News and notes from around the interweb:
- Government gives Thai Airways one month to submit a new cost cutting plan including “cost-cutting measures on unprofitable routes and a revised marketing plan to increase internet ticketing sales.” Apparently selling frozen food is insufficient and so was the plan to solicit cost-cutting ideas from passengers.
- The American Airlines charcuterie plate is usually a nice option in domestic first class though when I ordered it at the beginning of the month the meat was spoiled so I went without lunch. The airline is now testing a charcuterie pre-order on Heathrow departures.
- Don’t count Emirates out of Mexico City flying yet despite 49% Delta-owned Aeromexico trying to block competition in the courts.
- Government of India expected to assume Air India’s debts before privatizing the airline
- American Airlines says Hong Kong flights aren’t doing as badly as expected (that’s still bad) and they’re eyeing plans to sign up local businesses for their Business ExtrAA program. (HT: @xJonNYC)
- The Club has opened its second location at the San Jose airport and 60% of guests get in via Priority Pass even though it’s the designated lounge for several international carriers’ business class passengers.
@ Gene – The Club at ATL is so bad that you are better off arriving for your international premium non-Delta flight aa late as possible. I prefer sitting at the gate since Delta stole my 3-year PAID membership.
@Gene–have to agree about The Club at ATL. Flying BA First out of Delta and used The Club, first and last time. Too crowded, noisy, messy, a waiting line. Ridiculous for an airport the size of ATL. Have decided to never fly out of ATL for international flight again, when there are plenty of other airports with multiple decent lounges to be found.
I am flying AA out of Hong Kong in 3 weeks and the plane is comically empty.
@KimmieA — Obviously the Priority Pass lounge options in the USA have been swamped by too many cards in circulation, and now the inability to use them at airport restaurants. That said, logic would say that PP membership might start decreasing. It’s actually hard these days to get a PP membership without paying for it — which has not been the case for the last few years. And the credit card fees are substantial — at least a few hundred bucks. This is worth it to road warriors, but would not be worth it to the average traveller. We’ll see what happens. I mostly use my PP card overseas so I don’t care that much, but I’d still like to see less overcrowding in the USA.
@alex: But of course AA isn’t offering first class saver awards?
Thai food is horrible and sounds like it won’t be improving. Along with the angled seats on mid-Asia business class flights. No thanks.
OF course the lounge at SJC is full of PP guests. The vast majority of flights at SJC are domestic flights, and everyone and their mother can find a credit card that has PP access (some of us have several). By contrast there are only a handful of international flights and even fewer customers that have time or inclination to visit a 2nd rate lounge (not to mention have access to others). So you’re going to get a ton of domestic WN, AA and other flyers. Why is this a problem?
“when I ordered it at the beginning of the month the meat was spoiled so I went without lunch”
Third-world air carrier
Priority Pass is a joke in the US and not worth the trouble. Overseas, however, it’s pretty decent.