Join us for episode 58 of the Upgrd Podcast , as we discuss the ins and outs of booking awards with American.  Read More →

Gogo is offering $4 off your next in-flight internet session through April 7 by entering the code 2getwifi on the payment info page. Apparently this works for any airline with gogo internet. (Tip of the hat to Rene)  Read More →

I meant to post about this yesterday morning when I arrived in Hong Kong, but I forgot. Anyway, sitting in row one of a 747 was probably the coolest thing ever as we were on approach into HKG. I was seated in seat 1K and we had a bit of a crosswind, so the plane was angled left on the approach to compensate for it. As a result, I had an absolutely spectacular view of the runway all the way down. As an airplane geek, nothing is more amazing... 

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It’s time for a reader photo. Thanks to Kai for sending in this one. Correct Answer: Winner: If you’d like your photo featured, please email it to me at onemileatatime@hotmail.com , along with the correct answer.  Read More →

Hello from “The Wing,” Cathay Pacific’s first class lounge in Hong Kong. Had a fantastic 14hr9min flight on Cathay Pacific last night from San Francisco. As usual, they were incredible. The service was stellar, the food was incredible, and the seat and entertainment were industry leading. I even managed to get about eight hours of sleep. Just took a shower in one of the incredible “Cabana” rooms they have, and... 

Hello from 38,000 feet aboard American’s Flagship Service to San Francisco (from New York). Having flown United’s Premium Service on this route many times, I have to say I’m shocked by American’s Flagship Service. Good or bad? You’ll just have to stay tuned….  Read More →

….and sheesh, I’m not sure much more could go wrong, and my brother and I checked in only 30 minutes ago. First of all, on the plus side, I love, love, love the room. It’s beautifully designed. Unfortunately: The front desk agent seemed totally spaced out and not particularly welcoming. We were checked in quickly and I asked whether I’d receive free breakfast as a Diamond member. This is something the agent should have... 

And my trip to New York, San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Bali starts today. As usual, you can expect plenty of updates (and this time around quite a bit of tweeting ) and a trip report within a week or two of my trip. I’ll be sampling American’s domestic first class product, American’s Flagship Service, Cathay Pacific’s first class, Cathay Pacific’s business class, the Andaz Wall Street, the Grand Hyatt Bali, the InterContinental... 

The AirTrain has always been a great deal for getting to/from JFK at $5 per trip, but according to Fozz at Upgrd they are now offering a ten trip card for $25, so it’s basically half off. That’s quite a deal, even for those of us that aren’t locals. And while MTA’s website indicates that the cards are good for six months, Fozz says his card is good for over a year.  Read More →

I must be missing a crucial part of this story : Two Royal Air Force (RAF) Typhoon jets were scrambled to assist an American Airlines passenger plane shortly before it landed at London’s Heathrow airport on Tuesday after a woman attempted to gain access to the flight deck. “A female passenger had become distressed during the flight and reportedly attempted to gain access to the flight deck. “The passenger was calmed by flight... 

I’m sure many of you have already seen this, but there’s quite a bit of controversy surrounding a JFK air traffic controller that seems to have brought his son to work, and the son even did a few ATC transmissions. If you haven’t heard the audio, you can listen to it here . Now I realize I’m probably taking a very unpopular stance here, but I don’t see the big deal. Don’t get me wrong, this was a dumb move on... 

Starting March 17, Continental will start selling exit row seating for a fee (which varies based on the length of the flight). Of course Continental elites can continue to reserve exit rows in advance for free, and the same will be true for United elites in the near future. I have to wonder about the practicality of this, though. It’s not like Continental has Economy Plus, so I would have to imagine that exit rows will almost always be... 

I’ve been loyal to Priority Club and InterContinental for a very long time now. They’ve treated me very well and I’ve certainly been happy with them all around. But at the same time I feel like it’s worth exploring once in a while and seeing what else is out there, if only to be able to report back about my experiences on the blog. No, I’m not just &#…  Read More →

I don’t know about you guys and girls, but there’s something about March that excites me. No, not the spring. And no, not the traditional March Madness either. I’m talking about the other March Madness — the real  March Madness – that we like to refer to as double elite qualifying miles promotions. Well, it’s looking kind of grim. American hasn’t grounded their whole fleet of MD-80s yet. United is...