In other airline, hotel and travel industry news last week… Virgin America announced Philadelphia will be the carrier’s newest destination beginning in April 2012. Three daily LAX-PHL flights will commence April 4th and two daily turns SFO-PHL will follow starting April 10th. If history repeats itself, we should see some pretty decent fare wars in…
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Southwest’s seats, AirTran cuts, TSA failure, Hawaiian expands, Airbus’ price increase, airfare transactions, pilot reinstated and U.S. travel
In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week… Southwest Airlines will be adding an extra row of seats on their entire fleet of 737s with the introduction of new seat cushions and seatback pocket materials. The carrier claims the new seats are more comfortable than what’s currently flying, though seat pitch will suffer…
Another Hilton social media outreach success story
Some companies understand the importance of social media outreach from customers, and some don’t (I’m looking at you, @TopGuest). Hilton is one of the former and has now impressed me twice in a row by responding to my simple Tweet, and they did so nearly instantaneously this time. My first issue this past October was…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Eastern Air Lines Boeing 727-100
The Boeing 727 remains one of my favorite aircraft types and I’ve selected an Eastern Air Lines 727-100 from 1987 for this installment of Vintage Airline Seat Maps. To me, the 727 has a design as unique and iconic as the 747. From the S-shaped number two engine duct to the deeply swept back wings,…
Amenity Kit Review: Asiana Airlines Business Class (November 2011)
I flew with Asiana Airlines this past November in First Class to Seoul (its amenity kit review here) and Business Class on the return. Below is my review of the Business Class offering for this installment of Amenity Kit Reviews. For a better description of each category, and the 7-point scale for scoring, please review…
Room Key launch, suing Starwood, Club Carlson A+ promo, Hilton upgrades, Marriott’s high end, Four Seasons splurges and business travel slows
In other hotel and travel industry news last week… In an attempt to steer traffic away from Online Travel Agencies like Expedia and Priceline – and the commissions paid to OTAs – several major hotel chains beta-launched Room Key. The brands include Best Western, Hilton, Hyatt, InterContinental, Marriott and Wyndham, and Room Key acts as…
Airline of the year, fuel stops, American’s cuts, airfare by weight, attendant assault, Southwest expands and Hawaiian breaks a record
In other airline industry news this week… Air New Zealand was named Airline of the Year by Air Transport World Magazine as part of its 38th Airline Industry Achievement Awards. ATW bestowed the honor to NZ due to “industry-leading innovation and motivation of its staff which resulted in exceptional performance across market position, customer service,…
The new United Airlines Shop is open for business… get your swag on!
The tulip has fully wilted, but this United Airlines loving geek is very happy to see the new United Shop is up and running. Last November or December they had a flash sale on the last remaining tulip items and they’ve very much restocked now with the newer logoed “globe†items. This past Mother’s Day,…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: Delta Air Lines Boeing 767-200 from 1987
United Airlines was the launch customer for the Boeing 767-200, but both American and Delta were quick to also place orders for the then revolutionary widebody twinjet in 1978. I’m not sure if Delta ever flew this model overseas, but the 767 was apparently the most frequently used airliner for transatlantic flights between North America…
New surcharge, United’s theme & auctions, American delisted, AirTran fined, Qantas pilots, Brussels-bound and 2011 profits
In other airline industry news this week… As I expected and not at all surprising, American, Delta, United and US Airways have added a $6 roundtrip surcharge for flights to Europe to offset the EU’s Emission Trading Scheme. United’s 767-300s that fly to Europe hold a total of 183 passengers. If it goes out full…