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.
British Airways Shows How Cuts to Quality Destroy an Airline Brand
British Airways no longer has a positive net promoter score among its own customers. They obliterated their reputation very quickly. And data shows that customers have become more likely to leave British Airways for a low cost carrier.
So rather than making BA more competitive, they’ve given up their competitive edge. There are lessons here for US airlines as well.
American Airlines: Nothing But Soup for You!
I don’t even think it matters how “tasty” it is, this reader notes that he “ended up with red stains on [his] white shirt” despite there not even being any turbulence which American might want to consider does sometimes happen. On an airplane.
Won’t Last: Up to 40% Off Tumi Bags
Tumi doesn’t often big sales. It’s expensive luggage, but it’s the archetypal bag for the business traveler. People love their Tumi bags, and they usually pay full price unless they’re just taking whatever’s on clearance. Amazon currently has 3 bags on sale with free Prime shipping and this won’t last, especially at just a smidge over 40% off for this first one: Tumi Vapor Lite Continental Carry-On, Chili, One Size $495 292.83 Tumi Vapor Lite Short Trip Packing Case, Chili, One Size $515 $385 Tumi Tegra-Lite Max International $695 $555 (HT: Pizza in Motion)
Even Losing Their Trade Dispute With Gulf Carriers, the Big US Airlines Have Won
After two and a half years of intense lobbying by Delta, American, and United they haven’t been able to get the US government to abrogate its Open Skies treaty with the UAE and Qatar and impose limits on flights and on price discounting by Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar. The Obama administration flat refused to do it.
Ultimately at this point it appears not to really matter whether the US airlines officially ‘win’ the battle, getting Congress or the administration to take action against the US airlines. They’ve already won by creating background uncertainty.
Three New Things to Know About jetBlue
jetBlue used to offer more legroom than they do today. They also offered a free first checked bag. Their flights still have a touch more room than American, United, and Delta do in coach. They have free wifi.
Their goal is clearly to be just a little bit better than their competitors, while avoiding being substantially better.
10,000 Miles for $16 and oneworld Elite Fast Track Offer
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.
Warning About Booking the Park Hyatt St. Kitts
I want to make sure everyone considering booking this property is aware of their 90 day cancellation policy.
Even using points — versus a prepaid rate — locks you in. In fact it’s worse than that, because when you don’t show up on a points booking Hyatt has you on the hook for an undisclosed amount of cash, rather than merely forfeiting the points.
Amtrak Eliminating and Reducing Discounts Effective January 9
Amtrak is eliminating AAA and student discounts and reducing the senior discount from 15% to 10% and raising the eligibility requirement for that from 62 to 65.
The child discount will also be restricted to 1 per parent down from the current 2 per parent.
American’s Airbus A321 Retrofit Plan and Ultimate Gaming of Tripadvisor Reviews
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.