Alaska Airlines just announced changes to how Mileage Plan members will qualify for status starting next year, and painted a picture of changes to expect to elite benefits starting in 2025. It’s generally good news.
They frequently trumpet themselves as offering the most generous airline loyalty program in the U.S. It’s largely true, and they’ve absorbed that it is a real competitive advantage for them.
At Southwest Airlines each passenger gets two free checked bags. Some people don’t want to leave a benefit unused. Sure, you could check your pickleball in your luggage. But if you’ve only got one bag to check, you could also send the pickleball off on its own as your second free checked bag – and see whether it makes it, gets caught in the airport baggage system, or bounces away?
Back in March I wrote that Delta Air Lines was planning a Sky Club for Charlotte, the major American Airlines hub in the Southeast.
Construction on the club is now evident.
The last segment of our trip was a flight home from London Heathrow to Austin on British Airways in business class. They use an Airbus A350 on the route, with no first class but with the airline’s Club Suites – essentially a bespoke version of the current American Airlines seat with doors added. It is a very good but not great seat.
This was the flight I already told one story off of: being refused water as a predeparture beverage, with the crewmember snapping that I already had a bottle at my seat.
A flight attendant with South American airline LATAM was working her first flight, and getting hazed by fellow crewmembers. For passengers, it was more than a little flair – turning trash collection into an elegance extravaganza for her rite of passage.
Picture this: a cabin aisle turning into a runway, where the simple act of collecting trash was performed with an extra touch of grace and humor.
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Marriott Platinums and above receive Singapore Airlines silver status for 12 months, and then Gold status for 12 months if they take 4 flights on Singapore within 6 months. Singapore Airlines Gold is Star Alliance Gold, which gets you lounge access as well as airport priority and extra baggage with Star Alliance airlines like United and Air Canada (you even get lounge access on domestic United flights).
At the start of the pandemic, American Airlines filed for codeshares with Philippine Airlines amidst fairly outlandish rumors they’d fly to Manila.
That codeshare is now a reality.
United was willing to assure customers that the man wasn’t flying planes three weeks ago. And they do not appear willing to make any such assurance today.
Claiming the basis for decision-making is the environment, rather than to reset employee expectations, is something of a farce. But the ‘compelling business purpose’ exception hints that the underlying reason is to require employees to offer a business justification, rather than presuming business class as a right.
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 »
