united airlines

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Nationalist Writer Goes After United Airlines For Offering… Too Much Comfort

by Gary Leff on December 27, 2021

Dec 27 2021

British writer Raheem Kassam is the kind of conservative who hates business and free markets, preferring to ‘own the libs’ and take control of government to enforce the values he prefers. He’s hosted a podcast with Steve Bannon, ran Breitbart News London and when he ran for leader of pro-Brexit UK party UKIP he supported lifting their ban on white nationalist parties. He’s also anti-vaccine.

And now he’s going after United Airlines for offering more comfortable seats. Has 2021 finally lost it?

United Airlines Melting Down For The Holidays

by Gary Leff on December 23, 2021

Dec 23 2021

On November 4, United Airlines sent out a remarkable email to customers where they trolled their competitors for the operational problems they’d had, and promising that United would be the carrier everyone could rely on for their holiday plans.

I wrote at the time that’s called tempting fate and – right on schedule – United’s operation appears to be melting down.

Man Wearing Women’s Underwear As A Face Mask Booted Off United Airlines

by Gary Leff on December 15, 2021

Dec 15 2021

A passenger wearing a pair of women’s red underwear on his face was kicked off of a United flight in Fort Lauderdale on Wednesday. And a second passenger removed himself from the flight in protest over the unfairness of it all. Naturally this happened in South Florida, and there’s video.

Virgin Australia Drops Delta, Will Partner With United Instead

by Gary Leff on December 13, 2021

Dec 13 2021

Virgin Australia is strategically important because they’re one of two significant airlines in Australia. Qantas is closely tied through a joint venture with American Airlines. So most airlines outside of the oneworld alliance (and Emirates) go looking for domestic feed for their long haul Australia routes with their competitor, Virgin Australia.

Virgin Down Under has been linked with Delta Air Lines through a joint business venture, leaving United Airlines in the cold. Its Australia flights have largely had to survive on local market passengers, rather than connecting people from all over Australia. That’s changing.

Are Coach Passengers Allowed To Use The First Class Lavatory?

by Gary Leff on December 12, 2021

Dec 12 2021

Which lavatory are you allowed to use on your flight? If you’re a coach passenger, can you use the bathroom up front in first class? What if a flight attendant’s drink cart is blocking the aisle and you can’t make your way to the back and you really have to go?

Did United Airlines Bait-and-Switch Flight Attendants Into Taking Early Retirement?

by Gary Leff on December 5, 2021

Dec 05 2021

During the pandemic airlines were gifted billions in taxpayer dollars to keep all of their employees on staff, ready to work when travel returned. Only they didn’t do that. They convinced employees to retire early, and they paid employees to stay home rather than staying certified and work ready.

As they tried to get employees to take unpaid leaves and early retirements, the offers sometimes got better and better. One United Airlines employee, who took an ‘early out’ is suing because United made a better offer than the one they accepted, and they want that better offer too.

United Announces Reduced Elite Qualifying Criteria For 2022

by Gary Leff on December 5, 2021

Dec 05 2021

They’ll use the same reduced criteria for earning status in 2022 that they used for 2021.

If You’re Using Your United Miles This Way, Find A Different Frequent Flyer Program

by Gary Leff on November 16, 2021

Nov 16 2021

United Airlines has a new ‘cash and points’ option for using miles to reduce the price of a ticket. It is not a good deal, and not a good use of miles.

United Sent A Remarkable, Trolling Email To Customers

by Gary Leff on November 4, 2021

Nov 04 2021

Delta’s operation melted down over last year’s holidays. Southwest has melted down over lack of crew. American melted down over the summer without enough pilots and then at the end of October without enough flight attendants. And now everyone’s worried about holiday travel with the government requiring airlines to have their employees vaccinated – with deadlines coming up.

United Airlines sent out a remarkable email, both for its candor and effectiveness but also for the way it brutally subtweeted these competitors. Under CEO Scott Kirby’s signature, United obliquely references news of airline meltdowns and says in effect ‘this won’t happen to us.’

United Airlines Will Run 32 New York-DC Flights A Day To Squat Their Slots

by Gary Leff on October 26, 2021

Oct 26 2021

New York LaGuardia, New York JFK and Washington National airports are ‘slot controlled’. That means there are limits on the number of takeoffs and landings at each airport, and the right to use those have been given (free!) to incumbent airlines as a property right. That’s a huge subsidy to incumbent carriers.

Normally slots come with ‘use it or lose it’ rules. If an airline doesn’t make use of their slots 80% of the time, those slots can be reassigned to another carrier. As a result you’ll see airlines flying more or less ghost flights, service designed to hold the slot rather than meet any economic need.