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Tags: Turf Wars / Japan Airlines / Delta / American Airlines / Airlines / Airline News / Airline Alliances / → All Tags
Delta Offers JAL a $1 Billion Bribe to Unfriend American Airlines
We promised you last week that the playground hair pulling fight between Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Delta—where JAL may or may not decide to dump American Airlines/oneworld in favor of Delta/SkyTeam—was going to get more interesting. That's exactly what happened this morning, when Delta decided to put an eye-popping $1 billion on the table to entice Delta into switching.
Yowsers! Let's look at what went down...
Tags: Airline Fees / Airline News / Airlines / Holiday Travel / Delta / American Airlines / US Airways / United / → All Tags
Random Airline Fees Continue Into 2010, Including Super Bowl Travel
Remember all those airline fees that were pouring in a few months ago related to this season’s holiday travel? Well the airlines must have really enjoyed what they were seeing, as they are now looking to tack in some additional charges for days well into 2010. Delta, United, and American Airlines are busy adding these presents to our tickets anytime they think travel will be busier than usual.
The website BestFares.com is reporting that Delta and United have added surcharges to as many as 40 days between now and next May. The fees can be as much as $30 each way depending on distance, time, and other factors that appeal to the airlines. Our favorite airline fee has to be the $50 one-way charge that has now been added to some flights on February 8. In case you don’t have the NFL calendar kicking around, that’s the day after the Super Bowl. Not like we could afford tickets anyway, but we can still be angry about it.
Tags: Frequent Flyer Miles / Airline Loyalty Progams / Delta / American Airlines / United / Southwest Airlines / Continental / → All Tags
What Kind Of Crazy Loot Can You Score With Your Frequent-Flyer Miles?
Earlier this year we were attempting to cash in some miles from Midwest Airlines accumulated over a lifetime of visiting Mom and Dad, when we noticed something weird: Along with gift certificates and logowear, we were presented with the option of using our surplus miles to buy Amtrak tickets. Well, that's weird: Why would an airline that still handles a generous amount of short-hop regional flights want to remind us that for short distances we could get a guaranteed outlet and more legroom?
Common wisdom holds that frequent-flyer miles just aren't what they used to be, thanks to high occupancies and rampant blackout dates. Not to mention, if you have trouble committing to one airline you probably have a few thousand miles sitting unused with a variety of different companies, with whom you will never fly enough to get the elusive free ticket. So why not cash them in for something wacky instead? With our guide, you'll never forget that trip to Acapulco so long as you have the electric doggy-door opener you bought with its mileage.
After the jump, we break it down by airline
Tags: Turf Wars / Airline News / American Airlines / Japan Airlines / Delta / Virgin Atlantic / → All Tags
Japan Airlines Triggers International Hair-Pulling Fight Among Airlines
We've been telling you for the last few weeks that the three-way Southwest/Jetblue/AirTran turf war happening at Boston-Logan was the most entertaining insidery airline story on the horizon. Now it looks like we may have called that putt a little too early. The international sniping going on between Japan Airlines, American Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Delta is beginning to resemble a grade school playground, with back-and-forth insults, foot stomping, and running-to-the-teacher petulance. Awesome.
The background is that JAL is bleeding money and has had to discontinue 8 international and 8 domestic routes. This has put their oneworld alliance with American in a precarious situation. It's obviously not working for JAL and so they've raised the possibility of switching alliances and joining Delta in SkyTeam.
Tags: Cashless Cabins / Delta / Airline News / Onboard Services / → All Tags
Hand Over Your Plastic For A Mile High Mojito On Delta
Cashless cabins; they're the popular thing with airlines these days, aside from in-flight WiFi of course. Southwest stopped accepting your Abraham Lincolns for drinks a while ago, and although United and American just jumped on the bandwagon several months ago, we'd have thought that Delta would follow suit faster.
Alack and alas, Delta has just announced that beginning December 1, you'll have to pay by credit card onboard for beverages and more on flights "traveling within North America, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central America, Bermuda and the Caribbean." And since they own Northwest now, that goes for NWA flights as well.
So save your greenbacks for drinks at the airport bar, and break out the gold card for Mile High mojitos...where? You guessed it...a mile high.
Related Stories:
· Purchase onboard with plastic, please [Delta Blog]
· Cashless Cabins coverage [Jaunted]
[Delta flight 78 photo: Jaunted]
Tags: Accidents / JFK / Delta / Airline News / → All Tags
More Airplane Shrapnel Rains Onto Long Island
Earlier this year we learned all about the potential for disaster when it comes to airplanes flying with loose screws over densely populated areas. Well we’ve got another piece of airplane shrapnel to add to the list.
Over the weekend, Delta Flight 799 was on its way to Tokyo from JFK when it lost a pretty big piece. Thankfully the Boeing 777 made it to Japan without any difficulties, and the issue was actually only discovered when it had landed. Apparently the part wasn’t essential, but we doubt that Boeing felt that way when they designed the airplane.
Tags: In-Flight WiFi / Delta / Holiday Travel / Airlines / Airline News / Shopping Travel / Gogo / → All Tags
Delta Gives Free In-Flight WiFi For The Holidays To Trick You Into Shopping eBay
If Google made a smart business decision by facilitating free holiday in-flight wifi on Virgin America—more Internet users means more revenue for Google—then the deal eBay just sealed with Delta is positively inspired. Starting Nov. 24 and lasting through a week, the auction site/retail outlet/digital store will be providing passengers with a free promotional code so they can get online via Gogo.
The only catch is that the first thing those passengers will see as they soar online through the crowded skies is the eBay frontpage. The better to do their holiday shopping, you see:
Tags: Scandals / Celeb Travel / Airline News / Delta / Flight Attendants / → All Tags
The Worst Way To Score An Upgrade: 'Jostle' A Flight Attendant
Everyone knows (or should know) that rule numero uno for boarding a flight is not to annoy or body check the flight attendants, because then you risk being kicked off the plane or just incurring their wrath throughout the flight. But apparently Dom Carter, news anchor for NY1 and recent subject of a domestic violence scandal, can't be bothered with clearing the aisle to make way for the flight attendants.
Dom was boarding a Delta flight from NY-LaGuardia to Kansas City on Saturday when he jostled a flight attendant, who then recognized him from the news, didn't appreciate the physical contact, and called the cops, saying "This man deliberately slammed into me, I want him off the plane!"
Who did what exactly we don't know, but we do know that Dom was kicked off the flight only to be apologized to by Delta staff and presented with an upgrade to first class, according to Gothamist. While Dom surely doesn't need his name in he news any more these past few weeks, the event seems to have turned out well for him. Still, we do not advocate bumping into flight crew in the hopes of scoring an upgrade similarly. Instead, we're still all about flattery.
Related Stories:
· Embattled NY1 Anchor Dom Carter Kicked Off Plane [Gothamist]
· Airline News [Jaunted]
[Photo: Jaunted]
Tags: Bad Pilots / Northwest / Delta / Bad Landings / Airplane Hell / → All Tags
Were The Northwest Pilots Just Perplexed By The New Facebook?
Note: These are not real pilots. Or are they?
By now, we've all heard about the Northwest Plane That Flew Too Far. But we haven't quite heard the full story on what caused these two fools pilots to stop paying attention during the landing. Until today.
Initially, the pilots said they were distracted by a "heated discussion over airline policy and lost track of their location." But it turns out that the pilots were not even handling the right controls.
The FAA has recently suspended the pilots--First Officer Richard Cole and Captain Timothy Cheney--because they copped to being on their laptops during the crucial moment. They still maintain they were discussing new crew schedules. But yes, their laptops. Laptops in the cockpit. Pilots diddling about on their computers while they were supposed to be landing a plane. Why not pull out your Blackberry and start playing Brickbreaker, for crissakes?
Not surprisingly, there will probably be a crackdown of laptops use by pilots in the future. Peter Greenberg even surmised that this sort of tomfoolery in the cockpit could lead to a flat-out ban of electronics for pilots.
Tags: Fare Hikes / Airlines / Airline News / Delta / Continental / Fares / → All Tags
Another Week, Another Round Of Airfare Price Hikes
In case you had any lingering doubts, the airline industry wants you to know that the Summer Of Low Fares is officially over. Continental may have dumped Delta for Star Alliance partnerships - and in case you're wondering that's still a total mess - but the two airlines seemed simpatico last week when they simultaneously announced price hikes.
Those increases, which functionally included airlines in two out of three alliances, caused other companies to take notice. That led to another round of industry-wide fare hikes, making this the second time in as many weeks that ticket prices have increased:
Tags: Emergency Landings / Delta / ATL / Bad Ideas / → All Tags
Delta Flight Lands On Atlanta Taxiway, Narrowly Avoids Disaster
You know what? Landing your airplane on an airport taxiway is not a good idea, even if you have a "medical emergency" onboard. This is exactly what happened at the consistently busy Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson Airport on Monday, when a Delta flight inbound from Rio de Janeiro phoned in their emergency and then landed on the wrong stretch of tarmac.
Luckily for this plane and all the passengers on it, there were no other airplanes waiting on the taxiway to cause a collision, although there easily could have been what with Atlanta's congestion. The Delta flight should have landed on the runway, which is larger and longer and labelled as a runway, that sits parallel to the taxiway. Both the pilot and co-pilot have been relieved from flying while the investigation is pending; it's still not known what the medical emergency was. The FAA is concerned, and a spokewoman noted that "it was 'very, very rare' for a plane to land on a taxiway rather than the runway. 'None of us here, anecdotally, can remember this happening.'" Hopefully it won't happen again either.
Related Stories:
· Delta Flight Lands On Taxiway Instead Of Runway [AJC]
· Delta coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: Jaunted]
Tags: Airline News / Delta / Northwest Airlines / Airlines / → All Tags
Confusion Alert! Northwest Changing Flight Numbers This Weekend
The sometimes schizophrenic, sometimes awkward, and sometimes plain silly consequences of the Delta / Northwest merger continue over the next two weekends, with plans to summarily change Northwest's flight numbers and match them to Delta's. Both airlines promise that customers will shortly be informed of the changes via email, which is kind of like the time the federal government promised Katrina victims "hold on - we'll be right there!" It might be true in theory, but in practice it's going to confusing and dismal for everyone.
Well, except for us. Since we're not flying Northwest this weekend, for us it's mostly just entertainment:
