Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

Delta Backing Off Campaign Against Gulf Carriers to Focus Mostly on Qatar

by Gary Leff on January 19, 2018

Jan 19 2018

Delta, American and United for three years have argued that the US government needed to take a protectionist stance against Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar. They’ve argued it’s unfair, they shouldn’t have to ‘compete against governments’ which is a rather strange position. Because if they can’t even compete against government airlines what good are they?

After failing to get what they want over the course of 3 years, Delta’s CEO in an interview appears to shift focus — arguing we shouldn’t lump the 3 Gulf airlines and that Qatar’s business model is different.

Delta Cracking Down on Emotional Support Animals

by Gary Leff on January 19, 2018

Jan 19 2018

Delta announced that starting March 1 they’ll be requiring new advance documentation for passengers bringing ’emotional support animals’ on board their aircraft.

Basically they say the whole fake emotional support thing has gone too far. Delta carries 250,000 service and support animals each year — up 86% since 2016. And we’re not just talking about trained dogs, “[c]ustomers have attempted to fly with comfort turkeys, gliding possums known as sugar gliders, snakes, spiders and more.”

American’s 2018 Schedule Includes 52 New Routes, Chicago O’Hare Becomes a Shuttle City

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2018

Jan 18 2018

American is offering “52 new nonstop flights and enhanced schedules” in its 2018 schedule Only 8 are actually newly announced today. Like United, American Airlines is beefing up service to smaller markets where there’s less competition from ultra low cost carriers like Spirit and Frontier, and consequently less fare pressure.

In addition starting April 4 Chicago – New York LaGuardia is being upgraded to a ‘shuttle’ product along the lines of New York LaGuardia – DC and Boston

United Launching Premium Economy This Year

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2018

Jan 18 2018

United is telling its employees that it will launch a premium economy cabin called ‘Premium Plus’ later this year.

Here they follow American and Delta which have both started offering the international cabin between economy and business class, similar to domestic first class.

Students at Putin’s Top Pilot School Filmed in Bizarre BDSM Music Video

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2018

Jan 18 2018

Pilots aren’t supposed to let attractive passengers join them up front. Even when the passenger is a porn star. Or a Playboy Bunny. They’re supposed to fly the plane not film flight attendants having sex, look at porn in the cockpit, or check Facebook. Let alone this.

But what they do on the ground when not in class doesn’t concern me so much. As long as they pay attention in the cockpits of Aeroflot and S7 this doesn’t bother me.

Emirates Saves the Airbus A380 With Big New Order

by Gary Leff on January 18, 2018

Jan 18 2018

Airbus has been telling anyone that would listen that if Emirates didn’t place a new A380 order they’d shut down the program. The plane would enter a death spiral. Without an ongoing program for the aircraft, the value of the Emirates fleet would drop and replacement parts for the aircraft would become harder to get.

Emirates placed an order for 36 more Airbus A380s adding to the 101 currently in their fleet and the 41 already on order. That will bring their total A380 fleet to 178 — if they take delivery of all the aircraft.

China Will Experiment Letting Airlines Set Their Own Prices

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2018

Jan 17 2018

China is beginning to liberalize in much the same way the US did 40 years ago.

In 1976 – two years prior to deregulation – the Civil Aeronautics Board ‘experimented with price competition’. China is doing that, allowing airlines to set their own prices on about 300 routes: “domestic routes that have at least five carriers competing.”

American Airlines Gets Played By Delta — Again

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2018

Jan 17 2018

American Airlines keeps playing Delta’s ‘greater fool’. The biggest move was giving up their reach into India and the surrounding region, tricked by Delta. in a play that helps Delta and no one else.

This time they’ve been put in check by Delta in China.

Etihad Almost Bought the Worst Airline in the World

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2018

Jan 17 2018

Pakistan International Airlines is the worst airline in the world. Best known for sacrificing a goat for safety and flying with more passengers than seats (and making customers stand for 1700 miles), the airline’s CEO was actually detained as a result of his efforts to provide good seats and service by wet leasing aircraft from SriLankan.

American CEO Doug Parker: At Least We’re Not Attaching Crew Seats to the Lavatory Doors

by Gary Leff on January 17, 2018

Jan 17 2018

Over the weekend I wrote about problems with American’s Boeing 737 MAX and in particular “design flaws” with the lavatory. It was revealing to me that American Airlines CEO Doug Parker says he hasn’t flown on the controversial plane.

I shared this Q&A with an employee who described the 737 Max as “Mini.”

Airlines

Delta Backing Off Campaign Against Gulf Carriers to Focus Mostly on Qatar

Delta Cracking Down on Emotional Support Animals

American’s 2018 Schedule Includes 52 New Routes, Chicago O’Hare Becomes a Shuttle City

United Launching Premium Economy This Year

Students at Putin’s Top Pilot School Filmed in Bizarre BDSM Music Video

Emirates Saves the Airbus A380 With Big New Order

China Will Experiment Letting Airlines Set Their Own Prices

American Airlines Gets Played By Delta — Again

Etihad Almost Bought the Worst Airline in the World

American CEO Doug Parker: At Least We’re Not Attaching Crew Seats to the Lavatory Doors

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