Even though the Airbus A330-200s were parked four and a half years ago, that fleet is still only about 13 years old on average. It was larger in quantity and newer than the 9 orphan -300s which were certainly on the way out, even without the pandemic.
These planes were ex-US Airways, from shortly before taking over American, and had just been retrofit to offer premium economy before being parked.
The offer may be somewhat niche, but it also looks pretty strong on first blush, so seems worth flagging for the several of you that will benefit.
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.
Delta Air Lines plans to offer Shake Shack cheeseburgers as a pre-order meal option in domestic first class. This will begin out of Boston on December 1, and expand to other markets “throughout 2025.”
There’s something special about flying a widebody aircraft domestically. These are larger and usually more spacious planes, designed to take passengers across oceans. Many passengers simply find them more enjoyable.
Card, and interchange, are so woven into the fabric of the economy that it’s difficult to even predict the full extent of damage from redistributing money here not just from payment networks but also from consumers to retailers. That’s why Senator Durbin’s attempt to cap credit card swipe fees isn’t just bad policy, it’s literally insane.
President-elect Donald Trump will nominate former Congressman and current Fox personality Sean Duffy as Secretary of Transportation.
With their bankruptcy filing, they’ve laid out the changes they believe are necessary to turn around the airline’s performance. And it’s taking further the notion that they need a different product to appeal to today’s consumers, especially in an environment of higher costs. They plan free wifi; free water and snacks for all; and improved customer service. They’re also planning improved upgrades for elite frequent flyers.
Capital One Landing DCA is the first fine dining airport restaurant that’s free with the right credit card. The food is spectacular, and you can even make reservations.
It sounds like they’re planning to address food and beverage deficiencies, though, in a really serious way. According to aviation watchdog JonNYC who has been sharing details on Twitter and on Bluesky, Delta is launching “pretty ambitious upgrades to several aspects of on board food and drink” along with servingware and service flow.
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 »
