Delta’s president says the days of winning with the cheapest fares are over, and explains how investing in premium products – and then merchandising them – is getting flyers to pay more and driving record profits.
United CEO Scott Kirby is pitching a U.S. airline “trade deficit” in Washington even as he suggests he may finally act on United’s long-deferred Airbus A350 order.
Taking a pilot out of the cockpit when there’s any question over their fitness to fly just makes sense. ‘Prove me wrong.’
She spread out across the seats, mocking every request to move—until one passenger sat down anyway and the crowd erupted in applause.
Delta is already letting an AI “Super Analyst” set ticket prices in real time, and this explainer breaks down how it works today versus where the technology is headed.
The latest DOT Air Travel Consumer Report shows Delta avoided bumping passengers entirely, while American led the industry in cancellations, mishandled bags, denied boardings, and passenger complaints.
Delta says demand for premium credit cards is driving growth, with plans for a new card above the $650 Reserve and updates to SkyMiles cards across the lineup.
Mere days after British Airways banned flight crews from drinking coffee or soda in front of customers – and told them that even water had to be consumed ‘discretely’ – they’ve been forced to roll back this policy.
Valuing the points at 1.5 cents apiece and realizing the hotel credit and splurge credits twice in the first cardmember year (because the benefits are timed to calendar year) that’s at least $2,400 in year one value… without putting a price on the Admirals Club passes or Priority Pass benefit.
The coach experience matters as much as business class for an airline – even (and especially) an airline that wants to maximize its premium revenue.
Becoming a premium carrier is a decade-long process. It stretches across the entire product offering, not just premium products. It takes investment and it takes a huge change in culture and mindset. It’s a journey not just for the airline, but for customers as well – who build their perception of the airline through the lens of experience in the back of the plane before considering whether to graduate to more expensive offerings.
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 »
