In a blunt internal message to employees, United Airlines says it has offered flight attendants the highest pay rates in the industry, but claims union leaders are refusing to agree to the needed tradeoffs. After five years without raises, here’s what’s holding up a deal.
Delta Air Lines just handed out a staggering $1.3 billion in profit-sharing bonuses today, giving employees roughly an extra month’s pay—and announced another round of salary raises. Meanwhile, workers at American and United are left with little to no bonuses, highlighting a dramatic gap in compensation and morale across U.S. airlines.
American Airlines says it’s making a premium push, but a recent menu at the Austin Admirals Club tells a very different story—featuring “Sicilian” brisket in the heart of Texas and “angry pasta” that made me mad. It’s a small detail that captures a much bigger problem with how the airline thinks about product and culture.
Passenger Demands $7,000 After American Airlines Spills Wine On Louis Vuitton Bag—Doxes Flight Attendant On TikTok
News and notes from around the interweb: Concessionaires at Denver airport appear to be overcharging customers, violating street pricing rules, across the board: Denver International Airport pricing investigation shows basically every business in the airport is breaking the law There is a law that says items sold can only be marked up 15% from comparable items outside the airport. Here’s how much they are marked up – McDonald’s +114%… pic.twitter.com/pbj8Htcryj — Wall Street Apes (@WallStreetApes) February 11, 2026 On overlapping routes from Chicago-O’Hare, American and United Airlines share almost equal load factors This is such a bad experience. Airlines keep forcing passengers to give up their carry-on bags, even when there’s still plenty of room onboard. Gate agents are afraid that passengers won’t have room at some point, and it’s better to block them from…
Marriott hotels keep quietly selling rooms on Airbnb—often hundreds of dollars cheaper than Marriott.com—despite corporate efforts to stop the practice. Here’s how to snag these secret deals.
Southwest passengers are in disbelief: despite planes flying half-empty, the airline now strictly enforces assigned seats—even preventing passengers from spreading out into empty rows. “Sir, you cannot move like that!” a flight attendant scolded one traveler.
Capital One Landing New York LaGuardia opens next week, and it instantly becomes the best airport dining experience in America. With dazzling design, runway and skyline views, and dishes you’d expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant, this new space makes airport lounges seem second-rate.
After American Airlines flight attendants called for CEO Robert Isom’s removal—and pilots demanded accountability for lagging financial results—Isom recorded a video response promising improvements in operations, profitability, and customer experience. But insiders say he “sounds nervous,” raising doubts about whether the airline’s turnaround plan is strong enough to quell the union revolt.
Southwest Airlines has dominated my home airport in Austin, but I’ve long avoided flying them—not for their bag fees or the boarding process, but because their unreliable wifi crushed productivity. Now, Southwest is finally fixing their biggest problem by rapidly rolling out Starlink wifi, promising internet speeds in the air that rival your home network.
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 »
