United CEO Scott Kirby did not just admit he tried to buy American Airlines — he published the sales pitch after American had already said no. That is not how companies usually talk about dead deals, and the real audience now is what’s interesting about the message.
The proposed Spirit rescue is no longer just about one failing airline. Budget carriers are now pitching a $2.5 billion taxpayer relief program that could leave the government owning stakes across the low-cost sector, turning a dubious bailout into a much bigger attempt to socialize losses across an industry that has not solved its underlying problems.
A United flight attendant was injured on a work trip, went on medical leave, and later received a company letter telling her she had an extra year to return before losing her job. Then United told her the date in its own letter was wrong, fired her anyway, and even tried to stick her with legal costs after she sued.
The simple story about Spirit Airlines is that the Biden administration killed the carrier by blocking JetBlue’s bid to buy it, but that is too neat and mostly wrong. Spirit was already failing because its costs rose, its product stopped matching what customers wanted, and the antitrust move that really undercut any plausible rescue came earlier, when the government killed JetBlue’s alliance with American.
American Airlines is changing its portable charger policy on May 1, requiring power banks to stay visible and within reach during flights instead of hidden in bags or overhead bins. The airline will also cap passengers at two power banks each and ban recharging them onboard, part of a broader push to make battery fires easier for crews to spot and contain.
A viral flight meltdown video exposed a man’s secret mistress, plus Denver airport chaos, a tattooed plea for an American Airlines upgrade, shocking casino ATM fees, the case against a Spirit bailout, and more.
Airlines and their payment-clearing partner quietly sold searchable travel and payment data to federal agencies including the IRS and FBI, giving the government a back door into records it would normally need legal process to obtain. Now a proposed class action argues that violated financial privacy laws.
A Swiss flight bound for Zurich suffered an engine failure during takeoff in Delhi, forcing the crew to reject the departure, stop on the runway, and evacuate 228 passengers and four infants. As smoke poured from the aircraft, passengers still grabbed their bags, filmed the scene, and paused for selfies instead of getting clear as fast as possible.
Airlines are such a bad business that the smartest startup strategy is probably not building the most beautiful premium carrier, but finding a way to lose less money than everyone else. If I had to start one anyway, I would skip the glamorous dream model and focus on underserved leisure routes, modest costs, and selling more of the trip than just the seat.
American Airlines retired roughly 40% of its long-haul-capable fleet during the pandemic, betting travel would stay weak and replacements would arrive when needed. Now some of those supposedly obsolete widebodies are heading to a new airline in Vietnam, a reminder that the planes still had life left — and that American’s decision cost it flexibility, profits, and strategic ground it never fully got back.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
