United Airlines will restructure its schedule on Thursday at Denver International Airport, adding more than 60 mainline flights each week. I’ve written about United’s domestic growth strategy and rebanking strategy before. Rebanking means clustering arrivals and departures together to...
Prepare For A Fare War To Hawaii
Southwest Airlines is expected to announce schedules for its new Hawaii service this week. Brace yourselves for a fare war. Southwest already has a dedicated page on its website for Hawaii and hints that a service announcement is imminent....
My Prediction: Lufthansa Hidden City Lawsuit Will Backfire
Hoping to dissuade passengers from engaging in the practice of hidden city ticketing, Lufthansa is suing a passenger for skipping a flight from Frankfurt to Oslo. I’m betting the lawsuit is going to backfire. With stiff competition from Norwegian...
Teen Arrested For Hijack Attempt In Alaska
A 16-year-old was arrested for briefly commandeering the controls during a commercial flight in Alaska. So much of Alaska is traversed by air travel and a number of airlines most of us are not familiar operate regional “milk” routes...
The Real Reason Air New Zealand 787 Was Denied Landing in Shanghai: Taiwan
There’s a new twist in the Air New Zealand 787 diversion story…it appears China denied the aircraft landing rights over a reference to Taiwan on the flight paperwork. In case you missed my story yesterday, an Air New Zealand...
When Afghanistan Was An Oasis Of Tranquility
Few nations have faced turmoil like Afghanistan. From a disastrous Soviet occupation to an even bloodier civil war to an imposition of a strict variant of Islamic law to a western invasion…oh, what turbulent times. But it wasn’t always...
British Airways Calls This A Lounge?
Lounge overcrowding is a problem around the world, but nowhere have I seen it as bad as in London. My recent visit to the British Airways’ Galleries South Lounge in Heathrow Terminal 5 is the perfect example. Here is...
United Slashes Flights To Australia
United Airlines will reduce its Los Angeles and Houston flights to Sydney during the Australian winter. Citing lower demand during the northern summer season, United will serve Sydney four times weekly from Houston and three times weekly from Los...
Air New Zealand 787 Denied Landing In Shanghai…Five Hours Into Flight!
Chinese authorities forced an Air New Zealand flight to turn back to Auckland five hours into the flight, citing a permitting issue. But don’t blame China for this one. Air New Zealand Flight 289 was halfway to Shanghai on...
United Listening To Customers, Your Move American
United recently announced a number of fleet changes that will be welcome news to elites at the 1K and Global Services level, clearly listening to customer feedback. Will American follow suit? If you are considering booking travel or signing up for a...
Relax: Ocasio-Cortez’s Green New Deal Won’t End Air Travel
Last week, Freshman Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez released an FAQ to accompany her co-sponsored Green New Deal. Among the many dramatic and far-reaching statements was that the Green New Deal would make air travel unnecessary. But you can relax, it’s...
American Airlines Loses Revenue By Restricting Systemwide Upgrade Availability
American Airlines previously offered excellent availability of their eVIPs or systemwide upgrades (SWUs) distributed to elite Executive Platinum flyers. Restricting access to premium space and halving the number of eVIPs given out should lead to more cash with fewer...
A Ploughman’s Lunch On British Airways
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. I was...
Woman Gets Six Months In Prison For Slapping Immigration Official
A British woman faces six months in jail for slapping an immigration official in Bali. Auj-e Taqaddas overstayed her visa in Indonesia by 160 days. Upon trying to fly out of Bali, a passport control official noted her illegal...
How The Weather Hurts The Pocketbooks Of United Employees
United Airlines posted a dismal January in terms of operational performance and all employees are likely going to feel the pain. Data released on Thursday shows that United ended the month of January a distant fourth place (behind American,...
Gross: Passenger Finds HUGE Cockroach In Meal
Honestly, I have a much greater fear of biting into a cockroach on a plane than my plane ever crashing. One airline passenger encountered a massive cockroach in his lunch…and flight attendants just ignored him when he complained. With...
1-Day-Sale: Up To 40% Off United Awards To Tahiti
United Airlines is offering up to 40% off springtime award tickets to Tahiti for MileagePlus members. Depending upon your MileagePlus status, you can pay anywhere from 42K-49K round-trip for a trip to Tahiti in economy class. Taxes/fees will run...
Review: Lufthansa A340-600 First Class Frankfurt To San Francisco
Lufthansa provides a comfortable first class experience with superb food and drink and excellent service aboard the A340-600. First Class service starts on the ground with spectacular lounges in Frankfurt. Leave time for a visit to the First Class...
Intoxicated Pilot on American Airlines Forces Flight Cancellation, Big Payouts
An American Airlines flight from Manchester to Philadelphia was cancelled after a pilot was found to be under the influence of alcohol. The pilot’s name has not been released, but the 62-years old was arrested on suspicion of performing an...
Was The Delta Inflight Napkin Really That Creepy?
Delta and Coca-Cola have apologized for a “creepy” napkin that sparked passenger complaints. I’m failing to see the controversy… The napkin, pictured below, gave passengers the chance to record their name and phone number and encouraged them to share...
