May
17
2015
A collection of interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.
Promotional Video for the ISIS Hotel in Mosul, a Spirit-Frontier Merger, and More..
The CEOs of American and Delta Keep Using This Word ‘Subsidy’ But Do Not Understand What it Means
May
17
2015
American CEO Doug Parker thinks that when the government picks up his airline’s obligations, that’s not a subsidy because they haven’t given him cash.
Delta CEO RIchard Anderson thinks because they pay corporate taxes they aren’t getting tax (or other) subsidies.
Or at least that’s what they *say* they believe. They can’t possibly really think that, though, right?
More Delta Routes Offered for Just 5000 Miles One Way
May
17
2015
Delta isn’t just testing 5000 mile one-way awards on the Los Angeles – San Francisco route. It’s available to several cities, and not just from Los Angeles… though isn’t available between several cities you might expect it.
Know where you can fly for just 5000 SkyMiles each way. And why this remains a disturbing trend for the direction of the program.
Review: Male Airport Lounge and (Alone In) Emirates First Class, Male – Colombo
May
16
2015
There’s a shared contract lounge at the Male airport, and it no longer offers access via Priority Pass. There’s little special about it, except for comfortable seating. I find the buffet something I’d rarely do anything other than skip (and indeed haven’t touched the food in four visits) and there’s no alcohol (by law). But it’s a lounge…
Some will find the nearby food options a more attractive place to sit, but the lounge does seem to have gotten its wifi act together.
After waiting around for the flight we wound up the only passengers in first class, and beneficiaries of full, extensive service for this very short hop on Emirates…
Hawkers Stall in New York, Barbecue Reprive for Austin, and Miles at 2 Cents Apiece
May
16
2015
A collection of interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.
Delta Introduces 5000 Mile One-Way Awards. And That Should Scare You.
May
16
2015
Delta is pricing one-way Los Angeles – San Francisco awards (that would cost $72 to buy) at just 5000 miles. That’s all part and parcel of reducing the mileage cost of cheap flights, and ultimately increasing the mileage cost of expensive flights.
Put another way, the ‘standard’ 25,000 mile domestic award’s days are numbered at Delta. And along with it, the possibility of generating outsized value from Delta miles. Which also means it makes no sense to choose to earn Delta miles over another currency.
Adding Throw-in Amenities and Savings for Your Luxury Hotel Stays
May
16
2015
With a reader bringing an improved website experience for the American Express Fine Hotels & Resorts program, it’s worth taking a look at that program and how it compares to the offerings from Visa, MasterCard, Chase, and others — all towards savings and added benefits on hotel stays compared to booking direct.
Questions That Are Rarely Asked in Airline Competition
May
16
2015
Just to show you how complicated the world is, Delta is lobbying against expansion by Gulf carrier Etihad but has received clearance from the EU for its joint venture and profit sharing with Etihad-owned Alitalia.
Alitalia flying across the Atlantic is apparently deemed good, while Etihad flying across the Atlantic is an existential threat. Right….
Delta Publicly Declares the End of the 25,000 Mile Award Standard
May
16
2015
“We’ve worked really hard in trying to keep our commitment to opening up more seats on the lowest level,” said Karen Zachary, Delta’s SkyMiles managing director of global programs. “We used to be really bad.”
…“The 25,000 mile round-trip award fare that historically has been a standard for the airlines, I think you’re going to see that completely change,” Zachary said.
US Airlines Are More Subsidized than the Gulf Carriers, and British Airways Weighs in Against American
May
15
2015
The fireworks fly as British Airways submits a filing to the government attacking partner American’s claim that the Gulf carriers unfairly compete, and Etihad produces a report detailing subsidies that US airlines receive which are greater than those the US carriers claim are received by Etihad, Emirates, and Qatar. Things are getting *interesting*.
