Eight long years in the making, and I finally have them in my hand: the “Sacred Papers” a Spirit Airlines boarding pass. Today, I’m wrapping up my USA aviation tour by flying one of the most controversial airlines in the world. Spirit has declared bankruptcy twice within the last year and retired over 100 planes, but does that mean the experience has hit rock bottom?
It’s the airline that everyone loves to hate. Frontier Airlines frequently tops the charts for customer dissatisfaction, so as part of my 2-week USA Aviation Tour, I had to see for myself. Is it a budget-travel nightmare, or is it just misunderstood? I booked a trip from Los Angeles to Chicago with a 15-hour “gamble” stop in Las Vegas.
I’m officially back in the United States! After years of visa struggles, I’ve finally kicked off my 2-week USA Aviation Tour. The goal? To hold America’s biggest budget carriers accountable. We’re starting with the most popular of them all: Southwest Airlines, the “Ryanair of America.” But this wasn’t just any flight. I caught Southwest in the final days of a 50-year tradition that is about to disappear forever.
I’ve flown on some of the world’s most crowded planes—from Indigo’s 531-seater Boeing 777 to the “Beast of Bangladesh.” But today, it was time to test a new contender: French Bee. This French budget airline made the bold decision to squeeze 480 seats onto an Airbus A350. To put that in perspective, they’ve ditched the standard 9-abreast economy layout for a 10-abreast (3-4-3) configuration.
I recently found myself in Auckland with a ticket to one of the most remote “domestic” hubs in the world: French Polynesia. Flying with Air Tahiti Nui is often called the “Paradise Express,” and after a 5-hour hop across the Pacific, it’s easy to see why.
It is one of the most controversial products in the sky. Some people love it; others think it’s a total waste of money or a complete rip-off. Today, we are tackling the big question: Is Premium Economy really worth your hard-earned cash?
To find out, I took a trip with Air New Zealand from the tropical paradise of Fiji to Auckland to see how the product holds up in 2025.
Suriname is a hidden gem nestled in the rainforests of South America, but its national carrier, Surinam Airways, is a story of its own. Thanks to my Patreon supporter, Max, I headed to Paramaribo to review one of the continent’s most unique aviation experiences.
For two years, I’ve held the title of “Proudly Banned from Qatar Airways.” It’s a badge of honor that came after I refused to delete a critical review—and an airline’s attempt to censor me went spectacularly wrong.
It’s a sad day, but also a moment of immense gratitude and reflection. Recently, I was given the extraordinary honor of documenting America’s last active Douglas DC-8 mission before this groundbreaking aircraft finally retires.
Flying to a country with a Level Four Do Not Travel warning isn’t something most travelers would attempt. But curiosity won. After all, Yemenia Airways recently lost half of its fleet in an air strike and still manages to keep the country connected. I wanted to see what it’s really like to fly Yemen’s national airline and explore a place most of the world only knows from headlines.
