The Surprising Reason American Express Says Spending On Airlines And Hotel Cards Is Strong

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

During the American Express second quarter earnings call, CEO Stephen Squeri offered a number of insights into their credit card business and travel benefits.

The company is seeing lower rewards expenses because the highest cost rewards are usually travel rewards, and that’s not how people are spending their points. There’s also less usage of travel-related benefits. I was surprise though that Delta, Marriott, and Hilton cards have been outperforming other American Express cards.

Continue Reading »

Delta Partners With Lysol To Make Flying Safer (And Clean The Lavatories)

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

United Airlines branded its cleanliness efforts with Clorox. Hilton puts Lysol stickers on hotel room doors after the rooms have been cleaned. Now Delta Air Lines has struck a deal with Lysol as well.

Lysol will provide Delta with disinfectant spray and wipes and “develop new protocols for areas such as lavatories.” They’ll also work on “disinfection procedures at departure gates and in Sky Clubs, and Delta will deploy “care carts” with EPA-approved Lysol disinfection products.”

Continue Reading »

Everyone Expects A Vaccine To Bring Back Travel. That May Not Be How It Happens.

by Gary Leff

Jul 27 2020

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby talked during his airline’s earnings call about the airline expecting to plateau at 50% of last year’s revenue ‘until there’s a vaccine’ and then expecting recovery to come very quickly to the airline business. American Airlines, too, talked about a vaccine for Covid-19 in its earnings call.

I’ve already written about a vaccine not being a silver bullet, that it’s likely not to be 100% effective and not everyone will take it. That means the virus will continue to circulate, people will still get infected. A vaccine may help – but perhaps less than you think – and isn’t the ‘trigger’ for travel everyone hopes.

Continue Reading »

American Airlines Now Lets Flight Attendants Wear Face Shields In Addition To Masks

by Gary Leff

Jul 26 2020

Back in March an American Airlines flight attendant wrote about her ordeal trying to wear a face shield while working flights. She viewed it as taking precautions to protect herself while some passengers refused to comply with the carrier’s mask requirement. The airline told her she should just go on leave if she felt unsafe, and that she made “customers feel uncomfortable.”

Now American Airlines has reportedly reversed its ban on flight attendants wearing face shields.

Continue Reading »

Black Conservative Activist Delays American Airlines Flight, Videotaping His Refusal To Wear A Mask

by Gary Leff

Jul 26 2020

David Harris, Jr. is apparently popular in certain circles as a black man who supports President Trump, though I hadn’t heard of him until he made a ruckus on an American Airlines flight – refusing to wear a mask, and advising his followers that only N95 masks are prophylactic, which isn’t supported by the balance of evidence at this point.

Apparently Mr. Harris held up a flight departure on Saturday when he boarded without a mask on, and passengers complained. He reports that he “declared [to] have a medical reason to not wear a mask.”

Continue Reading »