Category Archives for Airlines.
British Airways is fighting a U.K. tax demand over London hotel rooms provided to flight attendants between back-to-back trips. The dispute turns on whether the rooms were necessary operational rest or taxable lodging near the crew’s normal base. The U.K. governmnet argues flight attendants should have just gone home.
United Airlines confirms its new Airbus A321XLRs will use blocked middle seats in coach so the planes can fly with fewer Flight Attendants. The move copies European-style business class seating and could turn two otherwise unusable middle seats into a paid extra space product.
Flying Blue Gold status match ends Saturday for U.S. and Canadian members, offering Delta flyers free bags, priority boarding, and exit-row seats for $199. A family checking bags can recover that cost quickly.
Southwest’s leadership drama appears to sideline Andrew Watterson as CEO-in-waiting. Deeper boardroom power struggles could reshape the airline’s famous culture just as it pushes through major changes to fares, bags, seating, and staffing.
United may block middle seats on new Airbus jets so the planes can be certified with fewer flight attendants. The move could create a European-style premium economy row, but the real payoff may be cutting crew costs.
Former Delta President Glen Hauenstein explains how Delta turned first class from an upgrade giveaway into a profit center, why low-cost carriers struggle to go premium, and how Delta will address its own product slipping.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom pushed back against a United merger at the shareholder meeting, showing Scott Kirby’s pressure campaign still has not gone away.
Qatar Airways restarts daily Philadelphia–Doha service on August 1, and business class award space is wide open for at least two passengers. Awards start at 70,000 points to Doha, with easy onward pricing to the Mideast, Maldives, Africa, and Asia.
United CEO Scott Kirby still won’t declare an American Airlines merger dead, keeps praising JetBlue as a partner, and now admits United ordered excess aircraft.
American Airlines CEO Robert Isom confirms the airline has a new widebody aircraft RFP in the market, after retiring 40% of its long-haul fleet and pivoting back toward premium global flying.
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 »
