Airlines

Category Archives for Airlines.

JetBlue Makes Basic Economy Better, Drops Carry-On Bag Restrictions

by Gary Leff

Jun 18 2024

Basic economy matters as a way to differentiate corporate travelers (who generally pay more) from leisure customers (who are price sensitive). The old methods of Saturday night stay and 14-day advance purchase no longer hold.

But customers aren’t as stupid as airlines assume, or maybe even used to be. They compare the offerings of airlines – at the same price, nearly everyone offered better value than JetBlue. Certainly Delta – which has free wifi, too – offered better value in both New York and Boston than JetBlue’s basic fares. That hurts JetBlue, which wins only when customers go out of their way to choose them over competitors.

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Why First Class Falls Short: The Shocking Truth About U.S. Airline Meals Versus The Rest Of The World

by Gary Leff

Jun 18 2024

Increasingly, airline customers have been willing to spend more money for a better experience. It used to be that people booked on schedule and price and were willing to take whatever they had to in order to get where they’re going as long as things operated reasonably on time. That’s no longer the case, yet even premium airline products haven’t adapted, at least domestically.

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Air New Zealand CEO Diverts Flight So It Can Pick Him Up, Then Serves Drinks

by Gary Leff

Jun 17 2024

Air New Zealand’s CEO Greg Foran may have violated his flight attendant union contract scope clause by taking over cabin crew duties to serve drinks to passengers on a flight from Auckland to Tokyo. (I kid, I kid.)

He was trying to make up for having the flight diverted – to pick him up, along with a New Zealand trade delegation of 30 business leaders, government officials, and media.

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Big Airline Lobbyists Win? FAA Will Move Forward With Crackdown On Comfortable Scheduled Charters Like JSX

by Gary Leff

Jun 17 2024

Last summer, the FAA outlined an intention to ban JSX and other scheduled public charter operators, largely because they offer a popular, quality product that competitors do not like.

Now the FAA says that it will move forward with a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that would – at least in some cases – prevent public charter operators from selling scheduled flights from private terminals, using co-pilots with fewer than 1,500 flying hours.

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Qatar Airways To Take Control Of RwandAir, Add It To oneworld?

by Gary Leff

Jun 16 2024

Prior to the pandemic Qatar Airways was looking at taking a 49% stake in RwandAir after already having invested in and taken control of the new Kigali airport. The plan was to improve RwandAir’s systems and quality, and bring them into oneworld although it was not clear at the time whether the airline would become a full or ‘connect’ member of the alliance.

After nearly five years of discussions, punctuated by the pandemic, Qatar Airways finally looks ready to take the stake in RwandAir this summer.

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No Strike Yet: American Airlines Flight Attendants Reveal Details From D.C. Negotiations

by Gary Leff

Jun 14 2024

American Airlines and its flight attendants union were in Washington, D.C. this week for what the Association of Professional Flight Attendants described as ‘last ditch’ talks before a strike. Leaks from the National Mediation Board suggested that if a deal wasn’t reached by early June, flight attendants would be released to strike.

However the week’s negotiations ended, there is no deal – and no declared impasse by the National Mediation Board.

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