Category Archives for Airlines.
Philippine Airlines flight PR113 from Los Angeles to Manila faced a mid-Pacific lavatory failure—and while the airline says it prepared for a possible diversion to Guam, crew onboard tells a different story. Flight attendants reportedly were instructed to manually handle human waste, disposing of it by hand, rather than divert the Boeing 777.
American flight attendants are furious after learning their 2025 profit sharing works out to just 0.3%—about $150 for a $50,000 employee—while Delta crews are getting roughly four weeks of pay. The timing is brutal: as winter-storm cancellations overwhelm hotel/limo operations, crews are reporting they’re stuck sleeping in airports because they can’t secure rooms.
Passengers boarding IrAero flight RD382 from Irkutsk (IKT) to Mama (UIKM) thought they were getting a normal regional turboprop—until the airline swapped in an Antonov An-26 configured like a freighter, with travelers (including kids) on folding sidewall seats and luggage strapped down the center aisle. IrAero says it’s a legitimate combi configuration, but prosecutors are looking at complaints that passengers weren’t warned in advance—an ugly snapshot of what “making do” can say about aviation under sanctions.
United announced another Chicago capacity build-up on the morning of American’s earnings call, adding new frequencies after American rolled out new ORD routes last week. The timing is the point: flood the market, pressure its rival to back down, and avoid a long, money-burning capacity war.
More than a third of U.S. departing flights were already canceled today, with Washington and New York airports effectively wiped out and Philadelphia near total shutdown. It’s not a record—pandemic-era schedule cuts were even worse—but the airline-by-airline data shows how quickly cancellations are cascading, and Monday’s schedule is already starting to unravel too.
One of the quiet tells of “real” first class used to be simple: the crew would offer to hang up your jacket. Now, even when there’s closet space, it can mean flagging someone down, waiting, and hoping they remember to bring it back before you deplane. A United flyer is complaining about exactly this, while my own experience is that Delta still gets it right more often than most—especially compared to the increasingly transactional service culture at U.S. airlines.
An influencer says Spirit and Delta can boot you with no refund for crop tops and flip-flops. The contracts don’t ban specific outfits—they use vague terms like “barefoot” and “inadequately clothed,” giving staff wide discretion on who flies.
Delta says it is introducing a new “Basic Business” fare that strips out things that used to come standard in the premium cabin. What’s widely misunderstood is that this isn’t a new cheaper business class price point. It’s new restrictions on the lowest business fares so Delta can sell last minute seats to price-sensitive travelers without offering the same deal to customers who would have paid more money. Passengers buying the least expensive business class tickets will have an inferior experience compared to what they get today.
Subway is running a one-day promo timed to Southwest’s shift to assigned seating: fly in an airline middle seat on Tuesday, snap a same-day “middle seat” selfie, and you can get a $20 Subway gift card while supplies last. You don’t even have to show your face—just enough of the row to prove you’re truly stuck between two seats.
Wheelchair assistance is increasingly being used as an airport “hack”: it can mean skipping long walks, cutting security lines, and boarding early—often with an entire family in tow. On some long-haul flights, as many as 30% of passengers now request wheelchairs, and the result is predictable: real disabled travelers get crowded out while “Jetbridge Jesus” miracles happen the moment boarding starts.
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 »
