News and notes from around the interweb:
- Callback to: American Airlines CEO Robert Isom makes clear, Our Priority Is “Not Spending Any More Than We Have To” (I guess the next item is an example of this, too.)
@AmericanAir yooo who is in charge of cleaning these sticky armrests hahaha pic.twitter.com/QTwMlvXQtp
— BENJI BOY (@BenjaminJo97425) November 6, 2025
- American Airlines serving pretzels that expired 8 months ago. (The last digit is a clear 5—the extra stroke that makes it look like a 6 is just background text showing through the wrapper.)
Pretty sure @AmericanAir served me very expired pretzels. pic.twitter.com/6BBeXPvXVb
— Josh (@therealjoshf) November 7, 2025
- My Mackinac Center public talk this past week on managing travel during the government shutdown, credit card interchange, airline joint ventures and the future of elite status (basically, it was an ask me anything). I was speaking later in the day to legislative staffers.
- Overloaded baggage cart plunges into the water in Bali
- At the New Orleans airport. What’s the William Watson Purkey line? “You’ve gotta dance like there’s nobody watching, Love like you’ll never be hurt, Sing like there’s nobody listening, And live like it’s heaven on earth.”
- 40% bonus on transfers from Chase to Virgin Atlantic through November 21. 40% is very good! And, with big surcharges, Virgin awards can be quite reasonably priced (or not). If transatlantic coach is your thing it’s downright cheap. And this can be a great way to redeem ANA premium cabin awards if you can find the space. But I wouldn’t transfer proactively without a clear near-term use.
One positive about the FAA reducing flights by 10%, the airlines will be able to take some equipment out of service for cleaning and repairs. I do hope they take advantage of the opportunity.
@David P — I wish, but… oh, how naive… these are businesses, not charities… Isom would rather let dust collect than pay for cleaning… you know, him and his $31,400,000 compensation in 2023… a true ‘man of the people.’
It’s so sad to see American Airlines, once GREAT airline, fail in so many ways.
@RPCV — Southwest (after private equity took it over): “Hold my beer.”
Very clearly a “6” on the pretzels when you blow it up. Look and you will see. The pretzels were not expired.
March of 2025 isn’t even close to “very expired.” That was only 8 months ago for a presumably sealed bag of salted pretzels. Shut up and eat them; you won’t die. Sheesh.
@Allen — Nice ‘Sheesh’… how about an ‘Oof’ or a ‘Yikes,’ too?
I’d eat the pretzels without too much hestiation. “They’re more like guidelines anyway” (Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl)
@1990 — Hey now, ‘oof’ is my thing on here
Quickn unrelated PSA: today is 15x Lululemon on Rakuten – I just got 1000+ MP stacking with $75 quarterly Plat credit for anyone who hasn’t used that yet (And use Gary’s link for a $50 bonus if you don’t have Rakuten )
It’s clearly a 6 on the bag of pretzels with some of the lower-left vertical part rubbed off or missing. The top of a 5 is flat, not curved like that.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” ― Theodore Roosevelt
You might want to re-read your headline.
That is definitely a six on the pretzels with part of it just misprinting. Who the hell prints a 5 with a curved top? I’m not trying to defend the airline but if you let things like that slip by its going to make people think you’re reaching with everything.
Just flew JFK-SNA on AA in J. It was my best AA flight in years even wirh a delay. The FA and gate agent made an excellent experience. So much is shaped by the interaction with front line workers and how they engage with their guests. While I can always find issues, for the price I paid and the service I received, AA delivered for me today.
@L737 — Wowza! Epic stacking. Then, you can transfer Rakuten to BILT then to Hyatt or Alaska for maximum value… quite the shuffle goin’ on there!
@1990 — Woo hoo! How dreadfully exciting
Unfortunately, I see this mentality more and more. But in a different way. What I’m seeing more of is we don’t have to spend money on human expertise we can save money by having “tech enable solutions” which is a fancy name for AI bots. I was going to work to age 70 but I think next year when I turn 67 I’m out.
And there you have it…..why a once great International Carriere has been ruined since a gaggle of buffoons took over its management. What was left out was that you can still pay millions and millions of dollars to executives who are total failures.