Category Archives for Airlines.
United is raising checked bag fees to $50 for new tickets, another $10 increase that follows JetBlue’s latest move and will likely be copied across the industry. What makes this worse than a normal fare hike is that bag fees are largely exempt from the 7.5% federal excise tax on domestic tickets, so airlines have every incentive to move more of the price into fees instead of fares.
British Airways is forcing the employee football club that has carried its name for more than four decades to rebrand, ending a link that stretches back to BOAC staff teams in 1947 and cutting off ties to its own workforce history.
Senior United flight attendants are on track to earn more than $101 an hour under the union’s newly endorsed contract — and the pay rates leaked online before most crew have even seen the full agreement. The union’s leadership voted unanimously to send the deal to members, but the biggest remaining question is what United got in return for the richer wages, boarding pay, retroactive pay, and better layover hotel protections.
An Alaska Airlines flight attendant says a midflight coffee maker failure sprayed her with scalding coffee, grounds, and boiling water, leaving permanent scars and ongoing medical treatment. She is not suing the airline, though — the lawsuit targets Stumptown Coffee, alleging the company’s packaging was defective and unsafe for aircraft use.
Delta is giving SkyMiles members free access to The New York Times onboard and for up to 24 hours afterward — but this is not really about passenger convenience. It is another deal to monetize a captive audience in the air, turning seatback screens into a trial-and-conversion funnel for both Delta and the Times.
Delta built the strongest airline in America by being better than everyone else at the basics and then layering on a premium halo.
That halo still matters, but it is starting to outrun the product underneath it. United is improving faster, Delta’s operational edge is not what it was, and the airline that spent 20 years building the title now looks increasingly vulnerable to losing it.
Passengers are still being caught going through other people’s carry-on bags on flights into Hong Kong, especially on short Southeast Asia routes, yet the obvious solution many travelers imagine — cameras watching the cabin — still is not standard airline practice.
United Airlines is planning two of the worlds largest airport lounges in Houston and Washington Dulles while also laying groundwork for a return to New York JFK. An internal presentation makes clear these projects are not just about nicer terminals — they are part of a broader strategy to turn hub spending into faster growth, stronger loyalty, and higher profits.
Southwest’s latest privacy policy email told customers almost nothing, which is exactly why so many people assumed the worst. The real changes were broader and older than Monday’s notice suggested, and they are fueling fears that the airline is building the tools for heavier tracking, biometric monitoring, and more personalized pricing.
Air India will begin weighing flight attendants under a new health and fitness policy starting May 1, with overweight crew removed from duty and, in some cases, taken off payroll until they clear medical review. The airline says the BMI-based crackdown is about safety and fitness, but it also comes in the middle of a broader effort to remake Air India’s image with new uniforms, stricter standards, and a very public brand reset.
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 »
