Alaska Airlines acquired Virgin America and becomes the nation’s 5th largest airline with enough heft to compete against the ‘big 4’ at least on the West Coast.
They were forced by the Department of Justice to limit their codesharing with American Airlines. However Alaska and Delta are walking away from partnering with each other entirely.
Two weeks ago Pakistan International Airlines suffered a crash of an ATR 42 turboprop. After the incident they grounded their ATR fleet, and subbed in C-130 military cargo planes flying passengers on benches because those planes are able to operate at some of the country’s more challenging airports.
Before bringing the ATRs back into service, PIA employees sacrificed a goat next to a plane at the Islamabad International Airport.
The US airline industry is at an all-time high for employment. US airlines are making a plurality of the world airline profits. Yet Delta, United, and American feel so threatened that they want the US government to protect them from competition by Emirates, Etihad and Qatar — raising prices on US consumers and reducing flight convenience and choice.
Meanwhile in the Gulf, Etihad is announcing layoffs.
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.
Three years ago — six months after Hyatt and MGM launched what practical amounts to hotel codesharing, with reciprocal earn and burn and elite status matching (that’s being somewhat diluted with the new World of Hyatt program) — Starwood and Caesars teamed up in a slightly less extensive deal.
However the Starwood-Caesars partnership is ending December 31.
But as time crept on and it was more and more likely things were headed south, I wanted to get away from the weather. That meant getting out of Washington DC that night, and heading South. I wanted the only seat I could get to some place warm.
I’d catch a few hours of sleep, clock in my 100th Starwood night of the year at a 3000 point airport Aloft.
Star Alliance member Avianca has fares from Los Angeles to Madrid, Barcelona, or London roundtrip (or into one, back from the other) from $2003 roundtrip. That’s flying nothing but business class on new Boeing 787s, and earning miles with your choice of Star Alliance airlines — credit to and earn elite status credit with United.
I grew up in New York in the 1980s (and late 1970s), when it was a very different place than it is now. I never carried a wallet in my back pocket until the 1990s, having left the state. I didn’t even know people ever did that. The only time anyone has ever tried to pickpocket me was in an Indian temple in PJ, outside Kuala Lumpur. I’ve never had issues on Las Ramblas in Barcelona, even.
The security manager for Swiss International Airlines told an audience at Borderpol, a private security conference for border control agencies, that the special meal you order could help profile you as a terrorist.
I received an email from American telling me how the new revenue-based earning is for a customer like me, because on one trip I where I actually bought first class I earned almost as many miles as I would have before (miles which don’t go as far because they devalued their award chart).
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 »
