Category Archives for Airlines.
There’s amazing business class award space on American Airlines right now between Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and London and even more – for four passengers or more in business class. This space is throughout the year from New York but in general as we approach the end of 2021 and into 2022.
United MileagePlus began as Mileage Plus with a space between the two words in May, 1981 – days after American AAdvantage launched the first mileage-based airline program offering free flights. Learning that American AAdvantage was about to announce its program, United pulled off the launch of Mileage Plus in just 10 days.
If you’re an American AAdvantage member and you’re Under 21, your miles don’t expire. If you’re a United, Southwest, Delta, Hawaiian or JetBlue member your miles don’t expire.
But if you’re a lifetime elite member of American AAdvantage, having accumulated over 2 million miles, you have to stay on the treadmill of either earning or burning points every 18 months to avoid losing all your accumulated points.
James Hogan, founding CEO of Etihad, was bounced from that carrier in 2017 after buying stakes in troubled airlines around the world and mounting losses that reached as high as $2 billion a year. These investments included stakes in air berlin, Alitalia, Jet Airways and Virgin Australia.
The dual Australian and U.K. citizen is accused of using his two passports, and flying to the U.K. via a third country, in a scheme to avoid mandatory quarantine – and now it’s believed he may have done it before, too.
A pregnant woman was denied water on an American Airlines flight because of coronavirus, since the airline isn’t offering drink service to economy passengers as a ‘covid precaution’ – though they plan to restore this June 1.
Mask rules made a lot of sense when airlines began requiring them. People should have been wearing higher quality masks and learning to wear them properly. Now that vaccines are available to any U.S. adult that wants one, the mandate should be allowed to expire. But government regulations tend to outlast their usefulness.
The mask mandate will end when the President is ready to declare victory over Covid-19.
United Airlines has Saks Fifth Avenue bedding for Polaris, American has Casper bedding for its business product. Delta, though, is focus grouping what its bedding future should look like. And the images it’s using in surveys aren’t Westin anymore. They’re also surveying changes for sustainability.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby was asked about a ‘vaccinated-only’ seating section. Kirby endorsed the concept saying it “sounds like a great idea,” and confirms that United has thought about it.
United will let elite members earn 25% of their status requirements with 3 trips, or members can choose a bonus of 10% of their status requirements or bonus miles instead. That’s on top of the 25% credit towards status United has already given.
While some people will earn elite status this year, 2021 is mostly a wash out for an airline’s best customers. And that means airlines need to take steps to extend status again and start over next year or they’ll risk pushing these members into free agency.
Vietnamese carrier Bamboo Airways plans U.S. flights starting later this year. Now they’re offering a status match for elites in any airline’s program that’s part of a major world alliance, up to their top tier, and they aren’t requiring any flights in order to get it.
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 »
