United’s Scott Kirby has been predicting the demise of low cost competitors for years. So far he hasn’t been wrong. On Wednesday morning’s earnings call, he placed the blame for this on the airports and the federal government as he explained why his airline would outcompete them in the major cities where they have their biggest operations.
Once you make the decision to pursue a premium strategy, getting the details right is as much about creativity and commitment to the details as it is cost. Budgets still matter a great deal, but finding the right investments that move the needle on customer perception matter – otherwise spending on those expensive seats is wasted.
The Trump family stayed at St. Regis D.C. for the inauguration, based on video shared by President Trump’s granddaughter Kai who took on a much larger profile this past summer at the Republican Convention.
Airports in the U.S. are largely government-owned, which isn’t how this works in much of the world. They rely heavily on federal funding, especially grants that come heavily-laden with conditions. That includes what’s come to be known as DEI but that’s actually explicit racial (and gender) quotas in contracting.
Japan Airlines has announced a second Chicago flight, more flights between San Diego and Tokyo and between Los Angeles and Osaka, and that the new product Airbus A350 will start flying to Los Angeles.
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.
A Spirit Airlines passenger was kicked off of a Los Angeles to San Antonio flight because of an offensive hoodie. And I guess this is newsworthy because, until now, we didn’t know that clothing could fail to meet the minimum standards necessary to fly Spirit Airlines.
Fewer flights means less of a need for pilots, and Southwest has now shared internally with employees how many pilot positions they’ll be shedding across various bases.
When a Hyatt property charges a destination fee that is not even disclosed during the booking process that’s especially egregious, and clearly illegal. If you don’t check your bill prior to check-out, you wouldn’t even know you were being charged more than the price you were quoted for the room.
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.
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 »
