Monthly Archives for December 2023.
Airlines charge banks more for loyalty points than the average consumer realizes, often differentiating between initial bonus miles and ongoing spend, and also accounting differently for miles earned through flying versus credit card spending. During the pandemic, financial disclosures revealed significant margins in airline frequent flyer programs, with American, Delta, and United showing varied margins due to different internal accounting and pricing strategies.
A passenger took the controls of a flight form Toronto to Punta Cana after one of the plane’s pilots became incapacitated. Air Transat flight 186 departed at 9:30 a.m. on November 20 with 299 passengers on board, and was scheduled into the Dominican Republic at 2 p.m. About three hours into the journey one of the pilots became ill. One of the airline’s pilots was among the passengers and replaced the member of the cockpit crew. Dramatic Rendering, Credit: DALL-E The flight continued to its destination, instead of diverting which would have been required with only a single pilot. Earlier this year a passenger stepped into the cockpit to fly after a Southwest Airlines pilot fell ill. Another airline’s pilot was on the Las Vegas to Columbus, Ohio flight and assisted, akin to a pilot…
Her family is suing and claims that American allowed the crewmember to erase the evidence.
The flight attendant apparently hasn’t worked a trip since the incident but is still employed by the airline and was not arrested. According to the FBI, there was no arrest because “by the time they searched his phone, they could not find any incriminating photo or video on it.” The suit accuses the airline of failing “to take immediate actions after the incident.”
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.
TSA is working on three new security systems that reimagine airport checkpoints, investing in technology to screen more passengers effectively using self-service rather than scaling up the number of screeners the government employs. Passengers will start using the first one beginning next month.
Under the new American Airlines pilot contract, for the first time, deadheading pilots receive upgrades ahead of customers to available first class seats at the gate. Officially, in American Airlines computer systems, these pilots are coded with a higher priority even than top status Executive Platinum and even Concierge Key members. AA: "Did know if you saw this but effective today, AA Deadheading pilots traveling under A1DP/A3DP status will now go on the upgrade list as a UPG0, ahead of CK and EP Something about their ratified contract" — JonNYC (@xJonNYC) December 1, 2023 Unsold first class seats now go to employees who are not piloting an aircraft between segments on a trip they’re working. That’s different than commuting to and from their base if they live in a different city than where they’re assigned…
Three former United Airlines executives engaged in a bribery scheme involving renovations at Newark airport. They accepted bribes from a maintenance and construction company to secure a restroom renovation project.
In exchange they received renovations to their own homes, electronics and jewelry and total bribes over $1.2 million. They steered the business to the most expensive contractor, who submitted a two page bid in comparison to dozens of pages for competing contractors. Then the employees inflate contract change orders to help the company recoup its bribe expenses.
On arrival at the airport two days earlier I picked up a sandwich from Tortas Frontera, so I skipped it on this visit. Heading straight to the American Airlines Admirals Club it struck me just how copious the food offerings are… at Delta Sky Clubs, where you’ll find beef, chicken, salads, and sandwiches and many more options as well, all complimentary for guests.
American Airlines sells food in its Admirals Clubs and offers a much more modest spread.
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 service to Australia is up 50% year-over-year. And it’s not just offering more flights, it’s flying larger planes to Melbourne than before.
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 »
