New redemption pricing for Etihad awards, with ‘around 70% of routes seeing a decrease’. Elite status changes will include elimination of segments as a means of qualifying; a new top tier Diamond level that requires $150,000 in spend on top of qualifying miles; and new choice benefits for all elites.
Airlines
Category Archives for Airlines.
United Airlines Will Return To Tel Aviv Starting March 2
United Airlines, like all other U.S. airlines, suspended service after the October 7th Hamas attacks on Israel. In fact, most of the world’s airlines stopped flying to Israel while El Al continued service with little interruption.
Now United has announced its plan to return.
American Airlines Bans Javelins, Pole Vaults, And Largest Luggage In New Checked Bag Restrictions
American Airlines raised checked bag fees on Tuesday and now charges more for bags than United or Delta. They’re highlighting, though, that they reduced their fees for overweight and oversized bags.
What American didn’t tell everyone about the modest giveback is that you can no longer take bags that are as big or heavy as before – at any price – and that they’ve banned some items they previously used to allow as checked luggage. Aspiring Olympians beware!
Portable Electronics Are Catching Fire On Planes: How Airlines Handle It When Your Phone Explodes
A passenger’s power bank exploded on board a flight from Boracay in the Philippines to Shanghai, China. The cabin began filling with smoke. As a result, Royalair Philipines flight 602 made an emergency landing in Hong Kong on Monday.
Sometimes phones and other electronic devices catch fire – and this is actually something that airlines prepare for!
$9,000 for Dirt? The Overlooked Cleanliness Gap in High-End Air Travel
The least that an airline can do is clean the cabin and check that the seats are working before boarding the plane.
$18,000 Ticket to Nowhere: United Airlines Pilot Grounds 1K Passenger for Foul Language
A United Airlines pilot who flies Boeing 757 and 767 aircraft kicked a top MileagePlus elite passenger off of a cross country flight from Newark to San Francisco and shared the story to social media.
The captain had gone up to the gate for paperwork and overheard this ‘1K’ customer cursing at the gate agent prior to boarding at Newark airport.
Pilot Comes Into The Cabin, Sees Wing Damage Leading To Emergency Landing For United Flight
United Airlines flight 354 from San Francisco to Boston was forced to make an unscheduled landing in Denver on Monday due to damage observed on the aircraft’s wing.
While the aircraft was cruising at 31,000 feet, passengers reported seeing damage to the slats on the right wing.
Every 6 Months The List Of Travel Agencies Whose Tickets Still Earn American Airlines Miles Will Change
American Airlines announced today that they will stop awarding miles on tickets booked through most third party travel agencies starting in May. Basic economy fares will only earn miles if booked directly through American. However AAdvantage Business members and corporate contract travelers will be exempt from this policy.
What stood out is that American isn’t even telling us which agencies will be able to issue tickets that earn miles (at least as long as the tickets aren’t for basic economy fares).
Breaking Off More Than They Could Tape: American Airlines’ Unorthodox Maintenance Solution
American Airlines flight 2707 from Dallas to Austin was delayed over an hour on Monday night. The carrier’s maintenance technicians tried to tape an overhead bin in place – but it wouldn’t hold.
Faced with the choice of making a 9 p.m. flight even later – and potentially pushing crew past their minimum duty hours, where the entire flight would have to be cancelled – they decided not to spend any more time trying to fix it.
American Airlines Cuts Fee To Transfer Miles By Two-Thirds
You can use your miles to book an award ticket for someone else, but if you want to combine miles with another customer that is going to cost you with the major U.S. frequent flyer programs.
American Airlines, though, has just cut the cost of transferring miles from one account to another by two-thirds. That means instead of charging 1.5 cents per mile, they’re now charging only half a cent.