American Airlines Flight Attendants Demand 50% Wage Increase Or Strike

by Gary Leff

Oct 12 2023

The American Airlines flight attendants union has reduced pay demands ever so slightly, but extended out the period of time they’re talking about to get up to a 50% bump in wages in order to sell it to their members.

They’re still outside the zone of possible agreement, though. And they’re saying they are “holding firm on” wages after taking a strike authorization vote in which over 99% of voting crew supported going on strike. They want a 50% increase in wages – firm – and they’re threatening strike to get it.

Continue Reading »

U.S. Plans To Evacuate Americans From Israel, But Who Will Fly The Planes?

by Gary Leff

Oct 12 2023

The Wall Street Journal‘s Alison Sider asked during Delta’s third quarter earnings call this morning, “would Delta be open to flying Israel under a charter if the government asks..?”

And Delta’s CEO Ed Bastian replied “we don’t have any plans to be flying into Israel. It’s considered unsafe for a U.S. carrier to operate in that airspace currently.”

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Adds Flights To Fill Void Left By End Of JetBlue Alliance

by Gary Leff

Oct 12 2023

American Airlines is adding a seasonal route network from the Northeast to summer seaside destinations in and around Cape Cod as well as Maine and Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Previously most of these destinations would have been served to American’s customers by JetBlue, but that partnership is mostly through winding down after a district court judge ruled against it in an anti-trust case.

Continue Reading »

Delta Air Lines CEO: How We’re Thinking About New SkyMiles Changes

by Gary Leff

Oct 12 2023

CEO Ed Bastian reported that they are “getting good feedback” from customers and that they “had too many changes rolled out at the same time” and that’s why they needed to go back and “reassess” the planned rollout for new elite qualification levels.

He contends that the vitriol from SkyMiles members simply shows their “intense loyalty to Delta” and that “most everyone agrees” Delta needed to make changes because they have more premium customers than they have premium assets to offer.

Continue Reading »

El Al Will Fly On The Sabbath, And U.S. Banks Will Pay For It?

by Gary Leff

Oct 12 2023

El Al doesn’t fly on Shabbat, from sundown Friday evening until sundown Saturday evening, as a religious observance. However they will operate from both the New York and Bangkok this Saturday to assist in bringing reservists back to Israel as part of the country’s call up of 360,000 (4% of their population).

El Al will not be charging for these flights. Instead, the cost “will be borne by El Al and large US financial institutions” according to the airline.

Continue Reading »