Category Archives for Airlines.
The American Airlines experiment in selling direct, and pressuring travel agents to adopt technologies (that don’t always work well) in order to offer ancillary sales like paid seat assignments – as well as a decision to back away from managed corporate discounts – didn’t just mean reduced revenue for the airline. It may also have been securities fraud.
Southwest Airlines doesn’t pre-assign seats. Once you board you can take any open seat. There’s no rule against saving seats for other passengers. And it’s perfectly acceptable to subtly discourage other passengers from sitting beside you, though if they want to take the empty seat next to you they can. In this Hunger Games world of Southwest Airlines seat selection there’s basic game theory to defend and expand your turf – from saving seats, to boarding early, and figuring out whom you may want to sit next to you (if someone has to).
American is now rolling out buy back offers to AAirpass members. As with the other ConciergeKey buy backs, the offer is made by phone (with follow up email) rather than as an e-mail with online enrollment.
An American Airlines customer flew beside an obese passenger. It was a full flight and they could not move. They did not get to use their entire seat, because the other passenger spilled over into theirs. Does American owe them compensation?
Last week Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said he isn’t resigning, which – outside of an expression of ‘full confidence’ from the Board – is the surest sign his two-year tenure is jeopardy. There’s now growing talk that his departure could be imminent, with current COO and Hawaiian Airlines veteran Andrew Watterson taking over.
Air France KLM Flying Blue will now status match customers in the U.S. and Mexico up to the Gold level, with status valid for 12 months. This is fantastic if you have a stash of bank points that transfer to miles, and great if you fly Delta as well.
Southwest Airlines flight 4069 from Las Vegas to Oklahoma City descended all the way down to about 525 feet – when it was still 9 miles from its destination airport. Air traffic control received an alert about the plane’s altitude and contacted the pilots, “Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You good out there?”
Virgin Atlantic is offering 40% off awards booked by June 24 for travel through December 31, 2024.
The American Airlines flight attendants union has told its members, “We do not believe further negotiations will be scheduled prior to the National Mediation Board determining to release the parties into a thirty-day cooling-off period. All American Airlines Flight Attendants should prepare for an upcoming strike.”
American already reduced its pilot hiring for 2024 by 40% year-over-year, also citing Boeing issues, pausing new hire classes for the summer and potentially for December as well. This was consistent with guidance the airline had provided at its March investor day.
But now has cancelled all of its new-hire pilot training through end of 2024.
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 »
