Flight attendants union head Sara Nelson was the guest on the Airlines Confidential podcast this week. She shared the story of getting involved in union activism after 9/11 and said that “the biggest complaint I heard from flight attendants was ‘I didn’t feel seen, I didn’t feel respected’” and said that people didn’t realize that there were unions then. By her own standard then, she’s failed her members.
American Airlines Refunded Passenger $100,000 By Mistake—Then Insisted It Was Correct
An American Airlines customer bought a $1,000 ticket and later refunded it. American returned $100,000 instead.
Venezuelan Gold, Pandemic Bailout Cash, And A Spanish Airline: A Money Laundering Scheme Exposed
An investigations has found that Venezuelan state gold was laundered by blending its proceeds with COVID-19 bailout funds to Spanish long haul carrier Plus Ultra Airlines. And Venezuela’s government may have helped the airline qualify for the pandemic bailout from Spain in the first place.
Why American Airlines Regional Jets Are Becoming the Best Planes to Fly [Roundup]
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.
Air Tahiti Nui Is Handing Out Free Elite Status—But Only To First-Time Program Members
Maybe it’s unlikely that you’ll need Air Tahiti Nui elite status? But this one is free, takes very little effort (just fill out their form) and you never know when having elite status with an airline other than the one you fly most could come in handy for status matching to another carrier. Can’t hurt!
American Airlines Finally Testing Free WiFi—And It May Reveal A Costly Mistake They’ve Been Ignoring
In 2012 I wrote that wifi would eventually be free, once there was enough bandwidth on board so that one customer’s use didn’t trade off with another’s. That’s largely happened. JetBlue and Delta offer free wifi. United is moving to Starlink (enough bandwidth) which will be free. And it looks like American is being pushed there – dragged kicking and screaming, perhaps, but they have to get there.
American Airlines Net Promoter Score Collapse: Flyers Abandon Ship For Delta, United At Record Rates
It’s people who fly the most who (1) understand the difference in product [they are repeat buyers!] and (2) are willing to spend more to get the experience they want. They suffered from degraded product and service – less legroom and seat padding both in the front and back cabins, less food and lower quality meals on board (again in both cabins) and myriad cuts across the board.
These reputational issues have now gone mainstream, beyond just frequent flyers.
‘Paying Platinum Fees For This?’ We Need To Talk About The Decline Of Amex Centurion Lounges
We need to talk about the decline in American Express Centurion lounges. They were once great. They aren’t any longer – they aren’t as good as they used to be, and both Capital One and Chase offerings are better.
Southwest’s Free Bags Are On The Chopping Block – Executive Shake-Up and Expedia Deal Pave Way For Fees
No checked bag fees has been a sine qua non of Southwest Airlines. Customers choose Southwest because of this. It makes them appear friendlier and more flexible. And there are strong economic reasons why this is a great choice for the airline. It also differentiates them from other airlines, in an otherwise mostly homogenous industry. And free checked bags may be on the way out. Departure Of Chief Transformation Officer Signals Change Ryan Green has been in charge of the Southwest Airlines transformation. Under pressure from activist investor Elliott Management, they’ve been making changes – and becoming more like the rest of the industry – but not fast enough for the fund that’s taken control of nearly half the Board of Directors. Green is leaving, and the news followed the announcement of the upcoming departures…
Tired of Hotels Ignoring Late Check-Out? This Guest’s Move Changes the Game [Roundup]
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.