Have you ever wondered why airplane headrests have flaps of cloth attached to the headrest? ‘Antimacassar’ is the name of the small protective piece of fabric attached to a headrest. The name is descriptively literal: macassar oil was a popular hair oil for men in the 19th and 20th Century but had a habit of […]
Updated to reflect the ordered departure of non-emergency U.S. government personnel and family members of government personnel on March 2 and the change to Level 3: Reconsider Travel due to safety risks, and to add the “other” risk indicator. Advisory summary was updated to reflect changes to U.S. embassy operations. Reconsider Travel to Jordan due […]
Any pilot will tell you that aviation runs on its own language. The words and phrases transmitted over radio frequencies around the world every day are not informal shorthand or inherited habits. They are an engineered communication system, designed over decades to be understood clearly by any pilot or controller, regardless of native language, regardless […]
British Airways is recruiting pilots for a specialized ground operations role at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), offering salaries of up to $100,000 per year. The airline is hiring “taxi crew” pilots to move aircraft on the ground, rather than operate flights in the air. The roles are currently being advertised as part of the […]
More than twenty years after Airbus first presented its A380 freighter idea, the aircraft still comes up in aviation discussions as one of the industry’s most ambitious “what ifs.” In the early 2000s, as global air cargo demand grew rapidly, manufacturers and airlines were looking for ways to move more freight through busy hub airports.
This is our review of Virgin Atlantic’s premium economy experience on the Boeing 787 Dreamliner on the airline’s newest route, from Seoul to London. It’s been five years since I last reviewed Virgin Atlantic’s Premium cabin and the new route to Seoul – the airline’s longest flight – seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit. […]
‘Subscription loyalty’ or ‘paid loyalty’ has been a buzz word in loyalty circles in recent years. Whilst paid programmes have been around for a long time – InterContinental Ambassador is the one we discuss most – others have struggled to make it work. Skywards+ is one of the higher profile airline subscription services and I […]
United Airlines’ Relax Row will emerge as a data-driven compromise between standard economy class and premium cabin in 2027, turning unsold seats into a sleep-focused product on long-haul routes like Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) –London Heathrow Airport (LHR) and San Francisco–Singapore. By offering a full row of three economy seats, paired with bedding accessories […]
Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engine, delivering up to 97,000 pounds of thrust and powering a very successful Airbus A350 family since its 2015 entry into service, has become a gold standard for long-haul efficiency. According to manufacturer data, it achieves around 15% lower fuel burn than previous-generation engines, an advantage that directly impacts airline economics and […]
This article was updated on Monday, May 4, 2026, to include details on short-haul cabin service at other US airlines. It was originally published on Saturday, May 2, 2026.