Lounges got better, access expanded, and banks taught travelers to treat “free” as something to maximize at all costs — so now people wait in long lines to enter crowded rooms, hoard food, and turn what was supposed to feel premium into something closer to wartime siege.
Uber has stumbled onto a much better rental car idea by letting customers skip the counter and shuttle bus and have a car delivered to them instead. The problem is that the service (1) short-changes drivers, so they become unreliable and (2) still rides on Avis – as a result delays, uncertainty, and support failures keep it from becoming the premium product the market needs.
Paying thousands of dollars a year in credit card annual fees sounds irrational. But by stacking the right premium cards — and actually using the benefits — it’s possible to come out far ahead.
A Delta passenger says a man who had spent 11 hours at the airport bar started smacking a sleeping traveler, yanking another passenger’s headphones out, and trying to turn the flight into a party before crew removed him. The contrast with Spirit is almost too perfect: on one airline that gets you kicked off, on the other the rest of the passengers are just down with it?
Delta has finally made its new business class suites official for the Airbus A350-1000 and refreshed A330s, with longer beds, more privacy, and the usual premium-cabin polish. But the more important news for most travelers may be that Delta is also putting real effort into the back of the plane, adding more cushioning, larger screens, USB-C power, Bluetooth audio, and they even claim a little more spaciousness in coach.
A flight attendant turns tea service into a one-pour show at 35,000 feet, with a long, steady stream that somehow lands perfectly cup after cup. Also: an Icelandair pilot gets reported to police over a retirement low flyover, Lufthansa starts charging refund fees on flexible tickets, American serves another grim-looking meal, and Delta’s premium image takes another hit.
United’s cheapest business class fares are turning out to be more punitive than first advertised: beyond losing Polaris lounge access, seat selection, and no changes, many travelers will also earn no redeemable miles and get no flight credit toward status.
Ralph Nader says TSA confiscated a container of hummus, turning airport security into yet another absurd fight over what counts as a dangerous liquid. Also McDonald’s devalues rewards, Kamala Harris picks the wrong premium cabin, Pand American’s domestic first class caviar gets put to the test.
American Airlines finally has pilot trading cards, but the airline did not create them — the pilot union did, filling a small but telling gap that even Spirit and Frontier had already managed to cover, underscoring how American spent years missing the little customer-facing details.
Readers are reporting surprisingly generous approvals for Citi new premium credit card. The Strata Elite currently offers an initial bonus and credits I value at $2,300 total in the first cardmember year, making it one of the most lucrative new card launches in years.
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 »
