Delta Air Lines has announced new service to Orange County, California from New York JFK. This new transcontinental flight is great news for the region, but not a game-changer for premium traffic. This new service will operate six times...
Delta Pilot Clips Parked A319, Blames United…
A Delta Air Lines flight clipped the wing of an empty United Airlines A319 at Hollywood Burbank Airport Tuesday night. But according to the pilot, it was United’s fault. The Embraer RJ-175 Delta Connection flight, operated by SkyWest, was taxiing into...
Civil War in Trump Administration Over Gulf Carriers
What happens when two factions within the White House hold differing views on the same agreement? A war of words, to say the least… A fascinating AP story by Josh Lederman outlines the conflict. In one corner, President Donald Trump’s trade...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: May 20, 2018
Good evening from LA. For the first time in weeks, it appears I will not set foot on a plane this week. I’m looking forward to it. Honestly. Last week, the Gulf Carriers “kissed and made up” with their...
Glitch? Odd Award Pricing From Delta
On Delta, adding an extra flight to your award ticket may reduce the overall price. This concept is not new: “hidden city ticketing” has been exploited for years (see skiplagged.com, for example). I’ve been booking award tickets on a...
Delta’s Victory Lap Over a Meaningless Agreement + New Service to India?
Reading press releases from American, Delta, and United, you would think that Emirates and Etihad agreed to abandon service to the United States. They actually agreed to very little. But in a face-saving move, U.S. carriers are celebrating. Delta’s...
Passenger with Multiple Sclerosis Says Delta Tied Her to Wheelchair
A passenger who suffers from multiple sclerosis has accused Delta of lacking compassion and accommodation after she was tied to a wheelchair in Amsterdam with a “used” blanket. Look at this picture that Maria Saliagas’s son posted to his...
Free Apple on Delta Ends Up Costing $500
A free snack on Delta ended up making a trip to Paris far more expensive. Crystal Tadlock says a Delta flight attendant gave her an apple toward the end of her flight from Paris. She took the piece of fruit...
Five Airlines Awarded New Flights to Havana
Earlier this month I wrote about the battle for Havana slots. Like a game of musical chairs, demand outstripped supply and it was up to the U.S. Department of Transportation to divvy out the slots. Yesterday, the U.S. Department...
Delta’s Definition Of “Neutral” Is Different Than Mine
Delta chartered three airplanes on a complimentary basis to transport students to Washington, DC for the “March for Our Lives” protest last Saturday. Oh great, he’s wading into politics again… I take Sundays off on the blog, not just...
My Thought Process In Building A Multi-City Award Trip
We receive many interesting requests at Award Expert, my award booking service, including some that require a bit of creativity. Let me tell you about a recent trip. The client lived in Philadelphia. His destination: Beijing. He wanted to...
Oops: Delta Rescinds Prohibitive Award Booking Rule
Delta rolled back a prohibitive award booking restriction, leaving in place…a prohibitive award booking restriction. As I reported earlier today, Delta unrolled a draconian new restriction on SkyMiles bookings, prohibiting all redemptions within three days of travel that does...
Delta: Legitimate Fraud Protection or SkyMiles Devaluation?
Delta SkyMiles international award tickets now carry a draconian new restriction: they must booked at least three days in advance if they do not start or end in the U.S. or Canada. Is this a legitimate fraud protection or...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 18, 2018
A trip is on the horizon…I’m anticipating a trip to Europe coming up, perhaps as early tomorrow. But for now, another week in LA. I didn’t even spend this many consecutive days on the ground when my son was...
Mea Culpa: A350 Delta One Suites for 60K Miles
“To err is human; to forgive, divine” – Alexander Pope (1709) I must admit I got a tad annoyed yesterday. I scheduled a post entitled How to Book A350 Delta One Suites for Cheap(er) Using Miles for yesterday morning and went...
How to Book A350 Delta One Suites for Cheap(er) Using Miles
While searching for routes to get an Award Expert client home from China earlier this morning, I was surprised to find that Delta’s flagship A350 suites were available at a very reasonable price for next-day travel. Delta operates or will...
U.S. Airlines Fighting Over Cuba…Again
With yields weak and demand far lower than expected, we’ve seen many carriers reduce or eliminate service to Cuba. Even so, U.S. airlines are still fiercely fighting for Havana slots. Under current U.S. Department of Transportation rules, airlines are...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: March 04, 2018
I’ve been grounded all week and am thankful for it. No plans to travel next week either. Plenty of time with family and friends instead. Lots of work too. There have been a handful of trips I’ve turned down,...
Delta Loses NRA Tax Battle, Will Likely Win War
What does a memo from the Delta CEO and newly enacted tax reform legislation tell us about the power dynamic between Delta and its home state? Yesterday, Georgia Governor Nathan Deal singed into a law a $5BN tax reform...
Other States Court Delta After NRA Tax Dispute
As Delta Air Lines and the State of Georgia continue to fight over fuel subsidies in light of the recent NRA dispute, other states are actively courting Delta. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo: Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam: Rep. Tim...
