Devaluation Without Notice: Alaska Airlines Hikes Japan Airlines Award Pricing Up To 100%

by Gary Leff

Mar 14 2023

After a debacle years ago increasing award pricing without notice for travel on Emirates, Alaska Airlines made an express commitment to notify members in advance when making changes to the program.

Sadly they did not do that this week, as Monday they increased the price of award travel on their oneworld partner Japan Airlines, and they did this without any advance notice. So members who were saving their miles for a specific trip had the rug pulled out from under them.

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American Airlines Passenger Demands Removal Of NFL Great From Plane, ‘My Status Is Higher Than His!’

by Gary Leff

Mar 13 2023

Desmond Howard spent 11 seasons in the NFL, after winning the Heisman Trophy as a senior at Michigan. He holds the NFL record for most punt return yards in a single season. He was Super Bowl MVP in 1997. And he’s had a tv commentator gig. That makes him more or less cultural royalty in America. He may have higher ‘status’ than anyone ever to set foot on an American Airlines plane besides the Pope.

His seat opponent tried to have him removed from an aircraft for coughing, citing their status.

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Two Flight Attendants Fight Over Seat Trading Rules, Refuse To Work With Each Other

by Gary Leff

Mar 13 2023

ESPN Sportscenter anchor Ashley Brewer chronicled drama between flight attendants on an American Eagle regional jet operated by SkyWest. Flying to see her fiance for 24 hours, the moments of her short visit ticked away as two cabin crew members got into a fight over a passenger’s seating request. In the end they refused to work together, one left, and the flight took a delay to try to replace crew.

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Emirates Ordered To Pay $8468 For Failing To Deliver Advertised Quality Of Business Class

by Gary Leff

Mar 13 2023

One customer had enough with the misleading advertising claims of airlines, and when they bought a pricey business class ticket and wound up with old seats that didn’t lie flat which were different than what they’d been sold, they sued and won. They’re a hero to everyone who has ever been promised one thing, delivered another, and told by their airline to pound sand.

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How Hair Is The New Trend In Awful Air Travel Behavior

by Gary Leff

Mar 13 2023

A passenger on a Delta flight from Nashville to Minneapolis found a way to annoy a passenger she wasn’t even sitting next to her, and she did it without saying a word.

The woman on the Airbus A319 draped her hair over the seat back behind her. What makes it worse it that Delta Air Lines has seat back entertainment screens, so she was blocking the screen of the passenger sitting behind her. That passenger kept trying to move her hair out of the way. She kept moving it back over the screen.

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Saudi Arabia Launches New Airline

by Gary Leff

airport terminal
Mar 12 2023

Saudi Arabia has a national airline, Saudia. It’s government-owned. But the government doesn’t like it, or something? Because they’re starting a new government airline, Riyadh Air, and they’re sharing details publicly.

Riyadh Air plans to fly to 100 destinations b 2030, and are about to place a major order, possibly for 100 Boeing widebody aircraft. The former CEO of Etihad, Tony Douglas, will run the airline. His experience is in dismantling state carrier excess, not lighting money on fire for its own sake.

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Airline Passengers Forced To Endure Violin Concert On Transatlantic Flight

by Gary Leff

Mar 12 2023

On an Aer Lingus flight from Dublin to New York JFK Saturday, passengers pulled out their violins and played for the cabin as St. Patrick’s Day quickly approaches.

The music is excellent, but this isn’t what everyone had signed up for. There’s no “no music” section of the aircraft. It’s been described as ‘Aches On A Plane’ and we’re all just waiting for Samuel L. Jackson.

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Review: Virgin Hotels Dallas

by Gary Leff

Mar 12 2023

The Virgin brand hasn’t taken hold in the U.S. the way it has in other parts of the English-speaking world. It stands for being a bit cheeky, a bit cheeky, but often more style over substance. And in the case of the 268 room Virgin Hotels Dallas that means a straightforward full service property with… splashes of red, and one of Richard Branson’s books in the room.

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