Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

White People Get Priority For Exit Row Seats On AirAsia?

by Gary Leff

Jun 18 2023

It’s normally advisable to check in online when you’re flying an ultra low cost carrier. There are often fees for airport check-in, and lines at the airport can be extremely long because ground staff costs are one area for cost savings – passengers don’t pay much for their ticket, but they’ll pay with their time.

Steve didn’t do this, so when he arrived at the Kuala Lumpur he went to use a check-in kiosk. Not checking in in advance, he hadn’t been automatically assigned a seat. This turned out both to be an inconvenience and a benefit.

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There’s No Minimum Standard For Hotels An Airline Puts You Up In When Cancelling A Flight

by Gary Leff

Jun 17 2023

The Biden administration’s Department of Transportation has spent a lot of time jawboning airlines into committing to put passengers up in hotels when faced with overnight delays that are the airline’s fault, such as mechanical issues or lack of crew.

However there’s no minimum standard for what ‘counts’ as a hotel that the airline must provide, as this Delta Air Lines passenger shows after their flight was cancelled and they were put up in a Motel 6 with dirty bath towels and a peeling ceiling.

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American Airlines Flight Attendants Union Proposes Grueling Schedules For New Crewmembers

by Gary Leff

Jun 16 2023

The American Airlines flight attendants union is in contract negotiations and is proposing to make schedules and quality of life worse for all crewmembers hired after the contract is signed.

If adopted, the union’s proposal would require new employees to sit on ‘standby’ to pick up trips for three years, effectively making them work in service of better schedules for all existing flight attendants.

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FAA Reauthorization Language Would Ban Frequent Flyer Devaluations Without Notice

by Gary Leff

Jun 15 2023

There’s a tremendous amount of wrangling over what will be in the FAA’s 5-year reauthorization currently being developed in Congress.

One lesser-noticed item that’s been posted by the Senate Commerce Committee includes protections for members of frequent flyer programs stating that frequent flyer programs wouldn’t be able to devalue their miles without first giving members 90 days’ advance notice

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United May Launch Washington Dulles – Dubai And Seek Anti-Trust Immunity For Emirates Partnership

by Gary Leff

Jun 15 2023

After spending years asking the federal government to violate a treaty with the United Arab Emirates and block Emirates from flying to the U.S., several months ago they entered into a partnership with the Gulf carrier. The partnership does very little so far, but helped make the case for United to launch its own Newark – Dubai flight.

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Why United Airlines Hired A New Head Of MileagePlus With No Airline Experience

by Gary Leff

Jun 14 2023

United Airlines turned a lot of heads when they brought in a Vice President of Comcast to be the new leader of their MileagePlus frequent flyer program. He had no experience in loyalty or working with airlines. And they were tapping someone from Comcast – one of the companies in America most hated by consumers – to lead their consumer marketing.

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