Category Archives for Airlines.
Lufthansa’s “Project Fox” aims to completely overhaul its long-haul product offerings to turn around declining passenger satisfaction. FOX here is Future Onboard Experience and seeks to transform every aspect of the airline’s long-distance travel experience by 2026, aligning with the carrier’s centennial celebrations.
George W. Bush used to talk about the soft bigotry of low expectations. All I could think when American Airlines CEO went into his carrier’s fourth quarter earnings call oddly triumphant is that former Texas Governor Bush must have had the Texas-based airline in mind.
United’s Scott Kirby has been predicting the demise of low cost competitors for years. So far he hasn’t been wrong. On Wednesday morning’s earnings call, he placed the blame for this on the airports and the federal government as he explained why his airline would outcompete them in the major cities where they have their biggest operations.
Once you make the decision to pursue a premium strategy, getting the details right is as much about creativity and commitment to the details as it is cost. Budgets still matter a great deal, but finding the right investments that move the needle on customer perception matter – otherwise spending on those expensive seats is wasted.
Japan Airlines has announced a second Chicago flight, more flights between San Diego and Tokyo and between Los Angeles and Osaka, and that the new product Airbus A350 will start flying to Los Angeles.
Fewer flights means less of a need for pilots, and Southwest has now shared internally with employees how many pilot positions they’ll be shedding across various bases.
While Etihad is a partner of both American AAdvantage and Air Canada Aeroplan, this space won’t be bookable using those points, and Etihad’s own program is both costly and comes with draconian cancellation penalties. Fortunately, you can book the space using Air France KLM’s Flying Blue as reasonable rates.
SpaceX scrubbed the launch of its Falcon 9 rock on Sunday morning with just 11 seconds to blastoff – because air traffic control directed a Delta Air Lines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu into the restricted airspace of its path.
Pakistan International Airlines – arguably the worst airline in the world, known for sacrificing a goat as part of its maintenance procedures and flying with more passengers on board than seats, and pilots with fake licenses – is under scrutiny again after flight PK150 from Dammam, Saudi Arabia to Multan, Pakistan diverted to Lahore and landed on the wrong runway.
Flying American Airlines from Miami to Chicago, cabin crew refused to take a box from food the passenger brought on board themselves, and according to the passenger, they responded “We don’t throw away your personal garbage.” So the passenger placed the box in the aisle and he says they still wouldn’t throw it away – they just kept kicking it out of the way each time they walked up or down the aisle.
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 »
