Frequent flyer program revenue – and in particular the sale of miles to banks – is the biggest driver of US airline profitability. However United’s MileagePlus is stagnating. Their revenue growth can be accounting for entirely by points transfers from Chase Ultimate Rewards. As Chase Sapphire Reserve gained popularity that meant more points earned which could be transferred to United.
British Airways has quietly launched new extra business class award availability between North America and the UK for additional miles. US airlines generally offer all or most seats on their flights for additional miles, it used to be roughly double miles but now is often much more especially in premium cabins.
BA, which normally offers double miles awards to ‘Gold Guest List’ elites, is offering this for less than double miles.
Management focus at American Airlines has been on working to convince its employees that they’re cared for and so it’s de rigueur to say that the hardest job at the airline belongs to front line team members. And it’s probably even true if you’re talking about the people working the ramp in Phoenix during the height of summer time.
But what about the second toughest job at the airline?
The stock symbol ‘UAL’ represents “United Continental Holdings Inc” which is the parent company of United Airlines as well as businesses like Air Micronesia, Century Casualty Company, and Covia LLC which is itself the parent of Mileage Plus Holdings, Mileage Plus Marketing, and Mileage Plus.
United Airlines, United Technologies and Boeing were all once the same company, broken apart by the federal government in the mid-1930s.
The Crystal Boeing 777-200, from the same company as Crystal Cruises, is an especially luxurious private jumbo jet. It seats just 88 passengers in business class in a flat 2-2-2 configuration, and features a wow-factor bar and dining area.
The Boston Red Sox charted this plane to get to London where they’ll play the New York Yankees this weekend.
The takeaway from the IdeaWorks study is that overall airlines have been making more economy award seats available at lower prices, although not all airlines do a good job at this. Here’s who’s best.
This spring American Airlines CEO Doug Parker told employees in Phoenix at a Crew News session that he only sought to merge US Airways with another carrier when it became necessary to survive since United and Continental had merged and Delta and Northwest had merged. He said that doing so was always about how to create an airline that would always be there for employees, and not for himself.
That was in response to an employee who asked Parker about his legacy and how he’d want to be remembered.
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.
The FAA has been trying to get other countries on board with re-certifying the Boeing 737 MAX. Some industry leaders, such as American Airlines CEO Doug Parker, are so confident and ready to see the plane back in the skies that they attribute delay to political gamesmanship.
However one new wrinkle has been uncovered in Boeing’s quest to have the aircraft re-certified.
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 »
