The Game Theory Of American Airlines Pilots Voting On A Strike

cockpit with pilot
Mar 09 2023

American Airlines CEO went around their pilot union, telling cockpit crew that they’re ready to pay them up to $590,000 per year, essentially matching Delta’s new pay rates and improving on scheduling and other quality of life issues.

Immediately following this message, the board of the Allied Pilots Association agreed to seek authorization from pilots for a strike.

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Boeing 787 Hit By 10 Armed Gunmen Looking For $32 Million Cash

Mar 08 2023

A LATAM Airlines Boeing 787-9 from Miami to Santiago landed Wednesday morning with armed gunmen waiting for it, tipped off that it was carrying $32.5 million in cash that was supposed to be taken to banks via armored car.

Ten gunmen laid in wait, and engaged in a shootout with security officers. Both an officer and one of the armed thieves died in the attack, while the remaining nine shooters fled – covering their tracks by burning the vehicles they’d used.

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Marriott Was Right To Host Odious Event Banned By CPAC, Calling For End To Jews, Praising Hitler

Mar 08 2023

In the fall former President Donald Trump had dinner with Kanye West and Nick Fuentes. Several Republicans denounced the meeting. The white supemacist views of Fuentes are so outside the mainstream of conservatism that he was denied a platform at the recent Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), so he set up his own meeting around the corner… at the Residence Inn by Marriott National Harbor.

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First U.S. Air Carrier Now Allows Inflight Internet Calling, Is It Ok To Chat Away?

Mar 08 2023

JSX planes have StarLink internet which I’ve found to be crazy fast, with low latency. That’s not just great for checking email and web browsing. It also works for video conferencing. And they’re the first carrier certified by FAA to allow it.

So when you fly JSX you can use Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, or your other app of choice – to participate in a meeting at work, call home at dinner time or bed time, and to… annoy your fellow passengers?

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The Government’s Case Against The JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger Is Absurd

Mar 08 2023

want to see Spirit Airlines continue as a standalone company. I think that is better for airfares and for diversity in business models. I also don’t think buying Spirit is a good idea for JetBlue. They are operationally challenged to begin with and the complexity of a merger and integration won’t make air travel better. JetBlue is massively overpaying.

As a result I’ve maintained that the JetBlue deal to acquire Spirit is bad for customers and bad for shareholders. However bad business decisions are not in themselves, illegal.

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Chase Opening First Exclusive Airport Space For Sapphire Reserve Cardmembers In Austin

outdoor lounge
Mar 08 2023

Last month I broke the news, based on an Austin city permit that Chase would be opening a space in the Austin airport. Then I shared further details that it would be an indoor-outdoor space next to the Delta Sky Club taking over the public outdoor deck, opening in March and likely offering grab and go food.

Chase is now offering more details on the space. The “Sapphire Terrace” will open March 20.

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American Airlines Set To Pay Pilots Up To $590,000 Per Year

cockpit with pilot
Mar 08 2023

With tensions rising among pilots at American Airlines, management has put out a message directly to cockpit crew – rather than staying quiet in negotiations with its union – letting them know just how generous an offer they’re making: by the fourth year of the company’s proposed deal, a narrowbody captain would make as much as $475,000 – and a widebody captain up to $590,000 per year.

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Notes On The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Hyatt’s ‘Disney Hotel’

Mar 07 2023

Hyatt has a Disney hotel. It’s not ‘on property’ like Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin, but being off-property is a plus for many. And the remarkable thing is that it’s actually an excellent hotel. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress at the end of 2019, and again last month. In a key way the hotel isn’t as good as it used to be, but it would still be my preferred ‘off-property’ hotel for a Disney trip. And everyone loves the macaw in the lobby named Merlot.

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