Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for April 2015.

Is Southwest Considering Dumping their Chase Credit Card?

by Gary Leff

Apr 19 2015

Southwest Airlines has hired an investment bank to help evaluate options for its co-brand credit card. Southwest Airlines is considering replacing JPMorgan Chase as the issuer of its credit card rewards program, according to two people familiar with the matter. One of those people said Southwest has hired investment bank First Annapolis as an adviser as it reviews the relationship with Chase. Who could Southwest rope into making a credible offer for their co-brand franchise? Does Citi have the juice to pick up a second Dallas-based airline, after shooting the moon on Costco? American Express can’t possibly make sense for an airline that pitches itself as discount, and of the people, even in a world where Amex co-brands with Walmart and Target. Barclaycard lost US Airways and clearly needs a prize airline. Southwest’s relationship would…

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American Airlines’ Goldilocks Problem: Boards too Early, Updates Delays Too Late. They Need to Be Just…

by Gary Leff

Apr 18 2015

I love many things about American Airlines. First and foremost is the AAdvantage program, and especially that I’m well taken care of as an Executive Platinum member (100,000 mile flyer). Their lounge agents have been exceptionally good to me during irregular operations. I even like their revenue management, which doesn’t release all first class seats into upgrade a day before departure. When a flight irregularity happens, and I get put onto another flight, it’s even still possible to get an upgrade (and more frequently happens than not). If there were two things I would change about the operation, I would actually bundle them together and call them American’s Goldilocks Problem: they start boarding too early, before scheduled time, and they notify passengers of delays.. in creeping fashion.. usually only after a boarding or departure time…

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My Harebrained Scheme to ‘Commute’ Between Austin and Dallas, and the Two Key Lessons it Taught Me

by Gary Leff

Apr 18 2015

I’m at Frequent Traveler University by the Dallas airport (at the Hyatt Regency DFW).

And since I’m living in Austin now I decided, why not just commute?

Flights go for as little as $64 each way as long as you’re buying them in advance when flights aren’t full and it isn’t an event week(end). That meant I could fly from Austin to Dallas and back for less than the cost of a hotel night at the group rate…

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Federal Air Marshal With Ties to the Corleone Family Leaves Loaded Gun in Airport Bathroom

by Gary Leff

Apr 18 2015

An air marshal left a loaded gun in a Newark airport bathroom. We already know that air marshalls schedule their work assignments to facilitate vacations and sexual trysts, and are insufficiently trained to do much even if something did happen on their watch. But this isn’t good. A federal air marshal left his loaded gun in a bathroom stall at Newark Liberty International Airport, then boarded a flight he was assigned to protect without it, NJ Advance Media has learned. The incident occurred late last month, when the marshal left the handgun on top of a toilet paper dispenser in the public men’s room near Checkpoint 2 in Terminal C (HT: Brian Sumer)

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Just to Show You How Complicated the World Is, British Airways and Iberia Pull Out of European Airline Lobbying Group

by Gary Leff

Apr 17 2015

British Airways and Iberia disagree with the rest of the airlines of Europe over complaints about the 3 big Gulf carriers (their parent company is ~ 10% owned by Qatar, and prior to that BA sponsored Qatar into oneworld).

Of course BA and Iberia are joint business venture partners with American who is a prime driver of complaints.

Etihad has big ownership stakes in several European carriers, and Emirates is a huge Airbus operator which just signed a nearly $10 billion deal for new European engines. Things get even more complicated still..

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