Category Archives for Airlines.
Trans States Airlines, which currently operates 50 seat Embraer ERJ-145 regional jets for United Express, informed employees that they will go out of business at the end of the year.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker explains why when he sees something wrong he doesn’t insist that fixing the problem should be a priority.
United flight 363 from Newark to Honolulu was supposed to be operated by a Boeing 777 on Saturday. The airline swapped the plane for a Boeing 767-300, and that meant fewer business class seats. The airline needed ten volunteers who were willing to downgrade.
These ten passengers each received $10,000 in travel voucher compensation for volunteering, or $100,000 total for the one flight, and they still got to fly in premium economy seats.
Malaysia Airlines flight attendant Ina Meliesa Hassim filed a case against her employer after being fired for weighing in 1.5 pounds over the airline’s standard for her height.
She lost the case. The court chairman concludedthat there was just cause for the termination.
Last month JetBlue increased its first checked bag fee to $35 but kept it at $30 if prepaid online. Now United has announced they’re matching the move on domestic and short haul Latin America and Caribbean routes.
With United getting rid of bag sizers at the gate and higher bag fees may exacerbate the ‘bring everything on board’ mentality.
Washington Post national political correspondent Jenna Johnson tried to make a quick trip home to D.C. on United after the Nevada caucuses, a surprise for her husband who wasn’t expecting to see her until after Super Tuesday.
She didn’t make her Las Vegas – Washington Dulles flight, while roads into the airport were closed off while the President left town, but United rebooked her onto a connecting flight through Chicago. It went mechanical, jeopardizing her O’Hare connection.
United has been testing giving out complimentary sandwiches in coach on the Chicago O’Hare – Honolulu flight, and they’ve found that customers like it. They’re expanding the test to other long flights to and from Honolulu.
Good executives own their failures, just as they’re rewarded for their successes. Good companies arrange their institutions and incentives so that this is the case – rather than packing their boards with cronies who reward failure as much as success.
Cape Air won approval to start flights from Boston Harbor to New York City, at East 23rd St. in Manhattan. This is a one year pilot program for four flights a day.
Currently Amtrak is desirable for its downtown-to-downtown service, making up for slow train speeds by avoiding commutes for passengers looking to travel between city centers. This service offers to cut out the airport transit while retaining the speed of flying, though of course is subject to weather more than train travel. The major limitation, however, is frequency.
Thirty two year old JetBlue JFK-based flight attendant Christine Mathis says she first started getting confused for Meghan Markle in 2011 when passengers would say she ‘looked like that girl from Suits‘ on USA. It picked up when Markle married Prince Harry. She says passengers would ask her why she was working as a flight attendant after marrying a royal?
Now that they’ve been in the news constantly over Megxit she’s signed on with a talent agency as a professional lookalike.
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 »
