Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for March 2020.

Leaked Memo: What United Plans To Do To Reduce Costs As Coronavirus Dries Up Travel

united plane
Mar 04 2020

The aviation world has been rocked by coronavirus, as demand for travel shrinks. Businesses are telling employees not to fly. Discretionary trips are being cancelled. And there’s tremendous uncertainty over the future.

While U.S. airlines have been healthy and better-positioned to handle what is so far a less extreme hit to their business as carriers in China, Hong Kong, and South Korea they’re certainly scrambling to figure out what’s next. United has been proactive communicating with employees, first with a note over the weekend and now with another message outlining drastic steps they’re taking to reduce costs given reductions in revenue.

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Why Doug Parker Changed His Mind And Started Working Closely With Qatar Airways Again

qatarplane
Mar 04 2020

In making the announcement of the renewed codeshare with Qatar Airways this past week American said that “the issues [of subsidies] had been addressed” between the two airlines. That’s bullocks, the U.S. airlines failed completely in their effort to get meaningful government action against their Gulf rivals.

On Wednesday American Airlines CEO Doug Parker spoke to employees at an internal town hall, a recording of which was shared with View From The Wing. There he explained the carrier’s change of heart.

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U.S. Airlines Asking The Trump Administration To Scale Back Government’s Role in Consumer Protection

Mar 03 2020

Airline lobbyists are trying to curtail the power of the Department of Transportation to engage in consumer protection. They want to be regulated just like other industries, with definitions employed by the Federal Trade Commission. But this ignores how other industries are regulated by the states and consumers through the courts, which the airlines are frequently excused from by the Airline Deregulation Act.

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After More Than Two Decades Berlin’s New Airport Is Ready, And Lufthansa’s Move-in Plans Were Leaked

ber airport gates
Mar 03 2020

In 1989 David Hasselhof stood atop the Berlin Wall belting out “Looking for Freedom.” Less than a year later East Germans were finally free.

Thirty one years after David Hasselhof stood between East and West Berlin the East’s old airport may finally be freed as the new Berlin Brandenburg airport, replacing Berlin Tegel. It’s a costly reminder of East German-style planning.

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Marriott’s New Promotion Is Out, It’s Weak, But Register Now Before You Forget

outside marriott hotel
Mar 03 2020

The question is whether Marriott is making a big mistake with such a modest promotion as hotel occupancy and rates begin to fall. This was happening even before coronavirus. The argument in favor of spending very little on promotion marketing is that bonus points aren’t going to move the needle when people are scared to travel (it’s why airfares went up after 9/11, only those who absolutely had to travel were taking to the skies).

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