Monthly Archives for November 2023.
United Airlines will require cabins to be prepared for landing earlier in order to protect cabin crew from injuries. Starting December 1, flight attendants will have to be belted at their jumpseats, prepared for landing, at around 10,000 feet when the double chime sounds.
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.
United Airlines has attacked the American Airlines plan, saying that the DOT should look at connections served rather than the local market to determine consumer benefit. Now that the federal government has broken up its JetBlue partnership, American’s ability to serve connections in the New York market is far more limited. The Department of Justice handed a huge win to United and to Delta in New York by preventing American-JetBlue from becoming a large competitor with their New York duopoly.
According to United, DOT set a precedent in preferring connecting markets to Tokyo Haneda over non-stop ones in their 2019 proceeding originally awarding the routes since that was a justification for denying Las Vegas a Haneda flight.
The Southwest Airlines operational failure during last year’s holiday season led to the stranding of two million passengers and a financial loss of approximately $1 billion. The chain began with inadequate de-icing equipment and inexperienced staff. Southwest has a play book to prevent a repeat this year, which they’ve shared internally with employees. It includes technological upgrades and improved training.
Passenger shaming daily double: an American Airlines passenger in first class was reported for painting her toenails and drinking her own beer during the flight, actions which flouted in-flight etiquette and regulations.
It’s underappreciated how much value there is in Frontier Airlines – when you have elite status with the low cost carrier. And it’s underappreciated how easy it is to have that status.
Bilt Rewards Vice President Richard Kerr knows: less than $20 per one-way flight for a family of four to Disney World, refundable and with free seat assignments, carry on bags, and checked bags.
The best value from distance-based charts often comes from maxing out distance, for instance flying West Coast – Tokyo to stay within a distance band and avoid going over… but also sometimes by booking two awards to get the pricing of two shorter distance bands rather than the combined higher-distance band. I’d like to explain this a little bit more.
The holy grail of airline seating is to have an open seat next to you to spread out. An empty row is the dream. Southwest Airlines lets you pick your own seat when you board. Would you pick this window seat, where the middle and aisle next to it are guaranteed to remain empty – because they’re out of service for being “wet”…?
The signs say “do not occupy” on the aisle and middle seats. You’re probably not going to spread your stuff out on those seats, but there won’t be any passengers spreading out into your space or fighting you for the armrest. But they are… Wet. With. Something.
British Airways crew members claimed they were mugged in Brazil, perhaps leading to the cancellation of flight 248 from Rio to London. However, Brazilian authorities and surveillance footage revealed that the crew engaged in heavy drinking and drug use, with the mugging story being a cover-up for their inability to work. The incident raises questions about the crew’s behavior and their responsibility towards passenger safety.
English translations by foreign airlines can turn unfortunate, as this photo of a China Eastern business class menu shows. The airline is offering “imported dog food with okra” as a business class appetizer selection.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
