Commentary

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Google Flights, FAA funded, Heathrow’s pods, hotel unSafes, more Qantas strikes and a GDS fined

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Google launched a much-criticized Flight Search feature this week. Limited to airfare searches for travel within the United States, this is definitely just a teaser as confirmed by Google’s Inside Search blog where the company states, “This is just an early look, not the final…

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CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival” lounge Hong Kong Airport

CX Trip Report: Introduction & American Airlines flight to San Francisco CX Trip Report: Check-in and British Airways’ Terraces Lounge San Francisco Airport CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong CX Trip Report: Amenity Kit Review – Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival†lounge Hong…

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An airline agent-less airport experience? It’s the future

Yesterday I listened in on another Air Transport World webinar discussing the technology we interact with as travelers at the airport. The specific focus was to outline how common use stations, such as the kiosks we use to check in and the terminals airline agents use for the same functions, can speed travel, reduce airline…

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Mileage Plus shopping portal login directed me to AAdvantage mall

I couldn’t make this up. I went to log into the Mileage Plus Shopping Mall just now and clicked through from United’s homepage on the “Half-Million-Mile Sweepstakes” advertisement in that center window where they rotate ads. I plugged in my Mileage Plus number and password, hit enter and received the following screen: Wow, the AAdvantage…

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United Airlines’ presentation at the 2011 Deutsche Bank Airline Equity Conference

Jeff Smisek’s presentation yesterday at the 2011 Deutsche Bank Airline Equity Conference was a bit of a rehash of Sr. VP John Rainey’s presentation just last week, but he did speak to a couple of points I hadn’t heard before. First up, here are a few of those known items with the related slides (courtesy…

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CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong

CX Trip Report: Introduction & American Airlines flight to San Francisco CX Trip Report: Check-in and British Airways’ Terraces Lounge San Francisco Airport CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific flight 879 San Francisco-Hong Kong CX Trip Report: Amenity Kit Review – Cathay Pacific First Class men’s kit CX Trip Report: Cathay Pacific “The Arrival†lounge Hong…

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Vintage Airline Seat Map: Delta Air Lines DC-8-60

Delta Air Lines was the first carrier to launch DC-8 service in 1959 and in 1962 a Delta DC-8 was the first commercial plane to fly from Los Angeles to Atlanta in less than three hours, according to their newsroom-press kit. For this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps, I bring you the DC-8-60 (really…

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Delta layoffs, Qantas strikes, 747-8 livery, Hawaiian Disney, GDS lawsuit, TSA news and 757 replacement

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Delta Air Lines will be laying off 200 employees, the majority of which from their headquarters in Atlanta. This combined with another 2,000 employees taking voluntary buyouts, the airline claims soft demand, fuel prices and reduced capacity make the workforce reductions necessary. Engineers at Qantas…

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