Category Archives for Airlines.
United Airlines had some confusion last year over whether or not passengers in yoga pants were allowed to fly. They are.
But did you know there’s an airline where men aren’t allowed to travel in shorts?
In August I wrote about a ring of thieves stealing from passenger bags in the overhead bin.
There are occasional stories of passengers stealing from others’ carry on bags, usually this happens during long international flights when the cabin is dark and many passengers are asleep.
American Airlines used to believe that ‘basic economy’ would be worth a billion dollars to the airline.
We keep hearing that basic economy is a success. American now concedes that despite those proclamations that it has ‘underperformed’.
Qatar has the best business class product in the world in its new ‘QSuites’. To be sure even their older Airbus A350 business class is very good, a B/E Aerospace Super Diamond seat and a phenomenal soft product. But QSuites are revolutionary suites with doors and moveable partitions that allow two and even four passengers to travel together in their own space.
Two U.S. routes that see QSuites aircraft have outstanding availability for four or more business class award seats for much of 2019. And I throw in another route with great family business class space with a new Qatar business product as well.
All four of these items came to my attention yesterday. On. The. Same. Day. It is apparently not just politics were we live in interesting times.
One customer reports that American Airlines was unwilling to waive a change fee when his 3 year old’s appendix ruptured — because the appendix did not rupture on day of travel.
Here’s what he should do.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
At the start of the Trump administration there was tremendous media attention over the travel ban for nationals of several countries, but I pointed out at the time one of the lesser-noticed provisions was expediting implementation of exit controls at the border. This wasn’t just about keeping people out, it was also about keeping them in.
The plan has become more ambitious in fact a Department of Homeland Security report details the plan to require all departing passengers, including all citizens, to have photos (mug shots) taken when leaving the United States — expanding to land and sea crossings as well.
American’s plan was for more extra legroom coach seats while a few seats would have just 29 inches of pitch which is the distance from seat back to seat back. Word leaked about these changes and employees were up in arms (and thoroughly embarrassed). The airline backed down, and didn’t ultimately go to 29 inch pitch.
There’s a brilliant video about that plan. I keep watching it and completely losing it, this is hilarious.
Earlier in the month I wrote about $63 fares to Europe. That’s not a sustainable business model, it works for a few seats and for a short period of time. But what happens when you’re not even filling your planes at low low prices?
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 »
