Monthly Archives for March 2018.
A week ago I asked whether we were beginning to see the end of ‘Polaris’ at United, ditching their attempt to offer a superior business class product.
The soft product is getting cut back. Reportedly United President Scott Kirby “doesn’t believe in Polaris and he knows it hasn’t created a [fare] premium.” Just a week ago I predicted ‘death by 1000 cuts.’ We’re already starting the countdown.
During Thursday’s American Airlines employee ‘crew news’ question and answer session a Lima-based flight attendant asked about the old Boeing 757s and 767s American flies down there.
She says the one thing “that is sad for me” is that when she tells people she’s a flight attendant their interest is piqued, but then when she says she works for American “they’re like really?”
American held a Crew News session with employees on Thursday and a first officer asked about new aircraft orders and the extent that manufacturers consult with American on what they want to see as they develop new plane types. As an aside he asked about American’s A350 simulator and whether it might be possible to rent time in it.
They donated charter flights to bring students to a gun protest in DC.
So much for their ‘neutral status’ in the gun debate. I don’t think they need to stay neutral, I just don’t think they can have it both ways.
In the fall we learned that Delta would start offering day of departure elite upgrades on their premium cross country routes. These are flights where Delta offers – or plans to offer – lie flat seats up front. Currently premium routes aren’t eligible for complimentary elite upgrades at all.
Apparently at the same time on April 1 Delta will be reducing the service they provide on premium routes in their extra legroom “Comfort+” seats,
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Does it need to be said that taking crumbled pieces of the cold salmon they serve with lettuce at lunch and putting it on a plate with a bagel is not a “bagel and lox”..?
An airline with hubs in New York, Philadelphia, Miami, and Los Angeles should know what lox is. American, your lox on Friday was an affront to all that is good and Jewish.
Priority Pass is a card that gets you into lounges around the world. You don’t have to belong to an individual lounge program, this program works to have lounges in most of the places you go.
They’ve added restaurants in some airports instead of lounges in order to expand their footprint. Your Priority Pass card gets you a $28 food and beverage credit (plus $28 per guest, where applicable).
Well I’m back at that same Marriott Courtyard and wouldn’t you know I was assigned to the same room. So what’s the first thing I did? Check the bath gel.
A year ago I wrote that Cathay Pacific planned a new first class product for their Boeing 777-9s on order.
Cathay wasn’t sure whether the new first class will feature enclosed suites, because according to their research passengers like a ‘society’ element (see and be seen) or how many seats the cabin would feature.
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 »
