News and notes from around the interweb:
- There’s much truth here, and this is why Spirit is back in bankruptcy again. They lost their focus on low cost, they’ve been trying to move upmarket (and invest more in reliability and wifi) – but they can’t escape being Spirit. That yellow plane in the background:
Why Spirit Airlines? They may be illegals but still have rights.
— Iktan Zulia (@iktan_zulia) September 21, 2025
- Rakuten has the most generous shopping portal initial bonus right now, a best-ever offer of $50 if you spend $50 shopping online at a store you click on through their portal. The referrer gets $50 as well. And the offer for new members runs through September 30, 2025.
You could literally buy a $50 gift card and get $50 back. Or make a purchase you were going to make anyway at a store, as long as you start your shopping through their site.
And Rakuten lets you choose cash back, or Amex Membership Rewards points (this is 5,000 points – my preference since I value Membership Rewards points at significantly more than a penny apiece).
- SFO airport’s terminal 3 West modernization project has quadrupled in cost“And so basically the project was $627 million in 2017, but to date, it has increased to $2.8 billion”
- Another way Southwest has ruined their travel experience – free checked bags used to mean passengers didn’t try to carry everything into the cabin with them, and passengers rarely had their bags confiscated at the gate. Now, to avoid checked bag fees leading to delayed flights, bags are taken away from customers even when bins still have space – because letting them fill up means checking bags at the last minute which can delay a departure.
@SouthwestAir making us check our bag because we're in Group C. We got on the plane and there are plenty of space for carry on bags.
Flight attendants said to write a letter. Gate agent insists to check bags. pic.twitter.com/i7MdnDSo7M
— Ertugrul (@Ertugrul305) September 20, 2025
If you’re trying to make your airline more profitable, the solution isn’t to make it more like American Airlines.
@AmericanAir On my connection from @DFWAirport, your staff was again way too quick to gate check other people's bags despite open compartments in the cabin. pic.twitter.com/WfE7h5dtaV
— Clint Mendonca – Houston Banker (@HoustonTXBanker) September 20, 2025
- You’re staying at a Marriott resort, they charge a $52 per day resort fee, how can just being at a resort – let alone being charged an extra resort fee – not include a pool or beach chair? That’s extra?
@funkshe Done Hawaii is great. The hotels in Waikiki are not. Fiji was amazing. There are amazing places in the world to visit and stay in. Greedy companies in the US are ruining it for everyone #honolulu #travel #traveltips #hawaii #honeymoon ♬ original sound – funkshe - Can British Airways endure another cut? Club Europe business class is a coach seat with blocked middle, but ostensibly offers better food. Yet BA is shrinking short haul business class meals.
British Airways has quietly downsized the meals served in its Club Europe Business Class cabin on domestic flights… British Airways no longer offers a full English breakfast or a vegetarian omelette on these flights, and instead has replaced this more substantial offering with a small fruit plate, yogurt, and pain au chocolate. According to menus posted by disgruntled passengers online, the downsized meal now contains a total of 501 calories.
That’s the Spirit… *facepalm*
So BA thinks they have too much premium cabin business and their solution is to worsen the already-mediocre experience to drive off some of the people paying more?
What could possibly go wrong?
Just had 4 flights on Southwest. People were asked on two of them to gate check, though to be fair every plane was full. The agents and cabin crew couldn’t have been nicer, but I had a distinct sense that everyone is waiting for the ax to fall. When talking with them about what is coming I heard real anger and disgust, and they certainly know about Elliott Investment Management. Occasionally this feeling leaked out, such as, “Your baggage is on carousel 4 and if you’re transferring to another line we don’t give a damn.” (Much laughter from the passengers.) I bet in a few years new people will be doing most of this work, and the sense of happiness and camaraderie that made Southwest special will be long gone. And so too will be any reason take it.
@drrichard — Sounds about right. It’s a real shame. Didn’t have to be this way. Private equity ruins everything.
As an aside, thank you, specifically, for sharing your experiences here. Whenever I see you’ve written something, I read it. (Same with a few others on here, like @Parker.) Always insightful, relevant, and thought provoking. Respect.