You can bet that there was euphoria in the C-Suites of Delta Air Lines over the news of Air Italy’s collapse. But the untimely demise of Air Italy does not excuse Delta of hypocrisy nor validate its longstanding protest against Air Italy. From Air Italy’s inception, Delta cried foul, arguing the market could not support […]
American Airlines CEO Laments, “It Has Never Been Harder To Operate An Airline”

American Airlines CEO Robert Isom lamented this morning how difficult it is to run an airline like AA. But to blame AA’s problems on the FAA, supply chains, and Boeing fails to fully account for why American continues to underperform its peers. American Airlines CEO Blames Supply Chain, Air Traffic Control For AA’s Woes Speaking […]
Wow: United Airlines Adds Service To Mongolia, Greenland, Senegal, And More

United Airlines is gearing up for 2025 with its “largest international expansion in history” including eight new destinations across the globe including Mongolia and Greenland. Let’s unpack this big news. United Airlines Announces New 2025 Destinations, Routes While Tokyo Narita may not officially regain its “hub” status, United Airlines is augmenting its planned service from […]
Review: Delta Sky Club Los Angeles (LAX – T3)

Delta’s flagship Sky Club at Los Angeles International Airport is a design masterpiece with several elements that elevate it to one of my favorite lounges at LAX. Delta Sky Club Los Angeles (LAX) Terminal 3 Review My original Delta Sky Club LAX review (below) is still very relevant, but I did want to give an […]
United Airlines CEO Reflects On Pandemic Anniversary

Four years after the novel coronavirus became a global pandemic, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby is reflecting on how those pivotal days in early 2020 changed the course of his airline. United Airlines CEO Kirby Reflects On 4th Pandemic Anniversary The world was about to change in a very big way the last time we […]
United Airlines: “We Are Officially The Largest Airline In The World”

United Airlines now claims to be the world’s largest airline. United Airlines CEO Kirby Claims United Now Largest Airline In The World In a video message to employees reviewed by Live and Let’s Fly, United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby proudly proclaimed that United Airlines is now the largest airline in the world: “In the first […]
Shopping Flights To Italy Following Reopening

Now that the borders are reopening, I’m shopping flights to Italy, and here’s what I found. If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, add us today. Italy Set to Reopen As one of many nations recently […]
How U.S. Airlines Are Responding To New European Travel Ban

Last night, the USA announced sweeping and unprecedented new travel restrictions against foreign nationals who have visited the Schengen Area over the last 14 days. How are U.S. airlines responding to this new travel ban? For details on the travel ban, please read the post I wrote last night shortly after the President Trump’s White […]
American and United Match Delta’s More Flexible Change Fee Waiver

American and United quickly matched Delta’s decision to further loosen its change fee waiver, a move that was long overdue, but nevertheless better late than never. Up until this point, the “Big 3” U.S. airlines have used change fee waivers as a means to boost revenue. The hope was that by suspending change fees, consumers […]
Airlines: Remember Those Elite Travelers You Didn’t Need?

Airlines ramped up elite status qualifications over the last few years because they had too many elite travelers. But now, they need them more than ever, are they remorseful? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a new credit card please click here. Both support LiveAndLetsFly.com. If you haven’t followed us on Facebook or Instagram, […]
Why Delta CEO Skipped White House Meeting…Again

Delta CEO Ed Bastian ruffled feathers by missing a White House meeting with President Donald Trump last July. Yesterday, airline CEOs again convened at the White House. Yesterday, Bastian was again missing. This time, though, no one is questioning his motives. Airline Executives Meet At White House Airline executives gathered at the White House yesterday […]
American Airlines: Better Late Than Never….

You wouldn’t be foolish for wondering if American Airlines was throwing everything against the wall lately, just hoping something would stick. But I’m going to give American Airlines a bit more credit. Yesterday, I discussed AA’s mad dash to innovate, including new longhaul service from Seattle and new partnerships with Alaska, GOL, and Qatar Airways. […]
The American Airlines Blitzkrieg

American Airlines has been so busy lately I have not had a chance to catalogue all the upcoming changes. Let’s take a look at the “blitzkrieg” American Airlines has embarked upon. 1. American Airlines Will Make Seattle A Strategic Focus City American Airlines will inaugurate new nonstop service from Seattle to Bangalore in October 2020 […]
My Beloved Air Italy Bites The Dust

In an unexpected move, Air Italy decided to cut its loses and shut down…effective immediately. This is a very sad day for a very special carrier. Investors accelerated an emergency meeting, originally scheduled for February 18th, to today. There, the decision was made to suspend further service. I’ve included the full press release below, but […]
Qatar Airways Accelerates Investment In Africa

Qatar Airways sees tremendous growth opportunity in Africa and has responded by picking a strategic hub: Kigali, Rwanda. Now Qatar Airways wants to invest in Rwanda’s national airline. Bugesera International Airport in Kigali is set to open in 2022, with the second phase slated for completion in 2032. When finished, it will be one of […]
Hey Delta, Where’s The Outrage Over Alitalia’s New U.S. Route?

Alitalia announced new seasonal service between Rome and San Francisco next summer. Did I miss the outrage from Delta? When Air Italy announced new service between Milan and San Francisco, Delta CEO Ed Bastian was outraged, penning a fiery op-ed: These Italian routes, already highly competitive and well-served by existing carriers, are simply not economically […]
Why Airlines Struggle In Italy

The joke goes that Italian airlines will be profitable…when hell freezes over. Why is it that airlines seem to struggle in Italy? In an article entitled, Good Luck To Any Airline That Tries To Make A Profit Flying U.S.-Italy, Ted Reed suggests it is due to Mideast subsides. I’ve called out Mr. Reed before for being a […]
A Middle East Subsidy American Airlines Loves

For all its condemnation of alleged Middle East subsidies, American Airlines certainly loves them…when it is the beneficiary of them. Last week, I wrote about AA’s new service between Dallas and Tel Aviv, set to commence in September of 2020. The new service will operate three times weekly and utilize a Boeing 787-9, opening up […]
Airline Labor Unions Assail Trump For “Cozying Up” To Qatar Airways

Labor unions across the airline industry are outraged at President Donald Trump for siding with Qatar Airways and Air Italy in a recent White House meeting. There’s nothing that brings all sides together like a red herring over American jobs. In a poorly written article in Forbes by Ted Reed, full of bias, conclusory statements, […]
A Costly Family Vacation For Delta CEO

I’m not going to impugn the motives of Delta CEO Ed Bastian. But there is simply no denying how incredibly costly his recent family vacation turned out to be. Bastian took some some heat (and not just from me) for refusing to modify his travel plans to meet with President Trump and other airline CEOs […]