Category Archives for Airlines.
American Airlines already cut basic economy mileage earning to zero, and it is a classic penny-wise move with a bigger hidden cost. The airline is giving up the cheapest hook it has to get price-sensitive flyers into AAdvantage and, ultimately, into its credit card funnel—the business that actually drives profits.
For some families, the holidays aren’t about reunion—they’re about racing the clock. Give A Mile uses donated United miles to fly people to a loved one’s bedside in end‑of‑life situations. One balance can become one last hug.
American Airlines is spending millions to add extra minutes to flight schedules, and it is not just to look better on on-time charts. At Dallas Fort Worth, where delays turn into missed connections and mishandled bags in a hurry, the math is straightforward: paying for a little slack up front can be cheaper than paying for recovery when the hub starts cascading.
American says it’s overhauling schedules starting in April—adding more realistic block times and de-peaking Dallas-Fort Worth—to begin running on time and cut missed connections. The airline is also investing in remote deplaning and more terminal capacity so weather and gate gridlock don’t spiral into diversions, delays, and lost bags.
American Airlines may be looking at Porto, Portugal as its next growth move in a country where Lisbon is effectively capped, with the obvious play being Philadelphia.
Riyadh Air is being pitched as Saudi Arabia’s new premium global airline, but it can’t serve alcohol because Saudi law still prohibits it. What most people miss is why that rule exists: it wasn’t imposed for religious reasons so much as triggered by a royal family scandal after a drunk prince shot and killed a British diplomat .
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says civility declined because airfares dropped enough for “the masses” to fly—but he’s overlooking the real triggers: crowded cabins, pandemic stress, and shifting passenger norms. Here’s what the data really reveals about onboard conflicts.
The three largest U.S. airlines now control Republic Airways, a key regional operator that flies for all of them. The FAA Administrator, former Republic CEO, still owns shares in the airline he regulates.
DOT Secretary Sean Duffy launched a campaign lecturing travelers on etiquette, blaming passenger behavior for inflight frustrations. Yet he conveniently ignores far bigger problems—including airlines shielded from accountability, TSA-induced travel stress, and, ironically, his own boss’s famously poor manners.
After a 12-hour delay, an American Airlines passenger says the airline offered a free hotel—until reviews described smoke smell, water damage and mold, and even bed bugs at an $84-a-night property. It’s a reminder that airline hotel vouchers can be a dice roll, and you may be better off booking your own room with trip-delay coverage, a distressed-passenger rate, or points.
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 »
