Delta Abandons Tokyo Narita Airport

by Gary Leff

airport terminal
Aug 01 2019

Delta formed a joint venture (and even acquired a stake in) Korean Air and sees Seoul-Incheon now as its connecting hub to Asia.

They’ve wanted to be able to move their entire Tokyo operation to the close-in Haneda airport. That’s because they see Tokyo now as a destination rather than a connecting point. They’ve argued to the DOT in the past that if they don’t get enough slots at Haneda to run their own set of flights, that no U.S. airline should get to fly to Haneda. It was an aggressive position, but it largely worked.

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Virgin Atlantic Demands $2.5 Million Tribute From Small Island of St. Lucia

by Gary Leff

virgin atlantic
Jul 31 2019

Delta complains that Qatar Airways owns 49% of Air Italy and so Italy’s number two carrier is really a stalking horse for the Doha-based airline. Meanwhile Delta owns 49% of Virgin Atlantic, and most of the rest of Virgin is owned by Delta’s partners. Delta is also a huge fan of subsidies but only when the subsidies are going to them.

So is it any surprise that Virgin Atlantic is ceasing its three to four times weekly London Gatwick – St. Lucia flights June 8, 2020 because the island wouldn’t pay Virgin $2.5 million in subsidies?

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Fully Boarded Delta Flight Was About to Depart – When the Pilot Was Found With Alcohol

by Gary Leff

delta plane
Jul 31 2019

A real challenge is that pilots with an alcohol problem may be wary of speaking up and seeking help, for fear of being sidelined, despite programs designed to encourage them to do so.

Pilots hide not just alcohol abuse but mental health conditions and that points to a fundamental conundrum: you want pilots to be open and seek help in order to promote safety, but once they’re open they’re a clearly identified risk and get removed from the cockpit. So the consequences of being open discourage that openness. Or at least that’s the fear many pilots have, not trusting any commitments to help rather than punish.

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Busta Rhymes Nearly Comes to Blows With Frequent Flyers Over Bin Space

by Gary Leff

busta rhymes
Jul 30 2019

Rapper Busta Rhymes was flying British Airways first class from New York JFK to London Heathrow on Monday on board flight BA112. When he boarded he found that a passenger in the middle of row 2 was using bin space above his aisle seat.

Mr. Rhymes asked the woman to move her belongings out of the bin above his seat and over to the other side of the cabin. He wanted his stuff above his seat. She reportedly broke down in tears. Her husband stepped to, telling Busta not to be so rude. Busta refers to the husband as “home boy.”

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United Testing Pre-Order Meals in Premium Cabins

by Gary Leff

airline food
Jul 30 2019

Some airlines around the world let business and first class customers select a meal in advance from a variety of options, and then they’ll make sure to have it on board for you. Other airlines – including U.S. airlines – have been letting you choose mostly from what would otherwise be on board but choosing in advance ensures you receive your first choice.

Now that Delta has followed American Airlines offering to let you select in advance – and ensure your first choice of meal – from what they’re offering on board, it’s no surprise that United is rolling out their own test of this as well.

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