United Sent A Remarkable, Trolling Email To Customers

by Gary Leff

united plane
Nov 04 2021

Delta’s operation melted down over last year’s holidays. Southwest has melted down over lack of crew. American melted down over the summer without enough pilots and then at the end of October without enough flight attendants. And now everyone’s worried about holiday travel with the government requiring airlines to have their employees vaccinated – with deadlines coming up.

United Airlines sent out a remarkable email, both for its candor and effectiveness but also for the way it brutally subtweeted these competitors. Under CEO Scott Kirby’s signature, United obliquely references news of airline meltdowns and says in effect ‘this won’t happen to us.’

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Marriott Bonvoy Is Cashflow Negative This Year – And That’s Expected To Continue

by Gary Leff

outside marriott hotel
Nov 03 2021

Marriott got cash up front during the pandemic by extending their co-brand deals. Banks gave them money early, and so that money isn’t coming in now. They’ve “effectively repa[id] one third of the $920 million received in 2020” so far and Marriott “continue[s] to anticipate modestly negative cashflows from loyalty” because of these deals.

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Flying To Europe Using Miles – Without Getting Stuck On A U.S. or European Airline

by Gary Leff

Nov 03 2021

Prompted by my writing about wide open availability for two first class Suites awards on the Singapore Airlines New York JFK – Frankfurt flight, a reader asks about other ‘fifth freedom routes’ between the U.S. and Europe.

They wanted to fly between the U.S. and Europe on an Asian or Middle Eastern carrier and wanted to know what their options looked like using miles for the best seats possible.

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Union Told Crew Not To Work Extra Trips As American Airlines Cancelled Thousands Of Flights

by Gary Leff

Nov 02 2021

The American Airlines operation began having real problems on Thursday. High winds in North Texas slowed down takeoffs and landings at the airline’s largest hub in Dallas. That led to cancellations, and crew out of position. They had to use their available employees on reserve.

As they faced the end of the month, they ran out of backup employees. The airline blames weather, but weather happens all the time to every airline.

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