American Airlines is opening its exclusive Flagship Dining rooms to business-class passengers and reopening Los Angeles after six years. It’s a major upgrade to the airline’s business-class experience—but larger crowds and a less ambitious menu may end what made these dining rooms North America’s best lounge experience.
A Florida attorney flying on his mother’s employee travel privileges says American flight attendants moved a combative, intoxicated passenger beside him, ignored repeated assaults and then treated him as the problem. He’s suing—but most of his claims appear legally doomed.
A passenger at the back of a United 737-800 asked everyone to “prove you’re not racist” by letting him off first. The door wasn’t open yet. The gambit worked, and it says a lot about timing, social pressure and airline etiquette.
Trump’s civil rights chief publicly criticized a “seemingly male” Uber driver for not lifting her “modest” carry-on, even as she oversees the Justice Department’s pending $125 million lawsuit against the company. Uber Black promises luggage assistance while UberX does not.
John Barrowman complained that only American’s first two rows received pajamas. They were First Class, while Europe flights don’t get those in business.
After American Airlines took a family’s business class seats for deadheading pilots, the father faced another downgrade coming home because his assigned seat was broken. Also: gate agents confiscate carry-ons while bins remain empty, Emirates accelerates mileage expiration, and airline pilots encounter a man in a lawn chair at 16,000 feet over Los Angeles.
The airline is going to refresh its domestic cabins over several years, putting seat back TVs back in, which is great. That’ll pair well with the rest of their investments. But they can’t wait to address broken seats, power outlets, and ohter cabin issues – because those undermine the rest of the investments they’re making in things like lounges, food and coffee.
The ‘grassroots movement’ never bought Spirit out of bankruptcy. Now it is scrubbing its mailing list ahead of a retail fundraising campaign for a membership airline that would outsource the actual flying.
American Airlines pilots invoked a clause in their 2023 contract to begin bargaining on a new agreement nearly a year early. Base pay is already near the industry pattern; scheduling, profit sharing, contract execution and union politics will drive how negotiations progress.
The Grand Hyatt DFW remains one of the best airport hotels in the country: physically connected to Terminal D, recently renovated, well soundproofed, and still excellent for runway views. It is expensive in cash and points, but when the price is not outrageous, the convenience, large rooms, Globalist treatment, and direct terminal access make it the DFW hotel to beat.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
