Delta Reveals Radical Investor Day Strategy: Near-Zero Upgrades, ‘Basic Business,’ And AI-Driven Fares

by Gary Leff

Nov 20 2024

Delta’s Investor Day was held this morning, and a key theme of airline President Glen Hauenstein’s presentation was getting passengers to pay more for their seats.

There were three ways he outlined that Delta is and plans to drive more revenue from passengers out of each seat that they fly – reducing upgrades, stripping down their Comfort+ and business class products to get customers to pay extra for the services than they’re used to, and using AI to figure out the most each passenger is willing to pay at the time they search for fares.

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AAdvantage Members Discover Their Pot of Gold: Aer Lingus Status Perks Are Here, Award Redemptions On The Way

by Gary Leff

Nov 20 2024

Aer Lingus is an oddball airline. Geographically Ireland is well-placed for connections between the U.S. and Europe, in addition to serving a major tourist destination. They’re owned by the same company as British Airways and Iberia. However, they’ve historically had a stronger partnership with Untied Airlines than American Airlines.

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American Airlines Abandoned Their Airbus A330s – Now Qatar Airways May Give Them New Life

by Gary Leff

qatarplane
Nov 19 2024

Even though the Airbus A330-200s were parked four and a half years ago, that fleet is still only about 13 years old on average. It was larger in quantity and newer than the 9 orphan -300s which were certainly on the way out, even without the pandemic.

These planes were ex-US Airways, from shortly before taking over American, and had just been retrofit to offer premium economy before being parked.

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Today’s Senate Hearing Could Wipe Out Credit Card Rewards—And Threaten Economic Stability For Everyone

by Gary Leff

Nov 19 2024

Card, and interchange, are so woven into the fabric of the economy that it’s difficult to even predict the full extent of damage from redistributing money here not just from payment networks but also from consumers to retailers. That’s why Senator Durbin’s attempt to cap credit card swipe fees isn’t just bad policy, it’s literally insane.

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Free Wifi and Snacks For All? Spirit Airlines’ Bankruptcy Plan Feels Too Good To Be True (And Probably Is)

by Gary Leff

Nov 18 2024

With their bankruptcy filing, they’ve laid out the changes they believe are necessary to turn around the airline’s performance. And it’s taking further the notion that they need a different product to appeal to today’s consumers, especially in an environment of higher costs. They plan free wifi; free water and snacks for all; and improved customer service. They’re also planning improved upgrades for elite frequent flyers.

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