United Airlines is the first major U.S. airline to require all passengers to complete a health self-assessment during their check-in process. But is this anything more than another example of hygiene theatre? Health Self-Assessment Now Part of United Check-In...
How Nations Protect Their Airlines
Have you noticed something the pandemic has only highlighted more clearly? Countries have and countries will continue to protect their large airlines. We saw a number of airlines fail in 2019 including: Adria Aigle Azur Avianca Brasil Flybmi Germania...
“Personal Protection Window” Debuted As Latest Flight Safety Measure
A UK company has introduced a new “personal protection window” it claims will help mitigate safety-related fears about filling airplane middle seats. The new “personal protection window” isn’t all that revolutionary, but does create an extra layer of protection...
Will Bratislava Be A New Mecca For Cheap Airfare?
Bratislava, Slovakia is less than an hour by car and only about an hour by train from Vienna. With new taxes and a minimum airline ticket prices coming to Austria, will Bratislava soon be an even greater Mecca for...
Happy 25th Birthday Boeing 777! Read This Inaugural Trip Report
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the first commercial Boeing 777 flight, a United flight from London Heathrow to Washington Dulles and from domestically Denver to Chicago. The last quarter century has been quite a ride for the...
Hot Deal: Fly JetBlue’s Fabulous Lie-Flat Mint Product For $311 Across USA
If you’ve never had the chance to experience JetBlue Mint class, now is your chance at a very attractive price. I’ve never experienced a finer domestic product in the USA than Jet Blue Mint. This JetBlue Mint deal is...
The Real Reason United Airlines Is Limiting Standby Travel For Employees
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...
