Tagged: delta-airlines

How Private Jets Are Making Flying Costlier and More Delay-Ridden For the Rest of Us

Picture this. You're on a Boeing 737 or an Airbus A321 at New York's LaGuardia Airport at 4 pm on a rainy afternoon. Your flight was scheduled to depart at 2 pm but due to weather,…

High-Tech Screens, Bluetooth and Improved Wi-Fi: How Airlines are Stepping Up Inflight Entertainment

Last month United Airlines announced an ambitious, high-tech plan for its on-board passenger experience. By 2032, the airline revealed, more than 800 of its aircraft will be equipped…

Warning: Time May Be Running Out on Your Covid Flight Credits

Forget free champagne in first class. Starting in spring 2020, the most coveted amenities for air travelers became a flexible cancellation policy and flight credits that could be used…

What to Do About Canceled Flights in This Summer of Airline Meltdowns

When American Airlines went through a rocky period early in June, when it canceled 10% of its flights during a fraught Father's Day weekend, I warned that the company's problems would…

Biden's Executive Order Will Make Flying Cheaper and Less Stressful

Fa la la la la! It's Christmas in July for American travelers.President Joe Biden's just-issued Executive Order on Promoting Competition in the American Economy is a massive document…

If My Toddler Refuses to Wear a Mask on a Flight, What Can I Do?

A few days ago, a video—of desperate parents trying to wrangle an overtired two-year-old—went viral. That's a pretty common scenario for a viral video, but in this case, the tot was…

Advice from an Airline Pilot About Flying Safely in 2020

Like me, my friend Andrea Eldridge, a pilot with a major airline, has been barraged by questions from family and friends about the wisdom of flying right now. In response, she posted a…

After the Storms: What You Need to Know If You Have Booked Travel to Impacted Regions

In just two short weeks, Mother Nature ravaged many of the Western Hemisphere’s most alluring vacation destinations. Some should rebound quickly (Disney World and Universal Studios…

The Case of the Missing Gift Certificate: Flying in the Age of Monopolies

An airplane aisle separated the haves from the have nots. I’m not writing about the aisle separating business class and economy. No, in this case, the left-side of the plane, on a six…

Basic Fares Come to United Airlines: You Must Pay to Use Overhead Bins

Hello Middle Seat!United Airlines announced today that they were following Delta's lead and would be offerring so-called "Basic Economy Fares". When Delta started offering similar…

Priceline Ditches Its "Name Your Own Price" Program for Airfares. What's the Real Meaning of This Move for Consumers?

When Priceline launched its “Name Your Own Price” feature for airfare some 15 years ago, the effect was electric. A major company had pulled back the curtain, letting the public in…

Beware! A New Airfare Gotcha Penalizes Travelers on Multi-Stop Itineraries

TimDorr/FlickrThe majority of travelers buy non-refundable airfares for a simple reason: They're vastly less expensive than refundable fares. But those who try to book…

The Department of Transportation Is Getting Serious About Airlines Compensating Passengers for Damaged Luggage

If you think passengers are being treated disrespectfully by the airlines—what with ever shrinking seats and ever growing fees—consider what their luggage is going through. Recently,…

American Airlines Changes Its Frequent Flyer Program, Making It Near Impossible for Average Joes to Earn Miles Just from Flying Any Longer

And then there were none.Did you hear a loud groan last week? That was the members of American Airlines' frequent flyer program—well, all but the business travelers—reacting to…

The Sky Isn't Falling But Airfares Are: Air Pricing Sees the Biggest One-Month Drop in 20 Years

For months, the second most popular travel question that's been lobbed my way (after "is X, Y or Z safe?") has been: "Why, with the cost of gas so low, haven't airfares…

The Time Has Come to Consider Re-Regulation of the Airline Industry

In a modern democracy, "regulation" is no longer a dirty word. Unregulated medications can hurt or kill you, unregulated monopolists can destroy competition, and unregulated…

Want to Use Your Frequent Flyer Miles? Guess How Many You'll Need. No, Really, GUESS, Says One Airline

How would you feel if you walked into a grocery store and underneath the butter, the broccoli and the babaganoush were signs with question marks rather than prices?Well, Delta has…

Bye-Bye, Economy! Delta Airlines Introduces Five New Classes of Seating

In 2013, Delta Airlines collected $1.67 billion dollars in so-called ancillary fees last year (mostly change fees and baggage fees), whupping its nearest competitor by almost $300…

American Airlines Goes Its Own Way on Frequent Flyer Miles….For Now. And Travelers Should Be Grateful

Loyalty doesn’t always go both ways. That’s the sad truth that members of the frequent flyer programs for most of the major North American carriers found out this fall when two of…

Evil Twins: The Two Worst New Developments in Travel

I’m mad as hell and I don’t want to vacation anymore!Scratch that.  I still want to vacation.But relaxing is going to be more difficult, thanks to a pair of ugly…

Frequent Changes for Frequent Flyer Programs: Another Consumer Unfriendly Switcheroo Is on the Horizon

Lassie may be loyal. But flyers—at least those who aren’t business travelers—may want to ditch that strategy.That’s the only conclusion to come to after the latest announcement…

Delta's Big Announcement: Mileage Awards Will Soon Be Tied to Money Spent Rather Than Miles Flown

Delta Airlines announced a game-changing move today: instead of giving award miles based on the number of miles a passenger has flown, it will link mileage to the cost of the ticket.…

Miles and Money Now Needed to Reach "Elite" Status on United Airlines

Delta did it first, back in January, when it sent a note to its loyalty program members stating that now it would not just award "Silver" status based on the amount of miles flown,…

The Bad News About Flights That Arrive Early

Did your latest flight arrive early? Mine did and that's not necessarily a good thing. As a recent analysis in USAToday showed, airlines are padding their flight times to improve…

That's Ridiculous! Whatever Happened to the Journey?

What's more important to you -- the journey or the destination? This is as good a time as any to ask the question (with apologies to Ralph Waldo Emerson). Change is in the air,…