the world leaders in commercial aviation. We flew this aircraft on a 13-hour jaunt from Tokyo's Haneda Airport (HND) to New York City's John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) to showcase four wonderful cabins, all on the same flight.

Starting September 6, 2024, JetBlue will loosen restrictions on its cheapest fare class, Blue Basic, allowing passengers to bring a carry-on bag onboard for free. Previously, the airline only permitted Blue Basic ticketholders to bring a small personal item onboard that could fit underneath the seat.

The Boeing 737 Max is back in the news after the plane was involved in a “Dutch roll” on a Southwest Airlines flight from Phoenix to Oakland in May. The incident caused significant structural damage and is raising further safety questions about the aircraft.

Few things are more tedious for the business traveler than itemizing weeks worth of client dinners, drinks with vendors and rushed breakfasts. 

Editor's note: This is a recurring post, regularly updated with new information and offers.

Delta Air Lines is gearing up to officially its first hotly anticipated business-class lounge on June 26, and inside, you'll find designs curated by famed Italian fashion house Missoni.