Chris Elliott actually makes some fair points in his latest column about pet fees, change fees, walk-up fares, and ticket pricing. He oversimplifies and exaggerates, but his concerns are not outrageous. But then he addresses United’s co-pay upgrade scheme...
Senate To Examine United-Continental Merger on Thursday
photo courtesy: Wall Street Journal I always get a kick out of bloviating Senators and this week will feature a doubleheader on Thursday, when the Senate examines the Continental-United merger. …First up, on Thursday, is a full hearing of...
UPDATE: Homeless Man Living off Frequent Flyer Miles Lands Job
Remember the homeless man who was living off his frequent flyer miles? He finally found a job. Jim Kennedy, a 46-year-old California man, weathered the recession by using his one-million-mile-plus stockpile of hotel and airline points to keep a roof over...
A History of Airline Meals
Check out this audio clip from NPR on the history of in-flight airline food. I particularly like the perspective at the end: But there’s a paradox the airlines ignore. Is that when we get on board, we come to...
Effect of Continental-United Merger on Australia
The Sydney Morning Herald recently speculated about the impact of a United-Continental merger on the Australian airline market: The Americans know they will have to become even better pals if they are successfully to merge their companies to form...
AA Flight Attendants: We are NOT the highest paid and least productive in the airline industry!
Yesterday, I blogged about AA’s assertion that its FAs are the highest paid and least productive in the airline industry. Not surprisingly, the AFPA doesn’t agree and offers this response: Convincing?
American Airlines’ Flight Attendants Authorize Strike
What is it with OneWorld and strikes? First BA, now AA? American Airlines flight attendants authorized their union leaders today to call a strike against the second-largest U.S. carrier if they are freed from further negotiations. About 97 percent...
50,000 Miles for United Chase Visa
If you missed the offer last time, Chase had again made available a 50,000 mile bonus promotion for signing up for their United Signature Visa card. Apply here–and do it quickly if you are interested. The bonus miles will...
United Offering Pre-Reserved BOB Meals in Economy on Select International and P.S. Flights
If you find yourself on UA900 next month, United’s non-stop service from San Francisco to Frankfurt, you now have the option to reserve premium meals for purchase in Economy. Now during a special trial offer, you can reserve an...
A Review of Continental Micronesia’s New Honolulu-Nadi, Fiji Route
Earlier this year Continental’s Micronesia division inaugurated non-stop service between Honolulu and Nadi, Fiji. Introductory fares from Los Angeles were $845 r/t (currently about $1200 r/t) so I decided to spend my spring break in Fiji. For a review...
New VDB Policy on United Airlines–$400 Travel Credit ONLY
According to reports on Flyertalk, United will implement a new voluntary denied boarding policy starting on Tuesday. The current VDB compensation on domestic flights is a choice between travel credits or a round-trip voucher good for any United-operated trip...
Continental Gate Agent: “These idiots have no idea what they are doing.”
Yesterday, I blogged about a weather delay in Philadelphia that would have made my connection in Newark very tight. Turns out, the fog dissipated and my 81-mile CO Connection (CommutAir) flight from PHL-EWR was moved up to depart at...
Fogged in at Philadelphia International
…and it looks like I’ll miss my connection to Orange County if my Continental to flight to Newark is delayed any longer. Right now, they’re telling me that EVERY SINGLE flight is full today on ALL carriers to SNA. Somehow...
Los Angeles/San Francisco to Auckland for <$500 r/t on Air New Zealand
If you’ve ever wanted to get to New Zealand cheap, now is the time to buy–and on my favorite carrier too! Air New Zealand is running a special 48-hour sale with r/t fares from the west coast to AKL...
$200 Voucher for Lost Dog on Delta
While I’d never entrust my dog to an airline, unless I was flying with Captain Flanagan, I’d expect a little more than a voucher and a reimbursement of the cost of my pet carrier. Losing luggage is one thing,...
My Brother’s Observation from United First
My younger brother is not a frequent flyer, but I spoil him when he does fly and he usually ends up in First Class. We exchanged the following text messages today before his United flight: HIM: Douchebag in 1A upon being...
Another Strike on the Horizon for British Airways
As if the ash clouds weren’t bad enough… PARIS — A union representing 13,500 British Airways cabin crew members voted Monday to hold a further 20 days of strikes beginning later this month, part of a protest of cost-cutting...
Hawaiian Airlines Wins Approval for New Honolulu-Tokyo Haneda Route
Hawaiian Airlines will begin daily service from Honolulu to Tokyo Haneda this October, after winning approval for the new route from the DOT on Friday. With the "Open Skies" pact signed by the US and Japan last December, Hawaiian,...
"Divorce Court" Awards Husband 257,041 Miles
Divorce Court TV judge Lynn Toler awarded 257,041 miles to a husband who successfully argued he had spent his own miles on the couple’s travel and should be reimbursed. The wife complained that they had traveled the world, but...
The Real Winners When Airlines Merge
Check out this NY Times discussion on who really benefits when airlines merge. It features analysis by: Patrick Smith, commercial airline pilot Brett Snyder, crankyflier.com Holly Hegeman, PlaneBusiness.com Scott Sonenshein, Rice University Pablo T. Spiller, economist, U.C. Berkeley I tend to agree with CrankyFlier’s...
