Category Archives for Airlines.
None of this represents change for the airline, instead it’s a shuffling of roles and reporting. Interestingly this announcement of changes to leadership does not include the words Doug Parker. I might have expected Parker, under normal circumstances, to have a quote included in the release.
I submitted a new status challenge request around 4 p.m. on Sunday and then before 8 a.m. on Monday I had already been approved for another status challenge. They’ve added a quirk I don’t recall from the challenge last time. Fortunately there’s a way around it.
Next month the Rimowa kits will be replaced with Ferragamo kits. An EVA Air spokesperson explains that Rimowa, which has been acquired by luxury behemoth LVMH, “is ending its cooperation with airlines on amenity kits.”
As a result EVA will “offer its new Ferragamo amenity kits to business class passengers on all long-haul flights. But work on design and content is still in progress. EVA does not yet have photos or sample kits.”
Chicago O’Hare, Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas Fort-Worth have Impossible Burgers for purchase at $12. There’s also made-to-order ramen (“the Ramen Bowl shredded carrots, green onion, tomato and ramen noodles are prepared in the kitchen and warmed with the vegan lemongrass broth”) and some clubs lave local Destination Dishes on the Food for Sale menu.
The new “build-your-own mac and cheese stations…have a host of topping options, including onions, bacon and crushed chili cheese Fritos.”
Swiss only lets Miles & More elite members book first class awards (usually). Air France has had a similar policy for its first class seats. For several years you’ve needed to be a Flying Blue elite member to be able to spend miles to redeem for first class.
American Airlines has restarted their ‘Project Oasis’ retrofit to cram more seats into Boeing 737s. They’re taking these planes out of service for weeks at a time even with their MAX aircraft still grounded.
The first class on these planes is so bad they’ve decided to redo those on aircraft that have already been updated. But since the fixes haven’t been certified yet they’re going to put the wrong first class in these planes, only to change them up again in a year.
American Airlines used to serve the most wonderful baked on board cookies. The whole domestic first class cabin would fill with the smell of fresh baked goodness. It was that smell, even more than the taste, which made the flight feel like home.
After US Airways management took over, and then implemented US Airways catering standards (while meeting in the middle the distance of flights that got meals) in September 2014, baked on board cookies were eliminated. They explained that since legacy US Airways aircraft had just one oven up front, it was tough for flight attendants to heat both meals and cookies at the same time.
American Airlines Chairman and CEO Doug Parker thinks the only thing wrong with the airline is their operational performance, that’s the fault of the mechanics, but getting a new contract between the airline and its separate US Airways and American mechanics is the job of the federal government.
If you’ve spent much time in Southeast Asia you’ve come across Durian, sometimes referred to as “stinky fruit.” You’ll see hotels and buses with “No Durian” signs because while delicious, some people think it smells like sewage, and the odor lasts.
There wasn’t a ‘no durian’ sign September 17th on Air Canada Rouge flight 1566 from Montreal – Vancouver that was forced to make an emergency landing due to the smell of durian.
Bastian is certainly right that alliances haven’t created seamless travel experiences for customers, and that alliances don’t allow airlines to do as much jointly as when they receive anti-trust immunity from governments to work together, as with a joint venture.
However he overgeneralizes the importance of this to alliances as a whole, rather than recognizing alliances simply haven’t helped Delta as much as they benefit other airlines.
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 »
