Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Inside The Snags United Airlines Hit Trying To Roll Out Its Cleanliness Programs

by Gary Leff

Jul 25 2020

United scored a real marketing coup when they licensed Clorox’s name for their efforts. This week they promised to increase outside airflow during boarding and deplaning. And at the end of next week they’re slated to introduce a new cleaning technology into their cockpits.

However conversations with several airline executives paint a different picture of the airline’s investments. While on Monday CEO Scott Kirby said “I am going to keep encouraging our team to explore and implement new ideas, new technologies, new policies and new procedures that better protect our customers and employees,” I’m told they’ve even let go of the employee driving their cleaning technology projects as part of non-union their layoffs.

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American Airlines Tells Flight Attendants Their Jobs Will Be Miserable If They Stay

by Gary Leff

Jul 25 2020

Consumer demand for travel isn’t going to equal what it was before the Covid pandemic for awhile, so airlines will offer fewer flights and won’t need as many employees. In general airlines have to keep employees based on seniority, but were prefer more junior employees who are paid less. So they’re offering senior employees buy outs to voluntarily separate from their company.

With only 401 American Airlines flight attendants taking these ‘early outs’ so far, they’re trying to convince cabin crew that their work will be harder and less pleasant in the future.

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13 Quick, Lesser-Noticed Things Revealed On Today’s American Airlines Earnings Call

by Gary Leff

Jul 23 2020

American Airlines CEO Doug Parker opened the call by thanking “the entire America West Airlines team.” Oops. The airline is often criticized for being America West operating under the American Airlines brand, and that doesn’t help. Parker took over America West days before 9/11, got a government bailout, went on to acquire US Airways and then merge it into the larger American with legacy US Airways executives at the helm.

Following that miscue, which he later said CIO Maya Leibman pointed out to him, he offered that “Black Lives Matter” before getting into quarter’s results and the airline’s plans for dealing with and emerging from the pandemic. 13 things – aside from the actual financial results – stood out to me that help to understand where the airline is going.

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Read: Delta CEO Ed Bastian’s Latest Memo To Employees

by Gary Leff

delta coach
Jul 23 2020

Delta CEO Ed Bastian has taken Covid-19 tests several times. The airline is offering testing for all of their employees and everyone is expected to do it. They’re even offering at-home test kits for employees in Texas and Florida. The airline is now up to 120 passengers they’ve banned for refusing to wear face masks on board.

They’re actively promoting police reform and celebrate passage of legislation in Minnesota, and they’re committed to racial equality and justice – though notably unlike American Airlines CEO leading off their earnings call declaring “black lives matter” that’s not part of Bastian’s memo.

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Alliance Upgrades Will Be New oneworld Benefit As Alaska Airlines Becomes Next Member

by Gary Leff

alaska airlines plane
Jul 23 2020

Alaska Airlines has formally signed its agreement to join oneworld, and expects to become an alliance member by end of year. While they’ve been talking about joining for two years the plan to do so was only announced in February meaning they’ll be delivering on the promise in under a year rather than the standard expection of 18 months.

Net net joining oneworld should be good for Alaska, it remains to be seen whether it’ll be good for Mileage Plan members.

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