How American is Planning to Use Their Boeing 787s, in Philadelphia and Beyond

american plane
Feb 17 2019

Last month American said that they’ve got too much Boeing 787 capacity because Europe is seasonal, they cancelled 787 flights out of Chicago, and because they keep waiting for their joint venture with Qantas to be approved which would allow them to deploy more 787s on South Pacific routes.

Last year though American ordered 47 more Boeing 787. So what are they going to do with them?

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JetBlue Named a Plane “Born to Be Blue” — then a Baby Was Born On Board

jetblue plane
Feb 17 2019

A baby was born on board JetBlue’s 10 p.m. San Juan – For Lauderdale flight Saturday night. Flight 1954 was operated by an Airbus A320, registration N523JB, which is named “Born to Be Blue.” And so that happened.

The airline suggests this is the first time a baby was born on one of their flights, and they’re promising gifts (including re-naming the plane for the child).

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The Full Set of Outstanding New American Airlines Amenity Kits

Feb 17 2019

I absolutely love the international This is Ground bags, especially the tan business class bag and the first class bag.

The transcon bags don’t feel nearly as premium and differentiating transcon business and first class bags more is a miss. Nonetheless they’re perfectly fine, and of course they’re given out on flights that usually hover around six hours, not 10 or even 14. Meanwhile the premium economy bag is nice and functional.

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ConnectMe Will Be the New Way for American’s Cabin Crew to Solve Flight Problems Before Takeoff

british airways plane
Feb 17 2019

American Airlines executives meet with employees for question and answer sessions called Crew News. This past week an American pilot asked CEO Doug Parker about technology to connect cabin crew with all the functions of the airline to fix problems like Delta flight attendants have.

Delta flight attendants have a new update tot heir device so that they can connect and chat with ramp tower, catering, cockpit, crew schedules, passenger service and other teams. They can directly get problems addressed.

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British Airways Sends Passengers to a Brothel After Two Flights Stranded on St. Lucia

Feb 16 2019

Two British Airways flights were cancelled at the same time on St. Lucia. Crew were sent to hotels. Some passengers were sent to what could technically be called hotels, while others were left overnight at the airport without information or assistance. British Airways apparently even sent several passengers to a brothel for the night.

The passengers sent to the brothel were presumably offered additional premium services for an upcharge. The increasingly ancillary fee-minded British Airways may get new ideas to bring home to London Heathrow, already one of the most commercialized airports in the world.

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Data: Who is Applying for Credit Card Offers, and What Kind of Cards Do They Get?

credit cards
Feb 16 2019

More consumers are receiving card offers in the mail — up “from 54% to 67% over nine months last year” including an increase in applications from consumers with annual incomes between $20,000 and $50,000.

Fewer card applications, an increase in reaching down to lower income and possibly lower credit score consumers, combined with data like auto loan delinquencies at their highest level since 2010 (during the Great Recession) seem to raise some economic flags.

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Delta Quietly Ends Fixed Price Mileage Upgrades

first class seats
Feb 16 2019

Back in December Delta introduced the ability to upgrade with miles any time — from purchase leading up to travel. Your miles are worth only about a penny apiece and they charge you the difference in fare between what you bought and the price of the more premium option.

At the time, and leading up to when this was launched, I suggested that this could replace traditional mileage awards — where there are capacity controls, the airline makes seats available for upgrade they don’t expect to sell, and you pay a fixed (discounted) mileage price for those seats.

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