Jul 05 2015

I value my American miles for partner awards, but most members look to redeem American miles on American flights and that’s gotten very hard. It used to be exceptionally easy. Sometime in mid-2012 premium cabin awards to Europe really tightened up. About 18 months ago premium cabin awards to Asia tightened up, and awards to South America did as well.

About a week ago I wrote about American removing saver awards entirely from some domestic markets. Starting a month from now, there were only three days through the end of April where you could find a saver award flying Austin – Dallas. That’s a short, cheap one hour flight where American offers at least 14 flights a day.

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Jul 05 2015

I’ll take a good quality restaurant breakfast (not the standard US airport hotel buffet) over a club lounge, foregoing evening options. But for a mediocre restaurant breakfast I’ll prefer the quick service of the lounge.

There are hotels that offer some amazing breakfast spreads, especially in Asia. If I had to pick one city with the highest average it’s Kuala Lumpur. The best single hotel breakfast I’ve had was probably the St. Regis Bali. And the chain with the best breakfast benefit for top elites is unquestionably Hyatt.

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Jul 04 2015

A collection of the most interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.

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Jul 03 2015

Planes can get pretty hot on the ground during the summer, especially when they’re not running the air conditioning with auxiliary power.

Passengers are often asked to close the shades upon landing, keeping out the sun keeps the cabin from heating up as much. On boarding all the windows are closed and most passengers leave them that way. Once the engines start running, and the plane gets up in the air, things cool down quickly.

American Airlines will board a plane if the temperature is less than 90 degrees, though as always this is at the discretion of the pilot. US Airways’ policy has been an 85 degree maximum…

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Jul 02 2015

Cathay Pacific first class award seats especially have gotten much tougher to book in recent months. Cathay still regularly makes unsold seats available in the week and even day prior to travel, but advance award availability can be scarce. Business class awards aren’t as easy as they used to be, but aren’t as restrictive as first class.

…[W]hen you see award seats available online using the customary sources for this data — the Qantas frequent flyer website and the British Airways site — but an American telephone agent says it isn’t available, it’s natural to think that the space is being blocked (either on the American side, or that Cathay is imposing point of sale restrictions to prevent American’s members from booking the space).

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Jul 01 2015

Scott Mayerowitz and David Koenig broke the story that the Department of Justice is demanding copies of communications between major airlines as part of an investigation into unlawful collusion to limit capacity and increase airfares.

..In the face of the double whammy of recession (which kept people out of the air) and high fuel prices, the airlines developed capacity discipline as a means of survival. It’s conceivable there were unlawful communications or signaling along the way and no doubt the Department of Justice will find that.

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Jun 27 2015

A collection of the most interesting links you’ll want to see, many you’ll want to click.

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Jun 26 2015

On Sunday I wrote about American’s unwillingness to offer even a single saver award seat in any class of service for any of their Buenos Aires flights more than a month out.

On several routes American is getting absurdly tough on domestic routes as well.

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Jun 26 2015

Earlier this week, Kim Jong Un visited the new domestic terminal of Pyongyang International Airport.

The terminal was ordered built in July 2012 because the existing domestic terminal was seen as too run down compared to what countries around the world had. Last November much of the work was ordered torn down and redone because the project didn’t “reflect North Korea’s “Juche” (self-reliance) philosophy and national identity.” (The official in charge was purged.)

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Jun 25 2015

Remarks by American Airlines’ Doug Parker and Andrew Nocella in Hong Kong celebrating the first anniversary of service there shed some light on the carrier’s current direction.

Making a big deal of a Hong Kong service anniversary — such that they sent the CEO and the Chief Marketing Officer — signal strongly that American values the Hong Kong route, and their Asia Pacific expansion.

They share thoughts on international first class, Tokyo Haneda, and the dispute with the Mideast carriers.

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