7 Exciting Airline Upgrades Just In Time For Summer Travel
Summer air travel is in full swing. While air traffic and weather delays can sometimes negatively affect the journey, airlines have been working hard to still keep a little fun and excitement for your next trip (at least for those that can afford things like lounge access and premium cabins). Here's what you can look forward to the next time you head to the airport.
The Pan Am crew and trip executives stand in front of JFK's Terminal 7. B.HOLDER PHOTO, INC.
The Pan Am private air program, operated by Beyond Capricorn, a joint venture with Bartelings, which specializes in chartering private aircraft for luxury trips like this one, and Criterion Travel, a specialist in tours and cruises, has completed its first two week voyage.
The $60,000-per-person trip fare includes flights in flat-bed seats with the full Pan Am experience (well, Pan Am didn't have flat seats as they weren't invented at the time for flying), luxury hotels and activities at each stop during the 12-night journey. Period-dressed crew serve meals on flights between each destination and deliver the quintessential service style of the now defunct airline.
The Boeing 757 has 50 lie-flat business class seats. B.HOLDER PHOTO, INC.
Other trips are planned like the 21-day ' Tracing the Transpacific' itinerary ($94,495 per person) departing April 11, 2026, from San Francisco with stops in Tokyo, Siem Reap, Cambodia; Singapore, Darwin, Sydney, Auckland and Nadi, Fiji.
This 'Tracing the Transatlantic' used a chartered and Pan Am-logoed 757 named Yankee Clipper II, making stops in Bermuda, Lisbon, Marseille, London and western Ireland, where travelers visited the Flying Boat Museum in Foynes to see the only B-314 flying boat replica in the world. Greece's first helicopter airline adds 4 destinations
Hoper helicopters fly to 15 destinations across Greece. hoper
The first helicopter airline in Greece, hoper, has added four new destinations to its route map: Ios, Syros, Anafi, and Porto Heli. There are now 15 cities on its route map, and since inception, the airline has more than doubled its presence in the Greek islands. Travelers enjoy the luxury of faster travel from an international airport, or wherever they are in Greece, without having to worry about connecting flights or catching a ferry. The best part is that tickets are sometimes under $100 to popular islands like Mykonos among others. Flying Blue Program Turns 20
KLM planes at Schiphol Airport getty
The loyalty program of Air France-KLM and several other airlines has reached its 20th milestone and is celebrating with numerous offers. If your birthday is June 6, 2005 (the program's launch date) and you're a member based in the U.S., the airline automatically awarded Platinum status to your account.
This fall, the airline will have a sweepstakes where members can share their travel memories on social media for the chance to win 200,000 miles to redeem to the airline long list of destinations, including several new U.S. cities. There is also a current transfer bonus for credit cardholders with Citi ThankYou Rewards. They can transfer points to Flying Blue and receive a 20% bonus through July 19. American Introduces Business Class Suites With Doors
These new Flagship Suites have doors that slide closed for privacy. American Airlines
Earlier this month, American launched its new Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, which were delivered with a 50-passenger business class cabin where every seat has a sliding door for privacy. It also includes several Flagship Preferred seats (at the front of each of the two business class cabins) with more seat space and boosted amenities like pajamas and even better bedding. The planes will operate on routes from Chicago and Philadelphia to London before expanding to other destinations like Zurich and Brisbane. It also will fly select domestic flights between Chicago and Los Angeles.
Other recent lounge upgrades from the airline have been part of its premium push to upgrade its offering, including a new Flagship Lounge in Philadelphia and plans to build a new Flagship Lounge that adds more capacity at its Miami hub. Delta Renovates Flight Museum and Opens New Seattle Lounges
Delta added new exhibits and technology to its flight museum on the campus of its headquarters next to Atlanta airport. Delta
On the heels of unveiling a full renovation and reboot to its Delta Flight Museum in Atlanta, the airline is also working to upgrade and grow the rest of its lounge network. The hangar-based museum reopened in April with new exhibits and a new digital database of all kinds of archives, memorabilia and information about the airline's 100-year history.
The al fresco SkyDeck at the Delta One lounge in Seattle Delta
It also opened a new Delta One lounge in Seattle for long-haul, premium-cabin passengers. This is the next in the series of Delta One lounges, which are now in hub airports like Boston, New York JFK and Los Angeles. The Seattle lounge will be in Concourse A and part of a new combined Sky Club and Delta One lounge with the lower level taking up 14,000 sq ft for the Sky Club and the upstairs spanning 11,000 sq ft for its premium lounge. The Delta One lounge has views of Mt. Rainier.
Along with the lounge opening, Delta is beefing up its long-haul flying, as it competes with Alaska Airlines' new international growth, with nonstop service to Rome and Barcelona starting next year. United Expands Newark Polaris Lounge
The dining room has views of the New York skyline. United
The dedicated premium lounge for business class passengers and top-tier elite status flyers on international flights departing Newark recently received a recent upgrade. It now has a larger a la carte dining room for passengers who would rather dine on the ground and rest inflight. The real estate comes from the airport's invitation-only restaurant, Classified, which has since closed. Other changes include the ability to order a vegetarian version of the airline's "Polaris burger" from the dining room menu. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes Air New Zealand Launches New Business Class In April And Economy Bunk Beds In 2026 By Ramsey Qubein Forbes Preparing For Merger, Korean Air Revamps Livery, Inflight Meals And Lounges By Ramsey Qubein Forbes Legislation That Could Cut Your Credit Card Miles And Points Inches Closer By Ramsey Qubein
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