Category Archives for Airlines.
Given what we know about American’s tendency to operate shorter flights, and to try to fly where others aren’t operating, I’d expect that American’s entry into Africa would be a close-in destination along the lines of Casablanca – which also offers connectivity beyond Morocco and which clocks in at under 4,000 miles. That will allow them to fly the Airbus A321XLR rather than a more expensive widebody.
President Biden’s nominee to head the FAA, Denver airport chief Phil Washington, has withdrawn from the nomination process. I was, frankly, surprised to see him re-nominated in January after a Democrat-controlled Senate saw him as too vulnerable to move forward with a hearing in 2022. And though he led the Biden Presidential campaign’s Department of Transportation transition, he hardly seemed the best fit for the role.
Etihad’s Airbus A380 is returning to the skies, and with it their “First Apartment” which are among the most impressive inflight suites in the world. And award space is currently wide open on the London Heathrow – Abu Dhabi route with as many as 9 award seats per flight in some cases (book the whole cabin), and up to two daily flights on the aircraft.
At an internal employee ‘Crew News’ question and answer session, American Airlines Vice President of Network Planning Brian Znotins shared that the airline is looking at Singapore as a new destination.. This service would become possible once the airline begins taking delivery of new Boeing 787-9s it has on order, currently slated for next year.
It’s especially galling to see United Airlines selling the option to receive a refund when they cancel a flight during the booking process on their website. A customer is entitled to a refund when United cancels their flight for any reason however United makes it appear that this is not the case when a flight is cancelled due to weather, unless the customer pays extra.
American Airlines is cracking down on flight attendants who aren’t wearing their uniforms correctly, or who violate the carrier’s appearance standards. A message went out from a flight service manager to flight attendants earlier this week. It announces a goal of 100% uniform compliance, and warns that flight service managers will be in airports conducting checks and to write up crew.
Indian carrier and American Airlines partner IndiGo sends parents with small children to the back of the aircraft. If you’re a breastfeeding mom, they don’t want you in the extra legroom seats.
Spirit Airlines is an “ultra low cost carrier” with fees line extra charges for checking in (at the airport) and for bags (that you carry on yourself) often costing more than the fare itself. They’re the butt of late night comedy routines, but they also make air travel far more affordable – not just for those who fly them, but on routes and at times when legacy airlines have to compete with them.
So it’s weird that they offer a product that’s like domestic first class that you’ll find on American, Delta, United and Alaska Airlines. Except it’s not exactly like it. Spirit calls theirs “the Big Front Seat.”
Cabin crew at American, Southwest, United, Alaska, Spirit and JetBlue are all unionized. flight attendants at Delta Air Lines are not. This not only helps AFA-CWA avoid the costs of its support for the original lawsuit seeking to have airlines covered by state rest rules, it helps them in their battle to unionize Delta.
The former CEO of Thai low cost airline Nok Air is starting a new venture, Really Cool Airlines, which promises to “Fly The Future.”
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 »
