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When a pilot comes over an aircraft loudspeaker, it’s usually to give important flight information to passengers or reassure them about an issue like turbulence.But, according to a new survey, some pilots’ voices are more trustworthy than others. Specifically, commercial airline passengers have the most confidence in pilots with Upper Midwestern accents — like Wisconsinites or Minnesotans — at the helm of an aircraft. Their counterparts from Texas, however, do not fair so well....

Virgin America celebrated its three year birthday this week and it has garnered a huge, loyal fan-base in that short amount of time. It’s even been featured in a reality show, Fly Girls, that followed the lives of it’s perky flight attendants.What Virgin America is really known for, is its low-fare structure, technology, in-flight amenities- including mood lighting, in-flight entertainment and WiFi. Not only do they sell snacks on-board, but you can purchase them through the in-flight entertainment system (RED)....

Since it joined Oneworld back in 2014, SriLankan Airlines has rapidly been improving its fleet, expanding its route network and generally making a big impression on the Asian aviation scene. TPG Special Contributor Eric Rosen recently had an opportunity to fly the airline’s newest business-class product aboard an A330-300 from Beijing to Colombo. Here is his review of the experience.After flying Hainan Airlines’ new Dreamliner in business class from Los Angeles to Changsha and continuing to Beijing from there, the next question became, where else should I go in Asia?...

We recently flew United Express from Houston to Wichita, Kansas, a route that we have previously flown many, many times before due to having family in Kansas. Not surprisingly, our flights on this route have always been on a regional jet. I didn’t think much of our recent reservation in terms of aircraft type or seat assignments until the day before departure when I got an email that we our elite upgrades had cleared....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Right now, the trendy thing for hotel chains to do is change their cancellation policies, making them less generous for travelers. In the past couple of months, Hilton, Marriott and Starwood have changed their cancellation policies from 24 hours before the stay to 48 hours prior....

Sign up for our daily newsletterEmail addressSign upI would like to subscribe to The Points Guy newsletters and special email promotions. The Points Guy will not share or sell your email. See privacy policy.Nothing can mess up a traveler’s day like weather-related air traffic control (ATC) issues. One moment, everything looks clear, but the next thing you know, you’re delayed three hours. I happened to be at Denver International Airport (DEN) one morning this week as a freakish storm blew over the airport....

I think a lot of US Airways Dividend Miles members are wondering when their miles will be converted over to American AAdvantage miles. Currently US Airways is offering a Share Miles promotion which is going on now through March 25, 2015, which means its safe to assume you will be able to redeem your US Airways until then, since I can’t imagine that US Airways would be encouraging people to share miles into a program that doesn’t still exist....

I recently joined Airbus for the delivery of Asiana Airlines’ A350, where the carrier became the latest to add this particular aircraft to its fleet. As of early-May, its new Airbus A350-900 XWB will initially be operated within Asia on routes, starting with Seoul Incheon (ICN) to Hong Kong (HKG), closely followed by flights to Manila (MNL) and Beijing (PEK).From August 14 on, Asiana will fly the A350-900 XWB once daily to San Fransisco (SFO)....

How many times have you stared out your window on a flight, hoping to catch a glimpse of the scenery below, only to realize you’re sitting on the wrong side of the plane? Whether it’s a Hawaiian beach upon approach or a view of the northern lights you’re missing, it can be a real bummer. Now, one airline will help you book the best sightseeing seat on the plane with a new service: Japan Airlines’ microsite, Which Side is Mt....

If you’re a frequent flyer and a self-professed sommelier, you may have questioned the taste of the house red the last time you flew across the Atlantic Ocean. Before you start questioning your own palate, though, rest assured that you’re not totally crazy when it comes to how flyers taste and perceive wine in the air vs. on the ground. When it comes to flying, the human body goes through a lot to account for the changes we experience in the air — high altitude, low humidity and reduced air pressure are just some of the things to consider....

Among his other, more obvious, faults, Mandalay Bay shooter Stephen Paddock was apparently more familiar with Hollywood cliches than basic science.When it was reported that Paddock, who killed 58 people in what is being described as the worst mass shooting in US history, had also taken aim at jet-fuel tanks about a block past the Route 91 Harvest festival, aviation and forensic explosives experts immediately reacted with incredulity.“He was pretty much doomed to fail,” said John Goodpaster, professor of chemistry and director of the forensic-sciences program at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis....

On his way back from a weekend trip to upstate New York, TPG managing editor Alberto Riva noticed his airplane window looked to be a bit, err — broken.Jokingly — but we imagine also somewhat nervously — he dropped a note in our team’s Slack channel that it might be getting chilly onboard after takeoff as the cold high-altitude outside air would seep in.Although any worries would be understandable after some recent high-profile incidents with airplane windows, they would also be unwarranted....

Update 7/21/17: This issue has been resolved — you should once again be able to ticket Emirates award flights via Alaska:Airline partnerships can be quite lucrative for both earning and redeeming miles, but that’s only when they work properly. Earlier this year, I wrote about Aeroplan’s inability to ticket certain partner awards, though the majority of these problems have since been resolved. Unfortunately, another popular program has started running into issues booking award tickets on a key partner airline over the last several weeks: Alaska Airlines is currently having issues booking most awards on Emirates, especially for those in premium classes....

Sir Tim Clark loves the Airbus A380, operates more of them than anybody else, wishes more airlines would try it and has dozens on order. He would also like to buy even more, possibly a lot more, of the biggest passenger jet in the world. But the order for more A380s from the boss of Emirates that many had been expecting at the Dubai Air Show hasn’t materialized yet. We’re now on day three of the trade show, with no sign it will come before the week is out....

Each year, millions of Americans pack their bags, some heading off in search of adventure and discovery, others to find some much-needed peace and relaxation. For those looking to avoid the crowds and get back to basics, perhaps a less traditional lodging option is a better idea, especially one that playfully reinterprets the treehouse of your childhood, resulting in a whimsical — and slightly nostalgic — take on luxury accommodations. With eco-friendly construction and unique design elements, hotel owners have branched out and created fully functional, and sometimes quite posh, escapes in the sky....

You can now look up to the skies for the ocean predators that get their own week-long TV holiday every year: sharks. For the past five years, Southwest has partnered with Discovery Channel to bring a Shark Week plane in the air, but this year, five lucky 737s will be getting new temporary shark liveries.Now through August 31, you can track the planes overhead or on FlightAware.com, where they’re depicted as sharks....

Whether snapping a photograph of a local dish from the streets of Thailand or a five-star meal from a swanky hotel in London, these influential globetrotters and food-lovers at heart share our insatiable thirst for travel and #foodporn. Somehow, they manage to make us drool and trigger wanderlust with every Instagram post. Here are seven of our favorite traveling foodies to follow.1. @migrationologyWho: Mark WiensWhy You Should Follow Him: Weins’ upbringing undoubtedly had a major influence on his love and passion for travel and food....

These days, airlines seem to always be finding new and creative methods to nickel-and-dime passengers. However, it turns out that one of the many significant ways that air travelers lose money is actually completely preventable – they just don’t know about it.Case and point: a new survey by passenger rights group AirHelp that found 87% of travelers don’t claim airline compensation for lost luggage, and 90% of passengers don’t know the full extent of their airline rights....

A woman with multiple sclerosis claims cabin crew on a Delta flight forcibly tied her to her wheelchair because they didn’t have the proper safety equipment for her.The woman, Maria Saliagas, usually travels to Europe with her husband in a wheelchair with straps that help her sit up straight because she can’t do so on her own. Delta normally provides the correct wheelchair for her. On her April 1 flight from Atlanta (ATL) to Amsterdam (AMS), that was not the case....

Saturday evening, I flew American Airlines Flagship First class from New York JFK to Los Angeles. It was my first time flying first class on American Airlines’ three-cabin Airbus A321 used for premium transcon services, and I managed to score a fantastic points redemption by booking through Etihad. Understandably, I was very excited for my flight. What I wasn’t expecting, however, was to almost get kicked off of it — for taking pictures of the cabin....