Category Archives for Airlines.
American Airlines turns 100 today with a lot still broken, but for the first time in years the airline is making visible moves that suggest it understands what customers actually value. From lounges and premium seats to small touches like pilot trading cards, the real story is not the centennial nostalgia—it is whether these early signs of progress mean American is finally serious about becoming an airline people want to choose again.
Democrats in Congress are warning that even if the Trump administration allowed a United-American merger to happen, a future administration could still try to unwind it after the fact. That turns any deal into something far messier than a normal merger fight, because approval would not necessarily end the legal and political risk.
Southwest Airlines has put a former United executive in charge of Rapid Rewards at a moment when the loyalty program is under pressure and redemptions have been falling. Her background suggests Southwest may push harder on personalization, partner revenue, and a more modern loyalty model—with changes that could go well beyond points for flights.
American Airlines has a new private jet partnership that lets customers earn AAdvantage miles and Loyalty Points, creating a new path to elite status outside traditional airline flying. It is a small deal for American financially, but a much bigger one for TLC Jet—and it also undercuts the airline’s own past arguments against premium flying outside the traditional commercial terminal model.
A federal appeals court says Spirit Airlines has to turn over TSA security fees it kept when passengers canceled their trips and unused travel credits expired. The ruling cost Spirit $2.84 million, and it could be an important warning shot for Southwest, which is fighting a $48 million case over the same practice.
A United takeover would be terrible for competition, but it could solve the problem that has defined American Airlines for more than a decade: the carrier still acts like a high-cost airline trying to compete with Spirit and Frontier instead of leaning into the premium strengths of its network, people, and loyalty program. That is why American has so often underused great assets, underinvested in product, and struggled to tell employees and customers what kind of airline it actually wants to be.
Air Canada has finally pulled back the curtain on brand new cabins for its Boeing 787-10 and Airbus A321XLR, and business class seats and new cabins are only part of the story. The airline’s COO filled in what the launch materials do not: why Air Canada obsessed over design details, how it is thinking about door certification and retrofit plans, and where these cabins fit into a bigger fleet and product strategy.
Scott Kirby has reportedly pitched regulators on the idea of buying American Airlines, turning one of the strangest what-ifs in the industry into something at least serious enough to discuss in Washington. What makes the idea impossible to ignore is the backstory: Kirby was fired as American’s president, and a United takeover of the airline that cast him out would be the ultimate revenge deal — even if it would almost certainly trigger one of the fiercest antitrust fights aviation has ever seen.
Delta has finally made its new business class suites official for the Airbus A350-1000 and refreshed A330s, with longer beds, more privacy, and the usual premium-cabin polish. But the more important news for most travelers may be that Delta is also putting real effort into the back of the plane, adding more cushioning, larger screens, USB-C power, Bluetooth audio, and they even claim a little more spaciousness in coach.
United’s cheapest business class fares are turning out to be more punitive than first advertised: beyond losing Polaris lounge access, seat selection, and no changes, many travelers will also earn no redeemable miles and get no flight credit toward status.
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 »
