American Airlines flight attendants are losing their patience in contract negotiations with the airline. They’ve already voted near-unanimously to authorize a strike. There’s a specific procedure that airline unions have to go through in order to strike, and they’re about to start the clock – on a timeline that could have them walking out over peak Christmas travel.
An off-duty Alaska Airlines pilot, riding the cockpit’s jump seat, attempted to shut off the engines mid-flight from Seattle Paine Field to San Francisco. The ensuing cockpit altercation, lasting around 90 seconds, are laid out in the criminal complaint against the jump seat rider. Here’s what happened during those crucial moments, and then once he was sent to the back of the plane.
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.
After a recent employee meeting following the third quarter earnings call, American Airlines revealed delays in the delivery of their ordered Airbus A321XLRs, now expecting the first in December 2024. Senior Vice President Brian Znotins outlined plans to deploy these planes for premium cross-country flights, new transatlantic markets, and potentially year-round routes, while hinting at future ultra-long haul flights using other aircraft.
Frontier Airlines is doubling down on elite status benefits for 2024. Those who have matched status already, and those who do it now, are getting an even better deal than we thought.
Two American Eagle regional pilots were caught by a boarding passenger watching cartoons prior to flight. The captain and co-pilot of the Bombardier regional jet flying for American Airlines’ wholly-owned regional airline PSA didn’t instill passenger confidence, but the flight wound up… fine?
American Airlines, supported by other major airlines and unions, is lobbying the federal government to change regulations in an attempt to shut down Dallas-based competitor JSX, citing safety concerns. However, statements from a closed-door meeting indicate that their primary motive is commercial competition, not actual safety issues.
Washington State Senator Jeff Wilson unintentionally carried a gun in his carry-on bag through TSA in Portland, only realizing mid-flight when reaching for gum. Upon landing in Hong Kong, he declared the gun to customs, was arrested, released on bail, and had his passport confiscated with a hearing scheduled for October 30th.
I wrote about Sunday night’s JetBlue flight from Barbados to New York JFK where the Airbus A321 tipped back on its tail after it had parked at the gate. There’s now more footage from as this was happening, including from inside the aircraft.
The answer to what transpired actually comes from an internal American Airlines communication about the incident, where the airline explains that “44 year old Joseph Emerson tried “to disable the aircraft engines while at cruise altitude by deploying the engine fire suppressions system.”
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 »
