• At the risk of beating a dead horse, have you heard an announcement is likely this week regarding a possible American-US Airways merger? Board meetings scheduled for today were pushed to Wednesday.
• Delta Air Lines today announced a new expansion of Terminal 4′s Concourse B at JFK that will add 11 more gates. The new project is in addition to the previously announced $1.2 billion redevelopment at Terminal 4 set to open in May.
• JetBlue celebrated its 13th Birthday today. JetBlue inaugurated service between New York’s JFK and Fort Lauderdale with two daily nonstop flights on February 11, 2000. Oddly, there’s no press release for this year’s milestone. But they do have mention of it on their landing page.
• There’s a report surfacing today that an off-duty British Airways crew was in a “drunken rampage”on a Heathrow to Washington D.C. flight last month. According to the article, “Stewards and stewardesses were seen downing bottles of champagne and red wine in front of stunned onlookers in First and Club premium cabins.” British Airways is investigating.
• United Airlines has been fined $130,000 for failing to notify passengers on a Chicago to Tokyo flight they could deplane after repeated mechanical delays. The tarmac rule states an airline must advise passengers of their right to deplane if a plane is delayed at the gate. The aircraft, however, did push at least once from the gate, according to the article.
• Las Vegas drew 39.7 million visitors in 2012, beating a record set in 2007 by a half-million travelers. Viva Las Vegas!
• Starwood Hotels now has a Luxury Collection property in Poland. Hotel Bristol in Warsaw officially re-opened today after a multi-million dollar renovation.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 5, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 1, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 31, 2013

• American Airlines has a new sweepstakes offering a slew of prizes, including first class tickets for two, Admirals Club memberships, tablets, headphones and more. Daily drawings for 1,000 AAdvantage miles are also a part of the promo.
• Boeing has asked the FAA to resume 787 test flights to aid in finding a cause of the battery problems. The FAA is currently evaluating the request.
• A not-so-new hotel trend is gaining momentum as more hoteliers offer dual-branded locations. From combo JW Marriott/Ritz-Carlton properties to Hilton Garden Inn/Hamptons, it seems to be a big win with developers.
• Both Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson and San Francisco International broke passenger records in 2012. Atlanta retained the top spot as busiest airport in the world.
• A drunk (off-duty) British Airways pilot reportedly groped a first class passenger on a flight from London to Japan. If the reporting is accurate, he made quite a scene. And he had just returned to work after a suspension for punching a flight attendant last year.
• Kudos to United Airlines employees who will be receiving a $100 bonus for the airline’s recent on-time performance. United ended the month of January with an 82.8 percent domestic on-time arrival rate, and an 80.5 percent international on-time rate, resulting in the best combined domestic and international performance for the month in 10 years.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: February 1, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 31, 2013

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel News: January 30, 2013

Quite a few notable events in the airline industry the past couple of days include:

• American Airlines today took delivery of their first Boeing 777-300ER, N717AN. It’s actually airborne as I type on its way to Dallas where it’ll eventually sport American’s new livery. Passenger service is scheduled to begin January 31 from Dallas to Sao Paulo.

• Delta Air Lines has purchased a 49% stake in Virgin Atlantic, launching a joint venture between the two airlines. This will give the two airlines about 25% of the U.S. to UK market, positioning them as #2 behind the American-British Airways stronghold share of 60%. Once the deal is approved (end of 2013), the ability to earn and burn miles between carriers will exist, as well as reciprocal lounge access for elites and full-fare premium cabin passengers. And I’m sure Delta will be championing them to participate fully in SkyTeam. Whether that actually happens given Virgin’s “one-off” alliance-building history remains to be seen.
• Virgin America will launch flights to Newark beginning April 2013. Three daily nonstops are planned from both Los Angeles and San Francisco. Hopefully we’ll see some good fare wars between VX and United in those markets.
• Lufthansa on Monday swapped out a 747-400 for the 747-8i on the Los Angeles to Frankfurt route. Flight 456 departs Frankfurt daily at 10:00 a.m. arriving at LAX at 12:40 p.m. The return flight, LH 457, departs LAX at 2:50 p.m. with an arrival back in Frankfurt at 10:45 a.m. the following morning. From my experience, this route is pretty difficult to snag a First Class award seat… but I’ll be trying!
• Service on Cathay Pacific might get a bit more… er… U.S. airline-esque as flight attendants are at odds with the carrier over a pay raise. Instead of striking, they’re reportedly considering customer-focused actions. “We will be selective in providing our services,” union general secretary Tsang Kwok-fung told the AFP.  ”This could include not smiling at passengers, not providing certain types of beverages — such as alcohol — or stop serving meals,” he said.

Reader Cristian sent me the following email:

I have 150k miles with American Airlines, but have recently moved to the UK, and am thus considering joining British Airways’ Executive Club. I fly regularly from the UK to California, and from the UK to Europe – almost always on British Airways.

Do you think there is any advantage to keeping my American Airlines frequent flyer program going? And assuming you recommend a fresh start with British Airways, do you know if there is a way to transfer my American Airlines miles to my British Airways account (as they are both part of the oneworld alliance)?

First, I would absolutely open an Executive Club account with British Airways. I’ll get to my reasoning for that in a moment. But to answer your question whether to keep your AAdvantage account going or switch to Executive Club collecting Avios depends on how you want to redeem your miles. And if achieving elite status is important to you, it might take longer to reap better benefits if you post exclusively to British Airways versus American.

As to mileage redemption, one of American’s advantages is reduced North America to Europe off-peak coach award levels at 40,000 miles. The lowest rate for using British Airways Avios at any time is 50,000 for the same award (except for NYC/BOS/WAS, which is 40k as John777 notes in the comments). That said, you could use fewer Avios on flights if you’re willing to add in a co-pay (think cash+points). Another advantage with American is for N.A.-UK/Europe first class award redemptions. You’d only need 125,000 miles on American for a first class award versus 150,000 Avios on British Airways. And as other readers mention below, beware of the fuel surcharges on British Airways awards.

British Airways Avois have advantages, too. Besides the aforementioned cash+points scheme, you’d only need 9,000 Avios for a roundtrip coach flight from London to Frankfurt versus 20,000 American Airlines miles. London to Rome would be 15,000 Avios versus 20,000 American miles. And both programs currently earn 1 Avios (BA) or mile (AA) per mile flown on the cheapest coach tickets.

If elite status is important to you, flying British Airways and posting to American on the cheapest coach tickets will get you oneworld Sapphire status faster. American’s program requires 50,000 miles to hit that level versus 600 tier points with British Airways. To break that down, it would only take 4.58 LHR-LAX roundtrips to hit Sapphire in American’s program versus 8.57 roundtrips posted to British Airways. Sapphire status grants you priority check-in, boarding, lounge access and other perks when traveling internationally.

Finally, the reason I mentioned that you should open up an Executive Club account is simply to take advantage of bonus Avios opportunities. British Airways recently brought back its credit card for U.S. residents that offers large bonus Avios. If you can still maintain a mailing address in the U.S., consider applying for this card.

And sadly, no… you can’t transfer your AAdvantage miles to a British Airways account.

Readers: Any other advice you’d provide to Cristian?

I thought United retweeting an article containing questionable customer service and reference to “losing” an unaccompanied minor was bad. But today British Airways waaaay outdid United in retweeting the following expletive-loaded tweet:

I was visiting my parents today and on my laptop scrolling through Twitter before we headed to a pre-Thanksgiving/Thanksgiving lunch and nearly shouted, “Holy shit!” when I came across that tweet. I ended up going to British Airways’ official account page on Twitter to confirm it really came from them… and it did. Wow. I “favorited” it, took the screenshot and went to lunch.

Now that I’m back at home and catching up, I see British Airways deleted the retweet and sent the following out to its followers:

And Tnooz confirmed with a BA rep via email that an investigation is being launched. Me thinks someone who manages BA’s Twitter account might’ve been a bit tipsy Saturday evening UK time and wasn’t thinking before hitting the retweet button.

Related posts:

United Airlines Retweeted WHAT?!

Some Airlines Understand the Power of Social Media, Some Don’t

Interview With American’s Social Media Director

• I love Ryanair’s CEO. He’s not afraid to speak his mind and while I disagree with him, he’s calling those passengers who don’t print their boarding passes in advance “idiots.” He further explains they are “stupid” for paying the surcharge at the airport by neglecting to take this step.
• A lost bag is one thing, but how about one that’s sprayed with raw sewage? An unfortunate mechanical failure drenched dozens of British Airways’ passengers bags with raw sewage at London’s Heathrow Airport. Ick.
• Yesterday, Dallas-Fort Worth airport’s concessions committee approved a measure allowing American Express to operate a VIP lounge at DFW. American Airlines isn’t too happy, but I actually welcome the idea. I have a feeling it’ll be more “elite” than current airline offerings.
• Delta Air Lines opened a new SkyClub at LaGuardia Airport today in Terminal C. Formerly a US Airways club, it offers a full service bar, art featuring aerial landscapes of the region, satellite television and a work zone complete with complimentary Wi-Fi.
• Delta released its August financial results today. The airline enjoyed a 4% growth in PRASM, a 99.4% completion factor and an on-time performance rate of 83.9 percent.
• US Airways also revealed results from August. The airline’s PRASM growth wasn’t as impressive at only 1%, but on-time performance came in at 83.5 percent with a completion factor of 99.0 percent.

Previous news:

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Friday, August 31, 2012

Thursday, August 30, 2012

• Qantas canceled orders for 35 Boeing 787 Dreamliners, valued at $8.5 billion, amid the airline’s first full-year loss since it was privatized in 1995. Qantas isn’t giving up on the revolutionary aircraft, though, and still has options for 50 787-9s.
• Delta Air Lines seeks to upgrade its 5X weekly Detroit to Beijing service to daily flights with Boeing 777 aircraft. Delta’s Pacific traffic rose 5.9% YOY through July and the airline says there’s an “appetite” for daily service to China’s capital out of Detroit.
• Staying with Delta, the SkyMiles program is offering 3 miles per $1 spent shipping items with FedEx, plus 1,000 bonus miles with every fifth shipment. This isn’t something that’ll make me ship more (or at all), but if you’re already FedEx’ing things, it’s a nice bonus.
• The world’s largest Sheraton will open September 20 in Macau. The first tower of the 3,896-room Sheraton Macao will open at that time with the second tower due to open early next year.
• A body was found inside the landing gear carriage of a British Airways Boeing 747 at Heathrow. The flight originated in Cape Town, South Africa.
• I don’t have an “air traveling” idiot of the week candidate today, but I do have an “airline employee idiot of the week.” A JetBlue worker stole an unaccompanied minor’s wallet containing $200 in cash. Yep, really. Karma will certainly find this woman.
• Finally, a story hit the news recently about a family traveling on buddy passes. Every JetBlue flight was full, so they slept in Salt Lake City’s airport for days not having the money to buy confirmed tickets (or even feed their children properly). Who came to their rescue? United (yes, really) gave them a hotel room for one night and an anonymous viewer bought them confirmed tickets home.

Related posts:

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 22, 2012

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 21, 2012

Notable Airline, Hotel and Travel Industry News: August 20, 2012

[Updated 7/17/12: This offer is no longer available and I've removed the links. For archive purposes, I'm leaving the rest of the post untouched.]

The 100,000 Avios offer is back for the British Airways Visa Signature credit card from Chase. This iteration of the offer requires a bit more spend on the card to get the full bonus than the last one, but it’s not as high as some other cards out there. Here’s the short list of terms and benefits:

• Earn a 50,000 Avios bonus after your first purchase.
• Earn an additional 25,000 bonus after making $10,000 in purchases during your first year of card membership.
• Get another 25,000 Avios if you hit $20,000 in purchases during that first year.
• Every year you spend $30,000 or more, earn a “Travel Together Ticket” (companion certificate) on British Airways good for two years.
• It’s smart-chip embedded allowing for easy purchases in some European countries.
• No foreign transaction fees.
• Earn 2.5 Avios for every $1 spent on British Airways purchases.
• Earn 1.25 Avios for every $1 spend on all other purchases.

The standard variable APR for this card is 15.24% and the annual fee is $95/year. It’s interesting they haven’t matched competing cards out there by waiving the first year’s fee.

While British Airways charges significantly high fuel surcharges on award travel – as well as taxes, especially to the U.K. – there is value in adding this card to your wallet if you’re an American Airlines traveler primarily flying domestically within the United States.

The redemption rates for Avios are distance-based and for West coasters like me, a Los Angeles to Hawaii award in coach would cost 25,000 Avios on American. So, after a simple purchase with the card, you have enough for a trip for two to Hawaii. Finding the award space, of course, can be a challenge, but with some planning and flexibility it’s totally doable.

Related Post: American Airlines Citi Platinum Select AAdvantage Visa Signature credit card.

I receive a small commission if you get approved for a card by using the links in this post. I remain grateful for any who do and I only dedicate posts to cards I feel have value. Additional travel credit cards can be found here.

In other airline, hotel and travel industry news this week…

• Thai Airways will take delivery of two Airbus A380s next year and will initially operate their first whale on regional routes, of which Bangkok to Hong Kong is probable. Once they take delivery of their second A380, service to Frankfurt will begin, followed by London and Paris once additional aircraft come online.
• All Nippon Airways (ANA) announced this week they’d begin flying their internationally configured Boeing 787s between Tokyo and both Seattle, WA and San Jose, CA beginning April 1st and between Tokyo and Boston April 22nd. The aircraft will feature 46 seats in a staggered all-aisle access Business Class and 112 seats in Economy in a 2 x 4 x 2 configuration. Will United Airlines maintain their SEA-NRT daily roundtrip once that happens? I think not.
• The latest push to exclude U.S. carriers from the upcoming European Union Carbon Emissions Trading Scheme has failed. The highest court upheld the law that will begin charging airlines for exceeding their carbon emission allotment on flights to and from Europe beginning January 1, 2012. The article quotes one analyst who predicts the law will cost U.S. carriers $3.1 billion from 2012 to 2020. Where is that money going to come from? You and me. We’re now used to fuel surcharges, so why not throw a carbon footprint surcharge in the mix, too? Ugh.
• Curious to know what hotel rates look like in major North American markets between now and the end of February? Check out this summary showing the lowest and median prices for stays in three-, four- and five-star properties. Chicago, Las Vegas and Toronto have the most economical rates for three- and four-star properties. For those with deep pockets, the median rate for the Ritz Carlton Battery Park in New York is $1,023.88 per night in December.
• Airline transactions processed through the Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) were basically flat last month from the large travel agencies serving major corporations (e.g., American Express, Carlson Wagonlit, Omega World Travel), while tickets processed dropped for the second consecutive month from online travel agencies (OTAs) such as Expedia, Travelocity and Priceline.
• The FAA issued a final rule this week covering airline pilot flight times and rest periods. Now instead of eight hours between duty shifts, there will be a minimum 10-hour period with eight of those required to be in a hotel room. Duty times for single cockpit crews will be capped at 14-hours, but can still be extended two hours should delays strike. The new rules don’t apply to cargo operators and UPS pilots sued the FAA on Thursday for inclusion.
• Spirit Airlines reportedly made $50 million in its first year charging customers who have a carry-on bag that won’t fit underneath the seat in front of them. The fee is currently set at $30 per bag if you schedule it online in advance, $35 during online check-in or $40 if handled at the airport.
• British Airways may eventually see competition for its all-Business Class London City to New York Kennedy Airbus A318 service. A previously unnamed buyer of 10 Bombardier C-Series passenger jets has come forward saying they hope to begin similar service to New York and other locations. Named Odyssey Airlines, the carrier claims they’ll be able to fly nonstop versus the one-stop refueling British Airways currently has to do in Ireland on westbound flights. The carrier isn’t expected to get off the ground until 2014, if at all.

I finally finished editing the immense amount of video I took on my trip in First Class on Cathay Pacific to Hong Kong and posted it yesterday on YouTube. Yes, it’ll be 10 minutes out of your life if you watch it in its entirety, but if you’re an aviation geek like me, you’ll absolutely love it.

I went with live sound as music would have ruined some of the unique airplane noises I’ve grown so fond of. It includes footage of both the First Class and Business Class sections of British Airways’ Terraces Lounge at San Francisco airport, along with quite a bit of coverage on the airplane itself. Cathay certainly has an incredibly comfortable and soothing nose section on their 747s.

You’ll also see an Air France A380 parked at the gate in San Francisco, a Lufthansa A380 taking off and probably more than you care to see of an airplane lavatory. I’ve updated my Cathay Pacific Flight 879 post to include the video, but wanted to feature it as a unique post today on BoardingArea. I hope you enjoy it!