British Airways has been the favored instrument of the UK government, the remaining instrument reminiscent of empire, stretching beyond its borders around the world and in many cases disproportionately to former colonial destinations.
Yet British Airways could be forced to make the radical move of becoming very un-British to survive.
Adding flight attendants to planes to make flight attendants happy temporarily as a ‘make good’ so they can fly cool places is the very definition of crazy.
When mergers are consummated they promise ‘synergies’ which mean cost reductions as a result of reduced staffing. Adding a flight attendant to A330 routes to make flight attendants happy because they haven’t yet finished the merger four years in is an example of how this merger is creating whatever the opposite of synergies are.
After the merger with US Airways they took the Dividend Miles approach of putting miles on sale three fourths of the year. The only purpose that ‘regular price’ serves is to be a reference point that allows them to announce a huge (always on) sale.
For Black Friday they’re selling miles at 1.77 cents apiece. They’ve sold miles for less in the past.
Black Friday airfare sales aren’t usually really sales, they’re just promotions of pre-existing or ongoing low fares. But these deals are legit.
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 Washington Post is reporting on Russian hackers stealing frequent flyer miles from British members. No doubt they’re interested in this story because Russia! Hacking! Elections!
Brian Sumers of Skift interviewed the Vice President for Innovation at Gate Group, one of the world’s largest airline caterers and the one where listeria was discovered at its LAX facility recently.
There are (3) kinds of value you can get from a credit card, beyond just making it easy to buy stuff (and — if you must — finance purchases short term but then you shouldn’t be focused on rewards).
It’s important to know the reason you’re getting a card, and use it accordingly. Which kind of value does a card provide? Are you getting it just because there’s a compelling offer? Are you getting it because of the benefits? Or do you actually want to keep it top of wallet.
Here’s a rendering of the new business class seat that Lufthansa is planning, initially for the Boeing 777-9 to be rolled out in 2020.
They promise “more privacy & the best sleep! … a special shoulder zone for side sleepers, and larger monitors.”
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 »
