Monthly Archives

Monthly Archives for January 2023.

Nonsense From The New York Times On How To Address Airline Reliability

by Gary Leff

Jan 13 2023

The New York Times ran an op-ed on Friday by William J. McGee full of bizarre nonsense, arguing that it’s time to re-regulate the airlines, because Southwest Airlines melted down over the holidays and the FAA (government regulator!)’s antiquated NOTAM system failed for several hours this past week.

The author makes the case for the Civil Aeronautics Board – abolished by deregulation – because it limited competition and ensured airline profitability. That’s obviously bad for consumers.

Continue Reading »

The Biggest Problem Facing Southwest Airlines After Holiday Meltdown Is.. Securities Fraud?

by Gary Leff

Jan 13 2023

Southwest Airlines did a bad thing. It cancelled flights affecting around two million passengers over the holidays. Southwest has talked about its IT issues for years, but never said ‘and we might wind up cancelling travel on two million people costing $825 million. Therefore investors were misled about the business’s prospects. Everything is securities fraud.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Announces New Policy, Use This The Next Time They Blame Weather

by Gary Leff

Jan 13 2023

When a flight delays, airlines almost always blame weather. Factors outside of their control mean they don’t owe you anything, like a hotel to spend the night in or meals at the airport. But American Airlines CEO Robert Isom now says that when his airline fails to recover from problems, that’s on them and they owe their customers. That’s a sea change, following on the Southwest Airlines debacle over the holidays. But not everyone in the company’s customer service department may be ready to change.

Continue Reading »

American And Alaska Airlines Expand Elite Upgrades

by Gary Leff

airline cabin
Jan 12 2023

Elite frequent flyers in each airline’s program have benefits like extra legroom seats, not just the usual priority check-in, baggage and boarding benefits. And for nearly two years upper tier elites have been able to upgrade when traveling on the other airline.

Now, quietly – neither airline has sent out an announcement – the upgrade benefit has been extended to more frequent flyers.

Continue Reading »

Southwest Airlines Offering Some Passengers Just 5% Of Their Requested Reimbursements

by Gary Leff

Jan 12 2023

Southwest Airlines expects the cancellation of 16,700 flights over the holidays to cost them up to $825 million though the exact amount depends on how much passengers seek reimbursement for after having to find other means of travel – and how much Southwest actually approves in claims.

While the Department of Transportation is pressuring Southwest not just to provide the refunds, but also to do so quickly (noting that credit card payments must be refunded within 7 days), the sheer volume of requests is taking time to work through and also invariably means that some passengers get stuck in a Kafkaesque bureaucracy.

Continue Reading »