Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Two Air China Pilots Standing In The Cockpit During Takeoff

by Gary Leff

May 18 2020

Chit chat while being towed doesn’t actually violate the U.S. sterile cockpit rule that only activities necessary for safe operation of the aircraft can be carried out when below 10,000 feet (technically, during critical phases of flight). However they’re being recorded.

What’s unusual is standing in the cockpit for takeoff. U.S. rules are clear that pilots must be belted in at the controls, and everyone else has to be belted in for takeoff and landing. There is no standing in the cockpit.

Continue Reading »

Fact Check: Does Flying Actually Put You At Risk For COVID-19?

by Gary Leff

May 18 2020

With air travel down over 90% since the start of the pandemic you might expect that flying is a primary mechanism for transmitting the SARS-CoV-2 virus. It’s not.

Two months ago I wrote that it’s safer to travel than you think. I wasn’t telling you to travel, and older people with pre-existing conditions I think probably shouldn’t. However actual risk of travel differs greatly from the perceived risk. That’s been borne out by research, and now endorsed by research experts as well.

Continue Reading »

Which U.S. Airlines Are Most Likely To Wind Up In Bankruptcy?

by Gary Leff

british tail plane
May 18 2020

According to financial markets, the major U.S. airline most likely to wind up in bankruptcy is American, followed by United.

At this point the big airlines talk about how much cash they have to make it through this year. But that’s not the issue. After $58 billion in subsidies allocated to commercial airlines, airlines will make it through 2020. The question is what happens in 2021.

Continue Reading »

Thai Airways Expected To File For Bankruptcy

by Gary Leff

May 18 2020

Thai Airways is majority government-owned, and a government panel has recommended that the airline restructure in bankruptcy. The Thai cabinet will consider bankruptcy for the airline on Tuesday.

Thai has lost money every year since 2013, in some of the very best times for the airline industry. It doesn’t just need a cash bridge to survive until the pandemic passes.

Continue Reading »

Interesting Qatar Airways Elite Status Match Offer

by Gary Leff

first class beds
May 18 2020

Qatar Airways has a really interesting status match opportunity. I flag this because mid- and top-tier elite members of Qatar Airways Privilege Club do not just get American Airlines Admirals Club access even on domestic itineraries, they receive access to American’s Flagship lounges, too (once those re-open of course).

Continue Reading »

President Obama’s Chief Economic Advisor: Airline Bailouts Were “Dumb,” Had No “Conceivable Logic”

by Gary Leff

May 17 2020

Larry Summers was President Obama’s chief economic advisor, Bill Clinton’s treasury secretary, and President of Harvard University. He’s one of the smartest people on the planet his arguments, both when you agree or disagree, are force to be reckoned with.

Summers explains that by trying to keep all of the airlines alive, you assure that they all have excess capacity and that they’re all unprofitable. That has long-term consequences for the whole economy, “the failure to allow the appropriate economic adjustment is kind of the mistake that Japan made in the 1990s. We need as we realize how long this is going to play to be aware of those risks.”

Continue Reading »

How To Make Airline Ads Great

by Gary Leff

May 17 2020

To be among my favorites an ad needs to be more than clever or visually appealing, it needs to be effective and make sense for the brand that’s doing the advertising.

As we come out of the pandemic, and associated recession or depression, there will be empty seats to fill. While on the way down the first and easiest place to cut spending is marketing, we’ll know there’s business to earn and our economy is beginning to recover when we see airline advertising. That means people are ready to fly, and airlines are ready to compete for this business.

Continue Reading »

7 Reasons New TSA Temperature Checks Will Make Air Travel Worse

by Gary Leff

May 16 2020

The Administration wanted the CDC to do temperature checks at airports. They refused. U.S. airlines have been lobbying for the government to do these checks – they don’t want the responsibility of doing it themselves, even though that would be better for travelers. Now the TSA is preparing to do it at security checkpoints.

This isn’t going to make air travel safer, and it’s going to make the travel experience worse for a long time to come.

Continue Reading »