Last week, I shared an e-mail I received from United about a new Mileage Plus website coming soon. 

Much to my surprise, when I logged on to UA this afternoon I saw this:

I am amazed that this happened so quickly. 

For now, only United, US Airways, and Continental awards can be booked online, but United promises:

Additional Star Alliance carriers will be ...

I am starting to plan a trip to Thailand/China/North Korea/Japan for August and my goal was to snag a First Class seat on LH's new A380.

Looks like I'll have to look into other options.

"The [FRA-NRT] flight is almost fully booked through September with very strong bookings in first class," LH Chief Pilot and COO Juergen Raps told ATW Daily News onboard the flight from Berlin Schoenefeld to BRU.

I'm not going to give up yet, but it appears my ...

I received the following e-mail from United today:

My first thought was what redesign? I didn't even know there was a Mileageplus.com website. Turns out there is, sort of--the web address takes you to the Mileage Plus portion of the United website. So far, so good.

United promises "better organization" and a "fresh new look" on the new website. These are good things. But how about "the ability to search for Star Alliance partner awards ...

As regional jet travel continues to proliferate, Delta is adding First Class cabins on many regional jets and hopes to offer two-cabin service on flights over 750 miles this fall.

Once upgrades are completed, 50 routes that feature Delta Connection flights with just one service class will have both first and economy class, the company said.

While United only offers a snack box to First Class passengers on longer regional jet flights, some longer than three hours, Delta will offer a more appropriate dining experience.

Meals and linen service are offered on all regional flights that feature a first class cabin, Delta said. 

I hope this move spurs a similar move by UA/CO.

Some good news for a change on the labor front:

United and Continental airlines are on course to wrap up a new contract with their pilot unions by fall, a critical step if their megamerger is to deliver the $1.2 billion boost leaders of the carriers promised Wall Street.

While pilot talks progress, flight attendants and other worker groups likely face a long, arduous path to new contracts, which could undermine labor peace at the new carrier, sources ...

Another LA airport bites the dust. First Palmdale, now Oxnard.

With diminishing traffic and lack of profits, Skywest/United Express ceased operations at Oxnard Regional Airport (OXR) this week. Skywest, linking OXR to LAX, had used a 50-seat turboprop for the 15 minute flight.

But the airline’s passenger numbers have been dropping for years, said airport manager Jorge Rubio. About two years ago, the airline served more than 1,800 passengers per month in ...