Freddie Laker. Richard Branson. William Franke? Although not a household name, William “Bill” Franke is the man we can thank for the ultra-low-carrier model in the USA. He also hired both Doug Parker (CEO of American) and Scott Kirby...
Doug “Nostradamus” Parker: AA will Never Lose Money Again
American Airlines’ CEO Doug Parker has made a bold claim: AA will never lose money again. Parker says even in bad years, American will still earn $3BN/year in pre-tax profit. Of course inflation makes this figure a bit misleading,...
Beware of the Basic Economy “Gate Service Fee”
Delta Basic Economy fares permit a larger carry-on bag, so the focus of this story is on American Airlines and United. If you think you can slip by undetected with you rollerboard, be prepared to pay up and lose...
Lawsuit: AA FAs Deliberately Pour Red Wine on Wedding Dress
A New Jersey woman claims a group of FAs on American Airlines conspired to ruin her wedding, discreetly opening an overhead bin in-flight and dousing her white wedding gown in red wine. Yewande Oteh was flying from Philadelphia to Montego...
Heartwarming: 7-Year-Old Becomes AA Pilot
A 7-year-old with a congenital heart defect was given the chance to fulfill a dream thanks to American Airlines and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He earned his pilot’s wings. William Kottos has wanted to be a a pilot since he...
American Airlines Introduces the “Anti-Matthew Rule” on Award Tickets
My heart sank yesterday when I saw that American Airlines is restricting the number of segments permitted on award travel. The new one-way limits include: Domestic USA + Canada: Three [3] segments Other destinations (including Puerto Rico + US...
Reader Question: Where to Transfer 224K AMEX Points?
Reader Sam e-mailed me for advice on what to do with 224K American Express Membership Rewards points. I have decided to cancel my American Express Platinum Card as $550 is too steep for me. The only thing I liked...
A Dishonest Smear in the Fight Over Gulf Subsidies
Earlier this month, Delta released a “documentary” attacking the Gulf Carriers. I didn’t even write about it because it represents unadulterated propaganda. But now a friend was attacked for criticizing it and I feel obligated to weigh in. Be warned: in the...
Why It Matters: 24hr Free Cancellation on AA Award Tickets
American Airlines now lets you refund your award ticket up to 24 hours after purchase, as long as travel is more than two days away. Both United and Delta allow complimentary changes and cancellations within 24 hours, so AA...
American Airlines CEO’s Disingenuous Response to Qatar Outreach
One Mile at a Time shares a letter to employees from American Airlines’ CEO Doug Parker concerning news that Qatar Airways wants to buy up to 10% stake of AA. Read the letter first. I add my thoughts below. As you...
Analysis: Why Qatar Airways is Buying a Stake in American Airlines
Qatar Airways is acquiring a 3.5% stake in American Airlines with plans to acquire up to 10% of the company. Why would Qatar Airways want to invest in a company that is quick to vilify it? Note this is not a...
Review: American Airlines A321 First Class New York to Los Angeles
As the last carrier to offer a true three-cabin first class product between New York JFK and Los Angeles/San Francisco, American can approach its competitive advantage in three ways: offer a truly compelling product, a marginally better product than the...
Bad News: Iberia Awards Now Bookable Online with AA Miles
Bad news or good news: it all depends on how you look at it. American Airlines now lets you book awards on oneworld partner Iberia online. That’s great news for those who never knew Iberia existed, but bad news for...
Man Attempts to Break Into Cockpit on AA Flight
Here’s an interesting insight into the reality of airport security in the USA: a man who breached a security door at LAX that led onto an airfield ramp was released by airport police. He then boarded his AA flight and...
Two Secret Ways to Get to Australia Using Your AA Miles
Getting to Australia using American Airlines miles is no easy task. But two relatively obscure partners increase your odds of finding a way there for a reasonable price. When searching for award space using your AA miles you must look beyond...
American Cutting Legroom in Economy Class. Will United Follow?
I wrote earlier today about my disdain for the pageantry of Congressional hearings, but don’t think I am excusing the doublespeak on the another side of the dais. As American Airlines looked members of Congress in the eye with...
No Joke. American Airlines Wins Best Elite Program at Freddies
American Airlines took home the honor of “best elite program” for the Americas last night at the 27th annual Freddie Awards. I’m outraged. I am not an American Airlines flyer, but I certainly follow the AAdvantage program closely, both...
Passengers at Odds Over Blame for AA Stroller Incident
The truth has a way of surfacing, one way or another. Another passenger allegedly on the “strollergate” flight has stepped forward to offer a differing narrative of what happened. Most of the blame is placed on the mother, with the...
AA’s Perfect Response to Out-of-Control Flight Attendant
I’m glad that American Airlines learned something from the two recent viral incidents that United Airlines woefully mishandled. At least it knows how to apologize. Earlier today I wrote about another onboard altercation that has gone viral this morning. Unlike two...
Combative American Airlines FA Hits Woman With Stroller, Nearly Hits Baby
Another day, another viral incident. This is all getting old. First United, yesterday Delta, today American. Today’s incident centers on a woman who claims a FA forcibly grabbed her stroller from her, allegedly hitting her and nearly hitting her twin...
