Category Archives for Airlines.
It’s not a return of hot meal service, but first class passengers on flights of 900 miles or more will again see something more than a shrink-wrapped turkey and cheese sandwich starting July 14.
The Supreme Court refused to overturn the CDC’s eviction moratorium, even though a majority of justices believe that it is illegal. And the same reasons 5 justices believe the eviction moratorium is beyond the CDC’s authority apply to the federal transportation mask mandate as well.
We are losing the men (and back then, they were all men) who gave us the modern frequent flyer program. Last year Rolfe Schellenberger passed away. Now his boss Tom Plaskett has passed away as well. Plaskett was just 77.
The Biden administration plans to crack down to require refund of fees when bags are delayed for over 12 hours.
The Department of Transportation proposed rulemaking is expected to cover refund of other fees for services that an airline charges for but doesn’t deliver, such as payment for inflight internet when the service is unusable.
During the pandemic, Air Canada cancelled the flights and kept passenger money. They didn’t deliver the service that was promised, but wouldn’t issue refunds. That’s stealing.
The DOT proposed a $25 million fine. Air Canada wants it dismissed, arguing that the law doesn’t actually forbid them from selling flights they don’t operate and pocketing the cash.
I recently wrote about a man ejected from an American Airlines flight to Miami after throwing up in the coach lavatory prior to departure. He threw up again – on a passenger in first class – as staff guided him off the aircraft.
Fortunately the first class passenger had a change of clothes in the cabin with him. Since American employees literally guided the man, leading to the mess, he wrote in to customer service about the experience. After all, this wasn’t part of the bundle of experiences purchased with a first class ticket.
Southwest Airlines is promoting a new ‘refer your company’ offer with 25,000 points as the reward. Some people won’t even need to take a flight to earn the points.
The Points Guy ran a piece promoting continued mask-wearing after full vaccination, framed as a recommendation from “health professionals.”
What prompts this is the World Health Organization recommending continued mask-wearing after full vaccination.
United Airlines didn’t just announce a major aircraft order today, they pitched a plan to offer a more premium flight experience. A symbol of that plan is to offer seat back entertainment screens to all passengers, not just on new planes but retrofitting the existing fleet as well.
CEO Scott Kirby isn’t just arguing that these are important to passengers. He isn’t just saying that he’s had a change of heart, covering not just United’s opportunities going forward but at his previous airlines that haven’t made similar investments. He is throwing shade at other airlines, saying he’s always been a proponent of seat back entertainment but has been stymied. That’s not even close to true.
American Airlines Executive Platinum (and Concierge Key) members have been getting upgrades on Alaska Airlines for the past three months. This benefit is being extended to Platinum Pro members as well.
Platinum Pro (“75K” elite tier) becomes oneworld emerald on Wednesday, June 30th. That means more free checked bags, and better priority check-in as well as first class lounge access on international trips where those lounges have re-opened. Separate from oneworld benefits, and unique to the American partnership with Alaska, it will also mean upgrades on Alaska starting in ‘a few days’.
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 »
