Monthly Archives for April 2024.
FBI agents complain that Southwest Airlines is frustrating to deal with in unruly passenger situations on aircraft because passengers can’t easily be identified by their seat assignment.
Of course there are two other huge advantages seat assignments will bring,
After Thursday’s tense showdown between American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and the head of the airline’s flight attendant’s union, it may seem like the parties are farther apart than ever. They’re not.
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.
A 30-year old American has been arrested after two bullets were found in his backpack prior to boarding a cruise in Turks & Caicos. He now faces 12 years in prison. The Virginia resident is a father of an 18-month old child and says he didn’t realize the bullets were there.
We just heard this story about another American last week. It stems from a change in Turks & Caicos law based on a new court ruling in February, and from TSA’s persistent failure to catch bullets going through security checkpoints at U.S. airports.
Adapting to the new world of no change fees, and getting things done online or in an airline app, American Airlines has made an important change to roundtrip tickets. It is now possible to cancel a roundtrip ticket online, even after you’ve started flying the itinerary, and get a credit to use later.
You should get up as soon as the seat belt sign turns off especially if you’re in the aisle. That doesn’t mean you should shove ahead of other passengers. You should not. But if other passengers are taking their time getting up, and there’s an opening where you won’t block anyone else or slow them down, by all means go ahead of them. That keeps the disembarkation process moving, and gets everyone else off the plane quicker.
Hilton Honors offers free 90 days of status to anyone with current elite status in a major hotel program that has stayed at a hotel at least once in the last 24 months. Then, if you stay with them you can keep or upgrade the status – valid for nearly two full years at this point.
The offer has been available for some time but it’s just been changed.
Customers won’t choose an airline that doesn’t get them where they’re going. But those are table stakes. Delta and United have pursued a premium strategy. American isn’t. But with American’s high costs, they need to earn a revenue premium for their product. That means customers need to spend more – on premium products, and choosing them over competitors.
The airline’s first quarter losses, and continued financial underperformance compared to Delta and United, show that improved operations aren’t enough. They’re just a start. Airline management, though, doesn’t seem to understand this.
Friday’s Denver to Omaha United flight 1279 landed at around 4:45 p.m. – but appears to have been on the ground for over an hour before making it to the gate. The flight landed during a tornado warning. While it sat on the tarmac, a tornado hit the ground at 5:08 p.m.
The airport was temporarily shut down to evaluate the extent of the storm’s impact. The main terminal remained intact, but general aviation on the eastern side of the airport suffered damage.
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.
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 »
