Airlines

By Larry Olmsted Reaching higher tiers of airline loyalty programs has traditionally required flying a couple of times each month – but right now hardly anyone is flying anywhere. Hotel programs are similar, and for example, to reach Hilton’s highest tier Diamond status usually requires 30 separate stays totaling 60

  By Monique Burns  Any American traveler who’s ever flown a domestic carrier to a major U.S. gateway to board an international carrier knows that airline partnerships are key. Travel becomes practically seamless.  A single itinerary outlines connecting flights and baggage is checked through to your final destination. There’s no

By Larry Olmsted Airline upgrades usually come in dribs and drabs, tweaking existing services, so when an entirely new cabin product is launched it is big news. This is especially true when it is from the carrier serving more destinations than any other airline in the world, and the U.S.

By John Lampl If you love plane-spotting and are a military airplane geek and your body shivers and quivers every time you see a collection of life-sized fighter and bomber aircraft, then where you want to zoom off to is Ogden Utah, home of the best flying collection west of

  By Bill Triplett When you’ve got a long flight ahead of you, few things are more comforting than the thought of a cushy seat in business class. On a recent trip from New York to Santiago, Chile – about 10 hours over 5,000 miles, as the 787 flies – I had

  By Everett Potter A southern airport named for a political power couple ranks as the nation’s worst. But don’t blame partisanship—Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport in Little Rock, AR, earned the lowest score from a consensus of travelers. They voted in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards survey,

By Everett Potter Portland, OR, has a reputation for hipsters, but its airport makes a positive impression on all kinds of travelers thanks to quality food and shopping options and the likelihood of an on-time departure. So, if your next itinerary includes PDX—rated the nation’s No. 1 airport—consider yourself lucky.

By Everett Potter Buckling your airplane seatbelt and weight-loss personality Richard Simmons aren’t things you’d necessarily think go together. But if you flew on Air New Zealand in the recent past, it’s Simmons who may have video-instructed you how to buckle up. Great companies always think outside the box, and

By Marc Kristal Nothing makes you feel more pampered, somehow, than a properly done first-class airport lounge. By which I don’t mean one of those tired-looking, afterthought kind of spaces with a couple of slow-moving computers, a few half-filled liquor bottles beside a bucket of melted ice, and carrot and

By Everett Potter The major American airport that delivers the most seamless experience isn’t on any coast. It wins over fliers with shopping and dining options, the ease of check-in and security, and the friendliness typical of its city hub. So breathe a sigh of relief if you’ve booked a