It would be a shame to see Flagship First Class disappear from American Airlines. I’d far rather see them invest in a truly first class product. They have Flagship First Class Dining, Five Star service on the ground, and aircraft selling the product already. And it’s a market that few airlines compete against them to service. Modest tweaks would go a long way, but unfortunately signs point in the opposite direction.
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.
As travel returns, airlines have been looking to juice their elite ranks. One way they do that is by poaching customers from competitors. It’s hard to attract a customer used to elite treatment and asking them to start with your business at the bottom. So giving them an easy path to switch makes sense.
Now another airline has entered the fray. LATAM will match the status of customers with any other frequent flyer program of an airline operating in the region.
Earlier this year American Airlines told a former Miss Universe that her athleisure wear wouldn’t fly.
Yet at its hub in Miami, dress codes are interpreted differently. The best part of this photo isn’t the women in swimsuits checking in with American Airlines, it’s the ‘no big deal’ expressions on the faces of American’s agents. Click the tweet for full photo.
We’re a week away from the expiration of the transportation mask mandate, and masks are generally required only on planes, trains, buses and automobiles (and in certain backward parts of the country, preschools). However Philadelphia just imposed an indoor mask mandate and that potentially makes it more difficult for the Biden administration to take a more permissive (albeit purely symbolic) stance. However we’re no longer in a place where public mandates are needed.
We’re not just looking at a new seat, but also more premium seats. I wrote last fall that American Airlines is planning to put more business class seats on planes. That’s true both for their widebodies and also their Airbus A319s.
We’re getting some sense now just what this means from two separate recent reports that I’ve confirmed.
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.
There were wet pants and faces of desperation on JetBlue flight 1830 from Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to Boston Saturday as the 3 hour 50 minute flight operated without a working lavatory. JetBlue disputes this story.
Jeff Bezos says the biggest mistake businesses make is not focusing most on what customers want. However Marriott’s CEO – who says workers make too much money and guests need to have more sympathy for hotel ownership groups – says his chain needs to modify brand standards to “consider franchisee feedback and..focus on reducing costs.”
Two hoteliers and hospitality consultants are pushing back, making the case that the hotel industry is living a big lie.
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.
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 »
