Report: End Of The Line For American’s Premium Airbus A321T Transcon

by Gary Leff

airline cabin
Nov 30 2020

There are active discussions around what to do with the Airbus A321T premium configured fleet and a report suggests that there’s a plan to rip out the interiors and replace them with the standard domestic ‘Oasis’ offering.

The A321T offers 10 first class, 20 business class, 36 Main Cabin Extra (extra legroom coach) and 36 economy seats and is used on premium cross country routes. Moving to ‘Oasis’ would mean these planes would lose seat back television, a lot more seats would be squeezed in, and there would no longer be a lie flat business class or first class product.

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Marriott Drops Award Prices To Off Peak At 90% Of Hotels For Stays Through February 28

by Gary Leff

outside marriott hotel
Nov 30 2020

Marriott is offering about 90% of their 7500 hotels at off peak redemption prices for bookings made by December 14 and stays through February 28, 2021.

A Marriott spokesperson says “Of the 90% of properties offering solely off-peak rates, about two—thirds of those properties had previously been offering a mix of rates during the promotional stay period.” And that just shows that Bonvoy has been gouging members for redemptions at a majority of its hotels.

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Man Attacks National Guard At San Juan Airport, Declares “It’s Gonna Be All On Social Media”

by Gary Leff

Nov 29 2020

Last Saturday evening a Puerto Rico National Guard soldier was attacked by an arriving passenger after the guardsman asked the man to wear a mask and fill out a Covid-19 health declaration. The man, who reportedly smelled of alcohol, objected to the mask and health form requirement – and other passengers and local health care workers in protective gear dove for cover to stay out of the way of his objections.

When the man was arrested he yelled, “It’s gonna be all on social media.” That’s true, but perhaps not in the exculpatory way he’d hoped.

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American Airlines Is Running Five Employee Boeing 737 MAX Flights To Nowhere

by Gary Leff

Nov 29 2020

The Boeing 737 MAX is officially allowed to fly again in commercial service. A lot of things need to take place before that happens, but while Southwest Airlines plans to take 4-5 months to get the plane back in the air, American Airlines is far more aggressive – planning to fly it again on December 29th.

Employees of American Airlines and its wholly-owned regional carriers (Enjoy, Piedmont, and PSA) and of the American Airlines Credit Union are being invited to take one of five ‘flights to nowhere’ on the Boeing 737 MAX before it re-enters commercial service at the end of December.

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New “Midnight Regulation” Means Less Oversight Of Unfair And Deceptive Airline Practices

by Gary Leff

Nov 28 2020

The Department of Transportation is the primary avenue passengers have to see redress when being treated unfairly or otherwise harmed by an airline. Since airlines can’t be as heavily regulated as other industries elsewhere, and lawsuits against them are harder too, DOT was granted broad latitude to combat “unfair and deceptive” practices by airlines.

A new DOT rule defines unfair and deceptive more narrowly than in the past, and these new definitions will have to be used going forward when the considering consumer protections.

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