Author: FlyMarshall Newsroom

Room service is a hotel amenity that some people value immensely, while other people couldn’t care less about it. So that raises an interesting question, based on something that was just brought to my attention — is room service (or in-room dining, if you prefer) a standard amenity that should be expected at any upscale or luxury hotel, or is that just not the case anymore? The Royal Hawaiian Waikiki has no room serviceThe 528-room Royal Hawaiian belongs to Marriott Luxury Collection, and is one of the popular properties in Waikiki. Admittedly we can debate the extent to which US-based…

On the occasion of the MCAS Yuma airshow 2026, we had the opportunity to interview the Chief Operational Test Director and Chief Test Pilot of Marine Operational Test & Evaluation Squadron (VMX) 1. After speaking last year with the Commanding Officer of VMX-1, Colonel John “Ike” Dirk, we realized that understanding the squadron’s mission goes beyond what’s written in its charter; it’s about seeing how those goals are actually put into practice.  VMX-1’s true impact is driven by its leadership and the dedicated test pilots and Marines who turn new technologies into proven mission success for the warfighter. The 2026 MCAS…

U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday posted on social media that the United States military has started to clear the Strait of Hormuz, and that all of Iran’s minelaying ships have been sunk.“We’re now starting the process of clearing out the Strait of Hormuz,” Trump wrote in a Truth Social post, adding that “all 28” of Iran’s “mine dropper boats are also lying at the bottom of the sea.” Minutes before Trump’s post, reports started to emerge about the presence of U.S. Navy ships in the strait.An Axios journalist, citing an unnamed U.S. official, posted that “several” U.S. ships had…

Starlux Airlines is Taiwan’s newest global airline. While it launched operations in early 2020, the airline has really ramped up its network in the past few years, including increasingly flying across the Pacific.In terms of service to the United States, the airline currently flies from Taipei (TPE) to Los Angeles (LAX), Ontario (ONT), Phoenix (PHX), San Francisco (SFO), and Seattle (SEA). The airline operates long haul service with its Airbus A350s, which feature a first class product.Nowadays there aren’t many new airlines introducing an international first class product, so it’s cool to see Starlux offering this. However, the airline is…

On the return portion of my exotic journey to Bangkok via Paris, I had an extended layover at the Lufthansa Lounge Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP). I was booked to fly to Zurich (ZRH) on SWISS, but my flight ended up being canceled, so my initially planned roughly three hour layover ended up being more like seven hours. For the most part, I find Lufthansa’s regional European lounges to be pretty bland and average, but I must say, I thought this lounge was a cut above. Maybe it’s just a function of this being Italy, but I loved the barista coffee, and I…

Many travel loyalty programs offer the ability to earn lifetime elite status. Ordinarily elite status has to be earned on an annual basis, so it sure is nice to be able to not worry about requalifying for status anymore. In this post, I’d like to take a look at how Delta SkyMiles lifetime status works. Delta completely overhauled its lifetime elite status program in 2024, so there have been significant changes over time. Separately, I’ve written about lifetime elite status with Alaska Atmos Rewards, American AAdvantage, and United MileagePlus. On the hotel front, I’ve also written about lifetime elite status with Hilton…

The imagery offers a closer look at the damage to the giant phased-array AN/FPS-132 radar struck during Iran’s attack on Qatar last month. Newly published photos by Al Jazeera circulated online offer the clearest view yet t0 the damage sustained by the U.S.-made AN/FPS-132 Block 5 (SSPARS) ballistic missile early-warning radar in Qatar which was hit by an Iranian retaliatory strike last month. The radar complex in Qatar, a high-value fixed-site phased-array system that forms part of the Gulf’s wider missile warning architecture, is located at Al Udeid Air Base, a key U.S. base in the region that has been…

Online shopping portals can be a great way to pick up miles & points for purchases you’d make anyway. Just for following a specific link, you can earn bonus points or cash back in addition to the rewards you’d earn for credit card spending.Sometimes companies really want you to buy products from them, to the point that it can make sense to purchase something through an online shopping portal even if you don’t actually have a use for it. Along those lines, there are a few such promotions available right now, which I think are worth taking advantage of. However, they’re…

American Express is cutting one of its longstanding but lesser known lounge arrangements, and it’s a change cardmembers likely won’t be happy about. Amex loses access to select Lufthansa lounges The Amex Platinum Card and Amex Centurion Card have what’s known as the Global Lounge Collection, whereby your card gets you access to a variety of airline lounges. Up until now, this program has included access to select Lufthansa lounges. Specifically, when flying any Lufthansa Group airline, you could access Lufthansa lounges under the following circumstances: Those with the Amex Platinum Card can access Lufthansa Business Lounges when flying economy…

It has obviously been an incredibly challenging several weeks for airlines in the Middle East, given the impacts of the Iran conflict. Not only have airlines largely had to suspend operations on safety grounds, but there’s also the bigger question of whether travelers will feel as comfortable on Gulf carriers going forward, even as things normalize again. Anyway, while carriers in the Gulf are hoping that things get better from here, that’s far from a sure bet. So Dubai is taking what can only be described as an extreme stance when it comes to the normalization of flights being resumed.…