Russian Airlines Face Repossession Of Half Their Planes, As Aeroflot Flight Ignores Airspace Ban

by Gary Leff

flight attendant
Feb 28 2022

Sunday night’s Aeroflot 124 Moscow – New York flight turned around midflight. The U.S. hasn’t banned Russian aircraft from its airspace, but it’s tough for them to get here without overflying EU and Canadian airspace. They flew 8 hours and wound up where they started.

At the same time Aeroflot 111 from Miami to Moscow made it to its destination, violating airspace restrictions. They’re accused of lying claiming that this was a humanitarian flight, rather than a standard commercial flight.

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American Refuses To Honor Award Tickets On Joint Venture Partners When Exiting Routes

by Gary Leff

Feb 27 2022

An American spokesperson told me they’d only honor business class awards in their original class of service if Qantas had business class award space available. Since of course they do not, American will only rebook in coach. And, “you can have your miles reinstated or rebook to travel once we begin offering service between LAX-SYD again in November.”

The notion that when American exits a market it will not honor reservations in their ticketed class of service on a joint venture partner has important implications, I think, for the notion of consumer benefit that they are claiming as they defend a government lawsuit against their JetBlue joint venture.

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What We Can Say Now About The Future Of Business Travel After The Pandemic

by Gary Leff

Feb 27 2022

This 1990 United Airlines commercial really nailed why business travel will return in some form, how a ‘phone call and a fax’ doesn’t replace face-to-face business meetings. And yet business travel will be forever changed.

There are trips that used to happen that won’t, trips that do happen with fewer people on them, and the trips that happen won’t happen on the same days or necessarily for as long.

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Police Body Cam Footage Of Passenger Removed From Delta Flight, Back At The Station Gets.. Interesting

by Gary Leff

Feb 26 2022

Police bodycam footage has been shared online of an officer removing a passenger from a Delta flight prior to departure over mask non-compliance.

Usually we see cell phone video from other passengers of someone being taken off the plane. Rarely do we see what happens before that – the discussion between officer and cabin crew – or after, when the passenger is back in the police vehicle or finally at the police station.

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Incoming American Airlines CEO To Employees: Cut Costs, Don’t “Spend A Dollar More Than We Need To”

by Gary Leff

Feb 26 2022

At the ‘State Of The Airline’ employee forum last month current American Airlines President and incoming CEO Robert Isom laid out his vision for the airline. It was mostly about operating reliably as the priority that matters most. One line, though, struck me at the time. I didn’t write about it. Instead it’s been tossing around in my head ever since.

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President Biden’s Pollster To Democrats: Lift Mask Restrictions Or Risk Election

by Gary Leff

Feb 25 2022

I’ve written for a year that the decision on ‘returning to normal’ which includes sunsetting the transportation mask mandate requiring masks be worn in airports and on planes would be a political one. Specifically, the mandate would sunset before end of summer so that the President could declare victory over the pandemic before the midterm elections. Control of the House and Senate hang in the balance.

President Biden’s pollster’s firm now is giving Democrats this same advice.

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