These are the World’s Busiest Airports — The Ones NOT on the List May Surprise You.

by Gary Leff

Mar 03 2016

There are a number of ways to rank the busiest airports. You can look at total aircraft movements (takeoffs and landings). You can look at total available seats (because a whole lot of small regional jets may skew those results). Or – the most common measure – you can look at total passengers.

It was really exciting when Atlanta airport crossed 100 million passengers for the year, even if they faked the 100 millionth passenger.

Some cities like London and New York have multiple major airports in their metropolitan areas. In fact, London is the single largest passenger traffic market if you combine the region’s airports and that’s followed by New York and then Tokyo and Paris.

Continue Reading »

Airlines Can Soon Start Tracking Your Inflight Entertainment and Web Surfing. Will You Opt Out?

by Gary Leff

Mar 03 2016

Airlines may soon be tracking your inflight entertainment choices, whether you’re sending emails, and what websites you visit inflight.

The CEO of Thales USA, which offers inflight entertainment systems, gave a presentation talking about the privacy issues that airlines will need to confront given the new technologies at their disposal.

Do you trust Delta, American, and United to log your viewing habits or to access your Google or Outlook calendar? What if it saves you time, or means they can offer special accommodations?

Continue Reading »

More on Why the US Airlines Can and Should Shut Up and Compete With Gulf Airlines: Emirates New Business Class Will Be Inferior

by Gary Leff

Mar 03 2016

A year ago Delta, American, and United started beating the drum that the US government ought to shut down our markets to Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar because of subsidies.

In the mythology promoted by US airlines, the big Gulf carriers Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar don’t care about economics, they only care about winning market share and providing luxurious products in the sky that US airlines cannot match. So they irrationally throw planes one routes at low prices and lure US customers (that ‘belong’ to US airlines) with quality product that no ‘sane’ airline would offer.

Except.. Emirates will unveil a new business class seat that’s worse than the current business class products the US airlines offer.

Continue Reading »

Liar Liar, American Airlines Flight Attendant Set the Bathroom on Fire

by Gary Leff

Mar 03 2016

On Monday February 1, American Airlines 1418 was headed from Dallas Fort Worth to Detroit when a flight attendant leapt into action to save the aircraft. Only the FBI alleges he put the aircraft in danger in the first place.

The whole deranged scheme, perhaps because he was frustrated by the slow pace of retirements of MD80 aircraft because he wished to look like a very minor hero, wasn’t well thought out since apparently no passengers had used the lavatory in the 15 to 20 minutes prior to the incident.

Continue Reading »

Singapore Airlines Will Launch Los Angeles and New York Non-Stops With New Airbus A350 Aircraft

by Gary Leff

Mar 02 2016

Singapore Airlines used to operate the longest flights in the world, Singapore – Los Angeles and Singapore – Newark non-stops, operated with a flying gas can an Airbus A340-500. Flights operated between 2004 and 2013, originally with extra legroom economy seating and business class and from 2008 onward all business class seating.

Singapore no longer operates non-stop service to the US. Non-stop flights, though, can now make sense thanks to both more fuel efficient aircraft capable of flying long distances and lower fuel costs. Flying great distances is especially costly when oil prices are high, since they have to carry extra fuel just to fly all the fuel needed for such a long journey.

And that’s just what Singapore Airlines intends to do.

Continue Reading »

Devalued AGAIN: Delta Just Increased the Price of Business Class Awards to Israel Without Notice

by Gary Leff

Mar 02 2016

Delta business class saver awards between the US and Israel were 70,000 miles each way. Effective November 1, those same saver awards go up to 85,000 miles each way. That’s an increase of 30,000 miles roundtrip. Delta snuck this one in, without any advance warning to members and indeed without telling members at all.

Two months ago Delta made changes to the price of several international awards for travel October 1 onward. You’d think one devaluation in the first quarter of 2016 would be enough for the SkyMiles program, but that would be wrong.

Continue Reading »

Hyatt’s Just Launched a New “Unbrand” to Bring More Upscale Hotels into Gold Passport

by Gary Leff

Mar 02 2016

Last year Hyatt launched Hyatt Centric as a new brand to join Regency, Grand, Andaz, House, Place, and Park as well as all-inclusives Zilara and Ziva — and now they’re bringing on another brand as well: unbound collection.

This is really an “un-brand” along the lines of Starwood’s Tribute Portfolio and Marriott’s Autograph Collection which has been under consideration for some time.

Continue Reading »

Sportscaster Erin Andrews Shares the Safety Routine She Goes Throgh Each Time She Checks into a Hotel

by Gary Leff

marriott hotel
Mar 02 2016

Erin Andrews is in the midst of her lawsuit against the Nashville Marriott at Vanderbilt University where she was taped through the peephole in her door. Apparently this video of her was viewed 17 million times.

Andrews contends that the man – who was convicted of felony stalking and who was sentenced to 30 months in prison — alleges that employees at the hotel property revealed she was a registered guest at their hotel, gave the stalker her room number, and at his request assigned him the room next to hers.

Hotels really shouldn’t tell strangers what room you’re in, of course, though ultimately one of the biggest threats to security is social engineering, and that’s a tough problem to crack.

In testimony during her lawsuit seeking $75 million in damages she detailed her new hotel security routine.

Continue Reading »