Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for August 2020.

Former ‘Navy SEAL Who Shot bin Laden’ Digs Even Deeper With Attack On Delta For Requiring Masks

by Gary Leff

Aug 21 2020

Delta has confirmed banning Robert O’Neill, the Navy SEAL who was part of the raid at Abbottabad and claims credit for shooting Osama bin Laden, over his refusal to wear a mask inflight (and bragging about it on social media, putting down others who wore masks).

He’s expressed the opinion online that as a hero he should be exempt from rules – and, in a now-deleted tweet, offers this put-down of Delta for requiring masks in the first place,. Delta is acting more like the Naval Special Warfare Development Group than he even realized.

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Hotels Are Back Over 50% Full For The First Time Since March – But Business May Be About To Plummet

by Gary Leff

Aug 21 2020

U.S. hotel occupancy for the week of August 9-15 hit 50.2%, the first time it’s been over 50% since mid-March. In a normal year 50% occupancy is what hotels look like the at the beginning of the year, after the holidays but before business travel starts back in earnest.

The bad news for hotels though is that occupancy usually peaks in August and then begins to decline, with a brief interruption, but largely for the rest of the year.

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Today American Airlines Loses One Of The Industry’s Great Communicators

by Gary Leff

Aug 21 2020

Regular readers might imagine that I’m not the most popular guy at American Airlines, and certainly not the most popular in Corporate Communications. And despite all our ups and downs one person I’ve come to respect a great deal is Ross Feinstein who leaves the airline this week. There are two things about Ross that make him an outstanding communications professional.

Ross Feinstein will be missed at American Airlines. Selfishly I hope his next role is in the travel industry. For his sake, I hope it isn’t.

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Delta Bans The Navy SEAL Who Killed bin Laden And Refuses To Wear A Mask

by Gary Leff

Aug 20 2020

Nine years, seven months, and 20 days after the September 11th attacks that took 2977 American lives, United States Navy SEALs of the U.S. Naval Special Warfare Development Group (“Seal Team Six”) executed Operation Neptune Spear, along with the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment and the CIA’s Special Activities Division, raided Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan.

During that raid, bin Laden was killed. Now, nearly a decade later, the member of the SEAL team on that raid who says he’s the one that pulled the trigger refuses to wear a mask on a Delta flight, posts to social media about it, and gets banned.

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How American Airlines Is Threatening 15 Small Towns In A Craven Play For A $6 Billion Government Bailout

by Gary Leff

man speaking on microphone
Aug 20 2020

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker’s whole career is built on government subsidies. His airline is the most vulnerable to bankruptcy. So when the chips are down they’re playing the game that’s worked out best for him: threatening small cities where American Airlines has a virtual monopoly on air service, and announcing cuts to 15 cities that impose pain on 28 different Senators.

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Delta Says They’ll Keep Blocking Middle Seats Through January 6, But It Isn’t True

by Gary Leff

Aug 20 2020

To avoid assigning any middle seats on a narrowbody aircraft with six seats across, that means blocking one-third of the seats in coach (67% load factor). Delta has been capping sales at 60% of the seats in coach. Starting October 1 they are going to be selling more seats, up to 75% of the seats in coach on each plane. That means filling each cabin 25% more than before.

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