Category Archives for Airlines.
Mexicana was one of the oldest airlines in the world operating under the same brand when it ceased operations on August 28, 2010.
The partially government-owned carrier went into bankruptcy, and several criminal cases emerged involving tax fraud and money laundering by key executives. The departure of the Star Alliance-turned-oneworld member left Mexico with airlines like Aeroméxico, Volaris and Interjet.
Effective today Bask Bank is now awarding 1.5 American AAdvantage miles per dollar annually on its Bask Mileage Savings Account, an increase of 25% over the previous 1.2 miles per dollar. And that rate had only gone into effect on August 1. From the time of product inception (about two and a half years ago) until that point, the account had earned 1 mile per dollar. So that’s a 50% increase in earn rate in just over two months.
Donald Trump, who himself used to own an airline that lost so much money it was taken back by the bank, launched a “bizarre rant” about the airline industry at a campaign rally on Saturday.
In a speech during which he thanked Ginni Thomas, spouse of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, for “telling the January 6 House Select Committee that she believed the 2020 election was stolen from him,” he transitioned from the issue of crime to the state of U.S. airlines and airports.
There are some absolutely brutal schedules that many flights attendants have to work. Flight attendants who used to work 3 days trips may have worked 4 day trips when airlines were short staffed. These longer trips may have had more waiting time between flights, or more running from flight to flight, often with legal minimum rest. Complaints of burnout are common.
With American Airlines CEO Robert Isom on the witness stand, government lawyers in the anti-trust trial trying to break up his airline’s partnership with JetBlue asked the executive about JetBlue’s “Mint” product – a lie flat business class that operates on certain domestic and short haul international routes (as well as on their transatlantic routes which are not part of the partnership).
Isom explained that he had know idea what Mint was, or what it entailed, never having flown it or paid attention to it, it seems.
Delta’s CEO called for a national no fly list for unruly behavior, act poorly on one airline be unable to fly any airline. Highly problematic, with no standards for being placed on that list (each airline applies its own!) or opportunity for judicial review. That didn’t go anywhere though it’s something the Biden administration toyed with.
Now Dutch airlines KLM and Transavia want this as an international system, and will begin by sharing unruly passenger behavior which each other.
Testimony continues this week in the federal government’s anti-trust trial to break up the American Airlines-JetBlue Northeast Alliance. The government shifted its focus Monday morning away from the partnership the two airlines have in New York, to their arrangement in Boston.
Air France KLM Flying Blue offers promo awards which are specific routes discounted 25% – 50% for a month.
Airlines are about to downgrade the elite status of 25 million frequent flyers. At the start of the pandemic loyalty programs extended elite status. Customers who earned their status in 2019 weren’t flying. Borders were closed, businesses weren’t sending people on the road.
Six weeks ago union leaders called for airlines not to resume stock buybacks, even though airlines are not on the verge of resuming stock buybacks (they have too much debt to pay down, and we’re in a rising interest rate environment making it more important to do so).
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 »
