Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for October 2020.

6 Facts About The U.S. Government Confiscating Cash From Passengers When They Travel

by Gary Leff

hand holding hundreds of dollars in cash
Oct 25 2020

There were no drugs found. There was no evidence of wrongdoing other than carrying the cash itself which is perfectly legal. This was a domestic flight. But did you know you have to declare carrying cash greater than $10,000 when you leave the country – not just when you enter?

Nonetheless the American Airlines passenger won’t get their money back because they had the bad luck of connecting in Charlotte and because the government decided travel to California is presumptively tied to drugs.

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What Businesses Have Employees Flying Now?

by Gary Leff

Oct 24 2020

Following the American Airlines third quarter earnings call on Thursday, senior executives held a ‘State of the Airline’ question and answer session with employees. One of the questions was about which businesses are traveling now?

American’s Chief Customer Officer Alison Taylor, who prior to this summer led sales for the airline, shared who their “largest customers at the moment” are.

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Need To Travel? Costco.com Sells PCR Test Kits With 24-72 Hour Results

by Gary Leff

Oct 24 2020

We have to be making progress when Costco.com is now selling a saliva PCR test online that promises results returned in 24-72 hours.

This isn’t available in Pennsylvania, Nevada, or Maryland, and they can’t ship to Puerto Rico. But it’s something you can buy from Costco as a one-off and you don’t even need to buy a pallet of tests. The price may work for a trip, but for return to normal life we really do need sub-$5 tests, which are certainly possible.

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American Introduced No Charge Standby For All Customers, But The Elite Standby Benefit Is Still Better

by Gary Leff

Oct 23 2020

American Airlines followed United Airlines with its elimination of change fees on domestic and short haul international flights, excluding for customers who purchase basic economy fares. Packaged in with that change was allowing free standby travel for everyone.

There’s still a benefit to being an elite frequent flyer when it comes to standing by for another flight on American Airlines, however, and it’s not just having higher priority on the standby list.

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Doug Parker Lays Out His Vision For American Airlines Over The Next 3-5 Years

by Gary Leff

Oct 23 2020

A mission statement has been clearly missing from American Airlines. At times management has seemed confused over whether they’re trying to be a low cost carrier or a premium airline, and flight crew have been confused over what kind of service they’re supposed to be delivering

Last week, though, Doug Parker delivered his vision to employees for where he believes the airline can be over the next 3-5 years – the beginning of a true mission, perhaps.

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