Category Archives for Airlines.
Here’s an adorable little dog flying American Airlines. But there is no way it is a service animal, and a pet in cabin (that requires paying a pet in cabin fee) must remain in their carrier under the seat for the duration of the flight.
Service animals aren’t ‘pets for someone with emotional challenges’ they are trained working animals.
Southwest Airlines will give you a companion pass valid for two months at the start of next year for booking just two one way flights or a single roundtrip.
90% of Americans say they’d choose not to fly an airline after a negative experience with customer support.
I’d like to believe that this were true. It’s coming from a company that sells customer support solutions, so it probably isn’t.
American Airlines pilots know they’re going to get well paid in a new contract. The company has publicly offered a 17% raise. They want 20%, and changes to work rules that (among other things) keep the airline from altering their schedules and leaving them without lodging on the road. United’s pilot union agreed to a deal offering a 14% raise, but when they heard about what American’s pilots were on the verge of getting – and unwilling to take – they backed out of the deal wanting what American was getting.
Some pilots – including union leaders – are furious with what they appear on the verge of settling for.
Lines to get into Delta clubs are a phenomenon unmatched by other airlines. New York JFK seems to be the worst. In fact things are so bad there are reports of the airline bringing food out to passengers they’re waiting so long.
Saudi Arabia is starting a new, second national airline with plans to compete – and beat – Emirates. They are going to invest $30 billion in the effort.
It’s likely to be called RIA and will be based out of Riyadh. And their goal is… transit passengers.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 »
