Category Archives for Airlines.
American Airlines posted photo clues teasing five new international routes. The destinations appear to be Naples, Munich, Copenhagen, Quito and Santiago—the remaining questions are which U.S. gateways will serve them and what aircraft American will use.
A new Point.me survey names Delta’s Starbucks the best airline coffee and Amex Centurion the best lounge network. But popularity isn’t quality: Alaska and United serve better coffee, Chase offers stronger lounge design, Capital One has better food—and British Airways has no business ranking among the best inflight meals.
American, United and Southwest all offered the same $523 Chicago–Denver fare, reviving suspicions of price-fixing. Identical fares occur about half the time: ATPCO and near-instant competitor monitoring let airlines match prices without an illegal agreement—though carriers have sometimes tried to cross that line.
Airlines make passengers fight for overhead bin space, then force gate-checking even when bins still look empty. They should sell guaranteed bin space instead—certainty passengers would actually value.
American Airlines is giving employees talking points to explain West Palm Beach airport’s Trump rename, pointing to Florida law and IATA guidance. Gate screens already display the presidential name, while the airport code officially changes from PBI to DJT on August 18.
Domestic first class meals have been cut so far that airlines may be missing a revenue opportunity: sell premium pre-order meals passengers would actually want, instead of pretending today’s bundled food is still a premium experience.
American Airlines now labels West Palm Beach “Pres DJT” on gate screens, departing from its usual practice of naming airports only when distinguishing between multiple airports serving one city. Clinton and Ford airports receive no such treatment.
American Airlines says its first class meal rule has no exception markets, yet Chicago–Denver still gets meals despite being under 900 miles. The reason: American still measures Denver using Stapleton, the airport that closed in 1995.
Passengers spent 5½ hours aboard Delta’s Tokyo–Minneapolis flight before a mechanical problem forced an 11 p.m. cancellation. With too few hotel rooms, Delta prioritized travelers with medical concerns and families with babies—prompting passengers to joke, “Everyone make babies right now.”
After a jury found SkyWest liable for relentless sexual harassment at its DFW maintenance operation, the airline argued the victim should have reduced her emotional suffering through therapy and psychiatric drugs. The Fifth Circuit said Title VII imposes no such duty.
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 »
