News and notes from around the interweb:
- American Airlines has expanded the international markets where they sell cash upgrades. Honestly I hadn’t realized that they weren’t doing this in several of these – that makes it even more egregious that they eliminated mileage upgrades last year, and now only let you spend miles at a low cash value to pay for these upgrade offers. I’d be really curious to hear from my insider readers what was holding American back here:
- This is awesome – but stupid. There’s no upside in doing this. I’d fire this pilot immediately.
A 777-200LR(F) that’s in the process of preparation for delivery to Qatar was seen making that spectacular low pass over the Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center, in Texas!
Que raso!
Um 777-200LR(F) que está em processo de preparação para entrega para a Qatar foi visto dando esse rasante espetacular sobre o Horseshoe Bay Resort Jet Center, no Texas!
Esse foi baixo! pic.twitter.com/btzClzKiU5
— Eric Breno ✈️🇧🇷 (@EBaviation) June 25, 2026
- Alaska is touting over 150 aircraft equipped with Starlink wifi. That’s good, but it mostly reflects that all regional jets and legacy Hawaiian Airlines Airbus planes have it – the Alaska mainline Boeing fleet has barely been touched. They’ve launched a fleet tracker showing Starlink progress. This low earth orbit satellite connectivity really does make a huge difference inflight.
- Hotel guest settles $45,000 bill with two large solid bricks of cash. (HT: Paul H)
- Did Delta Air Lines paper over sexual harassment by a flight attendant training instructor or are the allegations being manufactured by union organizers?
- Always a good idea to drop your weed before going through customs and immigration checkpoints, actually.
@united on my flight to LHR from Houston on 20 June somebody dropped this. I told staff, but nobody picked it up throughout the flight. Mind you, people get executed in Asia for having weed. pic.twitter.com/tX7pqN5hoQ
— Stonks up down (@Stonksupdown) June 25, 2026
The low pass pilot is a cousin of the captain of the Costa Concordia.
Well, did the desk clerk pocket the $45,000 and pay with his credit card to get points?
When that low pass pilot banked, the wing top couldn’t have been more than about 3 feet off the ground. Dumb.
The AA upgrades looks like point of sale locations not destinations. I read it as if you had a Canada point of sale in CAD you couldn’t transact.
That Alaska “all regional jets” thing is a huge advantage vs SWA to intra-state travel in California and the PNW. Alaska + AA makes a great option for SFO & SAN.