United Airlines is currently limiting employee standby travel. Employees were told this was done to encourage social distancing onboard. The reality? Yes, but the limits are not about customer safety, only about customer comfort. A recent town hall meeting...
Wow: Austria Seeks To Regulate Away Budget Carriers To Protect Austrian Airlines
Austria and Austrian Airlines are close to finalizing a deal on state aid. Austrian will come away a big winner while budget carriers and consumers will suffer. In fact, the practical consequence of the Austrian Airlines aid package may...
Union Vows To Fight United’s Flight Attendant Base Closures
The Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) believes that United Airlines violated its contract in announcing three flight attendant base closures. Of course a flight attendant union opposing the closing of bases is hardly newsworthy. But the AFA contends 1.)...
Lufthansa Shows Us The Way Forward With Onboard Service
Lufthansa has chosen not to engage in hygiene theatre on longhaul flights and for that I think it deserves great praise. Don’t expect many changes to Lufthansa’s onboard service model. Lufthansa’s New Onboard Service Won’t Change (Much) Lufthansa is...
United Airlines Comes Full Circle On Refund Policy
Don’t expect me to praise United Airlines for what it should have done from the very start, but I am happy to see that its has come full circle concerning refunds for schedule changes and cancelled flights. United Refund...
British Airways Seeks Vengeance Against Pilots
Oh British Airways, you sure do know how to attract attention for all the wrong reasons. British Airways is now telling pilots that it will fire them all if they cannot quickly reach a new wage reduction agreement. 1,255....
British Airways, EasyJet, Ryanair Threaten To Sue UK Government Over Quarantine Rules
The three largest airlines in the United Kingdom have initiated a legal proceeding against the UK government for what they call an indefensible new quarantine policy that began earlier today. The UK Home Office has announced a new 14-day...
Why Was A Porn Star Escorted Off A United Flight?
A porn star was escorted by police off a United Airlines flight after she disregarded crew member instructions to make a statement on the death of George Floyd. Australian pornographic actress (allegedly…I didn’t verify) Elle Knox was returning home...
Delta’s Bid To Become The Premium U.S. Airline
Delta’s decision to continue to block seats while other airlines squeeze passengers in represents an interesting new dynamic within the U.S. market. Will Delta become America’s new premium airline? Some may argue Delta already is the nation’s premium airline....
American Express Still Allowing Airline Chargebacks…For Now
U.S. based American Express customers can still dispute airline-related charges…at least for now. These chargebacks provide an essential extra layer of consumer protection. That’s newsworthy for two reasons. First, American Express has not been consistent around the world. French...
United Explains Why Delta Is Offering Employees A Better Deal To Quit
United Airlines held a town hall meeting with its employees earlier this week featuring a Q&A session with CEO Scott Kirby, President Brett Hart, and EVP Kate Gebo. While each question and answer is an article in itself, one...
Review: US Airways A330 Business Class Frankfurt To Philadelphia
We’ve reached the final flight segment of my classic Balkans trip report. After a wonderful summer in Europe, it was time to head back to the United States. Once again, we used US Airways and enjoyed a great flight aboard...
United Airlines Closing Three International Flight Attendant Bases
United Airlines is closing flight attendant bases in Frankfurt, Hong Kong, and Tokyo effective October 1, 2020. United Airlines Will Become A Smaller Airline October 1st As CEO Scott Kirby has warned for weeks, United Airlines will shrink its...
Amazing Amsterdam: I Cannot Wait To Return
My other business takes me…or at least used to take me…to Amsterdam often. It has now been almost a year since I have been and oddly, I find myself missing amazing Amsterdam more than any other city. I have...
China Loosens Flight Restrictions But U.S. Airlines Still Object
China backed down from its de facto ban on U.S. airlines, but the revised policy has still left U.S. airlines unsatisfied, which call the China flight restrictions impractical. As I wrote about on Wednesday, China restricted air service between...
Will UK Confiscate Heathrow Slots From British Airways?
When a Tory MP talks about revoking Heathrow slots from British Airways, you know the tide may be turning… British Airways has embarked upon a campaign it argues is necessary to save itself. Employees have been warned that if...
U.S. Airlines Now Authorized To Suspend Service To 62 Airports, Despite Objections
U.S. airlines have officially been granted the right to suspend service to a total of 62 airports on the basis of reduced demand. Last month, I provided a list of destinations that the U.S. Department of Transportation provisionally approved...
My Singapore A380 Suites Flight Was Cancelled…And I’m Relieved
Next month, I planned to take my first international trip in months and fulfill a bucket-list item: fly Singapore Airlines in the new A380 Suites Class. For better or for worse, Singapore Airlines just cancelled my flight. I’m actually...
Hart Shares His Heart: United Airlines’ Black President Reflects On Race
Brett Hart, the new President of United Airlines, opened up to employees during a recent town hall on the topic of race. His words direct us toward an uncomfortable reality. Hart, a black man, shared his thoughts on race...
A Feast Fit For A King On Aegean Airlines
Each week, my Meal of the Week feature examines an airline meal from my travels over the years. This may be a meal from earlier in the week or it may be a meal served over a decade ago. Today I’m...
