NPR

Tales From The Cowboy Days Of The Airline Industry: Herb Kelleher

March 6, 2017By Edward Pizzarello0 Comments

Herb Kelleher is one of the best guys to tell stories about a volatile age in the commercial industry. Even though I haven’t spent much time flying Southwest, I marvel at how they survived and thrived in some very tough times. Here’s a fun 30 minutes with Herb Kelleher.

Is The New United CEO Up To The Task Of Fixing The Airline?

October 2, 2015By Edward Pizzarello10 Comments

The Jeff Smisek era at United wasn’t a pretty one. Can Oscar Munoz fix that? Customers and employees aren’t happy. Can a genuine CEO who actually wants to fix things make a difference?

The Curious Case Of United’s Edible Catering

In the early days of the pandemic airlines scrambled to find ways to save money. One cost-cutting method that the airlines have relied on frequently over the years is to reduce catering options onboard planes. Catering cuts are likely centered around the belief that customers choose an airline based on route, timing and price; that they’ll be forgiving if any of the soft touches are absent during their trip. It was understandable in the early days when such things as catering took a serious hit. Customers continued to be understanding […]

Need A Lyft? Earn Up To 5 Flexible Points Per Dollar With Bilt’s Newest Partner

I earn affiliate credit if you sign up for the Bilt Rewards Mastercard using links in this story. Bilt Rewards announced a new partnership today that should be rewarding for anyone who uses rideshare services such as Lyft and Uber. The best part of this new partnership is that you don’t need to hold the Bilt Rewards Mastercard to earn bonus points (though you can earn even more if you are a cardholder). I actually learned about this new partnership yesterday morning recording my podcast with Richard Kerr and Zach […]

The Easiest Way I’ve Seen To Earn The Southwest Companion Pass

The Southwest Airlines Companion Pass is one of my all-time favorite benefits from any airline loyalty program. The Companion Pass allows the holder to bring someone along for virtually free (just the taxes and fees, which on most flights are just $5.60). You get a free companion ticket on every flight regardless of whether you pay cash or use Rapid Rewards points for your ticket. And, right now you can earn a Companion Pass for almost a year without ever stepping foot on a plane. My podcast co-host Richard actually […]

Check Your United Account. United Handing Out Shortcuts To Elite Status

United Airlines is depositing Premier Qualifying Points (PQPs) into elite member’s accounts, labeled “Starter PQPs” after raising elite status requirements late last year.

2022 Hotel Elite Status Recap And 2023 Goals

I recapped my airline status achievements for 2022 last week. I finally got a free moment to talk about where I ended up in regards to hotel elite status last year. The title of this post is only a little deceptive, in that at most I have one hotel status goal for 2023. But, let’s take a look back at 2022 first. You can also hear us discuss hotel elite status on a recent podcast episode. Hyatt Globalist Status This is probably the lowest night count I’ve had at Hyatt […]

I Flew Frontier, Saved $400 And Didn’t Die. My Frontier Airlines Review

Those low-cost carriers always have very appetizing fare sales. Who wouldn’t want to pay $20 to fly somewhere? But, what does $20 really buy you? I found out exactly what Frontier does (and doesn’t) offer customers on my first flight with them recently.

How To Use New Metro Silver Line To Get Between Dulles and Reagan National Airports

People talk about how bad the traffic is in places like Los Angeles with plenty of adjectives. And, it is quite bad. But, the traffic in DC is what I refer to as “stealthy bad”. It doesn’t get the same press that LA traffic does, but a trip that normally takes an hour can easily turn into a 3-hour ordeal. With visiting dignitaries, protests and construction as variables, weather can also wreak havoc on a system that consistently backs up during rush hour. For those of us that live in […]

Update: American Airlines Variable Choice Plus Pricing A Feature, Not A Bug

I have to admit, I was pretty pleased with the original announcement that American Airlines was creating bundled pricing that included change fees at a lower apparent cost. Things got a little better when American also announced they were expanding the timeframe you could request a same day change to your flight. And, then things started to get a bit screwy. It started with just one flight I couldn’t get to price right with Choice Plus as an add-on. But, then I did a bit more digging and found out […]

A Summary Of United Airlines Global Services Benefits

As travel has gotten more stressful the benefits of elite status are even more valuable. In some cases, what used to be free for everyone is now only free for those customers that fly most frequently. I value my American Airlines Executive Platinum status more highly than any status I’ve earned, including 1K service with United Airlines. However, Global Services is another matter. For those not aware, Global Services is an invitation-only status level that United bestows on their best customers. What defines a best customer? Well, United doesn’t list […]