Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Delta Has Killed The Best Workaround For Long Phone Hold Times. Here’s Another.

by Gary Leff

Jan 02 2022

For years my favorite workaround was to dial Singapore reservations, using an internet calling app to avoid high rates. You’d get an English-speaking agent, and the hold times wouldn’t be bad at all most of the time. When U.S. flights were melting down, people call U.S. reservations – not foreign call centers.

Unfortunately you no longer get routed into a separate phone queue by ringing up Singapore. That is no longer a ‘trick’ to avoid the long hold times of the U.S. phone number for Delta.

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U.S. Air Travel Melts Down On New Year’s As Employees Call In Sick

by Gary Leff

Jan 01 2022

Cancellations are abundant across airlines at this point, and are already spreading into Sunday and even Monday, despite incentives for employees to show up. Some may come into work sick, others may be calling in sick for the usual New Year’s reasons (with Covid meaning there aren’t the extra crew available to pick up those shifts). And schedule turmoil extends because planes and crew wind up out of position and airlines take time to recover from that. Meanwhile, while it’s possible that Omicron spreads so fast we’ll be peaking soon in parts of the country, the number of people unavailable to work appears to be growing.

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My Million American AAdvantage Miles Are No Longer Missing

by Gary Leff

Dec 31 2021

It’s been drama on a lot of levels because the offer was – unsurprisingly – pulled early and it took some time to sort out getting Mastercard to pay more than budgeted on this bonus offer. And then miles per posting, but not properly for everyone, and then being taken away.

There’s still no miles earned reflected in my SimplyMiles account. However, miles are posting to AAdvantage accounts, which you can see at AA.com.

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American Airlines Cancels Post-Holiday Flight When Cabin Crew Shows Up Sick At The Airport

by Gary Leff

Dec 28 2021

American Airlines flight AA2578 from San Diego to Miami last night appears to be just the sort of flight that I had in mind, where a flight attendant went to lengths to try to show up – as incentivized by premium holiday pay – even when they were too sick to fly.

I’m told that one of the flight attendants was sick but went to the airport anyway, intending to fly, but called in sick once they’d arrived. There’s a second hand suggestion that the crewmember had Covid symptoms, but this isn’t necessary for the point. The flight wound up cancelling and the remaining crew – two pilots and three flight attendants – operated the aircraft to Miami without passengers as American Airlines AA9782.

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An Emirates Flight Nearly Crashed On Departure From Dubai – Then Flew All The Way To Washington

by Gary Leff

Dec 28 2021

Last week Emirates flight EK-231 from Dubai to Washington Dulles “was accelerating for takeoff from Dubai’s runway 30R when the aircraft rotated for takeoff past the end of the runway” and the Boeing 777-300 (registration A6-EQI) continued anyway – all the way to DC. It even flew back to Dubai as scheduled, but the aircraft was then grounded for four days after it returned. The FAA is investigating.

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Why Dr. Fauci Is Wrong On A Domestic Air Travel Vaccine Mandate

by Gary Leff

Dec 27 2021

Dr. Anthony Fauci has been making the rounds on public affairs programs for several days talking up vaccination requirements for domestic travel. He emphasizes in each case that it makes sense for international travel to keep virus cases out of the country (but unvaccinated Americans are allowed to return, and the virus is already spreading here rapidly).

Fauci then goes on to suggest that a domestic vaccine travel requirement would make sense, not to ‘keep the virus out’, but to serve as an incentive to get vaccinated. In addition to being legally questionable, it may wind up having the opposite effect Fauci hopes.

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American Airlines Could Offer A Great International First Class Product. Here’s How.

by Gary Leff

Dec 27 2021

As the only U.S. carrier offering international first class and on a limited number of aircraft, there’s potential to make it work. There’s even less competition among foreign carriers for the market. American just hasn’t made the investment to do so.

American has the potential to offer a really competitive product. Already they have several of the pieces.

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In Big Change, Qantas Will Bring Back Iconic Airbus A380 In Just Two Weeks

by Gary Leff

plane water salute
Dec 27 2021

The pandemic kept kept much of Qantas grounded. Their Airbus A380 wasn’t supposed to return until June 2023 “at the earliest.” But the Australian government allowing its citizens to again leave the country, and residents to return, led to a re-start of the airline’s international route network and a planned return of the world’s largest passenger jet on the Los Angeles – Sydney route in July 2022. And then moved the re-introduction date up to March.

Now, because of increased coronavirus precautions rather than re-opening, the airline will again move up the A380 jumbo jet’s return to just two weeks from now on January 11.

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