The Government’s Case Against The JetBlue-Spirit Airlines Merger Is Absurd

by Gary Leff

Mar 08 2023

want to see Spirit Airlines continue as a standalone company. I think that is better for airfares and for diversity in business models. I also don’t think buying Spirit is a good idea for JetBlue. They are operationally challenged to begin with and the complexity of a merger and integration won’t make air travel better. JetBlue is massively overpaying.

As a result I’ve maintained that the JetBlue deal to acquire Spirit is bad for customers and bad for shareholders. However bad business decisions are not in themselves, illegal.

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Chase Opening First Exclusive Airport Space For Sapphire Reserve Cardmembers In Austin

by Gary Leff

outdoor lounge
Mar 08 2023

Last month I broke the news, based on an Austin city permit that Chase would be opening a space in the Austin airport. Then I shared further details that it would be an indoor-outdoor space next to the Delta Sky Club taking over the public outdoor deck, opening in March and likely offering grab and go food.

Chase is now offering more details on the space. The “Sapphire Terrace” will open March 20.

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American Airlines Set To Pay Pilots Up To $590,000 Per Year

by Gary Leff

cockpit with pilot
Mar 08 2023

With tensions rising among pilots at American Airlines, management has put out a message directly to cockpit crew – rather than staying quiet in negotiations with its union – letting them know just how generous an offer they’re making: by the fourth year of the company’s proposed deal, a narrowbody captain would make as much as $475,000 – and a widebody captain up to $590,000 per year.

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Notes On The Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress, Hyatt’s ‘Disney Hotel’

by Gary Leff

Mar 07 2023

Hyatt has a Disney hotel. It’s not ‘on property’ like Marriott’s Swan and Dolphin, but being off-property is a plus for many. And the remarkable thing is that it’s actually an excellent hotel. I stayed at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress at the end of 2019, and again last month. In a key way the hotel isn’t as good as it used to be, but it would still be my preferred ‘off-property’ hotel for a Disney trip. And everyone loves the macaw in the lobby named Merlot.

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My Approach To Mask Wearing On Planes

by Gary Leff

Mar 07 2023

Throughout the pandemic I was a proponent of the individual choice to mask. I favored airlines imposing their own mask requirements in spring 2020, long before the federal government made existing airline rules a legal requirement. I liked, though, that some airlines handled their exception policies differently, for instance Delta was more flexible with young children and so wasn’t kicking two and three year olds off of planes.

I’ve been a fan of properly wearing a high quality mask. These are no longer necessary as a Covid-19 precaution as such, but remain helpful against airborne spread of viruses generally.

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