Earlier today I wrote about new American Airlines international routes. New York JFK – Birmingham and Edinburgh in the UK and Miami – Frankfurt. They’re also launching a second Los Angeles – London flight at the end of March. One Mile at a Time wrote about the routes as well and comes off surprised at the two new U.K. routes. He thinks they’re inconsistent with how American describes their New York strategy. The way I’ve viewed their future in New York is that they’re trying to serve mostly “local” passengers, while most passengers connecting to Europe would route through Philadelphia, for example. I can’t imagine New York to Birmingham or Edinburgh are really big enough markets if the goal is to almost exclusively fly “local” passengers. If they were relying mostly on connecting passengers, Philadelphia…
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Requiem for AirTran A+ Rewards, the Program That Ends Today
Southwest acquired AirTran, and it’s been a long time in process but finally the A+ Rewards program closes down today. Many folks have already linked their accounts and transferred points. Those that didn’t have their points automatically moved over to the Rapid Rewards program. No doubt at the margins there will be some confusion, folks who did not have Rapid Rewards accounts surprised (after all the emails Southwest has been sending, no less) that they can’t access their accounts and don’t know where their points are. And with any large data migration project there will be mistakes, mostly folks that do have Southwest Rapid Rewards accounts but where addresses don’t match and so have new accounts created. No doubt some time on the phone will get that sorted. But what I want to do for…
Are Pets in Cabin Treated Better Than People — Because Airlines Make Big Money on The Fees?
Christopher Elliott writes about a girl flying on Sun Country to and from Los Angeles. in both directions see what seated near a passenger traveling with a dog. The young girl “suffers from pet allergies.” She apparently didn’t say anything on the outbound flight, and suffered from her allergies. She spoke up to the flight attendant on the return flight, and got assistance in changing seats. Sounds like a good solution and problem solved, but instead it becomes the basis for a humans versus animals in the sky piece, with passengers being treated badly by airlines. And for the obligatory Animal Farm reference…
Three Videos You Must See! Takeoff Over the Superstition Mountains, an A380 Takeoff Viewed from the Cockpit, and a Flying Car
This isn’t new at all but it was new to me, shared by D.R.. The video is a flight over Superstition Mountains East of Phoenix. It’s shot as a B17 takes off from Falcon Field in Mesa, and then flies East over the mountains past Apache Junction and on to Canyon Lakes. Stunning backdrops, gorgeous plane, hope you enjoy and feel it was worth sharing. Watch it in full screen! And while we’re doing videos, yesterday I wrote about a car-plane-helicopter that looked like it could become real. Turns out it isn’t the only flying car! Finally, a view of a JFK A380 takeoff from inside the cockpit. The paper chart the co-pilot is handling struck me as odd… You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign…
United Squeezes Seats Further and Even Removes a Lavatory, and Other Shocking News
News and Notes from Around the Interweb: Scott McCartney writes in the Wall Street Journal that United has squeezed its seat pitch down to 30 inches (ouch) on some aircraft, although they claim slimline seats – which I find uncomfortable – create an extra 1.8 inches of legroom. United has also eliminated a lavatory in its new 737-900 configuration, increasing the number of coach passengers per lavatory by about 70%. Turns out the cause of the flooded Qantas A380 was the cleaning mops. Next time you see TSA in line for a coffee… consider that DHS employees charged over $30,000 at Starbucks on their government purchasing cards. (HT: Tocqueville) New American Airlines routes launching in May: New York JFK – Birmingham and Edinburgh in the UK and Miami – Frankfurt. They’re also launching a second…
60 Hours in Buenos Aires: Eating Around the City, Four Notable Meals to Consider
You’ll Also Want to Be Sure to Read: American Airlines Flagship Lounge, New York JFK American Airlines First Class, New York JFK – Buenos Aires Review: Park Hyatt Buenos Aires I had a chance to try some of the best restaurants in Buenos Aires on my recent visit, at least as judged by my own eclectic tastes. Read on and you’ll seen if our preferences match, and if you should pop into some of the same places when you visit. Though I had a relatively good sleep on my American Airlines first class flight from New York, it was still an overnight flight that put me into Buenos Aires before 10 o’clock in the morning. And Buenos Aires is a city that goes late. So despite not having a significant time difference, I followed my…
FARE WAR! Under $1500 Business Class, West Coast – Europe
This one is credit to One Mile at a Time. There are business class roundtrip fares next summer on Skyteam airlines from the West Coast to Europe for less than $1500 roundtrip through end of the schedule. $1500 isn’t cheap per se but it’s about what you’ll often pay for summer travel in economy, and it’s the cheapest regular fares I’ve seen for business class from the West Coast. Here’s what it ‘normally’ costs on other airlines.
How to Find Out If You’ve Won 2 Free Hotel Nights!
Frequent Traveler University, December 5-7, Hyatt Regency Crystal City (near Washington’s National Airport) All you need to do is read this post..! This week I ran a giveaway of free tickets to Frequent Traveler University paired with hotel nights for the event. All you had to do was leave a comment to enter. The event is December 5-7 in Arlington, Virginia and I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone there. Two winners were drawn with the help of random.org. The first winner is Jim: The second winner is David: Both will receive a ticket to Frequent Traveler University and the nights of December 5 and 6 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City, host hotel for the event. If you didn’t win, you can still attend! Make sure to get your tickets for the event. You…
Amelia Earhart’s Plane Possibly Found, Virgin Hires Pilots With No Experience, and the Newest/Coolest Plane on the Market!
News and notes from around the interweb: Bone up on your Spirit Airlines knowlewdge: They charge a ‘passenger usage fee’ for booking online which is funny, since they supposedly axed their ‘web convenience fee’ back in 2008. Sneaky! Your rental car costs more: Avis Budget Achieves First Large Commercial Pricing Gains Since 2009 Not travel: Kevin Bacon Explains the ’80s to Millenials And MH370 Will Thus Be Found in 2091: Has Amelia Earhart’s plane been found? There’s No Experience Like No Experience: Unrelated to the Amelia Earhart developments, Virgin Atlantic launching is an 18 month training program for pilots who have zero experience It’s a Transformer! The airplane-car-helicopter is apparently going to be a thing. You can join the 40,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts…
Discounted Awards to Tahiti, and Half Off Business Class to Europe!
Air France KLM’s Flying Blue program should be interesting to U.S. frequent flyers for several reasons. They offer one-way awards, which Delta won’t have until next year. They are an American Express Membership Rewards and a Citi Thank You points transfer partner. They have access to award space that Delta won’t let you have. They have most of their partners available for online booking Unfortunately their call centers are frustrating, their website can be too (and has been known to show ‘phantom’ award availability, seats that look available but aren’t really here to book). And they add fuel surcharges onto award tickets. One of the great values, historically, has been their ‘promo awards’. Award tickets discounted as much as half the cost of their regular award chart can be a great value, for a relatively…
