Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

American Refuses To Honor Award Tickets On Joint Venture Partners When Exiting Routes

by Gary Leff

Feb 27 2022

An American spokesperson told me they’d only honor business class awards in their original class of service if Qantas had business class award space available. Since of course they do not, American will only rebook in coach. And, “you can have your miles reinstated or rebook to travel once we begin offering service between LAX-SYD again in November.”

The notion that when American exits a market it will not honor reservations in their ticketed class of service on a joint venture partner has important implications, I think, for the notion of consumer benefit that they are claiming as they defend a government lawsuit against their JetBlue joint venture.

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Incoming American Airlines CEO To Employees: Cut Costs, Don’t “Spend A Dollar More Than We Need To”

by Gary Leff

Feb 26 2022

At the ‘State Of The Airline’ employee forum last month current American Airlines President and incoming CEO Robert Isom laid out his vision for the airline. It was mostly about operating reliably as the priority that matters most. One line, though, struck me at the time. I didn’t write about it. Instead it’s been tossing around in my head ever since.

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President Biden’s Pollster To Democrats: Lift Mask Restrictions Or Risk Election

by Gary Leff

Feb 25 2022

I’ve written for a year that the decision on ‘returning to normal’ which includes sunsetting the transportation mask mandate requiring masks be worn in airports and on planes would be a political one. Specifically, the mandate would sunset before end of summer so that the President could declare victory over the pandemic before the midterm elections. Control of the House and Senate hang in the balance.

President Biden’s pollster’s firm now is giving Democrats this same advice.

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Flight Attendants Don’t Want A Mask Mandate Anymore, Either

by Gary Leff

Feb 25 2022

Flight attendants unions are pushing to extend the federal transportation mask mandate which is currently set to end March 18. But their members are far from all on board.

I’ve heard from several flight attendants, and watched discussions in social media, where they’re up in arms over their union leaders pushing for this requirement – because they’re tired of wearing masks on planes themselves.

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American Airlines Charters Flight For Stranded High School Band Returning From Disney World

by Gary Leff

american plane
Feb 25 2022

American Airlines saved the day for a school group of 77 passengers stranded during a major weather event in Dallas.

The high school band from Missoula, Montana performed at Disney World. On the way back they were stranded at DFW airport, and forced to sleep at the airport for one night. And this was the first experience flying – and even leaving their home state – for many of the teens.

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Delta CEO’s Dangerous Case Against The Rule Of Law, For More Subsidies

by Gary Leff

Feb 24 2022

Delta CEO Ed Bastian as an op-ed in the Washington Post advocating for a federal No Fly List for ill-behaved passengers. What’s striking about the piece is how dismissive it seems to civil liberties concerns and the rule of law, and how little self-awareness there is over steps Delta itself has failed to take to address the problems their crew face in the air. The No Fly List probably won’t make much difference in any case.

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Real Meals Have Returned To American Airlines Medium-Haul Domestic Flights

by Gary Leff

Feb 23 2022

Real meals are back in American Airlines first class which is to say we no longer suffer from shrink-wrapped turkey or pimiento cheese sandwiches.

Earlier in the month hot meals returned to first class on flights of 1500 miles or longer. The roll out went surprisingly smoothly. And now meals – albeit a charcuterie plate or vegetarian sandwich on pretzel croissant at lunch – are returning to flights 900-1499 miles in distance. American is choosing to focus on the dessert.

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American Airlines Flight Attendants Up In Arms After Snitch Rats Out Trainee For Dozing Inflight

by Gary Leff

Feb 22 2022

An American Airlines flight attendant new hire was caught snoozing (supposedly for a few moments) on a training flight while properly seated in a passenger seat. A working crewmember photographed the trainee and sent it in to management.

The new hire, a foreign-language speaker, was fired just a couple of days before graduation. And this has been highly controversial among American Airlines flight attendants who say it brief naps happen all the time.

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