Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

American’s Flight Attendants Union Fiddles While Rome Burns

by Gary Leff on September 2, 2020

Sep 02 2020

The American Airlines flight attendants union, Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA), is exceptionally weak. They’ve been dysfunctional for years. I’ve written in the past about efforts by the larger Association of Flight Attendants, which is affiliated with the Communications Workers of America and AFL-CIO, to get their nose in under the tent.

Reading through the mid-August minutes of the APFA’s Executive Committee meeting I was initially struck by just three things.

How Eliminating Change Fees Makes Airline Elite Status Harder To Earn

by Gary Leff on September 1, 2020

economy seats

Sep 01 2020

Airlines have been working to use their loyalty programs to shift customers to higher fares, and to make status a benefit for only those flying on those high fares. Eliminating change fees on the one hand, while doubling down on using Basic Economy as the tool to segment customers, is the latest attempt at doing this.

Delta Copies United’s Elimination Of Change Fees, Doesn’t Go As Far As American

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2020

Aug 31 2020

It isn’t often that Delta copies United but, like American, they’re also going to waive change fees. All three of course are copying Southwest Airlines – which doesn’t charge baggage fees either.

While Delta’s announcement was rushed out because of United’s move, they’ve actually been considering doing this for some time. They were talking about rethinking change fees at the beginning of 2020.

American Airlines Beats United’s New Change Fee Policy, Improves Basic Economy Fares

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2020

airline cabin

Aug 31 2020

United announced an end to change fees on most domestic tickets. American matched in less than a day, including more destinations. They’re extending change fee waivers on international, basic economy, and award tickets to the end of the year. And they’re letting Basic Economy customers have elite benefits again, too.

American Airlines CEO Still Thinks Buying Back Stock Was A Good Idea

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2020

depressed businessman leaning his head below a bad stock market chart

Aug 31 2020

After taking over at American Airlines, management spent $12.4 billion buying back stock over a six year period at an average price of $39.76 per share. Now they’re facing over $40 billion in debt and looking for a second government bailout this year.

At an internal Crew News session at the end of last week, a pilot asked the airline’s CEO Doug Parker if the airline is able to claw its way back, whether he’d change the way the airline is run – paying down debt instead of buying stock?

American Airlines Is Re-Orienting Itself Away From Business Travelers

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2020

Aug 31 2020

According to Vasu Raja, we can expect more point-to-point leisure routes, changes to the airline’s fee structure, and changes to AAdvantage with business travelers gone. The airline is trying to see itself as “more like a $2 billion startup than a $45 billion airline that lost a lot of stuff.”

American Airlines Expects All Furloughed Workers Back Next Year, To Fly More Before Passengers Return

by Gary Leff on August 31, 2020

Aug 31 2020

Speaking to a group of pilots at the end of last week, a recording of which was reviewed by View From The Wing, American Airlines CEO Doug Parker laid out plans not to cut flights further during the winter this year and to grow the schedule for next year even in advance of passenger demand.

With all of the employees that have taken early retirement, that should mean recalling everyone that’s being furloughed.

United Airlines Permanently Eliminates Domestic Change Fees And Standby Fees

by Gary Leff on August 30, 2020

united plane

Aug 30 2020

United Airlines is offering free same day standby starting January 1, and eliminating change fees on domestic tickets (including Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands but not other territories) effective immediately though this excludes basic economy tickets. A waiver of change fees for basic economy and international ticket purchases is being extended through the end of the year.

All MileagePlus elite members can confirm same day changes at check-in provided the same fare class is available. Currently complimentary same day changes are only available to Gold members and above.

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker Spends ‘All Of His Time’ On Government Subsidies

by Gary Leff on August 30, 2020

man speaking on microphone

Aug 30 2020

In a meaningful sense U.S. airlines are no longer private businesses, they’re vassals of the state. And that’s not surprising. While the largest carriers have given only a small potential ownership stake to the U.S. government in the form of warrants in exchange for subsidies this year, they’ve been effectively converted from commercial enterprises working to satisfy customers into political creatures working to satisfy “the powers that be,” as American Airlines CEO Doug Parker calls them.

Speaking to a group of American Airlines pilots at the end of last week, a recording of which was reviewed by View From The Wing, Parker said lobbying in DC is “frankly where I’ve been spending all of my time.”

New $5, 15-Minute Covid Tests Could Open Up Air Travel – But The Government Has Other Priorities

by Gary Leff on August 29, 2020

Aug 29 2020

This week we learned that Abbott Laboratories received an FDA Emergency Use Authorization for a faster and cheaper Covid-19 test than anything currently on the market.

Fast and cheap testing is one of the ways to bring travel back to normal. It would allow customers to travel with confidence, knowing that those around them are virus-free. And it would allow destinations to open up, knowing that people shedding the virus weren’t entering.

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 »