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...
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...
Emirates Tells U.S. Airlines: Let’s Work Together!

Sir Tim Clark, President of Emirates, wants a truce with U.S. carriers. He’s tried of being vilified and thinks a partnership with American, Delta, and United would benefit everyone involved. In an interview with Business Insider, Clark scolded U.S....
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...
Did This Lady Deserve To Be Kicked Off A Flight? Oh Yes.

Lucky asks, “Did this lady deserve to be kicked off a flight?” My answer is yes, though not for the reason she was. I know a thing or two about getting kicked off a flight without just cause. Indeed,...
In Defense of the Cursing Delta Agent

There is no excuse for a Delta agent cursing out a vile passenger. Note the nuance of my previous sentence–I am calling the passenger vile, for reasons I will explain below. But there is simply no excuse to curse...
When Dynamic Award Pricing Goes Wrong

Increasingly loyalty programs are shifting from a fixed-price redemption for their loyal members to dynamically priced awards. This can mean cheaper prices for shorter distance flights where airlines need to fill seats and costs are low, but it can...
Admission to Harvard is Easier than Becoming a Delta FA

Want to be a Delta flight attendant? The Atlanta-based carrier is hiring, but be warned…admission is more difficult than getting into Harvard or Yale. Delta will hire 1,000+ FAs in 2018. Last year, the airline hired 1,250 FAs. For...
Live and Let’s Fly Weekend Digest: November 12, 2017

After a quick trip to Honolulu to commemorate the final United Airlines 747 flight, I’m back in LA…for tonight anyway. Tomorrow my next trip begins: a business trip that I’ll detail tomorrow that will take me on a product...
Matthew Is Wrong About Gulf Carriers

There has been an awful lot of debate regarding major US carriers and the Gulf “ME3”. US airlines are simply trying to defend their home turf against an onslaught of new traffic. Why are they being derided by bloggers like...