Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Service Animal Does His Business on Plane, Passenger on Next Flight Told to Clean It Up

by Gary Leff

delta plane
Nov 05 2018

Last year comedian Nicole Byer went on Conan and told a story about finding poop in a sealed blanket on Delta. She was flying from Louisiana to Atlanta enroute to Los Angeles when she pulled her first class blanket out of sealed plastic and “brown crumble falls on me” then she saw a “brown thing” and the smell hit her. She says she found poop in her phone a week later since the phone was in her lap.

Now comes word that a service animal ‘became ill’ on a Delta flight

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American Top Elite Status Changes: Higher Spend Requirement, New Choice Benefit

by Gary Leff

back of airline seats
Nov 05 2018

When United announced at the end of September that earning 100,000 mile flyer ‘1K’ status would also require $15,000 in spending starting next year it was almost a foregone conclusion that American AAdvantage would do the same thing.

Meanwhile they’re introducing a new choice benefit for Executive Platinums who fly beyond 100,000 miles as well as adjusting mileage and status-earning when flying on their closest partner airlines or on ‘bulk’ or special fares.

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American Airlines Orders More 76 Seat Regional Jets

by Gary Leff

american eagle plane
Nov 05 2018

American Airlines is buying 15 more Embraer EMB-175 76 seat regional jets.

These aircraft will go to American Airlines wholly-owned regional carrier Envoy Air (formerly American Eagle) and are expected to be delivered starting in 2020. Likely for reasons of fleet commonality and price they did not opt for the potentially more comfortable E-2 variant of the plane.

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Icelandair Buying Wow Air: End of Low Cost Europe Fares Coming?

by Gary Leff

wow plane
Nov 05 2018

Low cost transatlantic carrier Primera has gone out of business while Wow Air cuts routes. Norwegian is selling planes and could still be acquired by British Airways parent IAG.

The market for flying passengers across the Pond at low prices is being shaken up. There was too much capacity pushing down prices too far especially as fuel prices rise. Now it looks like we’re seeing some actual consolidation in this market.

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How Much You Need to Spend to Earn American Airlines ConciergeKey Status

by Gary Leff

concierge key
Nov 04 2018

ConciergeKey is American’s revenue-based top level, given to very high revenue customers and those who influence significant business for the airline.

It’s the ‘super secret’ level that George Clooney had in Up in the Air. The program began mostly for corporate travel buyers and folks in their old VIP program back in 2007, and gradually expanded to individual high revenue customers.

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Finally Proof That Customers Make Decisions on Brand, Not Just Schedule and Price

by Gary Leff

british airways plane
Nov 04 2018

It’s become all too common to believe that the only things customers care about are schedule and price. This idea has been at the core of the ‘race to the bottom’ where legacy airlines strive to become more like ultra low cost carriers and then fail to understand why customers are unhappy.

Now that British Airways parent company IAG is telling investors that a quarter of the buying decision is based on brand, can we put to rest the notion that what customers think of their travel experience doesn’t matter for a full service high cost airline?

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New Flight Restrictions Announced For Accessing United Clubs

by Gary Leff

food in bowls
Nov 03 2018

In the least surprising move in the history of earth United announced that the are going to require a same day boarding pass for travel on United, another Star Alliance airline, or “a contracted partner” in order to access their clubs.

United no longer needed to treat its customers better, since competitors won’t. As with Delta and American, United’s lounge access is really sold on a subscription basis rather than being a ‘club membership’.

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British Airways Details Changes to First and Business Class, Beginning in July

by Gary Leff

airline cabin
Nov 03 2018

British Airways doesn’t have a competitive business class product. On their Boeing 777s seating is eight across, middle seats are especially intimate and passengers in the window climb over the feet of their seat opponents.

We now know a little more about what’s to come for business class, first class, and even the direction of how many seats they’re going to offer.

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