News and notes from around the interweb:
- Frequency of airline mileage devaluations over the last 10 years Note that I do not endorse the underlying data, I have tracked more AAdvantage devaluations than this source has.
Airline Devaluation Time (Expectation Value) Standard Deviation Delta 1.00 years 0.42 years United 1.67 years 1.05 years Southwest 2.00 years 0.88 years Alaska 2.00 years 1.11 years AA 5.00 years 2.23 years ( sqrt(5)) - Here’s the layout for United’s Airbus A321XLR – interesting to see that small galley in front of the starboard rear lavatory.
UA: XLR layout pic.twitter.com/BHXyAhHmPk
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 5, 2025
- Currently anticipating a December 18 first commercal flight for the American Airlines Airbus A321XLR:
with this same level of certainty/clarity (i.e. NONE,) I’d say the **tentative** best guess for the first *possible* XLR transcon would be December 18th, JFK-LAX
— JonNYC (@xJonNYC) September 5, 2025
- As Las Vegas continues its introspection over having priced its guests out of the market, two of the five examples of the most maddening nickel and diming customers face there originated on this site. (‘Fee and Loathing in Las Vegas’)
- Here are two stylized facts about U.S. airports: (1) they are government-owned (unlike most of the world) but they are owned by local governments, and (2) they receive federal funds, so the government attaches a whole bunch of rules for how they can spend their money.Local governments have to spend airport revenue at the airport. They can’t take revenue generated by their asset and use it to help the local community elsewhere. Otherwise, those federal airport grant dollars would essentially be getting siphoned off for other programs like parks, police and social services.
Some airports, though, have way too much money! And so instead of addressing local fiscal crises with the money, they do things like the DFW Airport board running a procurement for straw hats and a customized hat banding service.
- 19 surprising airport amenities (HT: Paul H) Fort Wayne, Indiana has free cookies for passengers.
- Amex replacing Visa as NFL sponsor
LV is all about your status. Given my action I am almost always comped w the room, don’t pay resort fees or parking, can check in early w no problem (or cost) and get other comps in the way of drinks from the bar, food and shows.
Trust me LV still takes care of their valued guests. It is the once a year visitors that are hit with most of these and many times their action doesn’t move the needle for casinos
At Delta it’s a Premium Devaluation.
@ Gary — THIS is why Delta is the most dishonest and thieving of all airlines. The fact that they’ve not had a devalutuon for 2 years may indicate that they dont have many good ways left to steal from their loyal customers.
“Standard deviation” with n = 2 lmao, it’s not just the underlying data that are bad. The analysis is done by a poseur.
Maybe I’m lucky on my common route (TPA-XPL), but my aadvantage miles are buying me twice the flights as they used to. A few years ago, a RT economy cost us 30k per person; today it is around 17k. We almost always get upgraded, which never used to happen.
I can personally testify to AA’s devaluation rate.
I wonder how foreign airlines, e.g., BA, AF, KLM would stack up in this chart?