CNN: Serving Booze In First Class While Banning It In Coach Is “Dickensian”

by Gary Leff

airline seats
Jun 11 2021

First class comes at a higher price point than coach and comes bundled with additional services, including drink service. The irony of course is that the difference between first class and coach really shrunk throughout the pandemic.

Meal service hasn’t returned in earnest to most domestic flights up front, with packaged cold items the norm on many domestic flights – and even that was an improvement over what airlines had been serving. In other words, first class passengers saw more cost cuts than those who were just buying transportation. There’s ‘an aviation angle’ to the axe any writer has to grind. But it’s almost always wrong.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Promotes Billion Dollar Order Of Electric Aircraft That May Never Happen

by Gary Leff

Jun 10 2021

In February United Airlines made a splash ordering electric aircraft with the idea of transporting people from urban centers like Manhattan over to Newark. Now four months later American Airlines announces that it, too, is investing in urban air mobility, maybe.

The aircraft in question hasn’t had a test flight yet, but they’re touting that “certification of the aircraft [could come] as early as 2024” which means it will be farther out into the future than that.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Is Adding 14 New Destinations From Austin, Quadrupling Its Reach In A Year

by Gary Leff

Jun 10 2021

For years Austin has been one of the fastest-growing aviation markets in the country, tracking the city’s growth more generally. Before the pandemic American Airlines was looking at three new routes to augment its flights to hubs.

Earlier this year they announced 10 new routes. The ones that have launched are doing well. Now they’re announcing 14 new routes, 5 of which are international. They’re converting seasonal service to year-round. And adding frequencies to existing routes. All in all they’re quadrupling their destinations in a little over a year.

Continue Reading »

Airline Unions Push For New Legislation To Keep Out Long Haul Low Cost Competition

by Gary Leff

plane on runway
Jun 10 2021

Forget “Fight For 15!” The Air Line Pilots Association is lobbying for a new bill released by House Transportation Committee Chairman Pete DeFazio (D-Airlines For America) among others that would effectively prevent foreign airlines from flying to the U.S. if they aren’t paying competitive wages.

The measure is also being supported by the Allied Pilots Association (American Airlines pilots), Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (Sara Nelson), International Association of Machinists, Teamsters, Transportation Workers Union, UNITE HERE and others. We thought the campaign by U.S. airlines against Open Skies Treaties was over but now we have the ‘Fair and Open Skies Act’.

Continue Reading »

Man Caught On Video Stealing Luggage At Baggage Claim In Atlanta

by Gary Leff

Jun 09 2021

There are videos everywhere in the airport, yet some people think it’s a good place to steal. They’re not entirely wrong since in most airport thefts no one gets caught.

In Atlanta, though, a man caught on camera stealing bags off of a carousel at baggage claim has been identified and is now in custody. He was caught because Atlanta’s airport police were already familiar with him from previous run-ins. Everyone returns to the scene of the crime.

Continue Reading »