American Airlines is basically break-even for the year—despite a loyalty program that throws off enormous profit. The paradox is the story: AAdvantage prints money, but the airline’s core flying operation has been bleeding it away, reflecting years of wrong-market focus, fleet decisions, and a pivot away from premium just as the industry moved the other direction.
Southwest’s new seat fees aren’t just changing over time — they’re changing by passenger, even when two travelers are looking at the same seat on the same flight. In one example, a Companion Pass flyer saw an exit row seat priced at $45 for them but $26 for their companion, and similar screenshots and reports are piling up across social media.
The Bilt Palladium card showed up before I can even use it — and yes, the mirror-finish metal is pure gimmick and still ridiculously fun. But the real reason I’m excited is the math: between Bilt Cash and Rent Day transfer bonuses, the earn rate can reach 7.4 partner points per dollar on everyday spend if you stack it the right way.
American just made Wi-Fi free on most planes — but if you’re on the $50-a-month subscription, the charges keep coming unless you cancel. The monthly plan still bills even though it covers the same aircraft that now offer free access (the only difference is you can skip the AT&T ad), so it’s worth emailing subscription.wifi@aa.com right away.
American Express is tightening Centurion Lounge access again — targeting guests who are not on the same flight and limiting long connection layovers to five hours. It sounds like a crackdown, but it misses the real driver of the lines: too many cardmembers with effectively unlimited entry relative to lounge capacity, so crowding won’t change until access is capped.
Southwest’s recent Rapid Rewards devaluation wasn’t just a random squeeze—it appears tied directly to the airline’s new bag and seat fees and a renegotiated Chase co-brand deal. By allocating more of Chase’s partnership payments to “benefits” like checked bags and seat assignments (instead of future travel liability for points), Southwest can recognize more revenue immediately—and the points become worth less because less of that money is being “spent” on things other than flights.
United is offering a paid “upgrade” to 1K status for $12,670—and marketing it as a discount. Also: an airport self-checkout tip screen that defaults to 18% while adding a card surcharge, American’s corporate-travel claims vs the revenue reality, why American still needs widebodies, disgusting cabin trash behavior, and a Delta One etiquette thread that’s hard to unsee.
I got my card when the offer was just 80,000 points and I was super happy with that. I only wish I’d waited until right now to apply, because the limited time launch offer for the card has actually been improved upon.
American’s CEO Robert Isom looks more vulnerable than ever: the airline is barely profitable, its strategy has lagged rivals for years, and a winter-storm meltdown exposed deep operational fragility—enough that flight attendants are openly calling for his ouster. But American’s board has a long history of sticking with leadership through failure, which may be the strongest reason he survives even if the case for change is obvious.
A couple apparently booked in economy sat themselves in Turkish Airlines business class, got caught during boarding, refused to move, and—shockingly—ended up being allowed to stay put rather than further delaying the flight. The catch came after takeoff: flight attendants served everyone else in business class while pointedly refusing to give the self-upgraders food and drinks, turning their “win” into a very public lesson in how far you can push it.
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 »
