Zach1213

I was wondering what OP meant by that haha. I then imagine a "France Division" of United Airlines or some such thing.

Indeed, strike threat has been rescinded.

Wait until I tell you that the more you click and share, the more they'll write...

Not only have I flown out of the way and/or added a stop for a better experience, but I've done it to explore a city or just have some fun time. For example, if I fly from the US to India or the Middle East via London (I'm a OneWorld guy), I'll sometimes build in a 9-12 hour connection in London versus a four hour connection. Sometimes it not only helps me avoid arriving in my destination at 2am, but I can also have a day to explore the area around London...despite my hundreds of visits over the years, there's always somewhere new to see, to eat, to drink before hopping back on the plane.

I don't have much to add but I just want to say how funny it is that you can tell exactly when this thread moved in to Cruise Air from wherever else it lived 😆

Possibly yes, but definitely maybe

Cathay is good, yes. They used to be better...but so did a lot of other airlines. I've been flying them fairly consistently since 2008 and have definitely noticed a decline over the years. Still a good airline. Not a good pilot academy, though 😉

I know nothing about EVA Air, but I am a regular on Cathay and they do have a true premium economy on their longhaul fleet. It's eight seats across instead of nine, and some extra leg room. Not sure if there's a difference in things like food or TV size.

The other parts have been addressed already, but this one is simple - demand. There may be particularly high demand for "regular" economy but not premium on that flight, so that the various fare buckets in economy are getting booked up faster than premium. It's not very common, but it's also not super unusual. A few months ago I booked my business class DFW-DOH-HYD roundtrip for less than an economy ticket was being sold for. Sure enough, economy was packed on the flight and business was fairly quiet.

I've flown in to Melbourne but not for a cruise. It's small, and I can't imagine there are many ground options between Melbourne and the port (though I could be wrong). Orlando is going to have countless options. The drive itself is roughly the same time. If you can find good ground transport from MLB to the port, I would definitely fly in and out of there for ease...but if options are truly as limited as I would imagine, MCO might be the better option.

I mean, the entire point of the article isn't to educate or share facts, it's to generate clicks and discussion (or controversy) that generates more clicks. That's why it's in a slideshow...each slide advance is another click to drive ad revenue.

As mentioned earlier, there are some critical things missing...such as which airport (IAH or HOU) and what day of the week. Yes, Houston traffic is nasty, since it is the fifth largest metro area in the US (not far behind DFW as the fourth). Back in the 1950s-1980s, there were some flights from Galveston to what is now IAH on various now defunct airlines like Braniff, Trans-Texan, and a couple others.

As mentioned, "West Coast" and "South America" are extremely broad. I'm guessing you have other options like AA, UA, Delta, and maybe even more, but without more details on origin and destination, we're just kind of fishing in the dark (but not lyin' on our backs or countin' the stars). There's a huge difference in just about every way between Bogota, Lima, Sao Paulo, etc.

It's going to depend on the fare code they booked you on and the Virgin rules about collecting points under that fare code. As mentioned, Virgin is going to the real source for this info.

Most recently cleared immigration at AMS about two weeks ago, no problem. Wouldn't worry about it. That being said, I have flown RTM-LCY on BA several times and it's a nice, easy flight. Eurostar is great too, but do consider the flight as RTM is such an easy airport.

Eh, I've done it many times over the years as a OneWorld frequent flier. I don't make a habit of it, but I do it at least once or twice a year and have never had a problem. Most recent example was about four months ago when I flew Finnair HEL-SIN with a Qantas flight number because it was significantly cheaper in J at the time I booked. Worked like a charm.

I prefer this - https://letmegooglethat.com/?q=what+is+delta's+cancellation+policy%3F (OP, I'm just having some fun with ya)

Especially with DFW, there should be enough DEN-DFW flights to find a slightly earlier one to give you an extra couple of hours there. Terminal D (where DFW-EZE should leave) is a good place to hang out...you can usually find a fairly empty gate somewhere, it's bright/open/airy, good views of the rest of the airport. There are also some decent places to eat and drink there, so you shouldn't have too much trouble killing some extra time.

I actually rarely read on the plane, but I always do at the airport. Sometimes I do work on the plane, because...billable hours are billable hours...but I try to save that time as a time to really turn my brain off (the kind books I read are very much nonfiction so it's not really turning my brain off when I read!). I am so busy on the ground that the plane is really a place to just watch TV or scroll the Internet (or post here I guess, since I am at FL370 off the east coast of Newfoundland).

Even though I do an excessive amount of international travel (and am writing this on a flight over the Atlantic as we speak!), and I could spend more time at home with shorter connections, I still take the longer ones. I try to do 2-3 hours for international trips because, as mentioned, recovery options become more limited. Even then, I've missed some. Peace of mind is worth the extra time for me, and I can always find something to do (work, read, watch a movie).

I think you can stop looking. Any site saying the normal US passport holder on tourist or business purposes needs a visa is just wrong. I enter Schengenland on a US passport for tourist and business purposes 10-12x yearly and as of six days ago when I last entered Schengen, I didn't need a visa.

I'm really curious what sources you were finding that say you do need one, because I would recommend people stay away from whatever the hell website that is. Not only do you not need one, but it's not even a transit in an immigration sense...you are entering the Schengen Zone in Frankfurt, which covers both Germany and Norway. Transit visas usually apply when you're going from Country A to Country C via Country B...in this case, as far as immigration is concerned, you're going from Country A to Country B via Country B. In most cases, true. And in OP's case (for tourism or for business), true. But sometimes US citizens do need visas to go to the Schengen Zone (which is different than the EU). For example, if you plan to work there, or study there for an extended period, or spend more than the allotted visa-free time. Like I said, these don't apply to OP, but there are cases where US citizens would need a true visa (not just an ETIAS) to go to EU and/or Schengen.

Haneda is great if you're actually staying in the city, no doubt, but the Narita Express is also about an hour. There is a price difference but I don't think it's too much, i.e. US$20 vs US$15 or something. I've started booking whichever flight works best for me and largely ignoring which airport at this point.

I remember my first ever international business trip as a 23 year old going to Sydney from Kansas City. I was flying Midwest Airlines MCI-LAX, and then Qantas LAX-SYD. Was told my bag was checked through, and the bag tag said it was checked through. Alas, I got to SYD and my bag was nowhere to be found. Apparently it was just chilling on the baggage claim at LAX. It came the next day via Auckland. It was a few years before I made it to New Zealand and I was always jealous my bag had seen NZ before I had. OP, that is very rare...definitely do confirm, but especially when it's the same airline, it's a pretty seamless transfer.