For several years American Airlines has said that if they could get their operation running well, everything else would fall into place. But they’ve been running well in 2023 and they aren’t making money. There’s something wrong with the American Airlines business plan.
Europe’s parliament wants to ban airlines from charging for carry on bags. This would benefit large national airlines at the expense of discounters and drive up price, just like the push in France to outright ban the low prices that carriers like Ryanair and easyJet charge.
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.
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. Yet they partner with United Airlines. And that partnership creates arbitrage opportunities, for as long as it lasts.
American Airlines is asking employees to lobby against legislation from Senators Dick Durbin and Roger Marshall that would limit credit card interchange.
Interestingly, American presents the (true) argument to employees that they pushed back on me over for so long – that they lose money flying planes (cost per seat mile is greater than passenger revenue per seat mile, and even passenger revenue plus cargo, in many quarters) and only turn a profit by selling miles to banks.
Delta Air Lines overbooked a flight, so as is common they offered passengers gift cards to give up their seat and take a later flight. One passenger who had already boarded the flight in Atlanta accepted their offer of $700 but when he got off the aircraft the airline would not pay.
Southwest Airlines lets passengers pick their own seats once they’re on board the aircraft. The earlier you board, the better choice of seats you have.
And Southwest allows passengers with disabilities to preboard. This is largely on the honor system, and as we know most people lack honor.
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.
Cirium’s Diio Mi shows both scheduled flights and actual performance. Their data between October 7 and October 19 is interesting for Tel Aviv flying, with most airlines suspending operations.
El Al, which normally operates 22% of flights in and out of Tel Aviv, has completed 97% of its schedule since terrorist attacks began.
The government’s oil company won’t provide fuel to the government’s airline unless they pay up front and they have limited funds to pay with.
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 »
