Airlines

Flights we’d take on Alaska and United

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Alaska Airlines’ 1st intercontinental route: SEA to Tokyo

(Image courtesy Port of Seattle)

On Monday, Alaska Airlines celebrated its first intercontinental flight to Tokyo’s Narita International Airport (NRT).

The new daily flight, operated by Hawaiian Airlines, which Alaska Airlines acquired in September 2024, is on an A330 aircraft and is the first of 12 international wide-body flights Alaska plans to roll out by 2030.

Next up: Seattle to Seoul, starting on September 12, 2025.

Any place United’s updated 787-9 Dreamliners will fly

(Courtesy United)

When United Airlines begins taking delivery of its new 787-9 Dreamliners, sometime before the end of the year, there will be a slew of snazzy nose-to-tail upgrades throughout the aircraft.

Especially in the business class cabin.

As part of what the Chicago-based carrier is dubbing the United Elevated interior, these new Dreamliners will sport two business class suites in the first row of each business class section.

The suites will be 25% larger than standard United Polaris seats and have privacy doors, an extra ottoman seat for companions, special entrée options, wireless charging, a huge 27-inch, 4K OLED seatback screen and a host of other amenities, including hoodie pajamas and slippers, new noise-canceling headphones and amenity kits, playing cards, a velvet throw pillow on the ottoman as well as Saks Fifth Avenue bedding that includes a duvet, day blanket, large pillow and cooling gel pillow.

Standard United Polaris seats will also get upgraded to suites with the addition of sliding doors and larger, 19-inch 4K OLED screens, multiple charging options for gadgets and the option to choose between seats that face the window or the center of the aircraft.

Premium Plus, Economy Plus and Economy seats are also getting some updates with the Elevated interior, including Bluetooth connectivity.

United Aircraft with the “Elevated” interior will also be among the first United widebody planes to have free Starlink connectivity for United MileagePlus members.

The carrier expects to take delivery of the first 787-9 Dreamliner with the Elevated interior before the end of 2025 with the first international passenger flights planned in 2026 from San Francisco to Singapore and San Francisco to London.

Alaska Airlines trading cards + Where we’d go

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How to get Alaska Airlines’ new pilot trading cards

Airports have them. Delta Air Lines has new ones. Even the therapy animals that roam airport concourses have them.

Now Alaska Airlines has issued a new set of trading cards that you can collect too.

On World Pilot’s Day (April 26) the carrier debuted a new 8-card collection of commemorative trading cards celebrating current liveries.

The carrier last issued new trading cards more than a decade ago and those cards were printed on cardstock.

These new cards are more snazzy, with a holographic film and lenticular coating that transforms the aircraft image into what the airline promises will be a “multi-dimensional experience.”

Want some of Alaska Airlines’ new trading cards?

So how do you get your hands on these cool new airline trading cards?

According to the airline you just need to ask the pilot or a member of the flight crew on your next flight if they have cards on hands. Keep in mind though, that limited quantities of the cards are being produced and are being offered on a first-come, first-served basis.

Let us know what you score.

For a full history of all of Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air pilot trading cards, take a moment to visit the World Airline Historical Society site, which traces the airline’s collectible cards back to 1966.

Where we’d go: Kinectic Sculpture Race in Baltimore at AVAM

The American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore, Maryland is a whimsical, magical museum that collects, displays and celebrates art produced by self-taught individuals.

AVAM also hosts some wonderful and wacky events, including a Kinetic Sculpture Race, which is celebrating its 25th running on Saturday, May 3.

According to AVAM, for this race, “Kinetinauts and their multi-terrain machine wonders brave 15 miles of seemingly impassable obstacles, from water circuits and pits of mud to the city’s bumpy byways…FOR NOTHIN’ BUT THE GLORY.”

Check out this video from a recent race.

And let us know where you’re going.

(AVAM images courtesy AVAM)

Avelo contracts to fly ICE deportation flights

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Avelo under fire for contracting with ICE for deportation flights

The U.S. government usually contracts with charter companies for deportation flights. And you can read a ProPublica account of those flights here.

But now a commercial budget airline, Houston-based Avelo, has a contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration Control and Enforcement agency (ICE) to operate deportation flights out of Arizona’s Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport beginning in mid-May, according to the Associated Press and others.

In a statement, Avelo airline CEO Andrew Levy said the company decided to support ICE’s efforts because it would help with Avelo’s expansion and would protect jobs, but acknowledged the move “is a sensitive and complicated topic.”

Avelo is currently recruiting staff for these flights with a job listing on its site that explains Avelo will be operating a charter program for the Department of Homeland Security and that flights will be both domestic and international “to support DHS’s deportation efforts.”

At the same time, Avelo has announced it will be pulling up stakes Boise Airport (BOI) as of April 27, according to the Idaho Statesman, and at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) as of May 1, according to The Press Democrat.

Petition to boycott Avelo Airlines

A Change.org petition launched by the New Haven Immigrant Heritage Coalition demands that Avelo Airlines halt deportation flight plans in cooperation with the Trump Administration. (Avelo operates flights out of Tweed Airport near New Haven).

“We pledge to boycott the airline until they stop plans to profit off ICE flights that are tearing families and communities apart and removing some legal residents….” the petition states.

Get rewarded for dressing like your Condor plane

Airlines,

We’re big fans of Condor Airlines’ colorfully striped livery which is inspired by the colors and accoutrements of summer, such as beach towels, ice cream parlors and parosols, according to the carrier.

Now Condor is celebrating the third anniversary of the introduction of its striped livery with a special “Match The Stripes” contest.

Condor unveiled its striped livery on April 4, 2022 and this year, from April 4 to April 30, the airline will be gifting €10 vouchers (about $10.78) to the first 1000 passengers who dress in a striped color shirt, dress or jacket that matches the stripes on their airplane.

The voucher can be used immediately on board the airplane towards the purchase of a drink or snack.

But how will you know know what color stripes will be on you aircrat?

Easy. Condor will tell you.

  1. Two days before a flight, you can search online here to find out which aircraft you will be flying.
  2. Once you know what aircraft you’re flying, you can see what colored stripes it has here.
  3. And once you know what color stripes will be on your plane, you can choose a striped, color-coordinated shirt or dress to wear on the plane.

There are some rules and restrictions, of course, but ‘winners’ will also receive a voucher code to use with the My Postcard app to create a photo postcard of their matchy-match look.

We’re entering Condor Airlines’ dress-like-the-plane promotion in the contest for Airline Amenity of the Week!

Do you love the scent of the airport?

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Have you ever wished that you or your home would smell just like your favorite airport or airline?

It’s not such a far-fetched idea.

Back in 2012, we saw the debut of a line of 19 city-centric scents named for their airport city codes — CDG (Paris), LHR (London), DXB (Dubai) — and packaged in slender bottles with labels that looked like baggage tags, bar codes and all.

The Scent of Departure line no longer seems to exist, but it seemed like a charming travel souvenir.

Linking scents with airports – and airlines – is still a thing.

In mid-January Air France introduced a signature fragrance now being spritzed in its La Première (first class) lobby, a handful of lounge areas at Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and onboard aircraft in the La Première suites.

Named AF001 as a nod to the Concorde flights that traveled between New York and Paris in the late 1970s, the bespoke scent will soon waft through other Air France lounges in Paris and around the world.

What does AF001 smell like?

According to Air France, it has a “comforting, musky scent, combined with mimosa from the south of France” that adds “a sunny, natural vibrancy.”

Air France may have the newest bespoke fragrance in the skies, but as we shared in a story we first wrote for The Points Guy site, there are other airlines and airports with their own special scents.

Dubai-based Emirates worked with Irish brand Voya on a bespoke Eau de Toilette fragrance used on flights in First and Business Class.

Singapore Airlines signature scent is called Batik Flora and was created by Singapore-based Scent by SIX. The fragrance draws its floral notes from the six flowers in the batik motif featured on the airline’s uniforms.

Singapore’s Changi Airport also has its own signature fragrance, called Changi Scent, which smells like orchid, geranium, mint, citrus and Asian spices.

And Hong Kong-based Cathay Pacific worked with Australian scent marketing agency Air Aroma on a signature scent that features lavender, jasmine, bamboo, juniper berry, tea leaves, white musk and cedarwood.

Tampa International Airport (TPA) wanted a fragrance that could reflect the Tampa Bay Region. They settled on Scent Air’s “Bamboo Tea,” which has notes of green Bergamot (an Italian citrus fruit), Jasmine, Neroli (the blossom of the bitter orange tree), Musk and Tree Moss.

Smelled any good airports? Let us know.

Donate money or miles to wildfire relief efforts

Airlines,

The wildfires in the Southern California Metro area are causing widespread devastation.

Support is flowing in. But more is needed.

Here are a few ways you can join airlines in contributing money or miles.

Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are donating $100,000 to the Los Angeles Fire Department Foundation and five million Mileage Plan miles to the American Red Cross for disaster relief related to the Los Angeles wildfires.

You can contribute donate miles, with all donations matched up to five million miles until January 17, 2025. Here’s a link to get started.

From now through January 22, 2025, American Airlines AAdvantage members can earn 10 bonus miles for every dollar donated to the Red Cross with a minimum $25 donation.

More than one million dollars has been raised already. Here’s the link to make your contribution.

Delta Air Lines is contributing $1 million to the American Red Cross to help those affected by the wildfires sweeping across California.

Delta customers can contribute to the Red Cross as well through the airline’s Red Cross microsite.

 

United Airlines has donated $100,000 to two local California nonprofits, the LA Regional Food Bank and California Fire Foundation. The carrier will match additional donations up to $150,000 and 5 million miles. Here’s a link to make your contribution.

What’s ahead for airlines & passengers in 2025?

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What’s ahead for airlines?

This week IATA, the International Air Transport Association, released its 2025 outlook, covering everything from the number of people expected to fly, to financial outlooks for the industry and the progress (or not…) on the industry’s goal of producing enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to help airlines combat climate change.

Here are some highlights:

5.2 billion people are expected to take to the skies during 2025. That’s a 6.7% increase over 2024 and the first time the total expected passengers will exceed the 5 billion mark.

IATA expects the average airfare in 2025 to be $380, which is 1.8% lower than 2024.

In 2025, global airline industry revenues will exceed $1 trillion for the first time, representing almost 1% of the global economy. Airlines also have $940 billion in costs and retain a net profit margin of just 3.6%, said Willie Walsh, IATA’s Director General, “Put another way, the buffer between profit and loss, even in the good year that we are expecting of 2025, is just $7 per passenger.”

Airlines face some significant risks

IATA notes that there are strong geopolitical and economic uncertainties facing the airline industry, including multiple conflicts around the world and the incoming Trump Administration, which could create tariffs and trade wars that dampen both air cargo demand and business travel.

Is there a path to Net Zero?

In 2021, the global airline industry committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions from their operations by 2050.

Offsets and carbon capture as well as new technologies such as electric and hydrogen are elements of the plan, but the production of enough sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) is the major component.

Unfortunately, while the amount of sustainable aviation fuel being produced is increasing, it’s going slower than planned.

“Governments are sending mixed signals to oil companies which continue to receive subsidies for their exploration and production of fossil oil and gas,” said IATA’s Willia Walsh, “And investors in new generation fuel producers seem to be waiting for guarantees of easy money before going full throttle.”

KLM unveils its 105th Delft Blue miniature house

Airlines,

Want a free house? KLM, the Netherlands’ flag carrier, gives them away for free.

There are strings, of course. And more to the story.

You need to be flying in business class on an intercontinental flight. And the houses are just 4 inches high.

But they are filled with Dutch gin and are part of a series of Delft Blue miniatures in the shape of a notable historic or landmark building in the Netherlands or abroad.

KLM began the tradition of gifting a miniature Delft Blue house filled with gin to first and business-class passengers back in the 1950s.

It was a way to get around rules about tax restrictions that once limited the value of the gifts that airlines could give to passengers. A cocktail that just happened to be served in a keepsake miniature house was within the rules.

The houses became so popular that in 1994, on the carrier’s 75th birthday, KLM issued a catch-up batch of houses so that the number of houses would line up with the airline’s age.

Now a new miniature Delft Blue house is released to great fanfare each year on October 7, KLM’s birthday.

The 105th KLM Delft Blue House

This year’s house – the 105th in the series – honors a 17th-century house in Amsterdam known as the House on Three Canals.

Built in the Dutch Renaissance style and renovated several times since 1687, this Dutch national monument has a different canal on three sides of the building.

“It’s one of the most photographed monuments in the city,” said historian Marz Zegeling. “This building – which was originally two buildings – has three different façades, or faces and is still revealing secrets,” such as a hidden hatch leading to a secret hiding spot, he added.

 

Zegeling is the author of “Little Kingdom by the Sea,” a regularly updated 2-book set with detailed descriptions and histories of each building in the KLM Delft Blue house series.  

On October 7, Marjan Rintel, the President and CEO of KLM, presented the first copy of the Delft Blue miniature of the House on Three Canals to Arthur van Dijk,  the King’s Commissioner in the province of North Holland.

KLM’s birthday and the new Delft Blue miniature house reveal comes at a “challenging time” for the carrier, Rintel acknowledged in a pre-event press conference. While the airline is investing billions in new, more efficient aircraft is also embarking on a campaign aimed at reducing costs, increasing productivity and increasing network capacity, especially on long-haul flights.

For now, though, KLM’s Delft Blue miniature house program is safe from cuts.

“We will look at everything but not the Delft Blue houses,” Rintel said, “We’re well known for it and it will stay as part of our brand.”

Some of the other buildings featured in KLM’s Delft Blue miniature house series include #104, the Valkenburg Station – the oldest existing train station in the Netherlands – and miniature #102, the Tuschinski Theater.

You can get a KLM miniature house as a complimentary amenity when flying business class on an intercontinental KLM flight, on eBay and in antique shops throughout Amsterdam.

And you can track your collection using the KLM Houses app.

Condor Airlines adds a pink-striped plane for Breast Cancer Awareness Month

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Condor, the German airline with the candy stripe livery in an assortment of fun colors, has added a pink-striped livery to one of its Airbust A320 aircraft to mark Breast Cancer Awareness Month, which runs through October.

Condor’s “Fly Pink” plane joins the “FlyPink” initiative founded by QantasLink pilots in 2015.

The initiative supports the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF) and contributes to local breast cancer charities around the world. 

This is the first new livery color for Condor since it launched in 2022 with five other colors.

The cabin of the “FlyPink” Plane will also sport pink on headrest covers and on special “safety cards” which have detailed information on breast cancer prevention, according to a Condor statement.

There’s also pink-striped Condor merchandise, including umbrellas, water bottles and beach towels, for sale in the Condor Shop and on board. The proceeds from these items will be donated to Brustkrebs Deutschland e.V., a breast cancer prevention and research association in Germany.

Now two airlines will ship your wine for free

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Love wine? Love taking wine home when you travel?

We do too.

Alaska Airlines has a long-running and very popular Wine Flies Free program that allows members of its mileage plan program to check a case of wine without having to pay an extra baggage fee when flying from 32 West Coast cities in Washington, Oregon, Idaho and California.

As a great and valuable bonus, in Oregon, Washington and Idaho your Alaska Airlines boarding pass gets you free wine tastings at participatng wineries.

Now Avelo Airlines is joining the wine-flies-free bandwagon with its own version of the program.

The airline doesn’t service as many cities as Alaska does, but beginning on National Wine Day (May 25), Avelo customers can begin checking a case of wine for free from the Bay Area’s Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, CA.

Avelo currently offers nonstop flights from Sonoma to Salem, Oregon (SLE), Bend/Redmond (RDM), Boise (BOI), Glacier Park International Airport (FCA) in Kalispell, MT, Las Vegas (LAS), Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) and Palm Springs (PSP).

“We know that visiting the vineyards and sampling Northern California’s world-famous wines is one of the most appealing reasons for visiting the Sonoma County region,” said Avelo Airlines Founder and CEO Andrew Levy, “It is our hope Avelo’s new Wine Travels Free program will make our Customers’ trips to California Wine Country that much more enjoyable and memorable.”

On both Alaska and Avelo, you must be at least 21 years of age to take advantage of this perk. And on both airlines one case of wine is considered to be a single box or case containing up to 12 bottles and weighing 50 lbs or less.

Let’s raise a glass to airlines that let wines fly free.

(photo courtesy Flickr Commons)