Southwest Is Surveying Names For Basic Economy

by Gary Leff

Dec 06 2019

Basic Economy holds less potential for Southwest Airlines than it does for major carriers, at least while they lack pre-assigned seating.

The value in basic economy is less the $20 each way buy up they might charge leisure travelers, and more the way it is used to segment business travelers to keep them buying higher fares.

In order to get value out of basic economy Southwest would have to assign such customers the last boarding position, so that basic economy customers get the worst seats, otherwise there’ll be little reason not to buy the fares and pay for more expensive fares instead.

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Why American AAdvantage Is Better Than MileagePlus And SkyMiles

by Gary Leff

inside airliner
Dec 06 2019

I’ve been a frequent critic of American Airlines, and that’s largely because I believe no U.S. airline has greater potential to be better than it is today than American. I’m also frustrated with many things about its loyalty program, AAdvantage, but when I sit down to compare AAdvantage to the programs offered by United and by Delta it actually comes out ahead. Here’s why.

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Flight Attendant Making $250,000 A Year Says She Was Fired By Delta For Stealing Milk

by Gary Leff

delta plane
Dec 05 2019

She says that her seniority meant she was earning $250,000 a year as a flight attendant and that Delta just wanted to replace her with someone cheaper and younger and she says “her bosses dismissed her for taking a carton of milk off a plane after her line manager gave her permission.”

Reportedly her termination was for “improperly pa[ying] a co-worker to work her position and later fail[ing] to work at her designated position on a different flight. She was also accused of stealing aircraft items for personal use and spiking her coffee with alcohol during a flight.”

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It’s A Mistake To Finish The Southwest Elite Status Challenge Too Quickly

by Gary Leff

Dec 05 2019

The Southwest Airlines elite status challenge, which gives you 3 months of status and an expedited path to keep it for a year, has several quirks. One is that the status lasts literally a year, not the full next year. Another is that once the year is up you can sign up for another challenge.

I discovered a third quirk and that’s that you may want to time just when you complete your challenge. Here’s why.

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Scott Kirby To Become United Airlines CEO In May, What Can We Expect For The Airline?

by Gary Leff

united-plane
Dec 05 2019

Oscar Munoz is leaving United as CEO and Scott Kirby will take on that job May 20, 2020. Munoz will become Executive Chairman for one year. United’s current chair, former FAA administrator Jane Garvey, will retire from the board at that point. This mirrors predictions I have offered here for some time.

Though there’s been some growth – and will need to be more as Kirby steps into the CEO role – Kirby’s history is one that suggests management from the spreadsheets. He’s taken things too far in the past, such as elimination of elite bonus miles and a plan to charge for water on board at US Airways, moves where he’s had to reverse course. It remains to be seen whether he can moderate those tendencies as he formally takes the reins at United.

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