Category Archives for Airlines.
American just rolled out a November/December lounge food refresh—and it’s already teeing up another one for winter. Flagship lounges are getting new “active stations” like a Pho bar in Philadelphia plus rotating hot dishes (from bulgogi in Dallas to lemongrass salmon in Chicago), while Admirals Clubs are pivoting toward a bagel-based version of the current avocado toast concept—where the whole thing will live or die on whether they can execute a decent bagel.
American Airlines is proactively emailing A321XLR business-class passengers to warn that the new suite doors cannot close yet because they aren’t FAA-certified. To make up for the missing privacy feature, the airline is offering 5,000 AAdvantage miles—another early-service wrinkle on an otherwise impressive new transcon and future long-haul workhorse.
American’s first Airbus A321XLR entered commercial service, debuting its new Flagship Suite. But early reports from onboard suggest flight attendants can’t set the table or serve meals with the swing-out screens deployed—forcing repeated stow-and-serve cycles that make you wonder whether the service flow was ever tested.
A former United managing director claims he uncovered an aircraft-readiness data mismatch inside United’s flight-tracking tech and repeatedly escalated other safety-related issues — then was removed, terminated, and later blacklisted after complaining. Even if parts of the case turn on procedural deadlines rather than the merits, the allegations paint an unsettling picture of how safety concerns can be handled when they collide with internal politics.
Delta president Glen Hauenstein—widely seen as the architect of the airline’s premium push, pricing discipline, and SkyMiles economics—will step down at the end of February. Network chief Joe Esposito is being elevated to EVP and Chief Commercial Officer, inheriting the commercial machine Hauenstein built.
American briefly published a 2026 AAdvantage changes page, then pulled it after travelers started circulating screenshots. The leaked update suggests elite status thresholds stay the same, but Loyalty Point Rewards get reshuffled — with the 30% bonus at 100,000 points eliminated and several higher-tier perks swapped for merch credits, AA Vacations offers, and subscriptions.
American just flipped basic economy with no warning: starting today those tickets earn zero AAdvantage miles, zero Loyalty Points, and no status credit for flying. It’s a sharp break from how American has used basic economy as the on-ramp into AAdvantage—and it’s likely to push price-sensitive flyers to stop engaging with the program entirely.
Spirit and Frontier are back in merger talks, and people close to the discussions say an announcement could come as soon as this month — though it could still collapse.
A widely shared video shows a flight attendant stepping out of an airplane lavatory looking awkward and adjusting her uniform. Moments later, a pilot exits the same lavatory with a similarly “caught” expression — and the passenger filming just happens to have the camera perfectly framed on the door the whole time, which is why this looks more staged to me than an accidental leak.
The bodycam “shoulder tap” arrest in Tampa made the rounds, but the story didn’t end there. A former Florida prosecutor tracked down the court record and the key filings, which show what happened to the case months later—and what doesn’t appear in the docket about any deal or diversion.
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 »
