So this is pretty interesting, a new feature from Point.me lets you see what awards other people are finding. Great inspiration for your own mileage redemptions!
Delta says that nearly 1% of GDP is currently being charged to their Amex cards, why would they risk this? A lot of Delta cards are going to be cancelled since they no longer have unlimited or any access to Sky Clubs, and since the thresholds for earning status are so high.
There will be some people who double down on their Delta Amex cards, but at the end of the status chase if they can put hundreds of thousands of dollars of spend on those cards, they will have… Delta SkyMiles instead of more valuable rewards currencies they could have earned. The opportunity cost is high!
Southwest is the largest airline at the airport. They were allocated 44 daily departures for 2023, down from 57 flights in 2022. Basically the airport guesses how full flights will be, and applies that percentage to back into the current 11.8 million allowable passengers. And that determines how many flights they’ll permit.
Apparently they’ve been filling too many seats, because Southwest Airlines let employees know that they have a problem to manage in Orange County.
Spirit Airlines lost its relentless focus on costs, but Frontier Airlines still has it. Frontier is the U.S. Franke airline now and it’s headed by Spirit’s former marketing chief, Barry Biffle. Flight attendant training is done at a truck stop in Wyoming because it’s cheap.
United’s CEO Scott Kirby says airlines are overstaffed by 10%. Biffle will actually do something about it.
Ultimately this is a great tool, that’s normally premium priced, but available free at no cost through the Bilt app – a way to help make the most of Bilt points or any points, the way that they’ve done with airlines and point.me.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby warned about proposed Biden administration passenger delay compensation rules, “I do not want a pilot, I do not want a mechanic, thinking about the extra cost of delay when they’re thinking about a decision.”
Leave it to Delta to stick it to their best customers’ stored value in this transition.
Delta is changing how elite status is earned, eliminating the use of three metrics (dollars, qualifying miles, and segments) to focus on only a single metric (dollars) while allowing some activities other than flying to count towards those dollars. And they’re restricting credit card access to their Sky Clubs – limiting the number of cardmember visits, and not allowing visits when traveling on a basic economy fare.
A passenger on board Delta’s flight 316 from Atlanta to Seattle on Friday attacked the first class snack basket, hit a flight attendant and tried to open the aircraft door (which at pressurized altitude he naturally could not do). The man was restrained and cuffed, and the flight continued its journey to the Emerald City.
American Airlines presented its contract proposal to flight attendants and the terms basically match watch Delta gets, according to the union. But they aren’t happy.
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 »
