American has an amusing commercial about how much we’ve come to rely on inflight wifi. And American does a great job with domestic wifi, as Delta does and United does not. In fact the major reason I’ve continued to fly American Airlines is because United’s connectivity is so poor (and because Delta’s route network doesn’t work super well for me in Austin).
This new ad could have just as easily been made by Delta, and there it would have been even more persuasive.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
California’s Attorney General says a TSA screener ‘tricked’ a woman into baring her breasts. What he did was use the authority of the government to intimidate her, for his own sexual gratification. That agent has been arrested for false imprisonment.
Contract ramp agents at the Fresno airport have been fired over a viral video they posted to TikTok on January 24.
Apparently the workers filmed the video while they were on the clock – though after they “were done with work.”
American Airlines is evaluating new business class seats, expected to debut in 2023. The new business class will have doors. They’re looking at one from their current seat provider, Rockwell Collins, and they’re looking at the Adient Ascent seat (a joint venture between auto seatmaker Adient and Boeing).
What seemed confusing is that in the seat focus groups last week American was actually showing four business class seats.
Wednesday night the Trump administration announced a new policy that New York residents are no longer eligible to apply for (or renew) Global Entry, SENTRI, or Nexus. That means no more expedited immigration, and it means New Yorkers getting their TSA PreCheck through these programs wouldn’t have that benefit renewed either.
It was unclear what would happen to New Yorkers who already had submitted applications (and renewals). That’s now clear. Those applications have reportedly been flushed.
Competitive pressures being what they are it looks like United Airlines is testing some increased coach investment. Aleksandra Mietus, United Manager of Onboard Expereince, tweets out a photo of coach amenities from Chicago O’Hare – Tokyo Narita: a toothbrush and tooth paste, ear plugs, and an eye mask.
CEO Akbar al Baker said they’re considering several new acquisitions, speaking at the Qatar Airways/CAPA Aeropolitical and Regulatory Summit in Doha.
Under consideration are stakes in Rwandair, IndiGo, and Royal Air Maroc – in addition to increasing their ownership position in LATAM.
Bringing a child under 2 years old on a plane with you is free for domestic flights if you don’t buy them a seat. However when you travel internationally an infant without a seat needs a ticket, and those can be expensive even when you’re redeeming miles for your own flight.
When you book an award and add a lap infant, some programs charge you 10% of a paid ticket. That’s standard for United, Delta and American. If you redeem miles for a $6000 business class ticket, the lap infant costs you $600 plus taxes.
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 »
