Category Archives for Airlines.
Southwest Airlines passengers aren’t just saving seats for other passengers, they’re saving overhead bin space, too by laying their bags horizontally in the bins to take up more space and then turning the bags on their sides to free up space once their travel companions board.
It began last week watching the prices for Lufthansa and ANA first class awards skyrocket but apparently United wasn’t done devaluing its MileagePlus miles.
Days ago business class intra-Europe over 800 miles was 27,500 miles. Now it’s 45,000 to 49,500. Short-haul business class is now 33,000 miles. The devaluation stretches to intra-Asia redemptions as well.
It does seem highly misleading to suggest that this language is ‘buried’ in the ‘new bill’ when it’s there in order to guarantee refund rights, as requested by the administration, and has been there in the Senate language for at least two and a half months.
Star Alliance member Avianca LifeMiles has one of the most valuable frequent flyer programs for experts in award travel. They have reasonable redemption prices. There are no fuel surcharges. And when you have some coach segments along with business or first class, the price of the award drops.
Bonza, the Australia sibling to Canadian ultra-low cost airline Flair, is being forced to cancel flights as their aircraft get repossessed. Reportedly their entire fleet of Boeing 737 MAX 8 aircraft was seized. The carrier no longer appears viable with all flights suspended.
A Japan Airlines flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its 49-year-old captain was reported for drunken and disruptive behavior at his layover hotel. Police were called.
The House and Senate both passed FAA reauthorization bills. That left a committee from both chambers to decide what actually went into the bill that heads back for a vote. What’s in the final bill coming out of conference is probably what gets passed and signed by the President. This is what’s really inside.
After Thursday’s tense showdown between American Airlines CEO Robert Isom and the head of the airline’s flight attendant’s union, it may seem like the parties are farther apart than ever. They’re not.
Adapting to the new world of no change fees, and getting things done online or in an airline app, American Airlines has made an important change to roundtrip tickets. It is now possible to cancel a roundtrip ticket online, even after you’ve started flying the itinerary, and get a credit to use later.
Customers won’t choose an airline that doesn’t get them where they’re going. But those are table stakes. Delta and United have pursued a premium strategy. American isn’t. But with American’s high costs, they need to earn a revenue premium for their product. That means customers need to spend more – on premium products, and choosing them over competitors.
The airline’s first quarter losses, and continued financial underperformance compared to Delta and United, show that improved operations aren’t enough. They’re just a start. Airline management, though, doesn’t seem to understand this.
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 »
