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 new American Airlines flight attendants contract gives crew immediate 18% – 20.5% raises, starts paying them (at half pay) during boarding during the first time, and adopts Delta’s generous profit-sharing formula. They also get changes to work rules, meal costs on the road and retirement contributions. It was likely the most they could get from an airline that underperforms financially, putting them on equal footing or slightly above the next-best paid flight attendants in the industry. But it doesn’t give them everything they’d hoped for.
Online, flight attendants are griping.
People have been joining the ‘Mile High Club’ since 1916 when Lawrence Burst Sperry, inventor of the autopilot, took a Curtis C-2 Flying Boat off the coast of Long Island and spent time with a woman whose husband was off in World War I. They crashed the plane into the bay and were rescued – naked – by duck hunters.
According to a source close to the matter but not authorized to speak, a long-term deal was reached. The parties should be announcing it soon.
Airport lounges used to be the domain of business travelers, with bars and business centers. But the face of travel, and premium travel, has changed. There’s far more premium leisure than there used to be and lounges frequently cater to families.
Sometimes it seems like club lounges are really just daycare centers?
The single best way to protect yourself against airline screwups is to make more than one flight booking, on two different airlines. This has been made much easier and less costly by changes to airline policies since the pandemic.
Brand reputation matters a great deal in luxury. Customer experience matters a great deal in luxury. So while they want to compete to grow scope, joining the race to the bottom puts luxury at greatest risk. It’s an even more dangerous game for Hyatt to choose to play than Marriott.
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.
Each month they offer double points on the 1st for spending with their co-brand credit card. All non-rent spend doubles, and that doesn’t mean just an extra point. Dining earns 3 points per dollar with their card, so earns 6 points per dollar on the first. Travel earns 2 points normally, so earns 4 points on the first.
American Airlines and its flight attendants have a tentative agreement on a new contract, four and a half years after the last one became amendable.
Details of the five year deal are now public. Between immediate pay rate changes and the addition of boarding pay, flight attendants will receive up to 28% raises immediately the month following contract ratification. And they’ll get full retro pay for the time spent without a new contract, which can be over $25,000 per crewmember.
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 »
