Cheers, Christopher

The Thrifty Traveler Podcast, Ep. 9: Punk, Politics & Travel w/ (Failed Uber Driver) Kyle Potter You've read and heard plenty from Thrifty Traveler's Kyle Potter, but do you really know him? Gunnar grills Kyle on his path to travel writing and much more!

A super fun episode to record. I got to interview @kpottermn.bsky.social and I learned a lot about my friend and coworker that I never knew before.

(Watch the YouTube for a photo from his punk/hardcore days!)

He gets to flip the script on me next week.

thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/epi...

Shoot me an email: kyle@thriftytraveler.com

So sorry about this.

PREACH

Thank you Christopher!! Please give us a review on your platform of choice and be sure to drop us a line at podcast@thriftytraveler.com if there’s something you want to hear on the pod

The Thrifty Traveler Podcast, Ep. 1: The Best Bets for Flight Deals in 2025 The first episode of The Thrifty Traveler Podcast delves into your best bets for finding a cheap flight in 2025, how Chase is winning the lounge wars, and more!

The Thrifty Traveler Podcast is already #3 in travel & getting great reviews:

"Fast moving & not a bunch of fluff"
"So good. I took away a few nuggets from the podcast!"
& "Fabulous!" my aunt Barb says

Catch Ep 1 now & subscribe - Ep 2 drops Thursday! thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/epi...

The Thrifty Traveler Podcast, Ep. 1: The Best Bets for Flight Deals in 2025 The first episode of The Thrifty Traveler Podcast delves into your best bets for finding a cheap flight in 2025, how Chase is winning the lounge wars, and more!

It's official: We have a podcast! 🥳🎙️

Tune into The Thrifty Traveler Podcast each and every Thursday morning, hosted by @gunnarolson.bsky.social and yours truly. Our first episode focuses on cheap destinations for 2025.

Let us know what you think!
thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/epi...

Two possibilities:
-It's a glitch, "phantom award space" that isn't actually bookable. Sadly frequent when booking JAL via AA
-It's real and the result of "married segment logic," when adding an additional segment opens up availability that isn't otherwise there on a nonstop

Maybe Herb Kelleher is rolling over in his grave over Southwest’s moves today. Maybe he isn’t.

But I know for a fact that he would have challenged Elliott Management (the fund holding his airline hostage) to a drinking contest and called it “The Bender in Denver” or something.

Certainly possible! I’d say keep a close eye on it over the coming weeks. Should be a cinch to cancel and rebook if it pops up.

https://cdn.thriftytraveler.com/Coming Soon: The Thrifty Traveler Podcast (Subscribe Now!) https://cdn.thriftytraveler.com/It's finally here: Subscribe now to get the Thrifty Traveler Podcast every week on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

The first episode of The Thrifty Traveler Podcast drops this Thursday!

Subscribe now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/tra...

Coming Soon: The Thrifty Traveler Podcast (Subscribe Now!) It's finally here: Subscribe now to get the Thrifty Traveler Podcast every week on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts!

It's happening: The Thrifty Traveler Podcast officially kicks off next week! ✈️🎙️

Subscribe now on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts - and check out a sneak peek of what's in store! thriftytraveler.com/podcasts/tra...

Endeavor Air Flight 4819, operating for Delta Connection from MSP, apparently flipped upside down while landing in Toronto.

This CRJ-900 has capacity for 76 passengers, plus crew. The Toronto airport has said all crew and passengers are accounted for.

A large elephant in thick green bush

A male lion standing at a watering hole

A zebra standing in front of thick green brush

A large black rhino and a small baby black rhino

There are no words, no videos, no photos that can prepare you for the magic of a safari.

But dammit, I gotta try.

Turkish breakfast on a blue patterned picnic table

Turkish Dumplings with yogurt and herbs ina white bowl

Grilled kebap with a plate of grilled vegetables

Baklava on a plate with two glasses of tea

Go to Istanbul.

That is all.

A photo of a plane window

Officially out of office, heading to one of my favorite cities in the world

Spirit Airlines just updated its Contract of Carriage to explicitly note that it may deny passengers with “see-through clothing; not adequately covered; exposed breasts, buttocks, or other body parts.”

Never change, Spirit ❤️

THY iki uzak mesafe hat daha açmaya hazırlanıyor Türk Hava Yolları (THY), ABD'nin Minneapolis ve Yeni Zelanda’nın Auckland şehrine uçuş başlatmaya hazırlandığını açıkladı.

NEW: Don't call it a done deal, but nonstop flights from Minneapolis to Istanbul on Turkish seem to be inching closer.

The airline's chairman is quoted saying they will begin flights "in April or May."

Kudos to @ishrionaviation.bsky.social for spotting www.turizmekonomi.com/thy-iki-uzak...

Delta promised its “new vision for using technology” unveiled at CES would “enrich the human experience.”

The substance:
-4K screens + Bluetooth connectivity are on the way
-An AI-powered "Delta Concierge" in app
-YouTube Premium onboard for SkyMiles members
-Earning SkyMiles on Uber (not Lyft)

The First Class & Lavatory Awards of 2024 Go To... As the year comes to a close, it's time to recognize the absolute best and worst from the past 365 days. Welcome to the First Class and Lavatory Awards.

It's here: Our first annual "First Class & Lavatory Awards," recognizing the absolute best and rock-bottom worst from the year of travel.

For the First Class Award, we pulled a Time 2006. 🥂

And the Lavatory Award goes to ... Delta Air Lines' messy meltdown 🚽 thriftytraveler.com/news/travel/...

Coming tomorrow to @thriftytraveler.bsky.social:

Our first annual “First Class & Lavatory Awards,” recognizing the absolute best 🥂 and worst 🚽 from the full year in travel?

Who gets the upgrade? What belongs in the toilet? Stay tuned.

How Delta Has Turned SkyMiles into the Clearance Meat of Airline Miles SkyMiles flash sales are the best way to redeem your Delta miles. But let's be clear about what you're getting: Like clearance meat, Delta is offloading scraps.

Easily the strangest headline we've published in my 6+ years at @thriftytraveler.bsky.social ... but I stand by it.

How Delta Has Turned SkyMiles into the Clearance Meat of Airline Miles
thriftytraveler.com/news/airline...

Happy holidays to you all from Mikka!

Condor Drops Flights to Baltimore, Minneapolis & 4 More Cities Condor has cut three routes to North America this week: Nonstop flights to Baltimore, Minneapolis, and Halifax are no longer for sale.

After a tough court ruling, Germany's Condor is dropping a half-dozen routes to North America next summer - including longstanding destinations like Minneapolis, Baltimore & Halifax thriftytraveler.com/news/airline... via @gunnarolson.bsky.social