A New Agenda For A New American Airlines CEO

by Gary Leff

american airlines logo
Dec 11 2021

Doug Parker will step down as CEO of American Airlines March 31, 2022 and current airline President Robert Isom will become CEO. He reaction of many was ‘meet the new boss, same as the old boss.’ Isom as served along side Parker for years. Before becoming President of American Airlines he served as Chief Operating Officer at American and at US Airways. He has previous experience at Northwest Airlines, which had a deservedly bad reputation for its product, service, and employee morale.

But as Scott Kirby at United shows – himself formerly President of American and US Airways – a fresh start and ascending to the CEO role affords an opportunity to break from the past. And a CEO transition is the perfect time to revisit >everything. A CEO transition coming out of a pandemic doubly so.

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Delta Won’t Award Miles On The Cheapest Fares Anymore – Yes, That’s A Bad Thing

by Gary Leff

It’s not ‘unfair’ of Delta, they can reward whatever they wish. There’s no bait and switch here. In that sense it’s “reasonable.” But defenses of Delta complaint ‘not baiting and switching’ with a recommendation that consumers accept the move.

Realize the bundle of value that Delta is offering on the cheapest fares is falling, and factor that when comparing their alternatives

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The Problem With International Travel In January And February

by Gary Leff

Dec 10 2021

There’s good reason to think that Omicron spreads more rapidly than previous versions of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. That would be both because of inherent transmissibility and because of greater likelihood of breakthrough infections for those that have had Covid-19 before as well as those fully vaccinated (and even boosted) against it, though boosters do appear to provide greater protection than mere vaccination.

With Omicron appearing headed towards dominance in parts of Europe, outcompeting Delta, and with cases rising rapidly we are facing a conundrum.

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Delta Passenger Rants About Slavery, Attacks Flight Attendant And Air Marshal

by Gary Leff

Dec 10 2021

An African American man on a Delta Air Lines flight went on a rant about being enslaved by white men, before assaulting a flight attendant and an air marshal on board the Washington – Los Angeles plane on Thursday evening.

After being attacked, the air marshal called for passenger assistance and together got the situation under control – zip-tying the man – as the aircraft diverted to Oklahoma City.

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Wow: Delta Eliminates Mileage-Earning On Its Cheapest Tickets

by Gary Leff

delta airplanes on tarmac
Dec 09 2021

Delta devalued SkyMiles awards twice during the pandemic and now calls it a sale when they offer 350,000 and even 400,000 mile-plus business class roundtrips to Europe. They’ve also gutted international upgrades with top elites getting confirmed from coach to premium economy only and no longer business class.

The other shoe has dropped at the reverse end of the spectrum, mileage-earning on the cheapest fares. For new tickets purchased (as of December 9, 2021) and travel starting January 1, 2022, Delta’s basic economy fares will no longer earn miles or elite status credit. Period.

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