Earlier today I wrote about United’s new earning structure for partner flights, effective July 1, 2020. While the policy penalizes those outside the USA, I would not call it unfair. At the same time, I cannot think of a...
Lufthansa Considers Strategic Bankruptcy
As Lufthansa negotiates for a huge government bailout, it is also exploring bankruptcy as another path toward sustainability. The Süddeutsche Zeitung reports that Lufthansa is considering filing for bankruptcy. It is quickly burning through its remaining cash and finds...
Mandatory Masks On JetBlue: Enforceable?
JetBlue will require all passengers to wear face coverings effective May 4th both at the airport and onboard. But how enforceable in practice is the new masks requirement? Will planes start diverting if passengers refuse to wear them once...
United Socks It To MileagePlus Flyers Outside USA With New Earning Cutbacks
Hoping to earn United Airlines MileagePlus elite status by flying partner airlines? It just became much harder. For those outside the USA, the latest move further diminished the value of crediting flights to United. I wrote about the “loophole”...
My Refund Experience With United Airlines
While it is just one data point, I want to report I had a very smooth refund experience with United Airlines after a flight cancellation. The refund has already hit my card. I have a handful of trips still...
Super Rich Escape COVID-19 With Private Jets And Pricey Vacations
What do you do if you have a lot of money and want to escape from COVID-19 hotspots? Travel. When everyone else is at home, you have an advantage. The Los Angeles Times recently featured an interesting story discussing...
Airbus Warns Of Steep Production Cuts, Job Losses
Any hopes of a quick recovery and return to the old normal have been dashed, with Airbus now weighing painful cuts as it fights to adapt and survive. Airbus CEO Warns Of Painful Cuts Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus,...
German Government Debates Micromanaging Lufthansa
Lufthansa is on the cusp of receiving a massive bailout from four European governments. But with money comes coercion and the debate now shifts to how much control should be asserted over the German airline group. Lufthansa Group Poised...
A Lovely Dinner In Qatar Airways Business Class
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. My favorite...
Would You Infect Yourself With COVID-19 In Order To Travel Again?
This is not a far-fetched or click-bait question, though it is a theoretical one. With immunity passports being floated as a necessary condition to travel, what would you do if faced with the choice of being grounded in perpetuity?...
Delta Air Lines Ready To Make Flying Conditional On Immunity Passports
Delta Air Lines promises to be at the “forefront” of any changes in commercial air travel and has already expressed a willingness to require immunity passports to travel. Earlier this week Delta reported a first quarter loss of $534...
United Airlines Announces 13 Additional International Route Suspensions
United Airlines has revealed 12 additional international routes that will not return this summer as part of its plan to gradually roll out schedule reductions. Seasonal Routes United Has Already Suspended Last week, I reported that United would suspend...
American AAdvantage Bolsters European Award Travel
American Airlines AAdvantage has re-designated Morocco from Africa to Europe, a move that will be an objective net positive for most AAdvantage members. You’ll now have more options for using your miles to travel between North America and Europe...
Hey Flight Attendants, Be Careful What You Wish For…
Buried in a note to key figures in the Trump Administration and Congress asking that all airline passengers be coerced to wear face masks was another, more curious demand: ban leisure travel. Flight attendants should be very careful what...
United Airlines Removes Lie-Flat Beds From Premium Transcontinental Flights
With only one potential exception, United Airlines will remove the “premium” from premium transcontinental and use 737-800s on flights that used to have guaranteed lie-flat seating in business class during the month of May. United: This Is Temporary And...
A Sinister Warning From Southwest Airlines CEO
“So what’s going to happen to us? The honest answer is I don’t know. No one knows. That’s the only honest answer anyone can provide. We’ve never experienced anything like this in our lifetimes.” Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly...
Flight Attendants Demand U.S. Government Force All Passengers To Wear Masks
A union representing flight attendants for Alaska, Frontier, Spirit, and United has sent a note to the Trump Administration urging that passengers be mandated to wear masks while traveling on commercial flights. The letter comes from the Association of...
Flight Attendants At United Airlines Now Required To Wear Face Masks
Effective April 24, 2020, all United flight attendants will be required to wear masks while on duty. In a note to flight attendants shared with Live and Let’s Fly, United announced the new policy today in coordination with the...
Luxury Hotel Group Skims $59 Million From PPP While Firing Staff, Enriching CEO
Ashford Incorporated, a hospitality real estate business with several luxury hotels in its portfolio, has skimmed $59 million from the PPP while laying off 95% of its staff and paying its leaders millions in dividends. Ashford, Inc. owns luxury hotels...
United Airlines’ “Aspirational” New Social Distancing Policy
United Airlines will attempt to promote social distancing onboard its flights and at airports, but don’t expect the seat next to you to remain open if your flight is full. United Airlines: Limiting Seat Selection To Promote Social Distancing...
