Qatar Airways

In My Travel Brain This Week: February 26th, 2022

February 27, 2022By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Time keeps slipping bybnnb and another week goes by without me writing. In an attempt to get back on a regular cadence I’m going to try to write a bit of a recap each week. This won’t just be a list of links I read that I enjoyed. I’ll catch up with you guys on what the past week looked like on the road (or off) and talk about what’s on my mind from a travel perspective. Let me know what you think about the format, good or bad, and […]

Qatar Airways Business Class Review Doha-DFW

May 23, 2018By Edward Pizzarello8 Comments

Wrapping up my crazy trip to Djibouti, I got the chance to try out Qatar Airways’ business class product on a 15-hour flight.

Qatar Airways Al Mourjan Business Lounge Review, Doha Airport

May 20, 2018By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

You won’t find a ton of lounge reviews on my site. However, the Al Mourjan Business Lounge in Doha is one of the nicest lounges I’ve ever been in. Take a look….

Qatar Airways Business Class JIB-DOH Review. Great Fish, Bribes, Souvenirs And Men With Guns

May 8, 2018By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

A quick hit review on our flight in business class from Djibouti to Doha, before I passed out.

What’s Your Favorite Airline? I Asked The Experts

January 30, 2018By Edward Pizzarello12 Comments

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right? So, what do you think my favorite airline is?

18,000 Miles For Good: Getting Started

September 30, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Getting started on a once-in-a-lifetime experience, delivering humanitarian aid to Yemeni refugees in Djibouti.

Qatar Airways Seems To Be Honoring Those Ridiculously Cheap Business Class Fares

August 3, 2017By Edward Pizzarello2 Comments

Gotta love it when a cheap/mistake fare gets honored. Did you book one (or three)?

QUICK: Unbelievably Cheap Business Class Fares On Qatar Airways

July 30, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Book first, ask questions later. 🙂
You have 24 hours to cancel if you change your mind.

The Head Of The Association Of Professional Flight Attendants Must Think Their Members Are Ignorant

June 23, 2017By Edward Pizzarello3 Comments

For quite a few years now, the Big 3 US airlines and their main lobbying group, Airlines for America, have had a serious problem with the Gulf carriers. Specifically, they believe Emirates, Etihad and Qatar Airways are receiving sizable subsidies from their respective governments. They believe this creates a lopsided playing field that US airlines can’t compete on. The unions of the airlines believe this costs them jobs. Yesterday we learned Qatar Airways intends to purchase a 10% stake in American Airlines, a publicly held company. It took many folks […]

Whoa! Qatar Airways Is Acquiring A 10% Stake In American Airlines

June 22, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Time to go make some popcorn and settle in. Qatar Airways is going to buy a significant stake in American Airlines. Why are they doing it?

EXTREME? I Had Five Different Tickets Booked For Our Flight Home This Week

It still amazes me how much a seemingly small change during the pandemic has come to my rescue so many times. Near the beginning of the pandemic virtually all US airlines eliminated change fees. United went first, Delta and American quickly followed suit. At the time it wasn’t something that moved the needle because nobody was traveling. But, I had the sense then that this would be a big deal. One of the biggest benefit to elite status was the ability to reduce or waive some fees that airlines typically […]

2022 Airline Status Recap & 2023 Status Goals

I’m finally getting a moment to breathe and look back on my 2022 year in travel. Let’s start with airline status. If you want to hear more about my airline status goals we had a detailed discussion this week on the pod. At a high level, 2022 was a year where I continued to choose whatever airline offered me the best itinerary to maximize my time. A nod was paid to cheap first class fares since it’s virtually impossible to be at peak productivity. It was also about trying to […]

Today Only: Easily Earn Up To 600 Free Points!

I earn affiliate credit if you sign up for the Bilt Rewards Mastercard using links in this story. It’s the first of the month which means Rent Day rewards from the folks at Bilt. If you hold the Bilt Rewards Mastercard you can earn double points on all non-rent spend today. And, even if you don’t hold the credit card you can earn up to 600 free points just by playing trivia in the Bilt Rewards App. The easiest way to earn free points is to download the Bilt Rewards […]

American Airlines Makes Changes To Their New Loyalty Program Less Than A Year After Launch

Less than a year after American Airlines launched their new loyalty program they’re tweaking the requirements to earn status as well as the benefits. This is on the heels of United Airlines finally adopting the requirements they announced in 2019 and Delta increasing their qualification requirements. I’m not surprised to see American making changes a year in. Okay, maybe a bit surprised. But, I wholeheartedly agree this is the right approach. Smart companies continue to innovate where they see opportunities. In most cases, small tweaks are more well-received by customers […]

Delta Should Proactively Offer All Sky Club Members A Refund

Delta Air Lines has what some folks might call a “good problem”. In reality, this problem is causing frustration with many of the airline’s best customers, something we discussed in detail this week. For quite some time the domestic airlines ran very mediocre lounges in the US. The lounges were a quieter place for members to catch up on work or relax in between flights. Food offerings were meager as were drink choices. Delta set out to change that, and has done an excellent job. Massive renovations and staffing increases […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]

Is Foursquare Dead?

Venture Beat doesn’t think so, and I’m not 100% sure they’re wrong. But, before I discuss the article, a little background on why someone allergic to social media like me became a Foursquare nut. A few years ago, a company called TopGuest came up with this concept where you could earn airline miles and hotel points for checking in at various places on Foursquare. I can’t say I thought it was a terribly good business model, but they convinced a bunch of hotel chains to hand out miles for this. […]

Ted Lasso - January 27, 2023:
Valid concern, but IMHO not something I’d lose sleep over. Airlines overbook [...]

Edward Pizzarello - January 25, 2023:
Sadly, in the case of Delta on certain domestic routes, I'd argue [...]

Christian - January 25, 2023:
Sorry, I was really unclear. My concern isn't for the airline, it's [...]

Edward Pizzarello - January 25, 2023:
I've thought about it. Doesn't bother me personally but I get the [...]

Christian - January 25, 2023:
What about the moral implications of holding a bunch of award inventory [...]