More Flights for Using American AAdvantage Miles to Europe Without Fuel Surcharges

Apr 11 2016

airberlin is a oneworld airline, partner of American and British Airways, that’s largely controlled by UAE-based Etihad.

They have a great business class product for long haul travel, and they do not add fuel surcharges to their fares. That means when redeeming miles, even British Airways miles for travel across the Atlantic, there are no fuel surcharges.

airberlin award space isn’t searchable at aa.com. You can search for it on the British Airways website and the Qantas frequent flyer site, then call American if using AAdvantage miles.

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Air India’s Attempt to Move an Old Airbus Goes Terribly Wrong as Plane Falls from a Crane

Apr 10 2016

Oh, Air India. Your pilots refuse to fly unless you send them women. You fire co-pilots that have already quit. Your catering carts have rats, and you feed customers from them anyway figuring it’s your passengers that are the bigger problem anyway.

Bus gates are the bane of your existence. So it should really come as no surprise that when it was time to retire an old Airbus A320 to a training facility, they decided to use a crane that apparently couldn’t withstand the weight of an aircraft.

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The Cutover for Starbucks Rewards New Revenue-Based Program is Tuesday

Apr 10 2016

Back in February I detailed Starbucks plans to gut their rewards program for many customers. As is the trend in the airline loyalty game, Starbucks is moving to a revenue-based program. High-spenders will mostly break even. Folks who just buy a cup of coffee will see their rewards slashed drastically.

Starbucks is informing members that the IT work for the changeover starts tomorrow, with new earning going into effect on Tuesday.

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Flight Attendant Fired for Being Drunk Inflight, Reading Her Book Upside Down

Apr 10 2016

A British Airways flight attendant who tried to hide being drunk by keeping her nose in a book has been fired. She gave up the game because she was holding the book upside down.

She was fired by BA. She appealed. She lost her appeal. Then she took her case to an employment tribunal. One claim was that while “she was seen swaying from side to side and stumbling ..dressed in her BA uniform, before she fell over” it was actually several hours before the flight she’d be working. And the officer who questioned her really smelled alcohol from a nearby bar, not her breath.

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Jillian Michaels Bumped from American Airlines, Cries Sexism

Apr 10 2016

Jillian Michaels has taken to social media to decry American Airlines for sexism over having been bumped from her seat. That wouldn’t be the Occam’s Razor explanation here, of course (just like this man wasn’t denied boarding because he was overweight and this man wasn’t denied boarding because he was a Nobel laureate).

Here’s what you’re actually entitled to when you’re denied boarding, and how to avoid being the passenger who gets bumped.

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Liberal Commentator Refused Transportation on Delayed American Airlines Flight to Miami

Apr 09 2016

Liberal commentator Cenk Uygur, host of The Young Turks, was delayed last night flying out of Los Angeles. He started taping the delay and commenting on it from the start. As the wait creeps on, passengers start to lose it and become belligerent with each other and with American Airlines personnel.

Police were called to the gate. At one point Uygur joins in yelling at staff ‘where’s the plane? where’s the plane?’

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