My Aer Lingus A321neo LR flight in AerSpace (a business class seat without business class service) from Dublin to London was short, but gave me enough time to evaluate the seat and its features that you can except on a transatlantic Aer Lingus A321 flight.

Aer Lingus A321neo AerSpace (LHR-DUB)

Although it is not a Star Alliance carrier, Aer Lingus uses Terminal 2 at LHR. AerSpace has a dedicated check-in line. After a check-in snafu concerning my class of service, I quickly cleared security.

I used the Aer Lingus Lounge for about 30 minutes before the flight. With a nice English breakfast and a barista-made coffee, it’s now one of my favorites in T2.

My boarding pass indicated that boarding would begin 30 minutes prior to departure, but when I showed up 35 minutes prior to departure, boarding was mostly complete. In fact, I was the last passenger onboard…

Aer Lingus 155
London (LHR) – Dublin (DUB)
Thursday, November 6
Depart: 9:50 AM
Arrive: 11:15 AM
Duration: 1hr, 25min
Aircraft: Airbus A321neo LR
Distance: 280 miles
Seat: 5K (AerSpace – “Business Class”)

Stepping onto the aircraft,  I found only one other person seated in the business class cabin, which is marketed as AerSpace on flights across the Irish Sea and within Europe. I have no idea why Aer Lingus does not sell a “real” business class, but maybe it gets its inspiration from Our Lady Air?

A flight attendant warmly greeted me. No pre-departure beverage, but we soon pushed back…it would be a quick flight to Dublin.

Seat

I was seated in 5K, a throne seat (the other passenger was in 3K). The A321neo has 16 seats in business class: a very classic Thompson Aero Vantage seat. You’ll see these seats on the SAS A321LR as well and on JetBlue’s older A321s.

Here’s some more I took after landing:

> Read More: SAS A321LR Business Class Review
> Read More: JetBlue A321 Mint Business Class Review

If you can score a throne seat, you can count on excellent space and comfort, plus extra storage via a cabinet and at knee level on the side.

If you wind up in an even-numbered row, you will have a seatmate and window seat passengers will not have direct aisle access. All seats are 22 inches wide.

The seat reclines into a 77-inch 180º lie-flat bed, though of course there was no need to sleep on a 9:50 am flight that was only 45 minutes long.

Seat controls include a massage function.

Each seat has a universal A/C, USB-A, and USB-C outlet.

There are individual air vents above each seat.

IFE + Wi-Fi

The full in-flight entertainment library was available, but no headphones were offered (though I did not ask for any). Selections included a special section of Irish films and audio (always appreciated on a nation’s flag carrier), plus other music, TV shows, games, and movies.

Wi-Fi internet was available too, at a cost of :

• €2.49 – messaging
• €5.99 – streaming

It was such a short flight that I did not connect. While Aer Lingus offers its business class passengers free Wi-Fi, since this technically was not business class, there was no free Wi-Fi.

The weather was bad departing London, but it was a beautiful, sunny day in Dublin:

Food + Drink

In AerSpace, there is no meal service in the traditional sense…certainly nothing plated like on a Aer Lingus longhaul flight or intra-Europe business on another carrier. Instead, you can have one food item and one drink from the Bia menu (Bia, pronounced Bee-ah, is Irish for “food”).

I was hoping to order the Irish Breakfast, which his a mainstay on the buy-on-board menu, but was told there were none loaded. Instead, I had a “Festive Turkey, Cranberry, Ham, & Cheese Toastie” which was not very sightly, but tasted decent. I had a bottle of sparkling water with it.

Lavatory

The A321neo has a lavatory in the front of the aircraft for business class passengers that featured mood lighting just like the cabin.

Unlike some other A321neo operators, there is not a lavatory behind the front cabin that is used by both business class and economy class passengers.

Service

The service was excellent oaths flight. A single flight attendant took care of me and the other passenger and she was very kind and attentive, despite having little to work with in terms of service.

She was from Portugal…I’m not attune to the labor issues that Aer Lingus may be experiencing, but it was the first time I’ve ever had a non-Irish FA when fly Aer Lingus.

CONCLUSION

We landed on-time in Dublin, where I found a very chaotic terminal under construction. This was a very pleasant flight and an aircraft I would not hesitate to fly transatlantic in.

I used miles for my ticket, but sometimes the upgrade from economy to AerSpace is well worth the premium if you are traveling with luggage.

Something strange appears to be going on with Alaska Airlines Atmos Rewards partner award pricing, and it appears to be bad news for anyone booking partner awards with connections.

Alaska Atmos Rewards Is Pricing Some Finnair And Iberia Awards Above Chart Levels

Alaska Airlines publishes Atmos Rewards award charts, and that transparency is one of the things I appreciate about the program. In theory, partner saver awards should price at the published “starting at” levels, even if higher pricing sometimes appears for non-saver space.

But that does not seem to be what is happening right now on at least some connected itineraries.

One Mile At A Time highlights a couple of very specific examples that suggest something is off.

For example, a Finnair award from Dallas to Helsinki prices at 35,000 points in economy or 70,000 points in business class, which is exactly what you would expect based on the 5,001-7,000 mile distance band in Alaska’s published chart.

However, if you add a connection onward to Stockholm (or European city) on the same itinerary, pricing jumps to 55,000 points in economy or 110,000 points in business class. That should not happen if the itinerary is still supposed to price according to the chart.

I was just able to replicate that moments ago, so if it was (or is) a glitch, it is still pricing at new and higher levels:

The same pattern appears on Iberia. A flight from Chicago to Madrid prices at 27,500 points in economy or 55,000 points in business class, which lines up with the 3,501-5,000 mile band.

But if you continue onward to Barcelona or other European cities, the price rises to 35,000 points in economy or 70,000 points in business class.

Turkish Airlines did something similar in 2024 (charging extra for connecting flights) and British Airways has long done this with its own loyalty program, so this would not be something revolutionary.

Devaluation, Glitch, Or Something Else?

At this point, it is not clear what is going on.

Maybe this is an intentional devaluation of partner awards with connections. Maybe it is a technical glitch. Maybe Alaska is changing how it prices these awards and just has not communicated it yet. Live And Let’s Fly has already asked Alaska Airlines for confirmation.

But whatever the explanation, this is not a great look. If this is a devaluation, Alaska should say so plainly rather than letting members discover it through oddball pricing searches. If this is a test or tech glitch, the answer is why…

As part of its regulatory assurances for the merger with Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska promised it would not inflate the award charts for Alaska and Hawaiian flights, but made no such promise for partners flights. We have seen in the past that Alaska Airlines has devalued these awards without notice.

CONCLUSION

There appears to be an issue with Alaska Atmos Rewards pricing on some partner awards with connections. Nonstop itineraries on Finnair and Iberia appear to price as expected, but when a connection is added, award costs rise well above what Alaska’s published charts would suggest.

Maybe this is a glitch. Maybe it is a devaluation. Either way, I’ll be watching it closely and will update this post once I have official confirmation one way or the other.

A chaotic scene unfolded at New York LaGuardia Airport when a passenger began screaming at the American Airlines check-in counter, prompting a swift response from Port Authority Police.

“Airport Karen” Tackled By Police After Attack At American Airlines Check-In

A video circulating online shows a woman shouting loudly at the American Airlines ticket counter at LaGuardia Airport before the situation escalates and police intervene.

Some versions of the video circulating online claim the woman attacked another passenger, though that is not clear from the footage itself. In fact, the video does not clearly show another passenger involved at all.

What the video does show is the woman yelling repeatedly before Port Authority Police step in. Officers quickly take her to the ground and restrain her as shocked onlookers watch the scene unfold (watch the black guy standing on the ride side and Jiminy Glick standing behind them…hilarious).

The dramatic takedown was captured on video and makes me thankful that most airports have police presence to help swiftly deal with this sort of disorderly conduct:

@nycvideos3

♬ original sound – Dhimitrios

Whatever the grievance was, screaming at airline staff or police officers rarely ends well…in fact, I don’t think I’ve ever seen it end well.

Airports are stressful environments and travel disruptions can quickly fray nerves. Still, losing your temper in a crowded terminal is a quick way to end up exactly where this woman did: face-down on the airport floor in handcuffs.

And while incidents like this are unpleasant to watch, they also serve as a reminder that disorderly conduct in airports is taken seriously by law enforcement…don’t let your temper get the best of you!

Sadly, as I recently noted in another case involving a violent airline passenger, consequences do not always match the severity of the behavior:

> Read More: Passenger Bites JetBlue Flight Attendant, Avoids Jail—No Wonder Air Rage Keeps Getting Worse

Here, we don’t even know if she was arrested after she was subdued.

CONCLUSION

The latest confrontation captured on video at the American Airlines counter at LaGuardia is pretty pathetic, yet somehow spellbinding. Thankfully, Port Authority Police were nearby and quickly brought the situation under control.

We all can have bad days, but don’t take it out on airline staff and certainly don’t take it out on police officers…it simply won’t end well.

Hat Tip: View From The Wing

Inside London’s Most Storied New Hotel

There’s an incredible opportunit to stay in a building that shaped the course of two World Wars. It’s $1.76 billion facelift has made a splashy entrance to the new Raffles London at The OWO. Situated on Whitehall in the heart of London’s government district, the Old War Office (OWO) opened to the public for the very first time in September 2023 after an eight-year renovation, and it is nothing short of extraordinary. It’s been off my radar to this point and I aim to rectify that as soon as reasonably possible.

The building’s resume reads like a history textbook. Winston Churchill worked there as Secretary of State for War. T.E. Lawrence, (aka Lawrence of Arabia) roamed its corridors. It is where MI5 and MI6 were born, and its shadowy intelligence operations reportedly inspired Ian Fleming when he created James Bond. For over a century, the Edwardian Baroque building on Whitehall was one of the most secretive addresses in Britain. Now you can sleep there.

The property features 120 guest rooms and suites alongside 85 private residences. According to the brand, all rooms are outfitted with custom carpets, fabrics, wall coverings, and bespoke furniture. But it is the five Heritage Suites that steal the show. These are situated in the building’s most historically significant rooms, the former offices of political and military leaders who shaped the 20th century. The Haldane Suite, where Churchill once sat at his desk, can be combined into the nearly 5,400-square-foot Whitehall Wing accommodating up to 12 guests, making it one of the largest luxury hotel wings in London.

Dining, Drinking, And The Spa

The OWO is not just a place to rest your head. With nine restaurants, various dining options, and three bars (including a Spy bar), Raffles London is positioning the traditionally quiet Whitehall neighborhood as a serious dining destination. The headliner is Mauro Colagreco, the Argentine-Italian chef behind three-Michelin-starred Mirazur in the south of France, who brings a hyper-seasonal, vegetable-forward approach to the hotel’s signature restaurant.

Below ground, the Guerlain Spa spans a staggering 27,000 square feet across four subterranean floors. It is the UK’s first Guerlain-branded spa, and it includes a gorgeous pool area along with treatment rooms staffed by therapists trained in techniques handed down for over a century. Along with other trends in hospitality, it grows beyond wellness to longevity opportunities.

What It Costs

Rooms start at roughly $1,000 per night, with the Westminster Suite category beginning around $2,215 per night. That is certainly not budget travel, but for a building with this kind of pedigree, it falls in line with what top-tier London hotels charge. And frankly, few of those hotels can claim that James Bond’s creator once drew inspiration from the very hallways you are walking through.

Accor’s loyalty program allows the redemption of points to shave pounds off the price but doesn’t offer traditional redemptions like Hyatt, Hilton, and Marriott.

Conclusion

Raffles London at The OWO is one of those rare hotel openings that transcends the hospitality world and enters the realm of cultural preservation. The $1.76 billion restoration took eight years and hundreds of artisans to complete, and the result is a property that appears to honor its extraordinary past while delivering a thoroughly modern luxury experience. (Matthew and I will be happy to report back on our experiences if and when we are able to stay.) For history buffs, luxury travelers, or someone who just appreciates a really good story behind where you lay your head, this one deserves a spot on the bucket list. I would not be surprised if it becomes one of the most talked-about hotel in London for years to come.

What do you think? Would you go out of your way to try the Raffles London (OWO?)

Virtuoso Partners Are Feeling Good About 2026

I spend a lot of time talking about what travelers want, but every once in a while it is worth stepping back and looking at what the people selling travel are actually seeing. Virtuoso (a consortium of luxury travel agencies) just released its January 2026 Network Pulse Survey, polling 908 preferred partners (travel vendors like American Airlines, Marriott, and Viking Cruises) and 1,468 travel advisor members across all nine of its global regions. The results paint a picture of an industry that is not just recovering but genuinely confident about where things are headed.

On the partner side, optimism jumped six points from July’s survey to 62%. That is a meaningful swing. Even more telling, the share of partners describing their outlook as pessimistic dropped to just 3%, down from the highest level the survey had ever recorded six months ago. Uncertainty remains elevated at 36%, driven largely by geopolitical concerns from surveyed participants in the UK, Ireland, and parts of Southeast Asia, but the overall trajectory is clearly positive.

Cruise lines are far and away the most bullish supplier category right now, with 88% expressing a positive outlook. Tour operators follow at 75%. Hotels, which make up the largest share of Virtuoso’s partner base at 630 respondents, are more measured but still trending in the right direction.

What Is Driving Partner Confidence?

When you ask partners why they feel good, the answer is pretty simple: the pipeline is full. Leads and booking volume ranked as the number one driver of optimism at 63%, followed by client budgets and traveler spend at 51% and overall financial health at 47%. Cruise lines were especially likely to point to changing client preferences and macroeconomic trends as additional factors boosting their outlook.

The booking numbers back this up. Nearly three in five partners (59%) reported an increase in bookings over the past six months, a gain of 10 points from July. Partners reporting a decline fell 13 points to just 12%. That is a dramatic improvement in a short window and suggests that the softness some suppliers felt in mid-2025 was more of a pause than a trend.

Among partners seeing growth, the fastest-growing client segments are luxury leisure couples (74%), family travelers (65%), and multi-generational groups (60%). Ultra-high-net-worth individuals came in at 42%. Cruise partners in particular are seeing strong increases from Baby Boomer and Silent Generation clients as well as solo travelers, which tracks with the broader industry trend of older travelers prioritizing experience over savings.

How Are Travel Advisors Feeling?

On the advisor side, the mood is similarly upbeat, though the numbers look a little different. Seventy-one percent of Virtuoso members describe their outlook as optimistic, up slightly from 69% in July. Only 2% are pessimistic. The top driver of that confidence is client budgets and traveler spend at 73%, with financial health at 52% and the booking pipeline at 50% rounding out the top three.

Fifty-one percent of members reported an increase in bookings, marking the ninth consecutive survey in which a majority of advisors saw growth. That said, it is the lowest reading in the three-year window of this survey, and the share of members reporting unchanged bookings rose to 35%. Virtuoso frames this as the market settling into a new normal rather than a sign of trouble, and I think that is probably the right read.

The 2026 trends report piece also highlights some specific segments with a growing number of travelers year-over-year. The trip types seeing the most growth from the advisor side are multi-generational and family travel (68%), celebratory and milestone trips (61%), and premium ocean cruising (59%). On the behavioral side, advisors report that clients are increasingly prioritizing bucket-list travel (63%), avoiding over-touristed destinations (48%), and booking further in advance to lock in preferred properties and dates (46%).

There was no mention of reading retreats for trends in travel in 2026 despite my own findings. Travellers seek experiences over trying to save money and it’s possible that social media is a distinct driver in this, especially in the United States. One more piece that both agency owners and industry partners highlighted is closer-in bookings with a change in how travelers plan their trips and book far closer to departure than in years past.

AI Adoption Is Real On Both Sides

One of the more interesting sections of the survey covers AI adoption. Two-thirds of Virtuoso advisors (66%) are now using AI tools in their business, with travel research and fact checking (77%) and drafting communications (70%) as the top use cases. Among those using AI, 60% say it has improved their responsiveness and 52% say it allows more time for relationship building. This is particularly interesting because many consider travel agencies at risk of AI replacement amongst other office jobs.

5 minutes ago, @karpathy just dropped karpathy/jobs!

he scraped every job in the US economy (342 occupations from BLS), scored each one’s AI exposure 0-10 using an LLM, and visualized it as a treemap.

if your whole job happens on a screen you’re cooked.

average score across… pic.twitter.com/2MOUhA98yW

— Kaito | 海斗 (@_kaitodev) March 14, 2026

Partners are not far behind at 61% adoption, though their top use case is different: creating marketing content (50%) leads the way, followed by drafting communications (44%) and data analysis (43%). Among partners using AI, 61% say it frees up more time for relationship building and high-value interactions, the highest rated benefit on either side of the network.

For those not yet on board, 63% of non-adopting advisors and 54% of non-adopting partners say they have no plans to implement AI or are unsure about it. That is a sizable holdout group, but with nearly a quarter of non-users on each side planning to adopt within the next year, the gap should continue to narrow.

Conclusion

The overall takeaway from Virtuoso’s January 2026 pulse survey is that the luxury travel industry is in a strong position heading into the year. Partners are more optimistic than they have been in months, booking pipelines are healthy, and pessimism has essentially disappeared from the supplier side. Advisors are similarly confident, driven by robust client spending and a growing appetite for meaningful, bucket-list travel experiences. The fact that fulfillment is also near record highs on both sides, 83% for advisors and 86% for partners, suggests this is not just a good business cycle but a genuinely satisfying time to be in the travel industry.

What do you think about Virtuoso’s findings? 

A Wall Street Journal investigation published this week set the internet ablaze with a headline that practically writes itself: Americans are leaving the country in record numbers. The piece found that at least 180,000 Americans relocated abroad in 2025, with record passport applications in the UK and Ireland, surging American communities in Portugal and Mexico, and a 48% jump in citizenship renunciation requests. The narrative quickly took on a life of its own, spawning breathless coverage across dozens of outlets and earning the phenomenon a catchy nickname: the “Donald Dash.”

It makes for a compelling story. It also deserves a closer look, because the data underneath the headline tells a much more complex and, frankly, less dramatic story than the one making the rounds.

Yes, Net Migration Likely Went Negative

Let’s start with what appears to be true. The Brookings Institution estimates that US net migration in 2025 fell somewhere between -10,000 and -295,000, with a central estimate around -150,000. If accurate, that would be the first time net migration has gone negative since 1935. The Census Bureau separately reported that net international migration dropped from 2.7 million to 1.3 million in the period from July 2024 through June 2025, a period that straddles two very different policy environments.

These actual reported figures from credible institutions paint a picture of a country that, for the first time in decades, saw more people leave than arrive. This isn’t partisan, it’s statistics.

But Who Is Actually Leaving?

Here is where the “Americans are fleeing” narrative starts to wobble. The overwhelming driver of negative net migration is not American citizens packing up for Lisbon. It is a dramatic reduction in immigration inflows combined with an increase in deportations from the last four years (though not 2008-2016) and historically high voluntary departures by non-citizens.

Total immigration into the US fell to roughly 2.6 to 2.7 million in 2025, down from a peak of nearly 6 million in 2023, according to Brookings. On the outflow side, the Department of Homeland Security reported 675,000 deportations and an estimated 2.2 million voluntary departures by undocumented immigrants since January 2025. Applying the more conservative Brookings estimates of roughly 310,000 deportations and 210,000 to 405,000 enforcement-driven voluntary departures, the math is clear: the migration equation is being driven almost entirely by immigration policy changes, not by a sudden exodus of American citizens.

Meanwhile, illegal border crossings have fallen off a cliff. Customs and Border Protection reported that FY2025 southwest border apprehensions hit 237,538, the lowest level since 1970. By December 2025, monthly apprehensions had dropped to 6,478, a 96% decline from the prior administration’s monthly average. Whatever your politics, the enforcement numbers are staggering.

The 180,000 Number Needs Context

Now, back to the Americans. The Wall Street Journal’s figure of 180,000 Americans who moved abroad in 2025 comes from a partial analysis of just 15 countries. That sounds significant until you remember that the US has a population of roughly 340 million people. For context, that’s 0.05% of the population. For additional context, the State Department estimated that somewhere between 4 and 9 million Americans were already living abroad before any of this started. The idea that this represents some unprecedented wave of citizen flight does not hold up against the scale of the country.

The headline was “Americans Are Leaving The US In Record Numbers” and that may be factually correct but that’s because Americans rarely move abroad. Some of the raw numbers highlight just how limited the “Donald Dash” is:

“Last year, more Americans moved to Germany than Germans moved to America. The same was true in Ireland, which welcomed 10,000 people from the U.S. in 2025, about double those who came in 2024.”

I’m sorry, 10,000? Let’s move on.

“Americans are applying for British citizenship at the highest rate since records began in 2004”

Wow! My wife and I emigrated to the UK for work twice for about three total years, we loved our time and return to Manchester every year (if we can.) Record numbers, what’s that look like?

“some 6,600 in the year to March 2025.”

What about Portugal? That’s been really popular in the last few years, especially during COVID where Americans dashed to the beautiful Iberian coastal country. American expat populations in Portugal grew 36% in 2024 alone. In 2025, it actually slowed to a 25% increase… of about 5,000 Americans.

Are some Americans genuinely relocating for cost of living, remote work flexibility, or political frustration? Absolutely, and their reasons are valid. The growth of remote work has made it easier than ever to earn a US salary while living in a country where rent is a fraction of what it costs in Austin or Brooklyn. Record numbers of students are enrolling at European universities where tuition is more affordable. Retirees are finding that their Social Security checks stretch further in Mexico or Thailand. These are rational economic decisions, and the people making them are not wrong. Chiang Mai has been overrun with global remote workers due to its low cost of living, great connectivity, and beautiful locale.

But calling it a mass exodus or drawing a straight line to any single political cause flattens a story that is mostly about global mobility becoming easier for a relatively small number of people who were already inclined to live abroad. It also ignores the prior Administration which only matters if the reason is cited as the “Donald Dash.” For example, in 2019, about 5,000 Americans lived in Portugal, but the same remained during 2020. It jumped 400% during the Biden years, before falling some when Trump returned to office.

Ireland was the clearest support for the Journal’s case which rose consistently (with the exception of 2018) by about 60% from 2015 to 2019, but in 2025 (the year Trump returned to the White House) it shot up double from about 5,000 to 10,000 Americans moving to Ireland.

The Renunciation Spike Is Real But Tiny

One of the more alarming data points in the coverage is the rise in citizenship renunciation requests, which jumped 48% in 2024 and likely continued climbing in 2025. The government reportedly has a months-long backlog. That does sound dramatic until you look at the actual numbers. In a typical recent year, roughly 5,000 to 6,000 Americans renounce citizenship. Even a 48% increase puts you somewhere in the neighborhood of 8,000 to 9,000 people in a country of 340 million. Many of those renunciations are driven by tax compliance burdens for dual citizens living abroad, not by people dramatically tearing up their passports at the border.

What The Data Actually Shows

If you zoom out and look at the full picture, the story of negative net migration in 2025 is overwhelmingly a story about immigration enforcement. Border crossings dropped 95% or more from the prior administration’s averages. Humanitarian admissions fell from over 1.4 million in 2024 to roughly 67,000 to 70,000. Hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants were deported or left voluntarily.

International student enrollment fell 17% which likely supports the article’s sentiment but does not factor in reasoning which may have also been cost of living which, while rising for Americans, is at a staggering level comparatively globally even to wealthy western Europe. The cost of living for a single person in the United States is 47% higher than in Germany, and while higher earnings in the United States still puts the US as the better place to live and work – students may not have the ability to work while they are in the US, absorbing higher costs without earnings to offset those costs.

A relatively small number of American citizens (roughly 180,000 confirmed across 15 countries, with the true number likely somewhat higher) chose to move abroad for a mix of economic, lifestyle, and yes, political reasons. Those two trends combined to produce what Brookings calls negative net migration. But conflating the two into a single narrative of “Americans are fleeing” misrepresents what is actually happening by a wide margin.

Nobody should dismiss the real concerns of people who feel compelled to leave. Cost of living is brutal in many US cities. Healthcare costs remain a genuine burden. The political environment is polarized in ways that affect daily life. These are legitimate pressures. But the data simply does not support the conclusion that Americans are abandoning the country en masse. The vast majority of the migration shift is happening on the immigration side of the ledger, driven by policy choices that have nothing to do with whether your neighbor is shopping for apartments in Dublin. In my own case, I left in 2008 for England and came back from Thailand in 2012 – none of which were down to factors of an election, (President Obama’s first term), or economic pressure, or persecution. I had a job opportunity and wanted to take it. If I had the opportunity at the time to apply for residency or a British passport, I would have but I wasn’t fleeing America. How many of the 6,600 Americans that moved to the UK included in the 2025 numbers were like me?

The numbers tell an important story, and there is absolutely fire from the smoke signals we see in the data. But there are so many qualifiers needed, and such a lack of commentary from those who emigrated that it questions the integrity of a storied paper.

What do you think?

Airline pilots live in a world defined by seniority. It determines everything: the aircraft you fly, the routes you get, your schedule, and even which holidays you miss with your family. After more than four decades in the cockpit, a new United Airlines pilot has climbed all the way to the very top of that ladder, and for the first time, this pilot is a woman.

United Airlines Pilot Chresten Wilson Reaches A Historic Milestone

This month, United Airlines captain Chresten Wilson is celebrating a milestone few pilots ever achieve: she is set to become the most senior pilot at the airline. That distinction carries particular significance because in United’s roughly 100-year history, no woman has ever held the top spot in the airline’s seniority list. Wilson will be the first.

Wilson’s journey to the top didn’t happen overnight. She has spent 42 years at United Airlines and has served as a captain for more than three decades, building a career that spans enormous technological changes in aviation.

Today she flies the Boeing 787 out of San Francisco, operating longhaul international routes across the Pacific.

Over the course of her career, Wilson has flown a wide range of aircraft for United, reflecting both the airline’s evolving fleet and her steady climb up the seniority ladder. She began on smaller narrowbody aircraft earlier in her career before eventually transitioning to larger widebody jets. Along the way she flew aircraft such as the McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (as a flight engineer), Boeing 737, Boeing 747, Boeing 757, Boeing 767, and Airbus A320 before ultimately landing in the captain’s seat of the Dreamliner.

For anyone outside the airline industry, seniority may seem like an abstract concept. But for pilots, it’s everything.

“It determines your schedule, what cities you get to fly to, what days off you have,” Wilson explained in a recent interview.

It also determines which aircraft you fly and whether you sit in the captain’s seat or the right seat as first officer.

A Childhood Dream That Never Went Away

Wilson’s fascination with aviation began early. When she was nine years old, her father took her on a flight while photographing from the air.

She later recalled that moment with simple clarity: this is what she wanted to do when she grew up.

At the time, the idea of becoming an airline pilot as a woman was far from common. But Wilson says no one ever told her it wasn’t possible and she simply kept pursuing the goal. Eventually she earned her certifications, worked as a flight instructor, and at age 22 was hired by United Airlines.

“I didn’t think there was a snowball’s chance in hell that I would get hired,” she said of the time.

But she did. And she never left!

Even as seniority brings more control over a schedule, airline life still comes with tradeoffs.

Wilson acknowledges that pilots often miss holidays, birthdays, and family events, especially early in their careers when they have little control over their schedules.

But the rewards of the profession remain immense: flying around the world, mastering complex aircraft, and working alongside other great colleagues (not to mention a very attractive salary…). For Wilson, the message to young people, especially young women, interested in aviation is simple: stick with it.

“If it’s something you really want to do… just be relentless,” she said. That is so true in anything in life you wish to master!

CONCLUSION

Commercial aviation has changed dramatically over the past half-century. Aircraft are more sophisticated, routes are longer, and the global aviation network is more complex than ever.

But one thing hasn’t changed: airline pilots still spend their careers climbing the seniority ladder one year at a time. After 42 years at United Airlines, Chresten Wilson has climbed higher than any woman in the airline’s history.

Congratulations to Captain Wilson! I don’t recall every flying with her, but I certainly hope to one day.

A string of recent airline incidents raises an uncomfortable question: why do so many travelers now feel comfortable behaving outrageously in airports and on airplanes? The latest example involves a JetBlue passenger who bit a flight attendant and still avoided jail time.

Air Rage Keeps Getting Worse Because We Rarely Punish It

Two recent cases illustrate a troubling trend in modern air travel: outrageous behavior paired with surprisingly light consequences.

Earlier this year, a passenger aboard an American Airlines regional flight grabbed a flight attendant, threw him to the ground, and attempted to drag him down the aisle during a midair outburst. The attack forced the aircraft to return to the airport and could easily have escalated into a far more dangerous situation.

Yet despite the seriousness of the assault, the passenger ultimately avoided jail time. Instead, a federal judge sentenced him to probation and imposed a fine of just $500. Federal law allows penalties of up to 20 years in prison for interfering with a flight crew member, but in this case the punishment was dramatically lighter.

> Read More: A Violent Midair Assault On American Airlines And A $500 Fine: Is This Really Justice?

Meanwhile, in a separate incident, a heavily intoxicated passenger bit a flight attendant multiple times and assaulted other passengers on a JetBlue flight from New York to Detroit. Despite the violent nature of the attack, that passenger also avoided jail after pleading guilty to interfering with flight crew, instead receiving probation and community service.

Think about that for a moment: biting or violently assaulting a flight attendant, one of the most serious forms of interference with crew, can technically carry a federal prison sentence of up to 20 years. Yet in both of these cases, the perpetrators walked away without serving time.

When Consequences Disappear, Bad Behavior Multiplies

Air travel has always produced the occasional meltdown. But in recent years, the frequency and severity of these incidents has exploded, even if it has retreated somewhat from its pandemic peak.

Passengers scream at gate agents. They punch fellow travelers. They spit, bite, and threaten flight attendants. Some even attempt to open aircraft doors mid-flight.

Airports and airplanes are among the most closely-monitored environments in society. Cameras are everywhere. Law enforcement is often steps away. And yet people still behave like this.

Why?

May I suggest that the consequences are often minimal?

If the worst outcome for attacking airline staff or fellow passengers is a brief arrest, probation, a small fine, or a bit of community service, many people simply don’t take the rules seriously.

Interfering with flight attendants is a direct safety threat. When those offenses result in minimal penalties, it sends a message: the system isn’t serious about protecting airline crews or passengers.

A More Serious Approach

If society wants to reduce air rage incidents, the solution is straightforward: better accountability.

That could include:

• Mandatory jail time for assaulting airline employees
• Lifetime airline bans for violent passengers
• Mandatory public-service labor penalties tied to transportation infrastructure or airport operations
• Strict alcohol-related restrictions for offenders

Air travel relies on a simple social contract: thousands of strangers cooperate in a confined space at 35,000 feet. When that contract breaks down and when the people who break it face little real punishment it shouldn’t surprise anyone that the behavior keeps getting worse.

I’ll not distract from this issue by advocating for Singapore-style caning, but the current system strikes me as disgustingly tolerant of bad behavior.

CONCLUSION

Recent cases of passengers violently attacking airline crew and avoiding jail time are not isolated events. They’re symptoms of a broader cultural shift in how people behave in public spaces.

Until the consequences become serious enough to deter that behavior, don’t expect the chaos to stop…

image: JetBlue

Southwest Airlines’ decision to pull out of Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles may seem minor in the airline’s broader network reshuffling, but it could turn out to be a significant gift for United Airlines, which operates major hubs at both airports.

Southwest Pulling Out Of Chicago O’Hare And Washington Dulles Is A Gift For United Airlines

Southwest Airlines will end service from both Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Washington Dulles (IAD), removing dozens of daily flights from two airports where United Airlines operates major hubs. While Southwest’s presence at each airport was relatively small, the timing of its exit could provide an unexpected boost for United, especially in Chicago.

Southwest Ends Chicago O’Hare Experiment

Southwest Airlines will soon end its short-lived experiment at Chicago O’Hare International Airport, leaving the airport once again dominated by its two traditional hub carriers: United Airlines and American Airlines.

Southwest first began flying from O’Hare in 2021, operating up to roughly 20 daily departures to destinations including Dallas, Denver, Nashville, Phoenix, Orlando, and Tampa. But those flights represented only a small fraction of Southwest’s Chicago operation, which remains overwhelmingly centered at Chicago Midway Airport (MDW).

Now those flights are going away entirely.

On its face, that may not seem like a huge development. Southwest never had a major presence at O’Hare. But in the current environment, where the FAA is actively trying to reduce congestion at the airport, those departing flights suddenly become extremely valuable.

Slots At O’Hare Are Becoming Increasingly Valuable

The Federal Aviation Administration has warned that airlines have overscheduled O’Hare for the upcoming summer season, with more than 3,000 daily operations planned despite the airport’s manageable capacity being closer to about 2,800 flights per day.

Both United and American have been aggressively expanding schedules in Chicago as they compete for dominance at one of the most important hubs in the country. United alone has been planning around 780 daily flights from O’Hare this summer.

In that context, Southwest’s exit effectively frees up precious runway and gate capacity.

And if any airline is positioned to take advantage of that, it is United.

A Convenient Opportunity For United, Logical Move For Southwest

United has already announced its largest-ever schedule from Chicago O’Hare, with plans to expand both domestic and international flying. But the FAA’s warnings about congestion could (and frankly, should) complicate those plans.

Southwest’s withdrawal from the airport may provide a way for United to maintain some of its schedule. Even if the exact gates or slots do not transfer directly to United, the overall reduction in traffic helps ease the operational pressure the FAA is concerned about.

Southwest’s O’Hare operation always felt somewhat experimental. The airline already dominates Chicago Midway Airport with hundreds of daily flights and dozens of destinations. O’Hare, by contrast, was a small outpost in a fiercely competitive hub environment dominated by United and American. Much like United’s brief foray into Midway years ago, it just didn’t make sense.

Operating a handful of flights from Terminal 5 was never going to fundamentally reshape Southwest’s position in Chicago. Returning to a Midway-only strategy in Chicago simply makes more sense for Southwest operationally.

Southwest Is Also Leaving Washington Dulles

Chicago is not the only airport where Southwest’s retreat benefits United.

Southwest has also announced it will end service at Washington Dulles International Airport, another airport where United Airlines operates a massive hub. Like O’Hare, Southwest’s presence at Dulles was relatively small, with only a limited number of daily flights compared to the hundreds operated by United.

United has been aggressively expanding at Dulles in recent years, positioning the airport as its primary East Coast connecting hub with growing domestic and international service. Southwest’s exit removes a competitor from an airport United already dominates at.

For Southwest, focusing on nearby Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) makes far more strategic sense. BWI has long served as one of Southwest’s largest East Coast bases and offers a smarter way to consolidate operations

For United, however, Southwest’s departure from both O’Hare and Dulles represents a quiet but meaningful competitive win. and comes after Southwest Airlines also pulled out of United’s massive Houston Bush Intercontinental (IAH) hub in favor of Houston Hobby (HOU).

CONCLUSION

Southwest Airlines’ decision to leave Chicago O’Hare and Washington Dulles may not dramatically reshape the competitive landscape overnight. But in a capacity-constrained airport where every flight slot matters, the move creates an unexpected opportunity.

With the FAA already warning airlines about overscheduling and congestion at O’Hare, fewer Southwest flights could make it easier for United Airlines to preserve its aggressive summer expansion plans.

Consumers will not benefit from this move, but it makes sense for Southwest Airlines. Customers impacted by these flight cancellations will be offered refunds or rebooking from cross-town airports.

image: Southwest Airlines

The Aer Lingus Lounge in London Heathrow was a great place to start my journey home on Aer Lingus, with a nice breakfast spread, barista-made coffee, and plenty of seating.

Aer Lingus Lounge London Review (LHR)

I began my trip to Los Angeles via Dublin in London, with an Aer Lingus flight across the Irish Sea to Dublin. Since I was seated in AerSpace (eventually), I enjoyed access to the Aer Lingus lounge in T2. I’ve been in the five other lounges in T2, but this was the first time I had been in the Aer Lingus lounge.

Hours + Access + Location

This lounge is located in LHR Terminal 2, Zone A (just past the security checkpoint) and is open daily from 5:15 am to 10:00 pm.

Lounge access is available to the following passengers on Aer Lingus-operated flights only:

• Business class passengers
• AerSpace and Advatange passengers
• AerClub members (Silver, Platinum, Concierge)
• Bank of Ireland Mastercard Gold Business cardholders

Paid access is also available online here or at the door, though pricing varies based on your itinerary.

Children over the age of 2 but under the age of 18 are classed as travel companions (the same as adults), therefore counting as a guest.

Seating

As you enter, there is a seating area in the reception area and a wall of “heroes.”

Further in, there’s a mix of seating that includes padded chairs and long tables with chairs on each side.

The lounge has tarmac views, though they are obstructed by a grill (sound barrier?) of some kind:

I spent my time in a cubicle that had two mini-couches and a table.

UK-style power ports and USB-A ports are located throughout the lounge.

Food + Drink

I’m a sucker for an English/Irish breakfast and appreciated the breakfast spread, which included scrambled eggs, sausage, and bacon. Delicious! There was also cereal, yogurt, croissants, and fruit.

Best of all, there was a barista coffee station and my flat white was excellent:

There are automatic coffee machines in the buffet, which I would avoid:

Other beverages included a limited selection of alcohol (self-serve), juice, water, wine, beer (Guinness), and soft drinks. I loved that the lounge had Fever Tree club soda, my favorite brand of club soda.

Restrooms + Showers

The lounge has dedicated restroom as well as a shower suite with L’Occitane products. I had already taken a shower at home earlier in the morning, but this is something that the Lufthansa Lounge next door does not have.

Luggage Storage

Near the entrance (opposite the reception desk) is a walk-in closet intended for luggage storage, though there is plenty of room in the lounge to bring your bag with you.

CONCLUSION

I was not expecting much, but this lounge beat expectations and I thought the barista coffee was better than the coffee in the Air Canada Lounge. Access is limited to fly on Aer Lingus, but it’s a nice stop before your Aer Lingus flight.