China has announced that it will resume issuing tourist visas, for the first time since the start of the pandemic three years ago. This took effect from 15 March 2023. This move comes as China continues to gradually ease border restrictions, which started with the removal of quarantine for foreign arrivals a couple of months…
Changi Airport Wins World’s Best Airport 2023
Changi Airport has won the World’s Best Airport for 2023, at the World Airport Awards held in Amsterdam yesterday. This is the 12th time Changi Airport has won the award, which is given out by Skytrax. Changi Airport was also awarded Best Airport Dining, Best Airport for Leisure Activities, and Best Airport in Asia. In…
KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes for April 2023 Released
The KrisFlyer Spontaneous Escapes list for travel in April 2023 has been released. As usual, Spontaneous Escapes offers are 30% off Saver award tickets on selected Singapore Airlines flights. The usual key terms & conditions apply: Redemption availability is first come first serve of course, so act fast if you want to take advantage of…
Sayonara: Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan Devaluation Hits JAL Awards
Last year, Alaska Airlines (AS) had hinted at a potential Mileage Plan devaluation. The airline had stated: Starting late December, the way you view award charts online is changing. We’ll have a simplified award chart to show you where award levels start based on which regions you’re traveling from and to. With this change, similar…
Review: Hilton Singapore Orchard (King Corner Suite)
Introduction I first stayed at the then recently-opened Hilton Singapore Orchard in April 2022. A reflag of the Mandarin Orchard, the the Hilton Singapore Orchard opened in late February 2022 after an extensive renovation. This property is the largest Hilton hotel in Asia with 1,080 rooms, and replaced the dump that was the original Hilton…
ANA unveils AirJapan product details: Low-cost brand operating 787s
The ANA Group has unveiled productdetails of its new AirJapan brand, a low-cost subsidiary brand. This is part of ANA Holding’s business transformation, first announced back in October 2020. Back then, ANA indicated plans to launch a new brand to target demand for “low-cost, medium-distance flights to destinations in Southeast Asia and Oceania”. The plan…
Melbourne Airport Disruptions Possible as Refuellers’ Strike Looms
Travellers passing through Melbourne Airport tomorrow – Wednesay 8 March – could face disruptions, as workers from of the one the major refuelling companies plan to go on protected industrial action for 24h. That 24h strike period is currently set commence from 4am Melbourne time (GMT+11) tomorrow, 8th March. As reported by media in Australia,…
SWISS Unveils “SWISS Senses” New Cabin Products Debuting 2025
SWISS has unveiled its new cabin products, under the banner of “SWISS Senses”. SWISS is of course part of the Lufthansa group, so these products are basically Lufthansa’s “Allegris” cabin products, fitted with SWISS finishes. These new cabin products are the centrepiece of what SWISS promises is a “totally new and personalised travel experience”. That…
Review: TAP Air Portugal A330-900 Business Class (JFK-LIS)
Note: This flight was taken in February 2022. Certain travel restrictions and service protocols described in this review may not be reflective of the current state of travel. I’ve shared the background of why I took this trip in an earlier post Introduction: The Three Year Chase. I do recommend reading that, to understand the…
Lufthansa’s New Premium Economy and Economy Details
While First Class Suite and Business Class understandably grabbed the headlines in Lufthansa’s press release on the new “Allegris” programme, it shouldn’t be missed that Premium Economy and Economy will be getting new seats as well. In this post, I’ll run through the details of the new Premium Economy and Economy products, and share some…