Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

United Says They’ll Deny You Boarding If They Think You’ve Been Exposed to COVID, Or Refuse Testing

by Gary Leff

May 05 2020

They can deny you boarding if they merely suspect you have coronavirus, or if they want you to obtain a test showing you do not have the virus and you decline. What will lead them to suspect someone may have the ‘rona? It could be temperature checks. It could be data shared via an app or the government in the future. It could be information about known exposures, including on a prior flight.

Consider this part of the new normal that we’re figuring out – we do not know what is going to happen in practice but United is updating its rules to allow them to take action based on what sort of testing or screening occurs.

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United Airlines Imposing Unpaid Time Off, Planning For Huge Layoffs With No Severance

by Gary Leff

man talking on camera
May 04 2020

Despite getting billions in federal aid precisely to ensure that employees do not see layoffs or a reduction in pay, United Airlines is reducing pay for non-union staff, including administrative help, by enforcing unpaid vacation time. They’re also planning to lay off at least 30% of this group October 1, as soon as CARES Act restrictions lift – and they’ve adopted a new policy that says any of these employees laid off will receive zero severance.

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Will Social Distancing Finally Give Us An Orderly Deplaning Process?

by Gary Leff

May 04 2020

When planes pull up to the gate passengers unbuckle their seat belts, not waiting for the captain to turn off the seat belt sign. Then everyone begins to jump up, and get into the aisle. Everyone crames body-to-body in the aisle. They’ve been cramped into airline seats for the duration of the flight, and strangely decide to cramp themselves even closer together in the aisle.

United Airlines has a new approach to deplaning that starts today, that they hope will bring social distancing to get off the plane that way that airlines are trying to implement for boarding and blocking of middle seats.

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Warren Buffett Walks Away From U.S. Airlines

by Gary Leff

depressed businessman leaning his head below a bad stock market chart
May 03 2020

Warren Buffett owned about 10% each of Delta, Southwest Airlines, American and a little bit less of United. He wound up with a bit over 10% of Delta – his biggest airline position – by accident when he was buying as Delta was buying back shares. It was rumored a year ago he was going to acquire Southwest Airlines in its entirety.

Buffett has now unwinded them all and walked away from the industry.

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Great Business Class Award Space To Asia For 4 Passengers With American, Chase or Amex Points

by Gary Leff

skysuite
May 02 2020

I’m starting to want to plan travel, even if it’s not clear when I’ll be able to travel abroad. I’m really hungry for sushi in Tokyo, laksa in Singapore, and prawn mee soup in Malaysia. I want a Asia trip, and there’s great business class award availability to Asia for January – March, 2021 right now. It’s available for four passengers, and far enough out that I’m willing to make some bookings.

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Ticket Sales Still Negative, With Airlines Giving You More Money Than You Give Them

by Gary Leff

united ticket counter
May 02 2020

Airlines are still refunding as many third party sales as they are generating new sales. However overall it does appear that the number of cancellations is no longer greater than new bookings. That’s mostly because the trips that were booked before the pandemic have already been cancelled, but it’s a way of thinking about having truly hit bottom already. Now there’s nowhere to go but up.

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