The Southwest Airlines operational failure during last year’s holiday season led to the stranding of two million passengers and a financial loss of approximately $1 billion. The chain began with inadequate de-icing equipment and inexperienced staff. Southwest has a play book to prevent a repeat this year, which they’ve shared internally with employees. It includes technological upgrades and improved training.
Passenger shaming daily double: an American Airlines passenger in first class was reported for painting her toenails and drinking her own beer during the flight, actions which flouted in-flight etiquette and regulations.
It’s underappreciated how much value there is in Frontier Airlines – when you have elite status with the low cost carrier. And it’s underappreciated how easy it is to have that status.
Bilt Rewards Vice President Richard Kerr knows: less than $20 per one-way flight for a family of four to Disney World, refundable and with free seat assignments, carry on bags, and checked bags.
The best value from distance-based charts often comes from maxing out distance, for instance flying West Coast – Tokyo to stay within a distance band and avoid going over… but also sometimes by booking two awards to get the pricing of two shorter distance bands rather than the combined higher-distance band. I’d like to explain this a little bit more.
The holy grail of airline seating is to have an open seat next to you to spread out. An empty row is the dream. Southwest Airlines lets you pick your own seat when you board. Would you pick this window seat, where the middle and aisle next to it are guaranteed to remain empty – because they’re out of service for being “wet”…?
The signs say “do not occupy” on the aisle and middle seats. You’re probably not going to spread your stuff out on those seats, but there won’t be any passengers spreading out into your space or fighting you for the armrest. But they are… Wet. With. Something.
British Airways crew members claimed they were mugged in Brazil, perhaps leading to the cancellation of flight 248 from Rio to London. However, Brazilian authorities and surveillance footage revealed that the crew engaged in heavy drinking and drug use, with the mugging story being a cover-up for their inability to work. The incident raises questions about the crew’s behavior and their responsibility towards passenger safety.
English translations by foreign airlines can turn unfortunate, as this photo of a China Eastern business class menu shows. The airline is offering “imported dog food with okra” as a business class appetizer selection.
Delta Airlines has increased the price of its Sky Club memberships and limited lounge access for American Express cardholders, leading to creative cost-offsetting tactics by members, including one who calculates breaking even by taking salami slices from the lounge. This behavior, reminiscent of past incidents where lounge amenities were exploited, raises questions about the impact of such strategies on airline policies and lounge experiences.
The blog post explores unconventional strategies for navigating long lines at airport security, particularly when facing the risk of missing a flight, suggesting that in dire circumstances, cutting lines or using guerilla tactics can be justified. It delves into the ethical and practical aspects of these actions, using personal experiences and examples to illustrate situations where bending the usual airport norms might be necessary for catching a flight.
The best flyers prefer aisle seats, and airlines even value the business more of those who do. Aisle seats are just better than window seats, and we don’t even need to talk about the dreaded middle.
If you’re in the aisle seat you don’t get those window seat views, but those are better in theory than practice outside of the first and final minutes of a flight. And you do have to get up to let other passengers into the aisle if they need to use the restroom. So there are tradeoffs, but they’re minor compared to the 6 reasons that aisle seats are best.
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 »
