Czech Airlines

České aerolinie, a.s. is the legal name for Czech Airlines which is abbreviated as ČSA.

Czech Airlines is the national carrier for Czechland and it is the fifth oldest airline in the world still in operation.

Their hub is at Václav Havel Airport in Prague and they are a part of the SkyTeam airline alliance.

ČSA started off as Czechoslovak State Airlines in 1923.  Today the airline is almost fully owned by Travel Service, a.s.

Czech Airlines has flights to 50 destinations in 25 countries across Europe plus Seoul, South Korea and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Oneworld Alliance

There are three major airline alliances that allow members to earn frequent flier status and perks when flying with other airlines in their respective group.  Since Atlanta is home to Delta I was always a SkyTeam member.  Since living in Europe I've earned Miles & More points with the Star Alliance.  But my favourite is Oneworld.

Oneworld is the third-largest alliance and is made up of American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, Finnair, Iberia, Japan Airlines, LATAM Airlines, Malaysia Airlines, Qantas, Qatar Airways, Royal Jordanian, S7 Airlines and SriLankan Airlines plus 30 affiliated airlines.

Air Berlin was a member until they filed for bankruptcy and will cease operations this month.  It's a pity because they were really good.  Plus whenever I flew with them from Vienna my Oneworld status always qualified me for the priority lane at security.

I wish Aer Lingus would join.  Since 2015 they have been owned by International Airlines Group (IAG) which also owns British Airways and Iberia but it doesn't look like Aer Lingus will join anytime soon.

British Airways is my preferred airline even after May's IT crash.  Every time I fly on one of the Oneworld airlines I get BA Executive Club points.

BA's Bronze, Silver, and Gold status levels equate to the Oneworld Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald premium status levels.  So when you have priority status with one airline it carries over to the other airlines as well.

SkyTeam is the is the second-largest airline alliance and it includes Czech Airlines.  Anytime I fly with one of the Skyteam members I get points on Delta.

Star Alliance is the largest of the three groups.

I earn Miles & More points any time I fly with one of the 28 airline members.

Update:  As of 5 December 2018, Fiji Airways has become the first Oneworld Connect partner.  Hmmm...I've never been to Fiji before.

Update:  As of 1 April 2021, Alaska Airlines has joined Oneworld.  Alaska serves +120 destinations across the USA, Mexico, Canada, and Costa Rica.  Its hubs are Anchorage, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Portland.

Alaska Airlines Route Map

In Azerbaijan...Sort of

I actually made it to Azerbaijan...well, sort of.  So here's the deal.  Currently, I'm dead tired and feel like Tom Hanks in The Terminal.  I was supposed to fly, last night, from Prague to Tbilisi, Georgia.  When I went to check in for my Czech Airlines flight I was told that my flight was oversold.  The good news was that I could still board my original flight.  However, if I was willing to give up my seat, take an alternate route with a different airline and have a six hour delay then I would receive €300.  Hmmm...not a bad deal.

New Václav Havel Airport Sign

My flight plan was to depart Prague at 10 PM and get to Tbilisi around 3 AM.  Now I would fly from Prague to Baku on Azerbaijan Airlines, stay there for six hours, then arrive in Tbilisi at 11 AM.


Originally, I would not arrive to my hotel until around 4 AM on Saturday morning so I still had to pay for the Friday night stay.  Even if I arrived six hours later I would still need to pay for the Friday night stay so it's not like I'm out any additional money.  Plus I won't have to deal with getting from the airport to the hotel in the middle of the night.

I took the deal.  Along with 12 Russians.  Now here's where things get interesting.

As soon as we got off the plane in Baku we found ourselves immediately facing Azeri immigration.  Remember that I still don't have a visa for Azerbaijan yet.  The 13 of us were told, in Russian, to stand to the side and wait.  A few minutes later, someone came and escorted us through some random airport hallway to our international departure lounge.  I had to show my passport, luggage tag, my ongoing boarding pass, promise not to leave the transit lounge and sign a document pledging not to remain in Azerbaijan without a visa.  It's a good thing that my Russian, while very rusty, seems to be working.    

So I'm waiting in front of gate 5 at Heydar Aliyev International Airport for my flight to Georgia.  There's not a lot going on here.  There are no ATMs but there is an exchange kiosk so I changed €20 for 20 Manat so that I could get some coffee.  There are soldiers who routinely pass by and the chairs are not exactly made for taking a nap.  Fortunately there is free Wi-Fi.  I'm tired and ready to fly on.  But if I'm unable to get my Azeri visa in Tbilisi then I guess this will be as close to visiting Azerbaijan as I get.

The Vietnamese

Believe it or not, there are a lot of Vietnamese in the Czech Republic. At over 61,000 people, the Vietnamese are the 3rd largest immigrant community, after Ukrainians and Slovaks. To Americans, 61,000 may not seem like a lot but there are only about 10.1 million people in the entire country.

The Vietnamese began coming over here during communism when the Czechoslovak government invited them here as guest workers. Vietnam encouraged this because they hoped that people would return with new skills and training. After the iron curtain fell, many Vietnamese decided to remain here rather than go back to communist Vietnam.

Unable to speak Czech, the first generation here has traditionally made livings as street market vendors. Since Asian culture emphasizes the group dynamic, plus the whole Czech language issue, many Czechs view the Vietnamese as a closed off society of people who live here but are not really a part of Czech society. However, the second generation has a reputation for high levels of educational attainment and over the last few years, a significant number have opened up their own businesses.

Czech Airlines even flies from Prague to Hanoi, 2 - 3 times per week.

I've heard that there is a really good Vietnamese farmer's market here in Brno where you can get fresh coriander (what they call "cilantro" over here) and hot peppers. I really need to check it out sometime.

Pat and Mat

Pat and Mat is a stop-motion animated series that was created by Lubomír Beneš and Vladimír Jiránek. The show is called A je to!, Pat a Mat ("And that's it!, Pat and Mat"). Pat and Mat are two handymen that come up with surprising solutions to mostly self-inflicted problems. The show continues to be popular here and in other countries as well.

The characters made their debut in 1976 but it took another three years before the next episode was made. The writers targeted the humor towards adults but, in Czechoslovakia, the show could only be made as a child's TV program and had to stay within a short time format. Although the show was made in Prague it was produced by Slovak TV in Bratislava. Slovak TV produced 28 episodes from 1979 to 1985. Episode #78 was the last in the series and aired back in 2003.

The first time I saw Pat & Mat was on my ČSA flight from New York to Prague when I moved here 20 months ago. Dang! I can't believe that I've been here almost two years.

You can find a lot of the episodes out on YouTube. Here's most of episode #2 - "Wallpaper" from 1979.

Update June 2023: I love my Pat and Mat socks.

İstanbul, Turkey

I found a great deal on a charter package through Student Agency for a 5-day trip to Turkey. It included a round-trip ČSA flight from Prague to Istanbul and a 3 star hotel with breakfast. The only catch was that this was a Czech tour so I had to arrange the trip in Czech. And all of the transportation between the airport and hotel was coordinated with the travel agent in Czech. Since I went alone I was at least forced to keep practicing my Czech even while on vacation. The other tour members knew I wasn't Czech but they kept thinking I was either Russian or Polish. I had the option of going on day tours with others but there was no way I could spend €35-50 on a tour that was entirely in Czech. So I made my own tour arrangements and had a great time exploring the city because there is so much to see. Every time you turn your head you see the difference between old and modern.


İstanbul, formerly known as Constantinople, was the capital of both the Byzantine Empire (Eastern Roman Empire) and the Ottoman Empire. Today it’s Turkey’s largest city but not the capital. With 12.8 million people it is the 5th largest city in the world and the only one in the world built on two continents. The Bosphorus Strait divides the city into European and Asian sides. The Golden Horn harbor further divides the city on the European side.

Hagia Sophia was a basilica, then a mosque and today is a museum. For almost 1,000 years it was the largest cathedral in the world.


The Blue Mosque is absolutely incredible inside. It is the largest in the city and the only one with six minarets which helps in navigating the city because you can’t turn your head without coming across another mosque.

The Hippodrome is adjacent to the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia. The obelisks there mark the center of Roman and Byzantine Constantinople and was the site of chariot racing.

Little Hagia Sophia, formerly the Church of the Saints Sergius and Bacchus, was converted into a mosque during the Ottoman Empire. It was built during the 6th century and was a model for the Hagia Sophia. It’s one of the most important early Byzantine buildings in the city.

The Galata Tower is nine stories tall and was the city’s tallest structure when it was built.

Taksim Square is a major shopping and tourist district. It is home to Cumhuriyet Anıtı (Monument of the Republic) built in 1928 to commemorate the founding of the Republic of Turkey.




The Dolmabahçe Palace is located on the Bosporus and was home to six sultans from 1856 until the end of the Caliphate in 1924. The palace contains 285 rooms, 46 halls, 6 Turkish baths and 68 toilets. It is home to the world’s largest Bohemian crystal chandelier.

Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar is one of the world’s largest and oldest covered markets. There are thousands of shops on over 58 streets. Lots of great shopping for sure!

The Süleymaniye Mosque is the 2nd largest mosque in the city. The Muslim call to prayer rings out six times per day, all across the city.

This was a great trip and I saw a lot. Several spots are UNESCO World Heritage sites but there are still things that I didn’t get a chance to see so I’ll just have to go again. Next time I'll be sure to include the day trips to Troy and Gallipoli. It was also a nice break from the upcoming Czech winter. I left Istanbul at 11:30 PM and it was 16°C (~61°F) When I arrived in Prague at 2:30 AM it was 0°C (32°F). I'm already missing that warm Turkish weather.

Update 2025:  Here's a short video on when the city changed names.

©History Matters

Croatia

On Tuesday, I'm headed to Croatia for a week's holiday. I have a ČSA (Czech Airlines) flight from Prague to Split, on the Dalmatian coast. From there, I'll take a ferry for a couple of hours to the island of Hvar. On Friday, I'll head back to Split for four nights. The plan is to spend some time on the beaches, knock out a couple of books and just generally relax. I'm thinking of taking a day trip to Brač island and to Međugorje in Bosnia and Herzegovina on either Saturday or Sunday.

Dubrovnik was another possibility but it's at least 6 hours by bus to get there from Split. So that will be a future visit.

Croatia was one of the six republics of Yugoslavia until it declared independence in June 1991. Things have long since stabilized since the war in the Balkans during the early 90's. Croatia is now a part of NATO and is working towards joining the EU.

Croatia is a very popular vacation spot for Czechs. My Czech teacher thinks that I'll meet plenty of Czechs there so I can still practice while on holiday. I've been told that German is more useful than English so between that and my limited Czech I figure that I'll be OK. Now the countdown begins until my flight. I soooo can't wait to hit the beach!!

Portsmouth, Bonfires and Remembrance Day

On Monday I went on a business trip to Portsmouth, UK. The city is on the south coast of England about 1.5 hours from London. Portsmouth is the 11th largest urban area in England and home to the world's oldest dry dock still in use. I didn't get to see much of the city because I was in meetings all week but it did seem like a pretty nice area. I'm going back in February so hopefully I'll get a chance to see more then.

The only bummer was the all day travel...a ČSA flight from Brno to Prague, another flight from Prague to London, and then a couple of hours in a car to Portsmouth. I spent more time hanging out in airports then I actually did flying.
November 5th was Guy Fawkes Day, also known as Bonfire Night, and it commemorates the unsuccessful plot to blow up Parliament in 1605. It's kind of funny to me that they celebrate a guy who failed at something. But I did get to see some of the fireworks from my hotel room.

"Remember, remember the fifth of November,
The gunpowder treason and plot,
I know of no reason
Why the gunpowder treason
Should ever be forgot."

Almost everyone in the UK wore a poppy pin on their lapels. The Royal British Legion provides the pins, for donations, in memory of the country's fallen service men and women from the two world wars. Remembrance Day is officially on 11 November at 11 AM but the main observance is a two-minute silence observed on the second Sunday in November.

Finally in Brno

Well, I finally made it to Brno yesterday morning after three travel days. I got in to New York at 6 AM but my ČSA flight didn't leave until after 4 PM. But the kicker is that the ČSA ticket counter doesn't open until 12:24 PM. So I had all of my luggage (3 bags - 69 lbs, 67 lbs, & 45 lbs plus 2 carry-ons and a big wool coat) for almost 7 hours. Fortunately, I was in the elite lounge. Highly recommended!

Our plane sat on the runway at JFK for an hour before we took off. Eight hours later and I was in Prague. The flight to Brno is only 35 minutes but it is a real puddle jumper.

Yesterday's goals were to check in to my room, find something to eat, and get caught up on sleep. I did manage to make it to Tesco (a British version of Walmart) to buy an iron.

Here are my immediate impressions of Brno:
1. More humid than I expected but there is a nice breeze.
2. Very cool mix of new & old architecture but way too much graffiti in places.
3. I have to learn Czech. So far, no one speaks English, German, French or Spanish. A couple of cab drivers spoke Russian but they had an attitude about it.
4. People are very coridal on the trams and you always give up your seat to older people and pregnant women.
5. Smoking is everywhere. Even inside the mall at the food court. Good thing I quit.

6. There are some drop dead gorgeous women here. A lot of the men...not so much.
7. May guys here wear capri pants. I don't see myself adopting this trend to fit in.
8. Czech beer rocks!

Only 8 More Hours

Well I'm finally on my way. I left out of LAX last night and arrived at JFK early this morning. I'm blogging from the Delta Crown Room because my Czech Airlines flight to Prague doesn't leave for another 8 hours. At least the lounge is a lot more comfortable than the general gate area.

I saw Rev. Al Sharpton in the LAX Crown Room last night. I overheard him on his mobile trying to do something at the Apollo Theater in New York for Michael Jackson. He was going on about how the family was held up in a big house and were not very communicative. Then he was on my flight to JFK - two seats away. He's not as tall as he appears to be on TV.

Anyway...I leave JFK today at 4:15 PM and get in to Prague at 6 AM. I'll have a couple of hours to clear customs before my 9 AM flight to Brno. A short 45 minutes later and I'll be in my new city. My immediate priorities are to get in to my temporary studio flat, buy an iron, open a bank account and figure out the public transportation. Stay tuned for further updates.

Booked for Brno

Everything has happened so quickly. I received my work permit a week ago. Two days later I had my passport back from the Czech embassy with my employment visa (green card). Now I'm trying to get everything packed up and done before I leave. I've made all of my travel plans and it's hard to believe that I leave Atlanta in 20 days.

On June 23, I have a 7:30 AM flight to Los Angeles so I can visit with my family for a week. Then it is off to the Czech Republic. My goal was to use my frequent flyer miles on Delta to cover my ticket to Europe. Fortunately, if you are a Medallion member then you have so much more flexibility when using reward miles. 

Now it will take me 3 days to make it over but it sounds worse than it really is. I leave LAX at 9 PM and fly directly to JFK, arriving a 6 AM. My flight on ČSA (Czech Airways) isn't until 4 PM so I have 10 hours to kill at the airport. Not an ideal situation but I cashed in enough miles so that I'm flying in business class the whole trip which gives me access to the Crown Room in NY. Free Internet and cocktails for the day...could be worse. =)

Then ČSA from JFK to Prague. Get in to Prague at 6:15 AM, clear customs and leave at 9 AM for Brno. 45 Minutes later and I'll be in my new city on July 1. It seems so much more real now that I have plane tickets. The best part is that by using Delta SkyMiles, the entire trip from LAX to Brno in business class is only $250. Sweet!!!