News and notes from around the interweb:
- TAP Air Portugal is offering 30% off award flights booked on TAP by February 24 for travel between the U.S. and Europe through March 31 (March 1-9 blacked out for Venice) in both economy and business class. TAP is a transfer partner of Capital One and Bilt.
- DOT signed off on SkyWest’s charter subsidiary application over objections from ALPA. The carrier has wanted to create a part 135 subsidiary, operating regional jets with no more than 30 seats, that’s exempt from the 1,500 hour rule for co-pilots and mandatory pilot retirement age. It’s completely legal and DOT had no basis to deny it, but the Biden DOT improperly sat on the application to avoid crossing a union.
This could signal a likelihood of backing off the crackdown on part 135/380 operations that the Biden administration had planned, but those are also backed by American Airlines and Southwest who want a crackdown on Dallas-based competitor JSX which offers a better passenger experience. So it’s not just about no longer being beholden to union demands in a Trump administration.
- Checks out
- Day in, day out, this is such a terrible customer experience. Happens on Delta and American, too.
@united I was just told I had to check my bad at the jet way but when I got in board they're was plenty of space available. Unacceptable United. pic.twitter.com/0BK8ByxKDW
— Ann Ball (@realannball) February 17, 2025
- American Airlines first class passenger actually sues the person who injured him inflight, rather than the airline
- 50 years of travel tips
- Really looking forward to seeing this plane in action, to get a real feel for the product (lie flat direct aisle access business class in a narrowbody, but looks angled awkwardly away from the windows, plus a premium economy).
first #A321xlr for #American #Airlines N300NY @jonostrower @FlyingHighRyan pic.twitter.com/kyshWftUSI
— Tobi (@Tobias_Gudat) February 17, 2025
I really love Michael OLeary. I think he is brilliant. I appreciate that he is uncensored and authentic.
Just flew united, they paused boarding to check for actual available cabin space. Ended up with everyone needing to check past a certain point but it wasn’t guesswork. They verified.
Same with plane next gate over or if SFO.
Lotta interesting topics in this Roundup, Gary.
On AA’s a321LXR, that bad-boy cannot get out there soon enough. C’mon!
On suing the drunk passenger (but not the airline), that’s an interesting approach since usually it is best to go after the ‘deep pockets,’ so maybe that was a strategic error, but we’ll see how it goes for the plaintiff. It seems to ‘get anything done’ anymore, you have to sue in our hyper-litigious society.
On Ryanair’s CEO, at least he tried to ‘follow the rules’ while getting creative. Admittedly, that was a clever loophole. Now, contrast this with the tech-bro oligarchs, who ‘move fast and break things,’ which is not always legal, but they get away with it, because we are toothless to defend our rules against billionaires, yet downright ruthless when it comes to practically anyone else.
Re: AA pax suing other passenger. Great idea but I would also sue AA for over serving him.
I think the airlines should equip the FA hand-held devices with an app the they could touch bins when they are full on a seat map that would relay a percentage of open space to the gate agents, then we would nearly never have to gate check a bag unless your in the final group in some cases.
One thing you could say for Spirit and Frontier neither as ghetto as Ryanair. I’d take the train.
Expecting AA to develop an app to monitor and report on real time bin space is a fantasy.
Somewhat related: does Michael O’Leary have a private jet or does he actually fly Ryanair? (I’m guessing the former.)
O’Leary is a total piece of ummm… work. Being such a disgusting person I’m surprised he’s not in the USA, palling around with the CEO of Uber and Bezos and President Elon.
I suspect we’ll see Sky West end Delta and United EAS for the public charter services.