Sky-High Kindness: Delta Pilot Returns Lost Library Book, Offers to Pay Fees

by Gary Leff

Nov 17 2023

Early this month a public library in Shawnee, Kansas received a strange letter. One of their books was returned in the mail – but it didn’t come from the reader who borrowed it. A Delta Air Lines captain found Whatever After: If the Shoe Fits on the Atlanta airport’s B concourse while commuting to their home in Florida.

The pilot may have saved the young reader significant late fees, and protected their future borrowing privileges – expressing a hope that whomever had checked out the book “grows up to be an avid reader.”

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Airline Battle Royale: The Fight for Tokyo’s Coveted Haneda Slot

by Gary Leff

united planes runway
Nov 17 2023

United Airlines has attacked the American Airlines plan, saying that the DOT should look at connections served rather than the local market to determine consumer benefit. Now that the federal government has broken up its JetBlue partnership, American’s ability to serve connections in the New York market is far more limited. The Department of Justice handed a huge win to United and to Delta in New York by preventing American-JetBlue from becoming a large competitor with their New York duopoly.

According to United, DOT set a precedent in preferring connecting markets to Tokyo Haneda over non-stop ones in their 2019 proceeding originally awarding the routes since that was a justification for denying Las Vegas a Haneda flight.

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How Southwest Is Racing To Prevent Another Billion Dollar Holiday Travel Meltdown

by Gary Leff

Nov 16 2023

The Southwest Airlines operational failure during last year’s holiday season led to the stranding of two million passengers and a financial loss of approximately $1 billion. The chain began with inadequate de-icing equipment and inexperienced staff. Southwest has a play book to prevent a repeat this year, which they’ve shared internally with employees. It includes technological upgrades and improved training.

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Frontier’s Status Match Game-Changer: Fly Family Of 4 To Disney For $153 Roundtrip Complete!

by Gary Leff

A small number of free miles in your choice of programs
Nov 16 2023

It’s underappreciated how much value there is in Frontier Airlines – when you have elite status with the low cost carrier. And it’s underappreciated how easy it is to have that status.

Bilt Rewards Vice President Richard Kerr knows: less than $20 per one-way flight for a family of four to Disney World, refundable and with free seat assignments, carry on bags, and checked bags.

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Maximizing The New Alaska Airlines Award Chart With Negative Price Stopovers (Better Than Free)

by Gary Leff

Nov 16 2023

The best value from distance-based charts often comes from maxing out distance, for instance flying West Coast – Tokyo to stay within a distance band and avoid going over… but also sometimes by booking two awards to get the pricing of two shorter distance bands rather than the combined higher-distance band. I’d like to explain this a little bit more.

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