Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for March 2019.

American Airlines Flight Attendants Union Telling Crew They Don’t Have to Work the 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

American Airlines has 24 Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft in service. Plenty of customers are expressing concern over the aircraft after the Lion Air incident in October was followed by yesterday’s tragic crash of an Ethiopian Airlines 737 MAX. China and Indonesia have grounded the jet.

Many airlines operating the plane, including Southwest and American, have expressed support for the aircraft’s safety. And it’s too early to know just what happened in yesterday’s occurrence. We’ll know more soon, especially now that the aircraft’s black boxes are being studied. It’s natural though to have concerns.

American Express Acquiring LoungeBuddy

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

Lounge Buddy features airport lounge reviews and also sells single visit lounge passes often at a discount. The last time I spoke with the Lounge Buddy team they were also providing management software to lounges as well.

They’re now being acquired by American Express. As a result we’re promised there will be “additional [unspecified] ways” that American Express will “become an essential part of our…digital lives.”

[Published In Error, Apologies]

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

The D in D0 Stands for Dirty: American Airlines Sacrifices Clean Cabins for Quick Departures

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

I find that cleaners getting on the plane while passengers are trying to get off just blocks passengers getting off and as a result their getting on too early may not save time.

Since I wrote about the bottleneck deplaning due to aircraft cleaning, American rolled out a policy that focuses even more heavily on ‘D0’ and sacrifices cleaning. Here’s a notice from Dallas Fort-Worth:

Don’t Read Too Much Into China and Indonesia Grounding the Boeing 737 MAX

by Gary Leff on March 11, 2019

Mar 11 2019

Just as China’s move to ground the MAX conveniently serves political interests (in escalating trade tensions with the U.S.), Indonesia has an interest in blaming the aircraft itself versus their country’s largest privately-run airline for its tragic incident.

China Reportedly Grounding Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

by Gary Leff on March 10, 2019

Mar 10 2019

In the aftermath of today’s loss of an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 MAX 8 carrying 149 passengers and 8 crew I’m hearing from many frequent flyers wondering whether the aircraft will be grounded, and thinking about whether or not they’re willing to fly on the jet.

China reportedly is grounding the plane. Air China, China Eastern, China Southern, Hainan Airlines, Shenzhen Airlines, Shandong Airlines, and XiamenAir all operate Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft.

Leak: Is This United Livery? and When American’s DFW Flagship Lounge Will Open

by Gary Leff on March 10, 2019

Mar 10 2019

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.

American’s Chicken Salad Lunch: New Worst Airline Meal Ever?

by Gary Leff on March 10, 2019

Mar 10 2019

If you choose the salad, here’s a sample of the chicken as seen on American Airlines flight AA644, the 1 p.m. departure from Charlotte to Austin on Friday.

Perhaps this is the reason airline President Robert Isom says their caterers have “gotten a little bit lazy in terms of what they can provide us.” Unfortunately it doesn’t seem he’s done enough about it.

Some of American’s 14 Grounded Boeing 737s are Expected to Be Out for Two Weeks

by Gary Leff on March 10, 2019

Mar 10 2019

American Airlines grounded 14 Boeing 737-800s. These are planes that have undergone the ‘Oasis’ modification – to replace interiors with more seats; less comfortable seats; less distance between seats; less recline; no seat back video; and smaller lavatories plus bigger overhead bins.

All of the planes were modified by the same vendor, Aviation Technical Services. There were several problems identified with some aircraft including the way that overhead bins attached to the aircraft, and how wiring was done that raises potential safety concerns.

Europe Will Impose De Facto Visa Requirements on US Citizens Starting in 2021

by Gary Leff on March 10, 2019

Mar 10 2019

Americans will be required to get an ‘ETIAS’ (European Travel Information and Authorization System) in order to travel to Europe, which is essentially what the US requires of Europeans (an ‘ESTA’). It’s advance permission to travel.

Of course the game of tit-for-tat is far from over. Two years ago the US Secretary of Homeland Security said he wanted to revisit allowing Europeans to travel to the US with ‘only’ an ESTA. By the way the number of people killed by terrorists who entered the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program is zero.

Monthly Archives

American Airlines Flight Attendants Union Telling Crew They Don’t Have to Work the 737 MAX

American Express Acquiring LoungeBuddy

[Published In Error, Apologies]

The D in D0 Stands for Dirty: American Airlines Sacrifices Clean Cabins for Quick Departures

Don’t Read Too Much Into China and Indonesia Grounding the Boeing 737 MAX

China Reportedly Grounding Boeing 737 MAX Aircraft

Leak: Is This United Livery? and When American’s DFW Flagship Lounge Will Open

American’s Chicken Salad Lunch: New Worst Airline Meal Ever?

Some of American’s 14 Grounded Boeing 737s are Expected to Be Out for Two Weeks

Europe Will Impose De Facto Visa Requirements on US Citizens Starting in 2021

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About Gary Leff

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