Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Air India Could Be Forced To Shut Down In June

by Gary Leff

air india plane
Dec 31 2019

India’s aviation market has been a mess. Jet Airways is out of business. oneworld member Kingfisher is no more. And Star Alliance member Air India is teetering on the edge of bankruptcy.

The government-owned airline is currently surviving on subsidies while the country looks for a buyer to take over the flag carrier. However they’ve committed to spend no more cash on the airline, and unless a buyer is found by June the airline is expected to run out of money and have to close.

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American Airlines Experimenting With More Flexible Approach to Same Day Flight Changes

by Gary Leff

american plane
Dec 30 2019

American Airlines offers same day changes for $75, waived for Platinum Pro (75,000 mile) elite members and higher. The rules for these changes are more restrictive than United’s or Delta’s though.

Fortunately American appears to be experimenting with a more liberal approach to same day confirmed changes, specifically making more inventory available on certain flights to test if that’s something they’re willing to move forward with.

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Is Egypt Hiding The True Cause of Star Alliance Member EgyptAir’s 2016 Crash?

by Gary Leff

Dec 30 2019

Seven months into the accident investigation Egypt announced that the cause of the crash was terrorism, with traces of explosives found on passenger bodies. Since the plane contained French passengers France conducted its own investigation, and provided assistance. French officials have cast skepticism about the terrorism claim suggesting that the long period of time that bodies were in the water would have made it impossible to identify trace explosives.

The Wall Street Journal obtained a leaked report the casts further doubt on the explanation offered by Egyptian authorities – repeated maintenance issues with the aircraft that went unaddressed.

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These 10 Routes Offer More Airline Seats Than Any Others

by Gary Leff

Dec 29 2019

The top 10 airline routes in the world by how much capacity is scheduled are all generally in the Asia Pacific region. That includes the Mideast (Saudi Arabia’s domestic Riyadh – Jeddah) and it includes Australia (Sydney – Melbourne).

There’s not a single route in the top 10 in the U.S., Canada, or anywhere in Europe. A decade ago South America featured once – Sao Paulo to Rio – but that’s no longer in the top 10.

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The 10 Biggest Airlines In The World, Ranked

by Gary Leff

Dec 28 2019

Ten years ago Delta was fresh off its merger with Northwest Airlines and was the undisputed largest airline in the world. Since that time United and Continental have merged, and American Airlines and US Airways have merged. Delta kept growing, and still sits close to the top. But they aren’t biggest.

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Etihad And Qatar Non-U.S. Awards Are Back At AA.com

by Gary Leff

airplane docked
Dec 24 2019

American only just introduced online redemption of Etihad awards in May and it was a surprise to see at the time, since American has been in a political war with those two airlines, despite their partnerships, for the past four and a half years – and even terminated codeshares with both. I’m glad to see American continuing to invest in getting online redemption for Etihad and Qatar right.

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Emirates President Stepping Down In June

by Gary Leff

plane with loading dock
Dec 24 2019

Emirates President Sir Tim Clark will leave the role in June and remain as an advisor. He’ll have been with the airline for 35 years, having joined the Dubai-based carrier as part of its founding in 1985. He initially served as the carrier’s head of planning and became airline President in 2003.

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