Category Archives for Airlines.
Former co-host of “Good Day L.A.” and entertainment show “Extra” Lauren Sanchez, dating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for the past four years, was rejected by Southwest Airlines when she tried to become a flight attendant.
When Vesna Vulović has passed away. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know who she was – even though she’s at the heart of one of the strangest or most miraculous stories in the entire history of aviation.
The test that Air Canada did earlier in the week of new Emirates pricing was simply a bit premature. The new pricing is live. And so are redemptions for first class awards.
There’s even better availability than before on the New York JFK – Frankfurt route in business class. There’s award space for a whole family, not just for a couple, and in some cases for an entire homeowner’s association.
And I’m highlighting it because the availability underscores some principles about Singapore Airlines award space that are worth understanding.
The airline’s 2022 results are an improvement, though they’re making less money than Delta or United, but their results are also a bit overclaimed. American notes “Record fourth-quarter revenue of $13.2 billion, which represents a 16.6% increase over the same period in 2019” of course inflation since 2019 is… 16%.
On January 22, Frontier Airlines flight 551 from Denver to San Diego diverted to Las Vegas. It should never have taken off from Denver.
It seems like tattoos is something that might come up during a flight attendant’s initial interview, rather than waiting until training to be kicked out over it. It’s also an odd place for Southwest to make a stand, considering the informality of their crew compared to some other airlines. However flight attendants with certain tattoos may find a more welcoming home in training with other carriers.
Now the Privilege Club program credits miles to members before they fly and permits earning and redemption for purchases at the Doha airport. I spoke with Noora Al-Ansari who heads the Privilege Club program, and with Thomas Thiollier who manages duty free, about the changes.
Taxpayer subsidies aren’t the right way to handle funding needs of the FAA. It’s not surprising that airline CEOs don’t want user fees, they want more money to provide services for their flights but they do not want to be the ones to pay for it. They’d rather get government subsidies than pay the cost of upgrading air traffic control.
When you book a flight you have the option, in most cases, to select your seats. Not everyone does this, which is something I’ll never understand in cases where seat assignments are free. But I also don’t think the choice people make are logical when they do choose seats.
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 »
