Cruising Altitude is a weekly column about air travel. Have a suggestion for a future topic? Fill out the form or email me at the address at the bottom of this page.
GLASGOW, Scotland ― There are always new places to explore. Just ask Amanda van Dijk, who I met on United Airlines’ renewed service to Glasgow from Newark Liberty International Airport on May 8.
It was Amanda’s eighth inaugural flight in the last two years, and as we waited to board United’s first service to Glasgow since 2019, she told me she’s officially hooked on following the airline to new places.
“It opens your eyes to places that you never thought you’d go,” she said as bagpipes blared in the background. (Yes, United had a bagpiper at the gate in Newark to send us off.)
Van Dijk, a project manager from Houston, was standing with a group of fellow United inaugural enthusiasts, who often bump into each other as they explore new destinations with the airline, and they all agreed that it’s a great way to decide where to travel – and also a fun way to collect some memorabilia.
