There a fascinating piece from Aerotime explaining the consequences of avoiding flights over Eastern Ukraine. Following the MH-17 crash near Donetsk in July 2014, the Ukrainian and international aviation authorities promptly reviewed their safety recommendations and closed the airspace over Simferopol and Dnepropetrovsk FIRs. Though some airlines had started re-routing their flights several months before the official restrictions came into effect, the crash and the subsequent complete closure of the air over the Eastern parts of Ukraine have led to a significant drop in the overall number of flights over the Ukrainian territory. This change is costly to airlines because of the increased fuel burn flying around the territory, and it’s a financial windfall for neighboring countries because airlines have to pay to overfly them. The interesting part here isn’t the longer flight times which…
About Gary Leff
Air Marshals Scheduling Work Assignments for Vacations and Sexual Meetups, and That’s Not Even the Real Scandal. This Is.
We’ve all long suspected it, now it’s become public that air marshal flight schedules get changed to accommodate affairs they’re having or cities they’d like to travel to for free. “I think she put the offer out to quite a few (federal air marshals) and managers, literally acting like a travel agent,” retired air marshal Sonya Hightower told Reveal. “I think a lot of people were aware she was doing some of these things, but no one wants to comment on it. If everybody’s getting hooked up, nobody’s going to say anything.” Now, more than 60 government employees are under investigation as officials find if at-risk flights were left without air marshals. …D’Antonio looked up “personnel files, identification photographs and flight schedules to pinpoint air marshals she was interested in meeting and possibly dating.” This…
Hypocrisy Alert: Gulf Airlines Got Money to Finance Their Aircraft. Guess Where US Aircraft Financing Came From?
A couple of weeks ago I wrote US Airlines Should Shut Up About Having to Compete Against Gulf Carriers. I thought that would be my last word on the dustup between US airlines and Gulf carriers, with US carriers complaining to the government that they have to face unfair competition and the Chairman of Delta (partner with Saudi Arabia’s national airline) resorting to associating Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar Airways with 9/11 terrorism. But Alan H. pointed me to this New York Times piece which gives further coverage to the report by airline lobbyists (which they refuse to release publicly) that claims Gulf carriers have received $38 billion in subsidies. (All reports note that the report is 55 pages, though claim not to have seen it.) When I read this claim: Etihad alone received $17 billion…
A United Award Booking Hack, No Seat Assignments for Elites, Delta Award Booking Improvement, and Hilton’s IT Still Bad
News and notes from around the interweb: How to put United award tickets on hold French Polynesia’s tourism minister says Air Tahiti Nui will join oneworld. (HT: Jean T. for the article, in French) Already American AAdvantage frequent flyers can spend miles for Air Tahiti Nui flights. It used to be possible to earn AAdvantage miles on Air Tahiti Nui. Interestingly, joining the alliance would raise the airline’s costs allowing for mileage accrual in a variety of programs, though presumably it would help encourage passengers to fly them instead of Air France and Air New Zealand. Seven years ago the rumor was they’d be joining Skyteam. British Airways ‘Hand baggage only’ fares (which don’t even allow elites to have free checked bags – an exception to alliance-wide benefits) will no longer allow advance seat assignments…
FREE MONEY: Sign Up to Receive Payment from the Airline Price-Fixing Settlement
Several airlines have settled a price fixing lawsuit and you may be entitled to a very small share of the settlement if you purchased a ticket to Asia or the South Pacific in the past 15 years. No doubt the class action share will be small, but it’s not much effort, and you will just be asked for trip details and won’t need to dig up any documents. In 2009 a class action lawsuit was filed against Air New Zealand, Air France, and Continental for price fixing between the US and Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands. The case later expanded. And in August 2014 there was an agreement for a $30 million settlement with Air France, Japan Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Thai Airways, Malaysia Airlines, and Cathay Pacific. In September Qantas and Singapore Airlines agreed…
Barclaycard Will Issue FOUR Different American Airlines Credit Cards
I receive compensation for many links on this blog. You don’t have to use these links, but I am grateful to you if you do. American Express, Citibank, Chase, and other banks are advertising partners of this site. I do not write about all credit cards that are available — instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Back in October we learned that Barclaycard would issue two American Airlines credit cards once the US Airways and American frequent flyer programs merge. It turns out that was – literally – only half right. Barclaycard is losing the ability to issue new US Airways/American credit cards with the merger, and Citi will get that right exclusively in the U.S. US Airways and American are merging frequent flyer…
United Introduces Premium ‘ps’ Service, Boston – Los Angeles
United is putting a ‘ps’ Boeing 757 onto one of its two daily Boston – Los Angeles flights this summer. Between July 2 and August 17, United will fly: 8:30am – 5:01pm, Los Angeles – Boston, UA528 6:00pm – 9:11pm, Boston – Los Angeles, UA717 This move is interesting for several reasons: United ran Boston – Los Angeles with this premium ‘international-style’ seating for several days in November. When they have extra capacity with the aircraft to fly a roundtrip cross country flight, they seem to decide to put it on the Boston route. It’s fully flat seating, but with the standard domestic product and upgrade rules. Elites can get complimentary upgrades on these flights. Boston – Los Angeles is a high yield route compared to other cross country flights (aside from New York –…
When You’re Frustrated By Your Airline’s Flight Delays, Don’t Do This.
Sit-ins, refusing to leave the aircraft, are becoming a thing in Iran to protest poor operational performance of Iranian airlines. Iranian news media have cited several recent incidents in which passengers enduring prolonged delays have refused to leave aircraft once their planes belatedly arrived at their destinations, sometimes as much as 22 hours late. In some cases, the on-board sit-ins have lasted for several hours, according to media reports here. When you’re frustrated that your airline isn’t getting you to your destination on time, what you want to do when you finally get there is get of the plane not prolong your flight by hours. Passengers blame ‘top officials’ for chronic delays, though they are circumspect when doing so. “People got very angry and exchanged insults with local officers and even started criticizing top officials…
Manufacture 14.3 Billion Miles With Credit Cards, How Many Cards Can You Get from Each Bank, and the Real Reason the A380 Fails?
News and notes from around the interweb: How many credit cards will each bank let you have? Air Tahiti Nui buying 2 Boeing 787s. The Papeete-based carrier which flies to Tokyo, Auckland, Los Angeles and Paris (via Los Angeles) will use them to replace A340s. We can probably expect a new lie flat business class in dense configuration. Parents owe $14.3 billion in unpaid child support. Is it just me, or does it make you think: 14.3 billion miles in potential manufactured spend? American Airlines to phase out complimentary cabin pressurization (from The Onion and HT: Kevin D.) Are United and American looking at flying to New Zealand? Speculation is United could fly a 787 from San Francisco to Auckland, and American could fly from Los Angeles (one imagines a 787 as well). Air New…
The Last Hotel Internet Domino Falls. Hilton Will Offer Free WiFi, But There Are Catches…
IHG Rewards came out with internet for everyone a year ago (though of course most of their hotels already gave it to everyone as a brand standard, only the upper-tier ones did not and in certain regions). And Marriott announced this two months ago, with a restriction of having to book through Marriott channels. Starwood launched announced free internet in December and started offering it a month ago. They require bookings to be made through a Starwood channel to be eligible. Days later Hyatt announced free internet — no loyalty program membership or booking channel requirement whatsoever. That left Hilton dangling out there as the only major US chain still charging the bulk of its guests for internet. That couldn’t be sustainable, and indeed they emailed this morning to say they’re going to offer free…
