Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for July 2018.

Delta Names Raleigh-Durham Their Next Focus City (Mini-Hub)

by Gary Leff on July 28, 2018

Jul 28 2018

Austin’s airport is adding 37% more gates next year, and Delta is preparing to make it a focus city complete with SkyClub with outdoor deck.

Focus city status isn’t official for Austin yet, but as of Friday it is for Raleigh-Durham which serves the Research Triangle area of North Carolina, where Delta is already the largest airline (carrying one-third of passengers, with 10% connecting connecting traffic). Delta’s other focus cities are Cincinnati and Boston (of course Cincinnati used to be a hub).

Filing Europe Flight Delay Claims is Easy and Southwest Disses Wall Street on Seat, Bag Charges

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

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.

Hilton Extends Double Points Promo, Offers Up to 7500 Points for Car Rentals

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

Hilton has been running double points since May 1. Hilton usually runs double points, for instance they basically ran it all of 2016.

Apparently they’re not ready to launch a new, exciting different promotion right away because instead of ending double points August 31 they’re extending it.

Robert Mueller and Donald Trump, Jr Spotted Together – at Washington National Gate 35X

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

They were both on American Airlines regional flights. It doesn’t matter whether you’re the son of the President, or if you have an unlimited scope and the full resources of the federal government at your disposal to investigate that President. Everyone is brought down to size at Gate 35X. Truly, it is the most humbling aviation experience in the country.

I’ve written before that the previous administration could have closed the Guantanamo Bay detention facility and just moved terrorism suspects to this gate.

Using Delta Miles for Family of Four Saver Business Class Availability to Asia

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

Delta sometimes makes decent business class award space available to Europe, generally when prices are at their lowest for paid tickets. Getting to Asia on Delta can be much harder without paying exorbitant mileage costs (e.g. 200,000-plus miles per person in each direction).

However Delta’s partners, especially their Chinese partners China Southern and China Eastern, offer good availability from West Coast gateways.

5 Things American Airlines Told Their Employees After Yesterday’s Earnings Call

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

After each quarterly earnings call American Airlines senior management holds a ‘State of the Airline’ town hall with employees, where employees can ask questions and get answers.

Some of those questions were about American’s decision to become less restrictive (allow full-sized carry on bags) with their basic economy fares, and the mechanics contract (an issue that never seems to get resolved). However there were several items of broader interest to customers or that offered new insights as well,

Delta Vassal Aeromexico Makes a Cheeky Ploy to Buy Back Its Loyalty Program

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

Aeromexico which is in some sense a vassal of Delta these days doesn’t own their own frequent flyer program in its entirety. Aimia owns nearly 49%.

And following on Air Canada’s public offer to buy Aeroplan, Aeromexico came in with a lowball offer to buy back their stake in the Club Premier program. It was an offer that was already rejected, but included a kicker straight from the Air Canada playbook.

Yemeni Rebels Report Attacking Abu Dhabi Airport With Drones, UAE Denies It

by Gary Leff on July 27, 2018

Jul 27 2018

Like Syria, Yemen is a proxy war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. The UAE is generally aligned with the Saudis.

On Thursday Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels claimed to attack the Abu Dhabi airport with drones. They didn’t do major damage, instead they content they demonstrated their ability to fly drones to attack critical UAE infrastructure.

Taking Off at 123.8 Degrees and How to Check for Cameras in Your Uber

by Gary Leff on July 26, 2018

Jul 26 2018

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.

Hyatt May Increase its Footprint 50% in One Shot

by Gary Leff on July 26, 2018

Jul 26 2018

Hyatt’s major problems are that their footprint is so much smaller than major players IHG, Hilton, and Marriott (they’re about 10% the size of Marriott), and that they’re building a high-end strategy while their growth has come largely in the limited-service sector.

But they may be about to grow their number of properties by 50%, centered in Europe and Latin America.

Monthly Archives

Delta Names Raleigh-Durham Their Next Focus City (Mini-Hub)

Filing Europe Flight Delay Claims is Easy and Southwest Disses Wall Street on Seat, Bag Charges

Hilton Extends Double Points Promo, Offers Up to 7500 Points for Car Rentals

Robert Mueller and Donald Trump, Jr Spotted Together – at Washington National Gate 35X

Using Delta Miles for Family of Four Saver Business Class Availability to Asia

5 Things American Airlines Told Their Employees After Yesterday’s Earnings Call

Delta Vassal Aeromexico Makes a Cheeky Ploy to Buy Back Its Loyalty Program

Yemeni Rebels Report Attacking Abu Dhabi Airport With Drones, UAE Denies It

Taking Off at 123.8 Degrees and How to Check for Cameras in Your Uber

Hyatt May Increase its Footprint 50% in One Shot

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About Gary Leff

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