Even with fewer people traveling than ever before during the pandemic, conflict in a metal tube over surprisingly controversial subjects seems almost de rigueur.
So what’s actually shocking in this view isn’t a woman being kicked off for refsuing to wear a mask, it’s all the carry on bags as she leaves the aircraft!
The New York State passed a bill that would require banks to give consumers 90 days to use their credit card rewards points if their account is closed either by the consumer or the bank.
US F-15 fighter jets intercepted a Mahan Air Airbus A310 carrying passengers from Tehran to Beirut while the aircraft was in Syrian airspace. Iran’s state news agency says that one of the jets came close enough to Mahan’s flight 1152 that it had to take evasive action, changing altitude abruptly and injuring passengers.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker opened the call by thanking “the entire America West Airlines team.” Oops. The airline is often criticized for being America West operating under the American Airlines brand, and that doesn’t help. Parker took over America West days before 9/11, got a government bailout, went on to acquire US Airways and then merge it into the larger American with legacy US Airways executives at the helm.
Following that miscue, which he later said CIO Maya Leibman pointed out to him, he offered that “Black Lives Matter” before getting into quarter’s results and the airline’s plans for dealing with and emerging from the pandemic. 13 things – aside from the actual financial results – stood out to me that help to understand where the airline is going.
In early February the Trump Administration announced that New York residents would no longer be allowed to enroll in or renew Global Entry (along with NEXUS and SENTRI). They claimed they needed access to New York’s DMV database as part of their identity verification process, and a change in state law denied them this access.
New York has changed its law to provide an exception for Global Entry applications, but not for immigration enforcement.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian has taken Covid-19 tests several times. The airline is offering testing for all of their employees and everyone is expected to do it. They’re even offering at-home test kits for employees in Texas and Florida. The airline is now up to 120 passengers they’ve banned for refusing to wear face masks on board.
They’re actively promoting police reform and celebrate passage of legislation in Minnesota, and they’re committed to racial equality and justice – though notably unlike American Airlines CEO leading off their earnings call declaring “black lives matter” that’s not part of Bastian’s memo.
When the travel recovery comes, CEO Scott Kirby says “the recovery is going to be quick.”
American Airlines has suspended curbside check-in at all of its airports worldwide, except for two: Maui and Miami. This change went into effect on Tuesday.
The airline acknowledges it as a cost-saving measure.
The American Airlines General Manager for Cleveland airport has been fired and video shows why. He was caught on tape using his access credentials to bypass security and board a flight. He’s “also accused of having someone bypass security to bring him a charger for a laptop.”
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
