View from the Wing

St. Regis Maldives Overwater Villa With Private Pool From Just 70,400 Points Per Night

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

Right now overwater villas with a private pool at the St. Regis Maldives – an aspirational property if there ever was one – can be redeemed starting at just 88,000 points with wide open availability.

Actually finding room nights here is what’s great, since Marriott doesn’t require ‘all suite’ properties to release a minimum number of their rooms for redemption. And fifth night is free, making the cost start at just over 70,000 points per night for a five night stay.

United Airlines Has A New Plan For Flight Attendants To “Wow” Customers

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

United Airlines wants flight attendants to greet customers and thank them. They want cabin crew to offer to hang coats in premium cabins and offer pre-departure beverages. And they don’t want crew gossiping loudly in the galley.

If the airline’s flight attendants can do this, United believes they will earn a revenue premium since they argue that research suggests “service is more important to customers than price.”

United Flight Attendants Sue, Say They Shouldn’t Get Fired For Bullying If They Have Seniority

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

A little over a year ago United Airlines fired two senior flight attendants who were union leaders. A junior crewmember reported their mask violations, and then the two senior crew solicited false conduct reports against the junior flight attendant in retaliation. United uncovered this, and had no choice but to fire the union reps.

It turns out United fired six senior flight attendants for bullying junior crew. And the six flight attendants are suing for age discrimination.

Airline Travel Has Gotten Slower In The Last 10 Years, With Schedule Padding Up 27%

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

The headline result is that “Southwest Airlines is the worst offender for artificially inflating its flight times.” What’s interesting is how schedule padding has changed over time, and the claim here is that padding has increased from 8 minutes on average in 2012 to 11 minutes in 2022.

10 Ways To Make World Of Hyatt Better

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

World of Hyatt is a better program than peers, but it needs to be, because Hyatt still has a smaller footprint than similar efforts at Marriott, IHG, and Hilton. A customer has to choose Hyatt, and that takes effort, so they need to give customers a reason to do so. And that means finding ways to reduce pain points and deliver on promises. So I think it makes sense to prioritize items like these. What would be on your list?

What Happens When You Skip Aircraft Cleaning To Avoid A One Minute Delay? [Roundup]

by Gary Leff on March 30, 2023

Mar 30 2023

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.

New Legislation Would Create No Fly List For Violent Passengers

by Gary Leff on March 29, 2023

Mar 29 2023

Violent passengers on planes should be addressed by prosecuting those passengers for their behavior and imposing punishments according to law, not by layering on administrative travel bans. Any punishment that encumbers an American’s right to travel should be subject to an appropriate level of judicial review and scrutiny.

12 Realistic Ways To Make American Airlines Better

by Gary Leff on March 29, 2023

Mar 29 2023

With their high costs, they need to earn a revenue premium in order to generate a profit, but they’ve been reluctant to make investments that would help to deliver the premium product.

As a frequent customer, with Executive Platinum status for over a decade and even briefly a ConciergeKey member, I’ve observed many of the pain points at the airline – many of which could be improved at low cost, or are bare minimum investments they need to make to remain competitive and continue generating revenue. So in the interests of helping American to deliver both a better and more profitable product, I share 12 realistic ways they can improve the customer experience.

I Won’t Return To China For A Long Time, And You Should Evaluate Your Risk, Too

by Gary Leff on March 29, 2023

Mar 29 2023

For the average person the risk is low, but it’s a new area of uncertainty. Congressman James McGovern (D-MA) says “American citizens are too often being detained as de factoo hostages in business disputes or to coerce family members to return to China.”

Maybe you share things to social media from the Falun Gong’s Epoch Times? That alone could create risk.

Data: Threatening To Fire Sick American Airlines Flight Attendants Doesn’t Boost Attendance

by Gary Leff on March 29, 2023

Mar 29 2023

The airline wants to prevent a mass exodus of staff when they need those staff most. So they impose penalties for using sick time at inconvenient times even when someone is sick (and likely to get customers sick, too). In years past sick calls with documentation were excused but under the point system, they aren’t.

St. Regis Maldives Overwater Villa With Private Pool From Just 70,400 Points Per Night

United Airlines Has A New Plan For Flight Attendants To “Wow” Customers

United Flight Attendants Sue, Say They Shouldn’t Get Fired For Bullying If They Have Seniority

Airline Travel Has Gotten Slower In The Last 10 Years, With Schedule Padding Up 27%

10 Ways To Make World Of Hyatt Better

What Happens When You Skip Aircraft Cleaning To Avoid A One Minute Delay? [Roundup]

New Legislation Would Create No Fly List For Violent Passengers

12 Realistic Ways To Make American Airlines Better

I Won’t Return To China For A Long Time, And You Should Evaluate Your Risk, Too

Data: Threatening To Fire Sick American Airlines Flight Attendants Doesn’t Boost Attendance

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About Gary Leff

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