Etihad Is Cancelling One of Their Two New York A380 Flights, What Should I Do?

by Gary Leff

inside airliner
Jun 05 2018

Etihad has been pulling back from the U.S., just as they’ve been pulling back from investments in foreign airlines. They decided to stem their losses in air berlin and Alitalia. They’ve cut routes around the world as their appetite for growth at the expense of their balance sheet has subsided.

They eliminated their Dallas Fort-Worth flight after American severed its codesharing relationship. They eliminated their San Francisco flight after Air India starting San Francisco – Delhi.

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American Pilot Landed With Cracked Windshields, Smashed Nose Cone, and “Turbulence Like a Roller Coaster”

by Gary Leff

nose of airplane crushed
Jun 04 2018

American Airlines flight AA1897 from San Antonion to Phoenix ran into strong storms over New Mexico. It was pummeled by hail.

The Airbus A319 with 130 passengers onboard had its nose cone smashed and windshield cracked. One of the pilots couldn’t see out. But they managed to get the plane on the ground safely in El Paso last night.

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Star Alliance Looking at New Top Elite Level and More Low Value Redemptions

by Gary Leff

lounge
Jun 04 2018

oneworld has three elite tiers. Star Alliance and SkyTeam have two. Star Alliance says they’re considering a third, a new top tier. But they aren’t saying what that would look like but it probably would involve devaluation of Gold.

Star Alliance also wants to introduce ‘dynamic redemption’ in other words revenue-based ‘miles and money’ across the alliance, spending points from one program as cash to buy a seat on another.

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Hyatt Place Ending Free Breakfast for Non-Members and Extending Early Check-in to Explorists

by Gary Leff

hotel breakfast food
Jun 04 2018

Hyatt’s biggest challenge is scale. They have 10% the footprint of Marriott, which makes it hard for guests to stay loyal. Their coverage doesn’t meet all guests’ needs, and it’s often necessary to stay at a less convenient property in order to stick with Hyatt. As a result the program needs to work harder — give guests a reason to go out of their way — to be loyal Hyatt customers.

These are the major challenges faced by the chain. They’re announcing changes at Hyatt Place which largely do not address these challenges.

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Can You Help Me With a Gogo Internet Problem?

by Gary Leff

gogo plane
Jun 03 2018

I know all the jokes about Gogo internet (‘NoGo’). But I find it indispensable. It’s internet on an airplane moving at speeds in excess of 500 miles an hour. And the latest technology is much faster than the older installs, though they’ve had their challenges even with new satellite internet to be sure.

I’ve got a unique problem and no one at Gogo has any useful suggestions for me. I’m out of ideas. So I’m hoping you might have some.

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