Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for May 2017.

American Says They Won’t Sell the AAdvantage Program

by Gary Leff

american airlines plane
May 02 2017

American Airlines first quarter earnings fell year-over-year by about three-fifths, down to $234 million. It’s fair to say that despite disappointing credit card signups impacting revenue forecasts in Q1 the AAdvantage program really did earn the bulk of the airline’s profits.

Indeed, though they do not break out numbers this way, it’s possible that in the first quarter AAdvantage earned all of the airline’s profit and without selling miles the airline itself would have operated at a loss. And that’s even before unilaterally announcing employee raises which financial analysts grilled the airline over.

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American Composer Detained at Border Because of His “Super Common Muslim Name”

by Gary Leff

outside airport
May 01 2017

American composer Mohammed Fairouz whose work has been performed at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center arrived off a London – New York JFK flight.

Agents “took away [his] luggage and [..] laptop” and told him he could not use his phone. He was told to “sit in a plastic chair without the ability to listen to music or read a book.” He was told this “could take hours.”

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When Lifetime Status is Taken Away From You

by Gary Leff

May 01 2017

If you don’t trust your travel provider year-to-year, why would you trust them to honor a lifetime of loyalty when they’ve already gotten your money?

In an era of enhancements to give members what they want, and mergers that take the best of both programs to create a best in class experience (gosh, has that ever really happened?) trust is simply to eroded for the lifetime offer to lock me in to behavior and investment and loyalty today.

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