A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
In the aftermath of the David Dao dragging incident in April, several airlines revamped their policies around paying denied boarding compensation. In September Delta paid out $4000 in travel credit to a woman flying to South Bend, Indiana for a Georgia Bulldogs – Notre Dame game. She still made it in the night before the game.
On December 19th American Airlines flight AA150 from Chicago O’Hare to Paris went mechanical just prior to boarding. Instead of cancelling or delaying the flight to the next day, they swapped out the planned Boeing 787-9 with 285 seats for a Boeing 787-8 which has just 226 seats.
A drunk man went on a tirade on a jetBlue flight departing Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic.
Before things really heat up you see passengers walking in the aisle, dealing with luggage in the overhead bin, and hear the flight attendant call button pressed repeatedly. A flight attendant announces that “if you continue to press the call button, you’re gonna be staying here in Santo Domingo. If yo continue to press it playing games you will be staying here in Santo Domingo.”
That’s when the passenger loses it.
The male pilot and female co-pilot of Jet Airways flight 9W 119 from London to Mumbai got into a fight on New Years Day. He slapped her. She reportedly left the cockpit ‘sobbing’. He repeatedly called crew asking them to send her back. And then things got worse.
In the U.S. it used to be common for airlines to roll back unpopular changes after a customer outcry. Airlines were afraid of losing business.
It’s especially gratifying to see an airline — anywhere in the world — make a change, get pushback, and quickly reverse itself.
Delta Airlines is being sued for discrimination against Jewish employees and nonrev passengers flying to Israel.
Flight attendants claim to have been fired, denied advancement, or suspended because of their Jewish faith or over friendships with Jews. Delta vigorously denies the claim. It’s not the first time Delta has been accused of anti-semitism.
On New Years Day Ryanair flight FR8164 from London Stansted to Malaga was delayed about an hour on departure. After reaching Spain the plane was further delayed half an hour on the tarmac. And an impatient passenger decided “I’m mad as hell and I’m not going to take this anymore.”
Two and a half years ago the Department of Justice announced that they were investigating the US airlines for unlawful collusion to limit capacity and increase airfares.
It struck me as bizarre to investigate airlines for collusion over pricing while prices were falling. And odder still for the government to sign off on mergers and anti-trust immunized joint ventures and find themselves ‘shocked’ that there’s less competition.
Last month Singapore Airlines announced new fare types going into effect January 20.
‘Economy lite’ fares — Singapore’s Basic Economy fare buckets Q, N, V, and K — aren’t just going to mean paid advance seat selection. While this wasn’t announced at the time, Singapore will also be imposing a 1.3% credit card surcharge to Economy Lite reservations originating in Singapore.
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 »
