Category Archives for Airlines.
LOT Polish airlines flight LO8625 was supposed to fly from Poznan, Poland to holiday destination Palma Mallorca in Spain on Tuesday. But try as it might it couldn’t catch a break. It kept trying to take off, and every time it did it hit a bird and hard to start over.
In re-opened clubs a full bar is offered where permitted by local regulation, and packaged snacks are offered. They’ve added plexiglass shields at reception and at service desks, and in some cases foot-operated door openers for restrooms. There are also hand sanitizer stations and floor decals to promote social distancing.
American Airlines lounges will re-introduce hot food August 12 and food for sale August 19.
Southwest Airlines has a problem with passengers bringing their own booze on board. So too, it seems, does United Airlines.
There’s a reason why liquor stores were considered an ‘essential business’ during coronavirus lock downs, and that same impetus has people bringing booze with them now that they can’t get any on a plane.
A couple of readers have asked me for a simple summary of the reasons it’s a bad idea for the federal government to offer another round of payroll support funding. This will duplicate much of what I’ve already written, but in a manner that might be more easily shared with legislators and opinion leaders.
The federal government picked up the tab for a majority of airline payrolls during the pandemic, but that money runs out September 30. The argument initially was this would be a bridge to recovery, and it was important to keep workers attached to their airlines so they would be ready to support economic recovery once Covid-19 was over. Now we know, though, that the pandemic will have longer-lasting effects, airlines won’t need all of their employees again for several years, and they’ve already started to shrink their payrolls.
Sixteen Senate Republicans have signed onto a proposal for a second airline payroll bailout. The measure, which would give U.S. carriers a second $25 billion injection, likely has enough votes to pass – but that doesn’t mean it’ll be in the next coronavirus relief package.
The stock market response to the news shows this is really a subsidy for airline owners. Meanwhile the funding is unnecessary, too late, and too much money to address the stated desire to protect workers.
The two major Taiwanese airlines, Star Alliance member EVA Air and SkyTeam’s China Airlines, are running flights to nowhere in August. Both carrier’s flights instantly sold out.
New carrier Starlux Airlines has applied to start offering these flights as well.
Taiwan has been one of the real Covid-19 success stories. Part of the price of their early lockdown is that they’ve cut themselves off from the rest of the world for longer than most.
As long as the restructuring is approved, miles are safe – and it seems likely that creditors will approve because in the current environment the value of collateral is likely depressed and liquidation of the carrier isn’t likely to secure greater repayment. Put another way, you want to sell Heathrow slots when they’re worth more, not when they’re likely to secure their lowest prices in years.
American Airlines is running a promotion to earn double miles towards lifetime elite status with flying through end of the year. This isn’t double redeemable miles, or double elite qualifying miles, this is just double credit towards earning 1 million, 2 million, or higher tiers of lifetime status.
Here are some reasons they might choose lifetime elite status as an incentive, why American’s lifetime status has been on the decline (and how to fix it), and why you shouldn’t chase lifetime status from a loyalty program.
January through end of schedule in July Singapore Airlines is making four business class award seats available most days in both directions for Los Angeles – Singapore non-stop. This is a great way, of course, to connect beyond in Southeast Asia.
What I keep hearing over and over from American Airlines employees is that they’re worried about bankruptcy. They’re reluctant to take early retirement, and are concerned about their pensions, because they’re afraid the promised money isn’t going to be there for them. And much of that is the fault of Congress as much as the airline itself.
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 »
