Monthly Archives for January 2023.
You can now book ANA first class awards from June through end of schedule in and out of San Francisco. Details on how to do this are below. While at least three seats are most common, I’m seeing as many as five award seats open on some flights which is almost unprecedented.
When Alaska Airlines introduced its new, unified award chart that replaced the separate charts for each airline partner on its website a month ago, it was a loss for transparency.
By sharing less information about award prices, they can increase those prices without telling consumers. They had previously committed to share changes with members in advance. But as long as the ‘starting from’ price doesn’t change, they can increase most award rates at will.
Former co-host of “Good Day L.A.” and entertainment show “Extra” Lauren Sanchez, dating Amazon founder Jeff Bezos for the past four years, was rejected by Southwest Airlines when she tried to become a flight attendant.
American Airlines still has fewer mainline aircraft flying than they did before the pandemic. They retired their Boeing 757s, 767s, Airbus A330s (that they’ve even still been paying on) and Embraer 190s during the pandemic. And they’ve kept Boeing 737s parked in the desert.
However they’re bringing back some of those 737s this year, and will take delivery of 19 new narrowbody and 4 widebody aircraft in 2023. All told they expect to end 2023 with more active mainline aircraft than their average for 2019, but still fewer aircraft total.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
When Vesna Vulović has passed away. I’m ashamed to say I didn’t know who she was – even though she’s at the heart of one of the strangest or most miraculous stories in the entire history of aviation.
The test that Air Canada did earlier in the week of new Emirates pricing was simply a bit premature. The new pricing is live. And so are redemptions for first class awards.
There’s even better availability than before on the New York JFK – Frankfurt route in business class. There’s award space for a whole family, not just for a couple, and in some cases for an entire homeowner’s association.
And I’m highlighting it because the availability underscores some principles about Singapore Airlines award space that are worth understanding.
The airline’s 2022 results are an improvement, though they’re making less money than Delta or United, but their results are also a bit overclaimed. American notes “Record fourth-quarter revenue of $13.2 billion, which represents a 16.6% increase over the same period in 2019” of course inflation since 2019 is… 16%.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
