A few days ago we learned that Citi would be increasing earn on its primary American AAdvantage consumer credit card: adding 2 points per dollar at restaurants and gas stations, and an annual 100 American Airlines flight discount after 20,000 spend within a year provided after card renewal. Now United and Chase are out with changes coming to the United MileagePlus Explorer Card. Cardmembers are being informed by letter over the next few days that

The government knows the air marshal program is such a mess that the TSA formally checks the sobriety of air marshals showing up at the airport. No air marshal has ever stopped a terrorist or hijacker since the service was founded in 1962. Although an air marshal did shoot and kill a US citizen in 2005. If something really bad did happen on a flight and an air marshal was onboard they lack the training to do anything about it. Continue reading

United‘s new Polaris lounge opens April 30th near gate G92 at San Francisco‘s airport. The facility is 28,000 square feet the same size as American‘s Flagship lounge in Miami and one of the world‘s larger lounges and has 440 seats. They have more power outlets 492 than seats. United Polaris lounges feature both buffet and menu ordering. The San Francisco lounge menu was created by chef Tritia Gestuvo though doesn&lsqu

On Sunday I wrote that Lufthansa first class awards had become bookable using partner miles. That‘s significant because normally Lufthansa only makes first class award space available in advance to its own Miles More members. Star Alliance partner frequent flyer programs can generally only book that space within 2 weeks of departure. Now this has spread to San Francisco - Munich. Continue reading Hurry: Book Lufthansa First Class Awards W

British Airways doesn‘t have a competitive business class product. On their Boeing 777s seating is eight across, middle seats are especially intimate and passengers in the window climb over the feet of their seat opponents. BA‘s CEO suggests any new business class seat would need to take up more room, and that room would come at the expense of first class. Continue reading British Airways Looks to Reduce First Class Seats (and Not Im

A woman with multiple sclerosis makes an annual trip to Europe with her husband, generally flying Delta which provides her ‘with a wheelchair that has straps to help her sit up straight.‘ Only for her trip earlier this month from Atlanta to Amsterdam the woman says that Delta did not make that wheelchair available to her, so they ‘tied her to [a different type of] wheelchair with a ‘dirty blanket,‘ bruising her in th

Hyatt has a little over 600 hotels. That‘s one-tenth the size of Marriott. There‘s Marriott, Hilton, IHG, and Accor as players and there just aren‘t chains in Hyatt‘s peer group anymore. They did try to buy Starwood themselves but their complex stock structure (two tiered stock giving outsized control to the Pritzker family) was a stopper and Marriott bested them. They tried to buy Kimpton but IHG was willing to pay far

There‘s less than you can buy at the airport than you might think, I wish there were full pharmacies at major US airports like there are in some other places in the world, plus grocery stores I could pick up dinner conveniently on the way home and maybe a dry cleaner I could use on my way in and out of town. One airport is getting a medical clinic. And even its name tells you it‘s for passengers on legacy US Airways planes. Continu

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites the latest news and tips. Continue reading Free AAA Hotel Discounts and Embarrassing Airline Website Hack...

It seems to me that airlines ought to refuse to transport customers who act uncivilly towards employees, and - union rules notwithstanding - should fire employees who act uncivilly towards customers. It also seems that law enforcement should be a last resort, not a first resort. Continue reading FAA Reauthorization Bill Says You Can Be Detained and Denied Transportation if You Verbally Assault an Airline Employee...

The Dallas Fort Worth A Terminal Admirals Club has been renovated, and I‘m not sure it‘s better than it used to be. Of course I think that was the one Admirals Club in the system that needed renovations the least in my opinion. Not everyone agrees with me, because one employee kept walking through the lounge talking aloud to himself and engaging customers marveling at how nice he believes it is. Continue reading Why On Earth Did Am

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites the latest news and tips. Continue reading KLM‘s Dine Anytime Option and New Uber Privacy Test...

One of the aspects of Marriott‘s announced new program that seems to annoy Starwood‘s most loyal customers the most isn‘t even where something is being taken away from them. Under the new program all current lifetime elites keep their current lifetime status, even though the new program is going to have tougher requirements than the Starwood program did to earn that status. Continue reading Starwood Lifetime Elites Petition Marr

My post on the new Marriott program includes a lot of detail you don‘t find anywhere else, and that I haven‘t seen picked up anywhere else. The new program offers a way to ensure hotels comply with the new elite benefits Marriott promises. Continue reading How to Make Sure Marriott Hotels Deliver on New Elite Benefits...

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites the latest news and tips. Continue reading Advice for Airlines From Jeff Bezos and Kristen Bell on Airline Food...

On Thursday an Air India Boeing 787-8, a six year old plane, was flying Amritsar to Delhi with 236 passengers onboard. When it was climbing out above 8000 feet flight toward 15,000 feet AI462 encountered significant turbulence. The flight reportedly ‘experienced vertical accelerations up to 3G.‘ Continue reading Crazy Video: Flight Attendant Popping Boeing 787 Window Back into Place During Turbulence...

ConciergeKey is American‘s revenue-based top level, given to very high revenue customers and those who influence significant business for the airline. They got priority for upgrades and other waitlists and have myriad other benefits including use of the airline‘s business class Flagship lounges when flying domestically and now are being given tokens to visit American‘s exclusive Flagship First Dining, too. Continue reading Ame

Just as they said to expect in January Alaska Airlines announced on their earnings call this morning that they will introduce Basic Economy fares in late fall. Continue reading Alaska Airlines Says They‘ll Start Selling Basic Economy Fares This Fall...

In the new Marriott loyalty program they‘ve largely taken the better Starwood elite program and the better Marriott earn and burn proposition -- however Starwood members won‘t see exactly what they‘ve come to expect on the Marriott side and and Marriott members have seemed likely to experience some devaluation of points. Marriott‘s CEO says they‘re making the program less expensive for hotels. That‘s created a

American Airlines and Citibank announced that their co-brand credit card will be increasing earning and also that a bigger signup bonus is coming next month. Continue reading New Benefits and Bigger Bonus Coming for Citi American AAdvantage Card...

While American Airlines flight AA2446 from Miami to Chicago O‘Hare was still at the gate last night the instigator of a ‘disagreement‘ between two passengers was asked to get off the plane. He refused. And in a post-David Dao world airlines now deplane everyone when that happens, rather than starting off dragging the passenger down the aisle. Now, disagreement is a great euphamism here. Continue reading Video: Police Taser Man

A 12 year old boy got into a fight with his mother. He didn‘t just storm off into his room, or run away to a friend‘s house. He ‘borrowed the family credit cards, tricked his nan into giving him his passport and booked himself a flight to Denpasar, Bali.‘ Continue reading 12 Year Old Stole Mom‘s Credit Card, Jetted Off to Bali...

A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites the latest news and tips. Continue reading How Mark Cuban Became a Lifetime American Airlines Customer and More...

Crystal Tadlock was given an apple as a snack on her Delta flight from Paris prior to arrival. She stuck it in her carry on bag figuring she‘d eat it on her connecting flight to Denver. Going through customs she was selected for secondary screening. Continue reading Woman Fined 500 for Pocketing Delta Onboard Snack, May Lose Global Entry...