Ed Bastian wants Delta mentioned with Singapore Airlines and the best Asian and Middle Eastern carriers. Delta has a brand, but product consistency and service still fall short and once-vaunted reliabiltiy has faltered.
A Frontier flight attendant’s viral claim that a 16-hour duty day paid just $187 appears to get the math wrong, since her contract adds premium pay that likely brings the total closer to $235. A similar disrupted day would pay roughly $403 at American and $425 at United, showing just how far Frontier’s pre-pandemic flight attendant contract has fallen behind.
Thrifty Traveler Premium’s biggest percentage discount of the year brings flight deal alerts down to $90.99 for the first year, with flight-and-hotel alerts available for $132.99 through tonight.
American’s new Airbus A321XLR is scheduled to fly a daily Boston–Philadelphia roundtrip this winter, creating a cheap way to try the airline’s new lie-flat business class suites on a 280-mile hop. Business class fares are showing from about $248 on some dates, while premium economy seats may be selectable as Main Cabin Extra from just $118 for eligible passengers.
A United Airlines pilot on the 15-hour Cape Town–Washington flight left the PA open, broadcasting a profanity-laced attack on cabin crew. The technical mistake was embarrassing; the cockpit–cabin culture it exposed matters more.
Lying that it’s your birthday won’t help (your real birthday is in the reservation) and ordering a specific drink won’t get you updated. But these articles keep getting churned out. Surely the person writing them knows they’re stupid? And much more in the roundup.
Southwest Airlines reinstated flight attendant Charlene Carter and helped pay a $946,102.87 judgment after a jury found it liable for religious discrimination case – it fired her at the behest of the union as a result of her speaking out with anti-abortion and anti-union messages. But the airline triggered a contempt fight by refusing to send flight attendants the message about their rights that the judge demanded.
Bilt members can now redeem Bilt Cash for Equinox spa, personal training and Pilates, but only with an active membership. Would an Amex Platinum-funded Equinox+ account get you through that hurdle?
American Airlines flight attendants are already warning that new seatback screens will break, generate complaints and delay flights. But that’s not going to ground aircraft, and the screens should make cabins easier to manage, bring back video safety briefings and give employees a stake in a more profitable airline.
Delta CEO Ed Bastian says San Antonio is the airline’s next long-term Texas opportunity after Austin. Gates, lounge space and years of planning could all line up.
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 »
