Following Thursday’s American Airlines second quarter earnings call, corporate officers gathered employees for a ‘State of the Airline’ presentation. This was recorded and shared through the company’s internal network, and a copy was reviewed by View From The Wing.
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.
Just before 1 a.m. on Monday, a man drove a golf cart on the moving walkway inside the terminal at Buffalo airport. He found an unattended airport cart with keys left in it. And he took it to use as if it were an amusement ride. He was arrested at the end of the walkway, once the ride was over.
Maybe the biggest failure in air travel is something we don’t talk about at all. How is it possible that people are being told to show up at the airport 2.5 to 3 hours before their flight, and that isn’t considered a failure of massive proportions?
I think I like the B44 lounge more than the A concourse United Club, but not so much that I’d choose one over the other for any reason other than being closer to my gate. A has more empty seats up on the top floor, because it’s not as convenient to get up there, and it’s brighter.
American Airlines has the most exclusive lounges in the country. Few people realize though that there are certificates that AAdvantage elites can redeem miles for to gain access to these lounges. And it’s actually a pretty good deal, especially when traveling with family.
A few days ago a passenger and check-in agent at the Southwest Airlines counter in Denver got out of hand. They wound up in a fight – and the customer got tackled by police – after his aggression shifted from the airline to law enforcement.
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.
I wrote that a revolt against the contract was brewing for both legitimate gripes and misunderstandings.
Ultimately 71% of voting flight attendants rejected the contract, with 92 of those eligible casting ballots.
Now we see how paid seat assignments are working out for the airline, which they’re selling now for flights starting January 27, 2026. They don’t seem to have figured out the revenue-maximizing formula yet, or they don’t have the technology fine-tuned yet to adapt seat fees by market easily.
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 »
