In January, American Airlines stopped doing second drink service on long domestic coach flights. By making passengers request a second drink, either making you press the flight attendant call button and risk angering crew or heading to the galley for a drink and risk angering crew, the airline would save money on soda. They’ve reversed course quickly.
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.
Bilt Rewards has added Japan Airlines as a 1:1 points transfer partner. Bilt says that most transfers will be completed within 10 minutes.
Last week a naked man was found completely covered in mud clinging to the landing gear of a plane at at Manila airport’s terminal 1 by gate 6. He was spotted in the early morning hours by a security guard who noticed the tight grip – and lack of clothes. Airport Police responded and arrested the man.
United has announced its new business class suites, which will appear on new delivery Boeing 787s starting later this year – with passenger service beginning in 2026. The first destinations will be San Francisco to London and Singapore.
Three weeks ago I told you that United Airlines would announce its new business class suite in early May. They have a customer event in Brooklyn tomorrow as well as a media preview for the new seat. And the airline has been teasing their reveal on social media. But photos are already available.
American Airlines is testing a customer-friendly move to hold connecting flights for delayed passengers, when doing so won’t cause problems for the operation. This effort is underway as of today at Dallas – Fort Worth airport, and if all goes well it’ll be expanded. Here’s what’s been shared internally with employees:
Ex-Braniff and Boeing executive Gordon Bethune became famous in aviation for turning around Continental Airlines. He’s now 83 years old and suffering from Parkinson’s disease.
Bethune recently traveled to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico with his partner Jessica Rossman, a Houston attorney and former Continental and United Airlines executive who is 27 years his junior. She did not come back, passing away suddenly on March 31 after undergoing a routing cosmetic procedure.
Maximizing credit card rewards requires a strategic two-card approach, focusing on cards that offer more than one point per dollar on spending and allow point combining across different reward programs.
At this point it takes a lot to shock me with the petty mandatory add-on fees some hotels can charge. The Staybridge Suites Tulsa Woodland Hills manages this feat quite easily with a “service fee” that “assists to invest in upgrades and initiatives for guest security.” There’s a mandatory safety fee, because apparently you aren’t assured a safe room as part of your rate at this property.
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 »
