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.
Bees Swarming an Airport is Normal, Maggots and Rats Not As Much
AirAsia operates out of terminal 2 in Kuala Lumpur. And AirAsia’s CEO is none too impressed with the facility. He shared his thoughts on twitter, creating quite a buzz.
Well run airports have procedures in place to handle this, and airline CEOs don’t need to take to twitter to have the issue addressed.
EVA Air Business Class Has a New Soft Product That Really Is Like First Class
My own take on world’s second best business class is Star Alliance member EVA Air based in Taipei. They should be on everyone’s radar because they also frequently have very good award availability from their US gateways and offer good connectivity into Asia.
Already they offer great seats — reverse herringbone that’s similar to what Cathay Pacific has — but they take things a step beyond with pajamas, pre-order meals, great champagne, and quality amenity kits. And their service is top notch.
10% Off British Airways and More Pilot Drinking in Japan
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.
So Many TSA Screeners are Calling in Sick Miami Will Be Closing Concourse G Early
During the government shutdown most employees are furloughed. TSA screeners, however, are supposed to work. They won’t be paid until funding is restored. Screeners have been calling out sick at a higher rate than normal with what’s being referred to as ‘blue flu’ (screeners wear blue uniforms).
At Miami the sick out rate is higher than average, and the airport will close the G concourse checkpoints in the afternoon to compensate. G primarily serves United, Frontier, Sun County, and Bahamasair.
Two American Express Centurion Lounges Close Temporarily Starting Monday
For your strategic awareness, two American Express Centurion lounges will be closed temporarily starting Monday — Miami and Las Vegas.
Etihad Laying Off Pilots
Worldwide there’s a significant pilot shortage in commercial aviation. However at Etihad, where the airline has been scaling back from an expansive growth posture, they believe they have too many pilots.
According to an internal memo Etihad will be laying off some of their excess pilots this month.
Air France Killing Low Fare Carrier-Within-a-Carrier Joon and Millennials Everywhere Rejoice
It’s been a year since Air France started service under the ‘Joon’ brand. A separate airline with lower labor costs is one thing – and Joon had lower flight attendant costs, but not lower pilot costs. It’s hard enough to pull that off without really being a separate company. Just ask United, Delta, US Airways, and Continental about the airline within an airline experiment.
Pretending that the Air France low cost carrier without low costs was really a different brand for millennials was just silly. It was created by consultants who think millennial means “no money, doesn’t care about comfort, and is into marketing buzz.”
Air Canada Just Completed Purchase of Aeroplan Frequent Flyer Program, Now Let’s Learn How They’re Changing It
Air Canada, along with Aeroplan’s banking partners CIBC, TD, and Visa, completed their agreement to buy Aeroplan from Aimia.
That gives Air Canada its members to market to right away, and it eliminates expected new major competition between the two from the marketplace before it even begins.
Law Student Missed Her Flight Thanks to TSA and the Government Shutdown, So She Danced.
She danced on the airport train. She danced in the terminal. She danced while having a drink. You can’t get frustrated with travel — with the airlines, with the TSA, with yourself — when you’re dancing.