Category Archives for Airlines.
Southwest Airlines will devalue its points by about 4% on January 1, 2024. The Rapid Rewards program announced several changes a month ago to much fanfare, but this one they buried.
In the battle for limited takeoff and landing slots at Tokyo’s Haneda Airport, U.S. airlines like Delta, American, and United vied for positions, with Delta receiving the most slots despite not having a Japanese airline partner. The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) now faces decisions on slot reallocations, as Delta relinquishes its Portland-Tokyo route and other airlines propose routes that overlap with their joint venture partners, raising questions about competition and consumer benefit.
A group from the Society of Musicians of Ireland performed traditional Irish tunes during a ground delay on an Aer Lingus flight from Frankfurt to Dublin, sparking mixed reactions among passengers. This incident is part of a trend of spontaneous in-flight concerts, with previous instances on Aer Lingus and Southwest Airlines, raising questions about the appropriateness of such performances during flights.
An American Airlines passenger was upgraded to first class along with his girlfriend, but she was subsequently moved to economy due to a supposedly broken seat, which was then occupied by a pilot. This incident raises questions about the airline’s priorities and policies, especially in light of a new contract allowing pilots first-class seats when deadheading.
Whether flying with someone that you’re plotting with, or traveling on your own, there’s nothing like an empty middle seat. Having extra space makes everything about the journey seem better. The flight attendants are friendlier. The food is somehow delicious!
Virgin Australia flight attendant Ashlee Jane recorded a TikTok explaining why she quit her job. The flight attendant lifestyle seems rewarding at first, but is actually grueling.
You can’t really switch airlines, since you will start out at the bottom (seniority rules). But it’s easy to see why people stick with it once flexibility start to improve a little and pay goes up a bit with seniority – but also easy to see why the job drains you – and why so many flight attendants burn out on the job without leaving it like Ashlee Jane does.
Over the past couple of weeks British Airways has seemed to limit partner access to awards. The space available to its own Executive Club members is much greater than that which is offered to those in partner frequent flyer programs. And this has taken both loyalty program members and executives in partner programs by surprise. Discussions are ongoing.
American Airlines has sent a reminder to flight attendants not to go above and beyond for passengers in economy. The airline told cabin crew that they shouldn’t give economy passengers blankets, pillows, or treats from business class. American framed this as consistency, which is to say making sure that there are no occasional surprise and delight moments in the coach cabin.
A mother is suing American Airlines for negligence after her two children, flying as unaccompanied minors, were stranded overnight in Charlotte without proper care, being placed in a cold, bare room without food or water. The lawsuit claims the airline failed to provide the promised amenities for the children, and although the airline refunded the unaccompanied minor fees, she is seeking damages for their alleged recklessness and failure to adhere to their own procedures.
Gave a Mile’s year-end campaign to raise United Airlines miles and MileagePlus is offering a 50,000 mile match.
Would you make a year-end donation of United miles for a good cause? I’d appreciate it. No need to do so, but please share in the comments if you’d like. And thank you.
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 »
