Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun believes a major U.S. carrier will “most likely” go out of business. Which one did he have in mind? Calhoun will appear on NBC’s TODAY Show later this morning. All we have is a teaser...
Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans

I’ve held off for two months on starting a new trip report, but it’s time for a new report. Sort of. Read more of my classic trip report through the Balkans Introduction: Road Trip Through The Balkans Review: US...
The Peril Of Buying Gift Cards…

I don’t buy gift cards, unless I am gifting them in small amounts. A recent bankruptcy illustrates why you should also be careful about ever stocking up on gift cards. First, perhaps, we should take a step back. The...
Unbelievable: Lufthansa Spent €150 Million Restoring Historic Plane That Never Flew

We knew a decades-long process to make a Lockheed Constellation airworthy again was scrapped, but now we know how much it cost…and that amount is staggering. Lufthansa Aimed To Make Lockheed Constellation Airworthy Again Lufthansa once aimed for a...
How Airline Lobbyists Hoodwinked Congress In CARES Act

As it turns out, Congress wasn’t careless; it actually chose to cut out language from the CARES Act that would have prohibited airlines from slashing worker’s pay by reducing hours. Last week, I defended the right of airlines to...
Lufthansa Remains A Political Pawn In Bailout Debate

Another week has flown by with Germany and Lufthansa still unable to come to an agreement on a bailout. The unresolved issue remains how much control Germany should exert over Lufthansa. Yesterday, German Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said his...
Emirates’ Mother’s Day Tribute To Flying Moms

Happy Mother’s Day! On this day in which we celebrate our mothers, I want to share with you a nice tribute to flying moms released by Emirates. The two-minute video includes pilots and flight attendants with their young children....
Toothsome Intra-Asia Meals On United 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. Earlier this...
United’s Peculiar Redefinition Of “Cancelled” Flight

Just in time for the novel coronavirus, United has a novel definition of cancellation. Does United’s new definition fly or is it another slap in the face of consumers? Three of my favorite blogs have addressed this issue and...
South African Airways Lives To See Another Day After Court Forces It To Keep Flying

A South African Labor Court has ruled that South African Airways must continue to operate, handing a victory to union who sued to halt the carrier’s shutdown. South African Airways entered business rescue in December. Business rescue, by its...
Delta Suspends Service To 11 Airports For “Health” Reasons

Delta Air Lines is suspending service to several stations, citing health concerns as the primary reason. How convenient that all of the airports happen to be in metropolitan airports not too far from larger Delta stations… While Delta concedes...
VE Day: 75 Years Later, We Remain Thankful And Inspired

Today was meant to be a day of widespread celebration across the United States, the Commonwealth, and Europe. For today is the day, 75 years ago, that Allied powers secured final victory over Axis powers in World War II....
American And United Process Reality In Very Different Ways…

Listen to leaders at United Airlines speak and you’ll literally think the sky is falling. But listen to leaders at American Airlines and you’ll walk away feeling hopeful. And yet both live in the same reality. Who is delusional…or...
Virgin Atlantic Has Ulterior Motive Behind Job Cuts

Virgin Atlantic is fighting for survival, but its recent job cuts were less about a short-term need to shed workers and more a strategy to entice investors. Earlier this week, Virgin announced that it would cut 3,150 jobs due to...
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Blasts JetBlue Over New York City “Stunt”

The fiery Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) has blamed JetBlue for a “corporate PR campaign” meant to honor healthcare workers and first responders in New York City. JetBlue conducted a “Flyover Salute” over the five boroughs of New York City last night,...
How JetBlue Paid Tribute To Fallen Crew Members

In a touching gesture, JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes started today’s earnings call on an unorthodox note, paying tribute to six employees who died from COVID-19. As Dawn Gilberston aptly noted, earnings calls are usually carefully scripted events that are...
Los Angeles May Force Five Star Hotels To House Homeless

Using its emergency powers, Los Angeles may “commandeer” hotels that refuse to take homeless vouchers during the pandemic. Luxury hotels like the InterContinental Downtown and Ritz Carlton have pushed back on pleas to house the homeless. Project Roomkey is...
Would You Pay 50% More For An Open Middle Seat?

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) warns that face masks are critical, but requiring airlines to block middle seats would be disastrous. Would you pay 50% more for that sense of security? Alexandre de Juniac, IATA’s Director General and...
United Airlines May Restore Historic Pan Am Fifth Freedom Route

United Airlines has asked for permission to restore a historic intra-Asia Fifth Freedom route it inherited from Pan Am and retired in 2017. United Wants To Fly Cargo Between Hong Kong And Singapore…And Maybe Passengers Too Back in the...
Frontier Airlines Shamed Into Ditching $39 Empty Middle Seat Sale

Frontier Airlines has abruptly abandoned plans to charge $39+ for customers to buy up empty middle seats. Why? Heavy criticism and bad optics. Recall from our discussion earlier this week that any expectation of an open middle seat is...