Category Archives for Airlines.
For tickets purchased starting January 28th, 2020 American is adding a fee for second checked bags for flights to and from South America. This applies to travel to and from Argentina, Brazil, Chila, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. It does not apply to Colombia, Guyana, or Ecuador.
Meanwhile customers departing on late flights from Peru, be prepared for a significant inconvenience.
American Airlines has suspended is Los Angeles – Beijing and Los Angeles – Shanghai flights between February 9 and March 27. Service continues until February 9 unless there are new developments (such as the federal government ordering earlier cessation of US-China flights) and is attributed to reduction in demand for travel.
Meanwhile in Beijing…
What better name could their be for a frequent traveler than Andrea Worldwide? She’s a United customer who flies “every 10 to 14 days” and earlier this month departing Denver she had a run in with one of the airline’s gate agents. She says she’s a MileagePlus elite member, a status she earns flying for business and taking regular trips to Puerto Rico to visit her boyfriend.
She felt humiliated when a male gate agent stopped her from boarding her Denver – Newark flight because her top was ‘too revealing’.
United Airlines has limited Star Alliance Gold access to lounges across much of its network. This was against Star Alliance policy. Star Alliance policy has been changed to no longer require airlines to offer contract lounge access to Gold members.
New Boeing 787-8 aircraft that will start coming into the fleet this year will have “an enhanced version of the Collins Super Diamond seat” which means that center seats will come with privacy dividers.
When American likely introduces a new business class seat in 2023 with the delivery of Boeing 787-9 aircraft, those business class seats (which have not yet been finalized) are likely to come with doors.
Old US Airways A321s don’t have life rafts, and have to hug the coastline the whole way. That takes an extra 45-50 minutes of flying each way.
Customers find themselves with more time stuck in a metal tube than they’ve bargained for. And although American says they’re investing to be more sensitive to environmental concerns they continue to burn more fuel than necessary on these trips due to their failure to invest in rafts.
Delta is introducing a new domestic first class seat which will be introduced with its Airbus A321neo. They have 100 on order and begin taking delivery later this year.
This new Recaro seat has better privacy because of the shields that protrude from the side of the seats. There’s also improved storage at the front of the seats in the center and a larger tray table. With these seats Delta continues their practice of conveniently placing power outlets in front of passengers instead of making customers contort themselves to find and plug in their devices.
An employee raised morale issues, and suggests that Delta employees are happier and take better care of customers.
Doug Parker responded that while he’s “not putting it all on this” he blamed the mechanics and summer operational performance for unhappy employees. Apparently he never read any of the employee surveys from before the mechanics’ work slowdown.
A government-owned Ariana Afghan Airlines Boeing 737 operating a domestic Kandahar – Kabul flight reportedly has crashed in the country’s central Ghazni province, in Taliban-controlled territory around 1:25 p.m. local time on Monday. That’s according to a provincial government spokesperson, and confirmed by the country’s Second Vice President. Local reports suggest 83 souls on board.
The airline, however, denies this.
Thai Airways pulled out a tape measure when the women checked in at the Bangkok airport. “She then pulled out a measuring tape and wrapped it around my daughter..moving her arms outstretched, before trying to do the same to me and [my other daughter]” the mother said.
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 »
