Alerts Sign-up
News and notes from around the internet:
Not a bad idea for JetBlue
"If I'm JetBlue, I call Tootsie Roll Industries and cut a deal to brand it Junior Mint and have Tootsie Roll provide the snacks (Junior Mints, Tootsie Rolls, Charleston Chew, Double Bubble, Sugar Daddy, Dots) for the airline. Win-Win branding for both," tweeted Joe Brancatelli (@joesentme) on July 31, 2024.
Qatar Airways offers competitive point rates
Qatar Airways charges just 6,000 points for short-distance American Airlines flights in coach. However, regional carrier flights don’t always show up online or even for agents over the phone. Dan’s Deals wrote about booking a mainline flight and then changing to the desired regional one. "They sent him a link to pay the $25 change fee – he didn’t pay, but the ticket was reissued anyway." By changing the frequent flyer number in his reservation to his AAdvantage account with elite status, he was upgraded.
Delta's IT failure complicates rebooking
When Delta experienced an IT failure that caused major disruptions, it became nearly impossible to get flights rebooked. They eventually agreed to reimburse travel purchased on other airlines but not in time for many travelers. "But someone who couldn’t get their ticket changed and just gave up and bought a new ticket on Delta? Not eligible apparently – because they are reimbursing tickets on other airlines only?" shared by u/wuhee indelta.
Brand standards questioned at Hampton Inn
"Free 'newspapers' at the Hampton Inn, Carrboro, NC," commented u/Ex-Clone inHilton.
JetBlue-Spirit merger debate continues
The Spirit Airlines acquisition no longer made sense for JetBlue after their partnership with American Airlines was quashed by the Justice Department. Colorado Governor Jared Polis expressed confusion over anti-trust concerns: "At a combined 10.1% of the market how could a Spirit and JetBlue merger be an anti-trust issue? If anything it would allow the combined low fare entity to compete more effectively with the bigs," he tweeted (@jaredpolis).
Other topics included:
- The misery of LAX-it rideshare lot in Los Angeles.
- Soup Dumpling Index: How many pork xiao long bao you can buy with $10 at Din Tai Fung locations worldwide (HT: @crucker).
A United States senator has raised concerns about the proposed partnership between United Airlines and JetBlue, known as "Blue Sky."
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II, an iconic military aircraft, remains operational in limited numbers despite being over 60 years old.
Boeing's Dreamlifter aircraft has been making regular flights to Taranto-Grottaglie Airport in southern Italy, sparking curiosity among aviation enthusiasts and industry analysts.
Emirates has made a significant investment by purchasing four Airbus A380 aircraft from Doric Nimrod Air Three, a Guernsey-based investment company.
There are over 50 Delta Sky Clubs across the United States, with additional locations internationally.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) considered withdrawing from the Air India Flight 171 crash investigation due to slow progress and a lack of transparency.
Alerts Sign-up
Alerts Sign-up
