Insights from the Inside
If you haven’t started already, it’s time to start planning your summer air travel. If your plans include air travel within the US and you haven’t yet made your reservations, it’s not too late to score some good fares. The Boeing 737 MAX groundings have reduced capacity, which seems to have propped up fares and this will likely last through the summer.
B-737 MAX operators in the US and Canada
- Southwest – 31
- American Airlines – 24
- Air Canada – 23
- United Airlines – 14 (MAX 9)
There have been 387 MAX aircraft deliveries around the globe, 92 of which are in the US and Canada. Don’t wait too much longer to make your plans as fare sales may be few and far between this year.
If you’re traveling internationally, there is less concern for your long-haul travel. Large, wide body aircraft aren’t affected. If you’re planning to use points and miles, airline awards should still be available if you know how to search. Business class and first class award booking are still be available, too.
Those Business Class (and, yes, even First Class) awards are still out there. It requires fewer points and miles that most people think. International premium awards seats can be found for not much more than economy tickets. Enhance your travel experience with exclusive club access, priority boarding, lie-flat seats, and a shower on arrival. The talented staff at PointsForDeparture.com can help to make this a reality for you.
I’ve started a new personal tradition of visiting European Christmas markets. Before I get to Vienna, I’ll share the trip details. Flying standby requires a little extra planning so at the last minute I chose Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) as our gateway to Europe. This is all based on which flight loads look best for us. We arrived at IAD from out origin at about 12:00 EST so we had several hours to kill. Using the great benefit of my Priority Pass Lounge Card, included with my Chase Sapphire Reserve Visa, we had a couple lounges from which to choose for our four hour wait.
- Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse (Concourse A)
- British Airways Galleries Lounge (Concourse B)
- Turkish Airlines Lounge (Concourse B)
There’s also a restaurant option of Chef Geoff’s in Concourse C.
I had never been to any of the IAD lounges so I wanted to experience all I could. We started at the Virgin Clubhouse. We entered the lounge and found it mostly empty. There was a limited selection of food. While the lounge was quiet and comfortable, I was a little disappointed. I’ve flown Virgin Atlantic Upper Class and expected more from its fun, hip reputation.
After we finished our coffee and eggs, we moved on to the Turkish Airlines Lounge. We found this club much more inviting and comfortable. The food and drink options were typically Middle Eastern including hummus, tabbouleh, olives, lamb and beef. There was a nice vegetable and fruit selection and of course, Turkish coffee. One wall had several televisions with American football playing as well as two TVs, each connected to a Roku. The largest of all screens seemed to be for Turkish self-promotion. There was plenty of seating, though it did fill up as we got later in the afternoon.
The British Airways Club is only open until 2:00 PM so we didn’t try it.
Turkish Airlines has done well with their club and that will be my first choice when killing time at IAD.