Southwest Airlines Fires A Shot At American Airlines In Miami

by Gary Leff

Sep 05 2020

What makes Miami surprising is that it’s the type of market the ‘old Southwest’ would never have entered. They already have a huge operation in Fort Lauderdale, and a smaller one at West Palm Beach and while they aren’t exactly the same markets there’s huge overlap. Southwest always favored the less expensive airports, and avoided congested business hubs.

Miami is one of the more expensive airports to operate from in the U.S. This was, if not an explicit policy of pre-merger American Airlines to drive up airport costs, something that their management sat by and was ok with happening – because it chased all the low cost carriers to Fort Lauderdale. That’s changing.

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Passenger Who Handed ‘Worst Note Ever’ To Flight Attendant Has Been Banned By American Airlines

by Gary Leff

Sep 04 2020

The note a disgruntled passenger passed to an American Airlines flight attendant has gone viral. In the note, the passenger objected to being told their mask had to cover their nose and called the crewmember “a glorified MAID” a “mask nazi” who should be “cleaning motel rooms for $2 tips and meth” and that her life is “a waste.”

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The Real Reason Airlines Eliminated Domestic Change Fees

by Gary Leff

airplane seats
Sep 04 2020

The change isn’t about being ‘customer friendly’ and it wasn’t about share shift – which won’t happen, because major airlines quickly matched each other on this – it’s about modernizing the pricing model and getting rid of a tool that wasn’t relevant anymore, while at the same time making those non-basic economy fares more attractive to less price-sensitive buyers.

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American Airlines Surveying Whether To Replace Some Systemwide Upgrades With Other Benefits

by Gary Leff

first class seat
Sep 04 2020

American Airlines is surveying some top elites on how they might reorganize systemwide upgrades, the upgrades American’s top elites and million milers receive that can be used to secure a seat in a higher cabin than what you purchase any time after booking. They’re looking at how they might replace at least one of these upgrades with other rewards. Here’s what they seem to be testing, according to reports I’ve seen:

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This May Be The Worst Note Any Passenger Has Ever Given To A Flight Attendant

by Gary Leff

Sep 03 2020

An American Airlines flight attendant received a note from a passenger last this week that may be about the worst thing I’ve ever read. The woman who wrote the note had been asked to wear her mask over her nose.

The passenger apparently complied – but later decided to share what she thought of the flight attendant, who had simply asked her to follow airline policy, which was agreed to as a condition of flying. The note contained words that may haunt this passenger for a very long time.

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Airlines That Block Middle Seats Are Furloughing Fewer Employees

by Gary Leff

Sep 03 2020

Delta, Southwest, Alaska and JetBlue all limit the number of seats they’ll sell on a flight to varying degrees, promoting some on board social distancing. United, American, Spirit, and Allegiant do not.

Contra journalist Seth Kaplan, there’s no clear connection between blocking middle seats and a need to furlough airline employees. If anything there’s an effect in the opposite direction.

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