Category Archives for Airlines.
This morning I wrote that Air Italy faced an uncertain future – and possible liquidation – after losing 200 million euros in 2019, up from 164 million the year before. The carrier needed more cash, and Qatar Airways which owns 49% of the airline was blocked from taking an additional stsake in the airline by foreign ownership restrictions.
And in fact a decision has been made today to shut down the airline.
American Airlines Concierge Key and Executive Platinum customers entering the Dallas Fort-Worth Flagship lounge have an option to buy access to the more exclusive Flagship First Dining room when traveling long haul international or on eligible transcon flights for $150 per person. This is a test scheduled to last three months.
All of the reporting about Southwest Airlines employees receiving 6 weeks of extra pay in their paycheck next month turns out to be inaccurate since most of the money is required to go into a retirement account that is separate from employee 401(K)s. That’s good for employee retirement, but not as valuable as cash for those who want access to the funds today.
American has an amusing commercial about how much we’ve come to rely on inflight wifi. And American does a great job with domestic wifi, as Delta does and United does not. In fact the major reason I’ve continued to fly American Airlines is because United’s connectivity is so poor (and because Delta’s route network doesn’t work super well for me in Austin).
This new ad could have just as easily been made by Delta, and there it would have been even more persuasive.
American Airlines is evaluating new business class seats, expected to debut in 2023. The new business class will have doors. They’re looking at one from their current seat provider, Rockwell Collins, and they’re looking at the Adient Ascent seat (a joint venture between auto seatmaker Adient and Boeing).
What seemed confusing is that in the seat focus groups last week American was actually showing four business class seats.
Wednesday night the Trump administration announced a new policy that New York residents are no longer eligible to apply for (or renew) Global Entry, SENTRI, or Nexus. That means no more expedited immigration, and it means New Yorkers getting their TSA PreCheck through these programs wouldn’t have that benefit renewed either.
It was unclear what would happen to New Yorkers who already had submitted applications (and renewals). That’s now clear. Those applications have reportedly been flushed.
Competitive pressures being what they are it looks like United Airlines is testing some increased coach investment. Aleksandra Mietus, United Manager of Onboard Expereince, tweets out a photo of coach amenities from Chicago O’Hare – Tokyo Narita: a toothbrush and tooth paste, ear plugs, and an eye mask.
CEO Akbar al Baker said they’re considering several new acquisitions, speaking at the Qatar Airways/CAPA Aeropolitical and Regulatory Summit in Doha.
Under consideration are stakes in Rwandair, IndiGo, and Royal Air Maroc – in addition to increasing their ownership position in LATAM.
Bringing a child under 2 years old on a plane with you is free for domestic flights if you don’t buy them a seat. However when you travel internationally an infant without a seat needs a ticket, and those can be expensive even when you’re redeeming miles for your own flight.
When you book an award and add a lap infant, some programs charge you 10% of a paid ticket. That’s standard for United, Delta and American. If you redeem miles for a $6000 business class ticket, the lap infant costs you $600 plus taxes.
I’ve written about American’s process for selecting a new business class seat to debut on the Boeing 787-9s slated for delivery beginning in 2023. I’ve argued that the most likely seat is their current Super Diamond seat, adding doors. And a second option – the Adient Ascent seat – leaked.
However it seems that people who are part of customer focus groups looking at American’s new seat options are reporting that there are actually 3 seats under consideration, and some may even be suggesting they’ve been shown four seats.
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 »
