Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Why Don’t Airlines Make Award Seats Available on Empty Flights?

first class cabin
Mar 31 2019

Some airlines make awards available when they load their schedules, which varies between roughly ten to twelve months prior to flight. They might add seats right when schedules load, or they might wait a few days or weeks.

Other airlines will wait until travel approaches. Although in general I find the best time to be searching for award space is about 6 months to departure. And one of the toughest times is two months out — seats made available in advance may be gone, and last minute award space hasn’t opened up yet.

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United Will Test Faster Meal Service on Washington Dulles Late Night Europe Flights in April

first class bed
Mar 29 2019

Starting Monday, April 1 United will be conducting a test for one month for late night departures from Washington Dulles. Transatlantic flights departing after 10 p.m. will see a modified meal service in business class that shortens the service to allow for longer sleep. Flights like Washington Dulles – London Heathrow, Frankfurt, and Dublin are scheduled for between just 7 and 8 hours gate-to-gate.

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Another Airline Starts Offering Free Internet, How Long Until That’s World Standard?

gogo plane
Mar 28 2019

When I started predicting seven years ago that inflight wifi would be free within 10 years (so by 2022), people thought I was crazy.

However since that time JetBlue introduced free inflight internet and Aer Lingus has announced usage-capped free wifi. Southwest, Delta and Alaska now offer free inflight messaging. Delta CEO Ed Bastian says they’ll do it in a year or two so by 2021.

Another airline has just launched free wifi.

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The TSA is Training Saudi Arabian Air Marshals

liam neeson on a plane
Mar 28 2019

The US government is having the TSA train Saudi Arabia to stand up an air marshal program. It’s enough to almost make you feel bad for the Saudis.

Air marshals have smuggled cocaine, engaged in sex trafficking, and discharged their weapons in hotels and bars. We spend $200 million per arrest on the air marshal program. And to be clear that is not $200 million per arrest of a terror suspect, most are just passengers behaving badly. They’ve never stopped a terrorist.

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