WingTips just turned one year old – no balloons, no BA upgrade voucher, not even a free Pret coffee – but I thought I’d mark the occasion with a proper behind-the-scenes look at what actually goes into this thing.
Spoiler: it’s not me filming TikToks at Terminal 5 screaming “hey guyzzz” with my phone in the air. It’s a bit messier, a bit nerdier, and (thankfully) a lot more me.
So let’s roll it back for a sec.
In This Post
Who am I, and why the hell did I start WingTips?
If you head over to the About page, you’ll get a more polished version of this, but the short version?
I love planes. Like, really love planes. In my early 20s, I flew around for fun – no business trips, just pure, unfiltered avgeek energy. One day, I thought: “There’s got to be a way to sit in the nose of a 747 without needing to remortgage my kidneys.”
Enter: air miles and points.
I got obsessed. Started reading every loyalty blog under the sun. I made a WhatsApp group for mates and started sharing deals, tricks, tips – the lot. Eventually, I met some brilliant people and decided to just go for it while standing outside Heathrow one day.
WingTips was born.
The name? Double meaning, obviously. Wings = planes. Tips = advice. Also, the wingtip of an aircraft. I’m not winning a Pulitzer for branding, but hey, it works.
The Real MVPs: Travel Blogs That Got Me Here
I read every blog I could find – religiously, for six months straight. A few legends deserve a shoutout here:
- One Mile at a Time (Ben)
- View from the Wing (Gary – who I’ve met, and yes, he’s lovely)
- God Save the Points (Gilbert – blunt, brilliant, a good guy IRL)
These blogs taught me the ropes. They also made me realise: there’s space for a slightly younger, rougher-around-the-edges voice. Not everyone wants spreadsheets and flowcharts. Some people just want to know if a card perk is decent or a daylight robbery.
So, I did what any sane person would do – I emailed BoardingArea cold. Didn’t hear back. Figured that was that.
Then one day, I got an email from Randy Peterson himself – the godfather of frequent flyer blogging – asking if I was still interested in joining. I nearly dropped my phone. A few weeks later, Rebecca Hill, Mark, and the rest of the BA (BoardingArea, not to confuse it with the British Airways…) team set me up. Suddenly, I wasn’t just a points hoarder with a dream. I was a points hoarder with a platform.
Figuring It All Out (Mid-Flight)
Starting to write was like being a toddler trying to walk through turbulence. I didn’t know my tone, niche, or angle – I just knew I wanted to talk about what I loved: flying, loyalty programs, and the weird world of travel perks.
Eventually, I found my voice. Slightly unfiltered. A bit blunt. Definitely sarcastic. I’m not here to sugarcoat. If something’s great, I’ll scream it from the skies. If it’s trash, I’ll say that too, louder. And with footnotes.
I also realised there’s a gap: so much of the travel points world feels… elite, out of reach, jargon-heavy. I wanted to write for people who were just getting into it, who didn’t grow up flying Club World or know what “dynamic pricing” means. Let’s bring it down a notch. Make it fun. Make it accessible.
What My Days Actually Look Like
No, I’m not constantly in business class sipping Krug while typing away at 38,000 feet. Most days, I’m just at home, in trackies, juggling writing, research, SEO, and replying to emails like “Can I use my 2-4-1 to fly my dog to Ibiza?”
Typical day:
- Wake up
- Scroll through aviation news and emails before even brushing my teeth
- Update older posts, write new ones.
- Argue with myself about whether lounge access is ever really “worth it”
- Attempt a balanced diet (fail)
- Question everything when BA devalues Avios again
It’s chaos. But it’s my chaos.
Thank You (No, Really)
If you’ve ever read a post, shared a link, sent me a DM, or corrected my spelling (you know who you are), thank you.
WingTips exists because of you. This community has been funny, encouraging, helpful, and sometimes brutally honest – and I love it for that.
Whether you’re here for the Avios hacks or just want to know which lounges won’t give you food poisoning, I’m glad you’re part of this weird little journey.
Here’s to another year of flying, writing, ranting, and hopefully… upgrades.
Catch you at the gate,
Palty
Got a question, a collab idea, or a PR invite with my name on it? Slide into my inbox – I’m all ears.
📩 info@wingtips.co.uk
