Delta Declares the Airport Experience the Next Battleground, But Can’t Actually Make It Better

by Gary Leff

airport bridge
Jul 22 2019

Delta thinks they have the flight experience part of travel down and won, and their CFO declares “the next area of competition in air travel is in the airport.” But they’ve turned over too much of the travel experience to government airports, government security, and government air traffic control to really make a difference.

Delta is likely to identify some some incremental improvements to reduce hassle and declare them revolutionary. And if it’s even a little better than the United and American airport experience they’ll be hailed for it.

Continue Reading »

Is Airbus Doing Enough to Stop the Fumes that are Making People Sick?

by Gary Leff

Jul 22 2019

There are scores of Airbus narrowbody fume incidents across diverse carriers — including some fume occurrences leading to flight diversions and hospitalized passengers and crew — across JetBlue, Austrian, British Airways, American Airlines, Spirit, Lufthansa, easyJet, Aer Lingus, Jetstar, Germanwings, Turkish, Air France, Delta and others.

Airbus, airlines, the FAA and international regulators are familiar with and have paid attention to these events and yet they keep occurring. We don’t hear about them as a systematic issue, and I have to wonder if Airbus is doing enough, proactively enough, about it?

Continue Reading »

Fiji Airways Moving its Full Business Class Meal Service From the Air to the Ground

by Gary Leff

fiji-airways-premier-lounge-at-nadi-international-airport
Jul 22 2019

Many airlines have offered pre-flight dining in business class. Eat your meal in the airport before boarding, go right to sleep on board. That’s a nice option for short overnight flights.

Of course not everyone want to show up at the airport early to eat. And where this has been tried it’s generally presented either as a choice (eat beforehand instead of on the plane) or a shortened service where the food remains substantive. Not so at Fiji Airways.

Continue Reading »

Head of Flight Attendants Union Threatens to Contaminate Airline Food

by Gary Leff

hold-passports
Jul 21 2019

Star Alliance member EVA Air has a much underrated frequent flyer program and one of the best business class products in the world.

However the world focused on the treatment of the airline’s flight attendants after a truly shocking passenger incident this year that was so bad it spurred flight attendant activism including demands that the airline hire male cabin crew.

Continue Reading »

VIDEO: Buzz Aldrin Punched a Moon Landing Denier in the Face

by Gary Leff

apollo11 moon
Jul 21 2019

If nothing else, walking on the moon is the ultimate cocktail party mic drop but it’s understandable that some don’t believe it actually happened. After all, without atmosphere how could the flag they planted on the moon be waving in the wind? And what about “the lack of stars in any of the photos, the Van Allen radiation belts that would have killed the astronauts with lethal doses of cosmic radiation”…?

Continue Reading »

Travel Agency Scam: Take Customer Money, Don’t Actually Book Their Travel

by Gary Leff

jail
Jul 21 2019

There are supposed travel agents online that will sell you packages, hotel rooms, tickets for activities. They will charge your card. You’ll show up, and they’ve simply taken your money and not booked anything for you. You have a paper confirmation that doesn’t mean anything.

Would you book from a travel agency using Osama bin Laden’s initials?

Continue Reading »