Category Archives for Airlines.
American Airlines has been sending out emails telling people that their AAdvantage frequent flyer accounts are going to be closed – unless they have some activity within the next month.
These aren’t the usual emails saying ‘your miles will expire’. And I’ve gotten several questions about what’s going on. In fact, in some cases people don’t even recognize the account numbers, and they wonder if it’s a mistake or some sort of phishing scam. It’s not.
The Department of Transportation is expected to approve the deal – after consultations with both the Office of the President and of the Vice President, according to Alter. DOT may still extract concessions from Alaska prior to doing so.
American Airlines is launching business class suites with doors on new Boeing 787-9s that they take delivery of. They’re also retrofitting Boeing 777-300ERs, removing first class and adding these new suites.
That retrofit plan is called Project Olympus.
Six months ago United Airlines was forced to ground its fleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft and cancel flights for the stupidest reason possible: 14 CFR § 25.791(a).
Everything is securities fraud? If DOJ sues to block the deal prior to close there will almost certainly be a shareholder lawsuit. Nonetheless, Hawaiian shares haven’t fallen in after-hours trading and remain well north of $17 per share, suggesting an expectation that the deal will still close despite this change in language.
Southwest Airlines is beginning redeye flights. They’re working on premium seating and assigned seats. They’ve been slow in most of their new efforts, and are being dragged into change faster by an activist investor. But some of what’s under consideration could do real damage to the Southwest brand and the multiples that their stock has been able to achieve – and alienate customers who are fanatically loyal.
Virgin Australia flight attendant, Dylan Macnish, has to be reinstated after an Australian employment tribunal ruled that his dismissal in February 2024 was unfair. Among other things, he admits to drinking alcohol within 8 hours of working a flight.
Airlines also need to explain how to close these bins, too – because when properly turned sideways and all these bags are inside, the bins get quite heavy! Pull the bin down and you get a bit of an assist in closing them. They’re designed for ease, but nobody knows it!
JetBlue is struggling and trying to execute a turnaround. They earned just $25 million in the second quarter. It should be their strongest quarter. They have underperformed for 15 years. Their CEO is gone, and they’ve been bringing back some veteran talent. Right now JetBlue is offering to match status of competitor airline customers and you can even keep the status by spending on their credit card.
Spirit Airlines isn’t going to be more successful by offering a less desirable product than American Airlines at a higher price.
The Spirit Airlines Big Front Seat used to be the best deal in travel at a modest upcharge. The idea that it’s worth more than double or even five times the base price is insane.
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 »
