I didn’t plan to be a guinea pig for Southwest’s first day of assigned seating, but after American’s storm cancellations and operational meltdown I rebooked—and got a front-row seat to the new boarding reality. Seats may now be assigned, but the gate process still forces early queuing while carry-on bin space turns the aisle into a traffic jam, with passengers backtracking to stow bags and flight attendants trying to manage the pile-ups
Passengers on an American Airlines Hartford–Charlotte flight say they were seated on the plane when they heard “rushing water,” then watched a pipe burst and water start gushing from the back of the cabin, pooling down the aisle across multiple rows. The infuriating twist: they say American treated the cancellation as “weather-related,” meaning no hotel help—an ugly look in the middle of a storm week when the airline’s broader recovery has already been far rougher than its competitors.
Avelo has a new co-brand card built with Cardless (issued by First Electronic Bank) that offers a $250 Avelo Cash bonus after $1,000 spend and 2% back on everything (5% on Avelo). The real value is in the perks—free carry-on, standard seat assignment, and priority boarding—which can make the $99 annual fee pay for itself if you fly Avelo even a couple of times a year.
American Airlines flight attendants called for the ouster of its CEO in a new letter on Tuesday. The airline’s operations have been melting down for days, with significant consequences to flight attendants. But the union’s focus is on the poor financial performance of the airline – and what that means for profit sharing. They complain about “a pattern of failure under the leadership of CEO Robert Isom” and call for “new leadership.”
Delta’s widebody buying spree didn’t end with its recent Boeing 787-10 order. The airline has now signed for 16 Airbus A330-900s and 15 Airbus A350-900s (with options for more), with deliveries beginning in 2029—giving Delta earlier lift than the 787s and adding longer-range capability for future international growth.
American’s winter-storm disruption has turned into something worse than weather: nearly 10,000 cancellations and reports that the airline has effectively lost track of crews, leaving flights short of pilots or flight attendants even when aircraft are ready to go. As scheduling and hotel support break down, flight attendants describe being stranded for days—some sleeping on airport floors—while the system struggles to pair rested crews with departures.
Philippine Airlines flight PR113 from Los Angeles to Manila faced a mid-Pacific lavatory failure—and while the airline says it prepared for a possible diversion to Guam, crew onboard tells a different story. Flight attendants reportedly were instructed to manually handle human waste, disposing of it by hand, rather than divert the Boeing 777.
American flight attendants are furious after learning their 2025 profit sharing works out to just 0.3%—about $150 for a $50,000 employee—while Delta crews are getting roughly four weeks of pay. The timing is brutal: as winter-storm cancellations overwhelm hotel/limo operations, crews are reporting they’re stuck sleeping in airports because they can’t secure rooms.
Passengers boarding IrAero flight RD382 from Irkutsk (IKT) to Mama (UIKM) thought they were getting a normal regional turboprop—until the airline swapped in an Antonov An-26 configured like a freighter, with travelers (including kids) on folding sidewall seats and luggage strapped down the center aisle. IrAero says it’s a legitimate combi configuration, but prosecutors are looking at complaints that passengers weren’t warned in advance—an ugly snapshot of what “making do” can say about aviation under sanctions.
Bilt’s next Rent Day is February 1—and it’s the first one where the new Bilt Cash currency can be used to boost transfer bonuses. The headline deal is an Accor transfer bonus of up to 125% (tiered by status), with the option to spend Bilt Cash to step up to the next bonus level.
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 »
