I’m headed off for the weekend and don’t plan to take my laptop. I may post something later this evening or Sunday evening, but odds on you’ll be hearing from me again Monday morning. Safe travels!
About Gary Leff
USAirways Survey for 500 Miles
Take a survey on fare rules and service charges for 500 USAirways miles. Do note that these surveys don’t always post.
The hotel I never stayed at
On April 10th I received a mailing from the Wyndham Carmel Valley Ranch in California. It was a copy of a bill for recent two-night stay. However, I did not stay at this hotel. The bill was for a guest with the same name as I have. The person’s credit card number (not mine!) was printed on the bill in its entirety. I emailed Wyndham through their website and received a call back from the hotel a few hours later. A nervous staffer said that someone with the same name as me stayed at the hotel and didn’t give them an address because the booking was done through a travel agent. Since they never got the person’s address, they found a Wyndham ByRequest number matching the name and used the address in my profile to…
Another AA Sweepstakes
This time, they’re offering a chance to win a trip to a National Park including airfare for four, car rental, and lodging.
The future of American Airlines
American’s labor groups — including Flight Attendants — have now approved new wages, averting bankruptcy for the airline. American projects $1.8 billion in annual savings from these agreements. However, the airline lost $3.5 billion last year. While they have made other cuts that they say will save $2 billion, some of those cuts were in force while they were losing $3.5 billion — so they’re farther off from profitability than just adding $1.8 billion and $2 billion together. The airline needs bookings to pick up and the economy to improve or they will continue to lose large sums of money. These labor agreements buy them time to get their house in order and for external conditions to change. But both of those must happen or American will find itself staring bankruptcy in the face again.
Free Delta Miles
Apply by May 15 for the Delta Skymiles American Express and you’ll get bonus miles for signup and they’ll waive the fee for the first year. Get the card, charge something, get the miles, and you’re free to cancel. No cost.
Membership has its privileges
Double Continental’s 1000 mile online booking bonus (through May 31) by paying with American Express.
Only fly domestic?
John Bloom thinks some airlines need to be liquidated and others need to just fly domestic. He may have a point, but unfortunately he fails to make it in the piece. No doubt government subsidies and handouts have kept airlines afloat that should have shut down long ago. After 9/11, government bailout money put the twice bankrupt Midway Airlines back in the air after it shut down. That business plan didn’t work, and so they’re resurrecting themselves as a USAirways express carrier (third time’s the charm?). But giving up international flying isn’t the panacea that Bloom makes it out to be. While there isn’t “some rule that says United, American and Delta are REQUIRED to fly to Moscow and Hong Kong and Sydney?” they certainly should if the route is profitable and shouldn’t if it…
Thank heaven for small favors
The Transportation Security Administration says that it will train its people in Seattle not to violate rights.
Don’t you wish reporters writing about the airline industry actually knew what they were talking about?
Today’s Washington Post story on the Flight Attendants wage concession vote and an impending American Airlines bankruptcy makes the following statement in order to be relevant to the local community: Although [American] is the world’s largest airline, it is one of the smallest in the Washington area. The airline accounts for 9 percent of the flights at Reagan National Airport, 3 percent at Dulles International and 8.7 percent at Baltimore-Washington International. US Airways, Delta Air Lines and Southwest Airlines are the region’s most dominant major carriers. (Emphasis mine) The dominant carrier at Washington-Dulles airport is, of course, United Airlines.
