American Airlines is holding firm in their commitment to further the evolution of how and where the carrier’s tickets are shopped and sold. As I previously blogged, American is seeking to reduce distribution costs by steering away from the legacy global distribution system (GDS) model used by most online travel agencies (OTAs). New signs are…
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United Airlines Mileage Plus awards circa 1982
As I’ve mentioned previously, I collect all kinds of airline memorabilia that I’ve come across over the years. On the back of one of my old 1982 ticket jackets is a chart of Mileage Plus awards that I’ve posted below. Keep in mind United wasn’t flying internationally at this point, so no, you could not…
Constructing a mileage run
I’ve been scanning the fares for a couple of weeks now searching for good mileage runs coming in around 3 cents per mile (cpm), but haven’t found any gems lately like I did last year. One fare did pop up last night that looked sort-of attractive, so I thought I’d take you through my process…
Irregularities when flying United Airlines under Continental codeshare flights
I just finished another mileage run flying United Airlines, and this one was booked as Continental Airlines codeshare flights as I blogged about previously. A couple of differences occurred that are worth mentioning. First, although I do usually check-in online and/or via my mobile, I always reprint my boarding passes at the EasyCheck-in kiosks at…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Piedmont Airlines 767-200ER
I just read somewhere that Boeing completed production of the 1,000th 767, so this week’s Vintage Airline Seat Map is a Piedmont Airlines 767-200ER. This twin cabin configuration accommodated 210 passengers: 25 in Business Class, and 185 in Coach. I personally liked the single middle seat in the forward cabin, but you’d most likely find…
Market leader Sabre joins the battle against American Airlines
Since I last posted about the battle between American Airlines and Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), an even bigger player entered the mix. Sabre, the global distribution system (GDS) birth child of American in the 1960s, initially downgraded American’s flights in their displays and eliminated discounts to the carrier last week, but American won an injunction…
Exposure to advertisements while traveling is on the rise
Whether you’re watching television, browsing the Internet, or driving down the road, it is nearly impossible to shield yourself from the constant barrage of advertising. Yes, I realize I have ads on this website, too, but if you’re like me you’ve learned to ignore most of them. That said, my anti-ad concentration was broken this…
Amenity Kit Review: American Airlines Premium First & Business Class (2010)
The differences between international First class and Business class can sometimes be insignificant, but most airlines tend to differentiate the product offerings all the way down to the amenity kit. American Airlines, however, currently provides just one “Premium†version to its First and Business class passengers. In this edition of Amenity Kit Reviews, I take…
US frequent flyer programs focusing more and more on revenue than miles & segments
As being widely reported in the news and blogs this week, Southwest Airlines is launching their revised frequent flyer program on March 1, 2011. Instead of the current segment-based earning system, it will now be based on the price of your ticket, with 6 points per dollar earned for the lowest fares, and 12 points…
Delta Air Lines and voluntary denied boarding aka “The Bump”
Last week, I raked in some nice compensation from United Airlines in the form of travel credits by volunteering my seat. Overselling flights has long been a common practice in the airline industry, and the airlines come out the winners much more often than the losers. Having worked in the department that handles this optimization,…