Worldwide Caution Travel Advisory, Delta Upgrade Madness, and People Melting Down: Our Top 10 Posts of 2024

I’m one of those people who loves retrospectives and look-backs. (Some people accuse me of living in the past.) So, this time of year is especially fun: top ten lists of all kinds (movies, TV shows, news events, pop culture trends, etc) are everywhere. And I love them all.

One tradition that always yields a bunch of surprises for me is finding out which of our blog posts are the year’s most read. Some posts we create are stories we find interesting and think you, too, might enjoy. Others are tips or experiences we hope you may find helpful.

And it’s always interesting to see which posts are the most read! Some get shared across social media and explode that way. Others are picked up by news aggregators or referenced by major outlets. Some traffic comes from whatever remains of search engine optimization (if you know, you know).

So, here are the most-read Eye of the Flyer posts of 2024!

10. Right Out of the Gate!

Barely 72 hours into 2024, we published a post that lived in our top ten most-read posts for the next 363 days.

It’s about a Delta passenger who flips the heck out — and the Delta employees do a great job keeping their cool.

9. Oh, These Geniuses

A group of protestors glued themselves to a runway in Munich, Germany, this past mid-May. Why? Well, to call attention to how bad airlines are for the environment.

Their little stunt caused about five dozen flight cancellations and 14 diversions. But here’s the thing: diverted flights will burn more fuel than if they operate their normal routes. After all, the planes (usually) have to fly to their original destinations. And keep in mind all of that circling planes do while in holding patterns.

Read here about these folks who certainly won’t be missing any Mensa meetings anytime soon.

8. Timing Is Everything

I know, I know. René just published a post about his harrowing experience arriving to a port city on the day of a cruise departure. But that was a last resort. And he’s smarter than this group who made our top ten most-read posts, though I don’t think they wanted to.

7. Aloha and Mahalo?

Boy, oh, boy, did this one fire up some people.

Several friends and I booked seats on Delta’s inaugural Boston (BOS) to Honolulu (HNL) flight, which officially became the airline’s longest domestic hop.

We originally upgraded to Comfort+, which were Premium Select-style seats marketed as Comfort+. But then Delta quietly switched from a three-cabin service to four-cabin — and downgraded our physical seat assignment.

The usual “If you want it, pay for it!” chorus joined in, as did people who insisted we couldn’t complain about aircraft changes (spoiler alert: this particular change wasn’t because of an equipment change, although our plane was later upgraded to an A330.)

What do you think about this situation? Check out our seventh most-read post of 2024: “Did Delta Pull a Fast One on Some Passengers for a Special Flight to Hawaii?”

6. Delta Gate Agent Announces Great Punishment for Line Jumpers

Delta gate agents instituting their own rules is nothing new — especially when it comes to upgrades and switching seats (rarely to revenue passengers’ benefits). But a New York-LaGuardia agent devised a brilliant idea to deal with those punks who just can’t seem to board with their groups.

5. Convert Your MQM!

Medallion Qualification Miles will officially be pronounced dead late Tuesday night. Our fifth most-read post reminded people that time is running out (and there may still be time when you read this!) to convert their MQM. Maybe our MQM memories be blessings.

4. Delta All But Ending Free Upgrades, Lost an Upgrade Over $20, and Delta Requires Passport for Hawaii

This was a weekly recap that went bonkers. (Frankly, there are links to some posts in there that I thought would make this year’s top 10.) Check it out!

3. Delta Plans to Depart SkyTeam, Eliminate Partner Airline Earnings

On April 1, I wrote an April Fool’s Day post that Delta would exit SkyTeam. We really scared and angered a lot of people with this one. Some people found it funny. Some sources told us that a few people at Delta fell for it.

We got a decent amount of blowback for it both on our site and social media. (“This absolutely a stupid prank and you should be ashamed of yourself.” “Not even funny… If you want to be regarding as a serious mainstream frequent-travel blog, act like one.” Note to trolls: if you want your comments to be regarded as serious, make sure you use the correct words. 😉 )

So, here’s what all the hullabaloo was about.

2. Delta Air Lines is Effectively Ending Medallion Upgrades

This one fired up a lot of people.

Delta is now selling nearly 90% of its premium cabin seats — leaving less inventory for complimentary upgrades. Is it worth chasing status anymore?

Check out this year’s second-most-read post — which includes a reader’s remark that René says is the “comment of the year!”

1. State Department Issues “Worldwide Caution” Travel Advisory for U.S. Citizens

In mid-May, the U.S. Department of State advised U.S. citizens worldwide to “exercise increased caution.” But one particular group was warned to stay extra vigilant. Read about it now.

Thank you for a great 2024 and we look forward to seeing what 2025 brings!