United Airlines will launch international service on its new Boeing 787-9 on April 22, starting with San Francisco to Singapore. The aircraft introduces doored business class suites and a new premium upsell that adds more space, caviar, and extra service at the very front of the cabin.
United is taking one of the most disliked aircraft in U.S. aviation, the 50-seat CRJ200, stripping it down to 41 seats, adding first class, a luggage closet, and free Starlink Wi-Fi, and rebranding it as the new CRJ450. It is a real upgrade over today’s cramped regional flying, but not a substitute for mainline (or even a larger regional jet).
United is finally replacing its aging Boeing 757s on thinner long-haul flying, turning to Airbus A321XLRs with more premium seats and lower trip costs instead of risking a widebody, betting smaller transatlantic and South America routes can work if enough travelers are willing to pay higher fares for a premium product.
United Airlines is revamping its premium cross country product using Airbus A321neos. They’re dubbing this dedicated fleet the ‘Coastliner’. It’s a refresh of p.s. on the Newark – Los Angeles and San Francisco routes, and eventually JFK as well once they gain access through their JetBlue partnership in 2027. Lie flat business class suites Premium economy Snack bar Polaris lounge access for business class passengers These planes will feature 20 Polaris suites, 12 Premium Plus seats, and 129 economy seats. Seats are removed for a snack bar in back. The first aircraft enter service this summer, with 40 of 50 flying by early 2028. United sees this as an upgrade over a mix of 757s and widebodies, though that remains to be seen since business class is a dense herringbone seat facing away from the…
United just warned that higher fuel prices will force it to trim planned flying, then unveiled a huge fleet plan built around more premium-heavy aircraft and interiors anyway. That is a clear statement of belief: even with oil risk and weaker flying elsewhere, the airline thinks premium demand, lounge access, loyalty, and newer aircraft are durable enough to keep investing hard.
American Airlines returned a checked bag missing a wheel, and the dispute gets at a bigger problem in air travel: airlines routinely lean on “normal wear and tear” to avoid paying damaged baggage claims. The Department of Transportation has warned carriers they cannot simply exclude wheels, handles, and other protruding parts across the board — but in practice, that does not stop airlines from treating almost every broken bag the same way.
Video of the fatal LaGuardia runway collision appears to show the autonomous runway status lights illuminated red as the fire truck entered the runway — a warning system designed to tell vehicles and aircraft not to proceed even if they have a clearance. That does not settle blame, and the investigation will still have to sort out what air traffic control, the truck crew, and airport procedures each contributed, but it adds a critical detail to a crash that already killed the two pilots of the arriving Air Canada Express jet.
The World’s 50 Best List somehow ranks 100 hotels, and a lot of the picks are hard to take seriously. Also, triple D$ offer from GHA Discovery, Citi transfer bonuses to LifeMiles and Virgin Atlantic, and a bizarre Airbnb damage story out of Florida.
ICE agents are now at 13 airports, but the deployment looks far more symbolic than operational: they cannot legally perform screening, and in many cases they appear to be standing near checkpoints while TSA lines still run for hours.
A woman was detained by immigration authorities at San Francisco International Airport late Sunday night, and video of the scene is now being widely miscast as part of the new ICE deployment to airport checkpoints. It was not
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 »
