Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

How New Airline Policies To Reimburse Hotel Rooms Make Savvy Fliers Worse Off

by Gary Leff on September 1, 2022

Sep 01 2022

If the airline is offering to cover lodging then you shouldn’t be able to seek reimbursement from your credit card. Hopefully these new customer commitments do not lead to a bunch of denied credit card reimbursement claims, effectively limiting the benefit to weather-related events or at least going through the claims process with an airline before seeking reimbursement from your card (within the card coverage provider’s allowable timeframe).

Offering rooms when the airline is at fault isn’t new. Reimbursing rooms when the airline can’t get you one may be. However for those of us in the know on credit card trip delay coverage, these airline policy changes under threat by DOT may wind up being a real negative.

Major U.S. Airlines Commit To Put You On Another Airline When Long Delays Are Their Fault

by Gary Leff on September 1, 2022

Sep 01 2022

What’s new, generally speaking, is that several carriers have amended their policies to actually reimburse you when they’re unable to provide you with a room and you book one yourself.

And the largest U.S. airlines have committed to put you on another airline when major delays are their fault, but there’s fine print – often doing the bare minimum to get a ‘check mark’ on the new Department of Transportation customer service comparison chart.

US Airlines Commit To Pay Hotel & Meals During Controllable Delays

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2022

Aug 31 2022

Generally speaking airlines were already on the hook for lodging and meals during controllable delays, however they’ve made explicit commitments here that include reimbursement when they can’t provide a hotel and specific amounts for meals.

Starlux Will Start Flying To The U.S. In April

by Gary Leff on August 30, 2022

Aug 30 2022

Taiwan’s StarLux will start flying to the U.S. in April though for now they aren’t saying more than it’ll be a West Coast destination. They have plans to “gradually expand to other destinations” and also fly to Europe.

American Airlines Stranded Passengers Overnight In The Airport For No Reason, Bermuda Government Says

by Gary Leff on August 30, 2022

Aug 30 2022

Monday night I wrote about the American Airlines flight from Miami to London that diverted to Bermuda stranding passengers inside the terminal for 21 hours.

For the first 11 overnight hours of their stay passengers report that they received water and pretzels. American Airlines says this is because of Bermuda’s Covid rules, but the government there says this isn’t true.

American Airlines Passengers Stranded Mere Feet From Paradise, Complaining About Lack Of Food

by Gary Leff on August 29, 2022

Aug 29 2022

Throughout the pandemic I’ve been telling people they needed to pay attention to Covid-era entry rules not just for their destination – did they need a test? proof of vaccination? could they visit at all? – but also for any connecting points along the way. You don’t want to get stuck in an airport where you can’t enter the country, in case your flight gets cancelled or you miss your connection.

But there’s not a lot you can do when your plane goes mechanical and you’re not allowed into the country. Unfortunately that’s exactly what happened to American Airlines flight 38 from Miami to London Heathrow on Sunday evening.

Join Me In Using Miles To Make The Last Moments Of Life Meaningful

by Gary Leff on August 29, 2022

Aug 29 2022

One of the questions I’m asked most frequently is ‘how can I donate miles to charity?’ And the problem is that you really can’t unless you want to give to one of a handful of pre-selected groups your frequent flyer program endorses, or you want to directly book an award for someone out of your account. But this is not always true and you can make a difference.

American Airlines Passenger’s Checked Baggage Was An Empty Bucket

by Gary Leff on August 28, 2022

Aug 28 2022

An American Airlines passenger needed to get travel for work, and work involved using an empty bucket. He had to be at work before stores opened the next morning. And that meant he’d have to bring the bucket with him on his flight. So he brought it along as checked luggage. The bucket made it!

Wait, Alaska Airlines Miles Can Be Used For Long Haul Singapore Airlines Business Class?

by Gary Leff on August 28, 2022

Aug 28 2022

I’m shocked to see that Alaska Airlines appears to have wide open award availability for Singapore Airlines business class awards between the U.S. and Asia. In fact it seems they have at least as good availability as is offered to Singapore’s own members.

Lost and Found Is An Airline Failure Few People Think About

by Gary Leff on August 27, 2022

There's Nothing Wrong With Flying Economy, Just Choose Your Airline Wisely

Aug 27 2022

Alaska Airlines does a nice job taking care of customers one at a time – not always and in every case, of course, but on the whole my dealings with them have been just a touch more ‘human’ than average for the U.S. airline industry. So it didn’t surprise me to see this tweet about Alaska successfully recovering a laptop left on one of their planes.

This shouldn’t be a standout, but how often do you expect to actually receive valuables returned to you if you’ve left them on a plane?