Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Honeymoon Couple Gets Stuck With $4000 in Vouchers After Norwegian Drops Transatlantic Flying

by Gary Leff

airline ticket
Jan 27 2021

I am an advocate of following the rules of a program that you’ve agreed to, and I counsel against selling points and miles because the risks involved generally aren’t worth it (cancelled tickets, shut down accounts, ban from the airline).

In the case of a carrier that shut down its transatlantic operation, that a customer doesn’t intend to fly again, I’m not so sure that taking a haircut on the value of these points to get something out of them isn’t the worst strategy. What do you think?

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American Airlines Has Just Issued A Warning To Travel Agents About ‘Hidden City’ Tickets

by Gary Leff

Jan 26 2021

a memo has gone out from American Airlines to travel agents, available on its SalesLink platform warning them that the carrier is cracking down on a variety of ticketing techniques, including hidden city ticketing and ‘churning’.

Over the summer I wrote about American directly investigating customers for ticketing practices that violate the airline’s rules, and more recently confronting customers at the airport and demanding passengers pay up for their past sins against the airline. Now they’re warning tagents.

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When It Matters, Testing For Travel Is Easy. So Why Won’t Airlines Test Their Own Crew?

by Gary Leff

Jan 26 2021

Travel brands are offering Covid-19 testing in order to adapt to the current reality, born out of desperation to win business from Americans in the face of new travel requirements. And it’s a reason crew exemptions are concerning – airlines should be able to adapt too.

In fact I’m told that United Airlines is scheduling U.K.-based crew to work London – Newark – Mumbai – Newark – London, London – Chicago – Delhi – Chicago – London, and London – Washington DC – London. This is roughly 80 UK-based crew entering the US every day exempt from the CDC’s new testing requirement, with the UK one of the epicenters of a new SARS-CoV-2 mutation of concern.

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How The Federal Government Is Considering Enforcing Its Air Travel Mask Requirement

by Gary Leff

Jan 25 2021

The Biden administration doesn’t yet know what mask rules will be, how they’ll apply to young children or those with medical challenges, how they’ll interact with private sector rules already in place, who will issue the rules, or what enforcement will look like. We’re likely a couple of weeks away from knowing the answers to these questions.

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Wide Open Business Class Awards To Israel From 55,000 Miles Each Way

by Gary Leff

inside airliner
Jan 25 2021

American Airlines is offering fantastic business class award availability to Israel. That’s notable even in its own right. You may not be traveling now, but book six months out. The world may look very different. And American no longer has any charge to cancel and redeposit award tickets, so there’s no risk.

There are several things notable about this award space that offer insight into how American is running inventory management for the AAdvantage program.

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U.S. Adds South Africa Travel Ban Amidst Fears Covid-19 Mutuation Could Evade Vaccines

by Gary Leff

Jan 24 2021

In addition to reversing the Trump administration’s decision to lift bans on travel to the U.S. by non-residents who have been to Brazil or Europe in the past 14 days, the Biden administration will add South Africa to the list of banned countries.

Right now the South African variant of Covid-19 is most concerning, but this new policy will not stop it from entering the U.S.

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Your Airline Seat Preference Reveals Your Value As A Customer

by Gary Leff

airplane seats
Jan 23 2021

When you’re in an aisle seat you direct your own destiny. You get up to use the lavatory whenever you wish and don’t need to worry about waiting on other passengers to gather their belongings to let you out, or your seatmates falling asleep and needing to be woken to let you out. I find window seats claustrophobic.

It turns out that the preference for an aisle seat over a window seat also means you’re a better customer of an airline’s loyalty program, based on data.

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