Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

6 New Cost Cuts at JetBlue: Are They Even Trying to Be Just a Little Less Bad Than Competitors Anymore?

jetblue plane
Sep 01 2019

The airline is beloved, though much of the credit they get is based on past efforts. JetBlue isn’t nearly as good as it once was, they even led last year’s checked bag fee increase. They’ve squeezed seats, just not as much as American, Delta, and United. And their Achilles heel is operational reliability,

Six new cost cuts continue the multi-year quest to become merely ‘a little less bad’ than competitors continues apace.

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Delta Gives Non-Union Employees Big Raise For Labor Day

delta plane
Sep 01 2019

Yesterday I shared a leaked Delta memo showing that the airline would be giving 4% raises to flight attendants and ground employees. In addition the airline said employees could expect bigger bonuses. That’s big news this Labor Day weekend.

The authenticity of the memo was being called into question in some quarters because another (obviously fake) memo was circulating earlier in the week promising 9% raises. However the real memo is.. real… and Delta employees get news of a 4% raise for Labor Day.

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American Airlines Will Start Rotating Snack Baskets Much More Often Starting October 9

Aug 31 2019

Currently American Airlines changes up their domestic first class snack baskets every six months. I don’t love most of what they offer, and boy the contents get boring after awhile. The last changeover was April 10.

While I don’t think the new choices starting October 9 are better the good news is that the airline will begin rotating out contents every two months beginning with this next refresh. Here’s what’ll be in the new baskets.

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Delta Giving Out Raises, Expects Bigger Bonuses – And That’s a Problem for Southwest and American

delta check in airport
Aug 31 2019

Ground and flight attendant employees get a 4% raise. Employees who receive merit-based pay adjustments will have a 4% increase in the total compensation pool available to them. And bonuses are expected to be higher, too.

Just as importantly the airline communicates that it is investing in solving pain points in jobs, and employees are reminded that they’re empowered to address the most important issues at the airline (safety). It’s a well-written memo.

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What Keeps American Airlines From Offering a Checked Baggage Guarantee

Aug 30 2019

Delta and Alaska Airlines commit to delivering checked bags within 20 minutes of each flight arriving. United and American make no such commitment. An American employee asked about what the airline can do to improve its baggage delivery times, and management provided a response in writing outlining some of the challenges that they have with bags – and how it’s supposed to work.

They also explained why bags often don’t make it when you change flights during irregular operations.

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Free Delta Miles, Priority Boarding, and Lyft Discounts for Washington State Residents

delta plane
Aug 30 2019

One of the challenges with Delta’s buildup in the Seattle market has been the city’s intense loyalty to their hometown airline. “Alaska Airlines” is a strange name for a carrier based in Seattle but Seattleites feel a strong affinity for the company.

Delta has done a lot to move the needle, beyond schedule and price. Like Alaska they offer a 20 minute baggage delivery guarantee. The Seattle airport Sky Club is one of their best. And there have been semi-frequent mileage offers targeted at the local market.

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American Airlines is Going to Break 1000 Departures at DFW Airport – For One Day Only

airport
Aug 28 2019

This summer American Airlines gained access to 15 new gates in terminal E satellite at Dallas Fort-Worth airport. That’s the biggest change that allowed them to grow from 800 flights a day to 900 flights. They had to make huge changes to their operation to accommodate this growth.

For one day though the airline is going to grow to 1000 departures at Dallas Fort-Worth.

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American’s Mechanics Dispute is Really About the Future Role of Union Airline Mechanics

american airlines hangar
Aug 28 2019

One of the major issues of contention between American Airlines and its mechanics – that has prevented reaching a contract agreement and contributed to the airline’s poor operational performance – is outsourcing. American outsources less work than other U.S. airlines.

However the trend is for high value work to be done in house, and lower value work to be outsourced. That’s a trend that union mechanics aren’t going to be able to escape. Legacy American Airlines mechanics are in their mid-50s on average and are being promised job and base protection, so the fight is really about future workers.

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