Category Archives for Airlines.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom used an internal employee meeting to lay out a real shift in priorities. After years of chasing lower costs and more seats, American is now telling employees the way out is revenue: better customer experience, more premium demand, network growth, and a stronger AAdvantage program.
Robert Isom addressed the airline deal rumors employees were already talking about internally: United, Alaska and Spirit. United is a hard no, Alaska is the partnership American wants to expand, and Spirit is not a fit — though American would consider assets and stranded passengers.
Delta passengers say they flagged a first officer who appeared intoxicated before their Charlottesville–Atlanta flight, and law enforcement ultimately removed her from the aircraft. Delta called it a “safety issue,” but the flight did not leave for nearly 10 hours — finally departing after midnight with a new crew.
Delta still benefits from the strongest premium brand halo among U.S. airlines, but more and more of the actual experience no longer lives up to that image. From weaker-than-advertised first class catering to lagging wifi, aging business class seats, and a reliability edge that is not what it once was, the gap between Delta’s reputation and what customers actually get is starting to widen.
United CEO Scott Kirby did not just admit he tried to buy American Airlines — he published the sales pitch after American had already said no. That is not how companies usually talk about dead deals, and the real audience now is what’s interesting about the message.
The proposed Spirit rescue is no longer just about one failing airline. Budget carriers are now pitching a $2.5 billion taxpayer relief program that could leave the government owning stakes across the low-cost sector, turning a dubious bailout into a much bigger attempt to socialize losses across an industry that has not solved its underlying problems.
A United flight attendant was injured on a work trip, went on medical leave, and later received a company letter telling her she had an extra year to return before losing her job. Then United told her the date in its own letter was wrong, fired her anyway, and even tried to stick her with legal costs after she sued.
The simple story about Spirit Airlines is that the Biden administration killed the carrier by blocking JetBlue’s bid to buy it, but that is too neat and mostly wrong. Spirit was already failing because its costs rose, its product stopped matching what customers wanted, and the antitrust move that really undercut any plausible rescue came earlier, when the government killed JetBlue’s alliance with American.
American Airlines is changing its portable charger policy on May 1, requiring power banks to stay visible and within reach during flights instead of hidden in bags or overhead bins. The airline will also cap passengers at two power banks each and ban recharging them onboard, part of a broader push to make battery fires easier for crews to spot and contain.
Airlines and their payment-clearing partner quietly sold searchable travel and payment data to federal agencies including the IRS and FBI, giving the government a back door into records it would normally need legal process to obtain. Now a proposed class action argues that violated financial privacy laws.
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 »
