I’ll have a full recap of other airline, hotel and travel industry news from this week probably on Monday, but there were a few noteworthy items from United Airlines this week that I think deserve a unique post. If you didn’t already know… Yesterday, the Chicago Tribune reported United-Continental is planning to upgrade Terminal 2…
Commentary
Category Archives for Commentary.
Missing an upgrade due to a lazy gate agent
I’ve grown accustomed to the inconsistency I experience and witness when flying these days. From above and beyond service all the way down to outright rudeness, it’s not one specific work group that’s exempt from the swings of customer service etiquette. Last week I observed the laziness of a United Airlines gate agent at Washington…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Cathay Pacific Boeing 747-200 (1980s)
I previously posted the maps of Cathay Pacific’s Boeing 747-300 and 747-400 from the 1980s, and here now is their 747-200 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. The carrier operated about 20 of this version during its peak. Seating a total of 363 passengers, First Class offered 35 seats in the then typical…
Amenity Kit Review: Thai Airways Royal Silk Business Class (November 2011)
Fellow blogger Daraius over at Million Mile Secrets very generously donated several amenity kits to me from his and Emily’s recent Star Alliance trip, and this is one of them. I previously reviewed Thai Airways’ First Class kit and here now is my review of their Royal Silk Business Class offering. For a better description…
Top U.S. airports, passenger gawking, FAA funding, TSA groping, Boeing profits and hotel revenue & rates
In other hotel and travel industry news last week… Two business travel publications released their “best of” lists recently and the results go to show you how surveys can differ by reader demographics. For the 12th year in a row, readers of Global Traveler magazine named Chicago O’Hare ‘Best Airport in North America‘, whereas Denver…
American’s restructuring, Alaska’s religion, United expands IAH, 787 long-haul, JetBlue & Hawaiian, Lufty’s 747-8 and airline idiot of the week
In other airline industry news this week… American Airlines CEO Tom Horton issued a letter to employees this week outlining a redesign of the carrier’s management structure that will more than certainly involve layoffs. Several executives left at the end of 2011, and this letter points to additional tough decisions that will be made in…
United Airlines reports 2011 financials, accomplishments & 2012 guidance
It’s earnings release time and this week saw Delta and US Airways reveal Q4 and full year 2011 results on Wednesday, and United Airlines released figures yesterday. United also provided a list of accomplishments in 2011, as well as guidance items looking ahead to 2012. First, here’s a summary of some of the key earnings…
Award seat analysis: American vs. United – Chicago to Tokyo Narita
This installment of “Award Seat Analysis†looks at the Chicago to Tokyo Narita nonstop market and I’ve researched availability from American Airlines and United Airlines in September 2012. I specifically searched for award seats at the minimum amount of miles required, namely MileSAAver awards on American and Saver awards on United. Any available seat is…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: United Airlines DC-10-10 w/lounge (1979)
When I launched this blog in November 2010, my very first Vintage Airline Seat Map was a United Airlines DC-10-10, my second favorite aircraft after the 747. It was the configuration I flew most frequently, but the one appearing below was seen flying in the 1970s and included a First Class lounge with swivel seats.…
Airfare transparency takes effect Thursday along with new passenger protections
On Thursday this week, the next round of passenger protections will take effect, including a requirement that airlines and other providers advertise airfare prices inclusive of taxes and mandatory fees. I took a tour around the web yesterday and noticed United Airlines (and Continental) have already begun advertising all-in rates. First, I stopped by United’s…