News and notes from around the interweb:
- Delta was genuinely on the verge of being a true premium airline before the pandemic. They launched hot towels, welcome drinks and coursed meals in economy on long haul flights in 2019. Now they’re this:
- Enterprise Rent-a-Car tries to charge customer $9,500 for putting diesel fuel in their gas rental car fortunately they had receipts showing they’d filled up with regular unleaded! (HT: Paul H)
- United Airlines Quietly Tests Whether Business Class Passengers Still Want Amenity Kits from May 4 – 15, “flight attendants will ask each customer whether they would like” an amenity kit and distribute to those who do, rather than placing them on all passenger seats. This will be tested on LAX flights to Hong Kong; Shanghai; Beijing; Sydney; Melbourne; Tokyo Haneda and Narita; and London Heathrow.
- Interesting! Since this doesn’t look like a pilot position subject to UK CAA commercial air transport age 65 limitations, and notes ‘former ATP’ as someone they’d consider, it looks like a reasonable part-time retirement gig for a retired Chicago-based United or American senior captain.
Any 777/787 rated pilots in the USA?
British Airways will pay you $100k a year to taxi them around ORD.
BA arrive into Terminal 5 but depart from 3 and can’t be towed, so they need to be taxi’d!https://t.co/HvGxgCRzuX@SteveNomadic @CaptBob_Nomadic @scottiebateman @MCCCANM
— Ben (@PlanetZorg25) May 2, 2026
- One more from Spirit:
RIP @SpiritAirlines
Choked up listening to the final pilot announcement pic.twitter.com/rauNSf7WFn
— Sheel Mohnot (@pitdesi) May 2, 2026
- More backfill of Spirit Airlines capacity.
Breeze Airways to commence new routes from Atlantic City (ACY) left by Spirit:
• Orlando (MCO) from July 3, increasing to 7 weekly
• Myrtle Beach (MYR) 2 weekly from October 22
• Fort Myers (RSW) 3 weekly from October 22
• Palm Beach (PBI) 3 weekly from December 17 pic.twitter.com/ZD8885S3kq— Ishrion Aviation (@IshrionA) May 2, 2026
- The 18 countries the U.S. State Department warns against all travel to: (Level 4 Warning) “Afghanistan, Belarus, Burkina Faso, Burma (Myanmar), Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Haiti, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Niger, North Korea, Russia, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.”
- Cathay Pacific Asia Miles devaluation a bit worse than announced
- Spirit Airlines pilot, who missed his retirement by a day, gets a sendoff from Southwest Airlines instead.
Sorry, gotta pay for Ed’s $100,000,000 incentive package, so… let them eat Wonder Bread!
DL has a power house at ATL and that has gave the airline an edge. But now DL is into AA 2020 mode.
Seriouly, amenity kits are mostly useless, especially from US airlines.
Unless they are truly premium kits like Emirates or Thai F, who cares.
Just have an a la carte system like SQ , pick what you want.
US airlines are all in a ra e to the bottom.
Instead of merging with each other, they should look at a partnership with Greyhound. The service levels are now the same between air and bus.
That is a traditional southern sandwich. White bread tomato salt and sometimes mayo meant to be enjoyed standing up over the kitchen sink!
The demise of Delta continues. They are on an ILS approach to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
If you go to any of those 18 countries, you’re just dumb and deserve whatever happens to you.
@Brian L. — These days, yes, but didn’t always used to be that way for some of those. Grateful to have made it to Bagan in Myanmar while Aung San Suu Kyi led their partial democracy. It’s a shame that the military junta retook power and plunged that country and its people back into darkness…
That sandwich looks like a thoughtful, elevated dining concept.
Much like with hotels, experienced travelers bring their own amenities.
@Denver Refugee — So… poor man’s lie-flat? You buyin’ 3-4 economy seats to create your own?
RE: Spirit pilot honored by Southwest – perhaps Southwest would still be a great airline if it was run by the line employees instead of the suits in upper management.
I wonder if the amenity kit cutbacks means brands are less willing to subsidize them as ads for UA’s “premium” customers.
I like the kits as a collectors’ item (I personally use a limited run Etihad F kit for my travel toiletries). I don’t think they have too much value for every passenger. However, I see this as a step on the road to their elimination, which I do not like. Sometimes, I really need that tiny moisturizer tube! It’s fine if they only offer them, but their disappearance would be a real devaluation of J, IMHO.
It appears Enterprise is in a race with Hertz to scam customers.
I stopped taking amenity kits a long time ago when I realized that no matter how nice they are, they are completely useless – maybe with one or two notable exceptions – and do nothing but add clutter to my home. I guess people dig them, but they add almost no value for me . . . in the same category as crappy food on short haul flights that I never take or eat that many people seem to really care about.
Have to agree with Alan that SQ’s offering a la carte amenity items makes the most sense on most of the carriers. I end up scavenging the kit and donating the rest–usually most of the kit–to shelters.
every dime spent on kits is a waste
spend every dime on food quality/quantity in the back and domestic 500-1250 miles
WHERE THE F IS TIM DUNN?????
TIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
we need your magat rationale that transmogrifies cucumber and tomato on dry wonder bread in to PREEEEEMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM
show your face you coward
just own it and we’ll reset your street cred counter
come on timmy!
@Les — The only issue with SQ’s a la carte system is that you have to know to ask; they really do not promote it much. And, unlike other premium carriers, they don’t do pajamas in J. Qatar, EK do.