Huh, So iPhones Can Interfere With Cockpit Instruments

NASA has confirmed that iPhone's and other portable electronic devices interfere with instruments.  There are numerous other incidents of suspected, but unconfirmed, interference too.  Most passengers suspect the requirement to turn off their phones is unnecessary, but it turns out there is some evidence behind this one.  Don't worry, there are plenty of other rules at airports and in air that don't make any sense and you can complain about.

United 737's

Savannah (SAV) Airport Club Lounge

Savannah airport doesn't have enough traffic from a single airline or alliance to justify an airline club. The airport instead runs its own shared lounge for United Club, Admirals Club, Delta Club, US Airways Club, and Amex Platinum card holders.  The terminal has free wifi, but the lounge adds a relaxing environment, a coffee machine (like the US Airways Club ones), extra bathrooms, Bryd's cookies, and small Coke products. Just remember your club card because they can't search on frequent flyer numbers.  The club is discretely labeled, right before gate 12.

Savannah Airport Club

London's Airport Dilemma

Take some time and read this outstanding review of London's airport constraints from The Economist:  http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21574489-britain-has-many-options-providing-extra-airport-capacity-its-capital-going-need.  I think London should just expand LHR and change the laws so they don't need to care about noise issues.  Unfortunately there are voters in the area and expanding the airport will last longer than a term for Parliament.

View On The Way To LHR

One Reason Why Flying to Canada Is So Expensive

"WestJet today confirmed it has received an exemption from Transport Canada to the requirement for one flight attendant for every 40 passengers on board. The exemption, which is effective immediately, allows for one flight attendant for every 50 seats on board the aircraft."  

I Already Used My Only WestJet Picture

I had no idea that Canada required one flight attendant per 40 passengers.  Everyone else requires 1 per 50 seats.  1 per 40 would require an extra crew member for just about every airplane since aircraft are made with the 1:50 ratio in mind (JetBlue's jets seat 100 or 150).  An extra crew member per flight is a huge additional cost that foreign carriers don't have to contend with.  I'm glad Canada is backing off this hidden tax (or airline union subsidy if you prefer), now if they would only tackle actual taxes and other unnecessarily high costs, I might plan a summer vacation in Canada (I hear Alberta is lovely).

Missed Connection Tip

My three year old niece is trapped on a CRJ in CID (Cedar Rapids) because of weather.  Don't worry, she is with her parents and is possibly the best flyer of the bunch.  Heavy weather hit the airport this morning and stopped all flights in and out.  They will miss their connection in Chicago.  The key to this situation is when a missed connection is likely, get on the phone with the airline and have them hold seats for you on the next available flight. The airline computers don't always update frequently, so you may have better information.  Also talking to a person gives you more flexibility than the iPhone app.  Acting quickly is important too because it's a race against anyone else and once you secure the seats, they are yours.

CRJ's Waiting

Hilton Has Too Many Brands

What’s the Double Tree brand promise?  How is it different from Hilton’s brand promise?  How does Embassy Suites fit in between those two?  Also, what differentiates Waldorf Astoria from Conrad?  No one can know for sure.  Hilton confusingly tries to answer these questions, but does a poor job.  Let me clear things up:

Waldorf Astoria: Old luxury

Conrad: New luxury

Hilton: Business travelers

Double Tree: Shabby Hilton plus a cookie

Embassy Suites: Big room, free breakfast and beer

Hilton Garden Inn: Better roadside hotel

Hampton Inn: Basic roadside hotel

Homewood Suites: Basic extended stay

Home2 Suites: Basic extended stay with a touch of W

Hilton Grand Vacations: Timeshares

New York Skyline

It feels like Hilton can condense brands.  No one will miss the Double Tree brand if they are upgraded to Hiltons. Conrad can be rolled into Waldorf without any complaints either.  An additional problem is the range of quality Hilton provides.  Staying at one can really be a roll of the dice.  A clear understanding and differentiation of brands will help Hilton Hotels create specific expectations and deliver on those expectations to improve the customer experience.

Missed Branding Opportunity

Has anyone else noticed the Spanair plane on the United.com home page?  United has nine Star Alliance branded planes in their fleet; none are an A320.  The Star Alliance colors look outstanding and United should be able to grab a picture of one rather than an out of business Spanish airline best known for a crash in 2008.  Delta doesn't have a Malev plane on their site; United could do better, but this isn't United's first missed branding opportunity (the Continental colors and United name for example). 

Spanair A320 on United.com

Updated United Club in Denver

The United Club (nee Red Carpet Club) in Denver got new furniture last week and it is very comfortable.  I like the color palate too, it creates a relaxing environment.  The downside is there are still very few outlets and I think there are fewer total seats than before.  An improvement, but still not as good as it should be (see the new United Clubs at ORD for an example).

New United Club Look at DEN

Ultimate Rewards' Exceptional Hotel Points Transfer Values

Chase's Ultimate Rewards program is their in house rewards program that lets you redeem points for gift cards, merchandise, travel, cash back, and transfer into Chase partner points programs.  Point transfers are 1:1 to most programs.  Since points can also be cash back at 1 to $0.01, points transfers are like buying points at a penny each.  This is cheaper than airlines sell them and a great value when needing to top off an account for an award, except for Priority Club.  On the flip side of that coin, Hyatt is an outstanding value.

Unrelated United Airlines Picture

Exceptionally Good Value:  Hyatt
Top level hotels, like the Park Hyatt Tokyo, are only 22,000 Hyatt Gold Passport points.  That's $220 of Ultimate Rewards points (tax is included in points reservations) for rooms that are normally over $600.  This is one of the best deals available today.

Unrelated Blue1 717

Exceptionally Bad Value:  Priority Club
A mid-range Holiday Inn is 25,000 priority club points. That's $250 of Ultimate Rewards points for a room that is less than $200.  

Better Off Just Spending Cash

Fun Photo

I like this picture of an Allegiant Air jet taking off from LAS.  Quick tip too, when boarding CRJ's, board last.  There's no overhead bin space to fight over, so no reason to be cramped longer than needed.

Allegiant Air Take Off

I Burned Up My Priority Club Points Rather Quickly

I started this year with 166,000 Priority Club points.  I haven't earned points from a stay in about two years (just a few thousand here and there for opting into emails), but was feeling comfortable with my balance   The last time I used Priority Club points was for my trip to Santiago, Chile and a stay at the pathetic Intercontinental Santiago.  I booked it with a Points Break award, so it only cost 5,000 points a night.  I was planning on using my balance on Points Break hotels or cheap roadside Holiday Inn Expresses.  The math in my head worked out that my balance would buy 33 Points Break nights or 15 or so HIE nights.  Two to four weeks of hotel stays is a comfortable balance.  

SWISS Avro RJ100

It turns out my balance only buys five nights.  I'm taking a trip to Geneva next month for the EBACE aviation trade show and need five nights in the area (the trade show is three days, but a short notice miles booking required a slightly longer stay).  Three nights at the Intercontinental Geneva, one at the airport Holiday Inn, and one at a TBD hotel (all IHG hotels are booked on one night, so I'm waiting for a late cancellation).  After those reservations, I have only 11,000 points left.

Waiting For The Next Adventure

I'm fine with a small balance.  Priority Club points exist for when you travel somewhere without a Hilton, Hyatt, Marriott, Fairmont, or Startwood hotel.  Priority Club also does not require hotels to recognize elite benefits on award stays (contact the hotel in advance to see if they will honor your benefits, the Crowne Plaza Helsinki did), so points stays can make for a disappointing vacation.  I see it as a last resort currency only preferential to spending money and went two years without needing any points. You can also buy points from them at a rate of $60 per 10,000. It might be a while before I need to acquire more points.

Airline Club Etiquette: Cell Phone Use

I was in the United Club at PHX today and an older man was talking very loudly into his cell phone while seated in the general seating area.  It was so loud, and he was being rude to a United call center rep too, that I asked him to keep it down.  He didn't.  I later told him his 2.5 hour delay last week due to an equipment change was an operations decision and that was it.  At one point he said "hijacked my plane."  Don't say that in an airport!  

United Airlines 737

The lesson today is to talk softly or excuse yourself to an empty area and to watch what you say.  Everyone was uncomfortable because of one person too wrapped up in his moot problems to care about those around him.  

American Airlines' Reservation System Fails, Grounds Airline

American Airlines grounded their fleet today because of a computer system failure.  This happens to United every two or three years, so I won't make any jokes.  Re-booking and cancellation fees are waived, so it is a positive for a very small number of passengers. 

AA MD-80

Every Airport Code United Airlines and United Express Serves

I spent some time with the United Airlines timetable and pulled a list of all the airport codes for United and United Express (current as of March 30, 2013).  These are especially useful for finding mileage runs with ITA Matrix.  My goal is to make 1 million United miles soon, so I am spending a little more to fly United rather than US Airways (upgrades help too).  

United Airlines 737 and 777

ABE, ABI, ABQ, ABR, ABX, ABY, ACA, ACK, ACT, ACV, AEX, AGS, AGU, ALB, AMA, AMS, ANC, ANU, AOO, APN, ARN, ASE, ATL, ATW, AUA, AUS, AVL, AVP, AZO, BAH, BCN, BDA, BDL, BFL, BFS, BGM, BGR, BHM, BHX, BIL, BIS, BJI, BJX, BKK, BKW, BMI, BNA, BNE, BOG, BOI, BOM, BON, BOS, BPT, BQK, BQN, BRD, BRO, BRU, BTM, BTR, BTV, BUF, BUR, BWI, BZE, BZN, CAE, CAK, CBR, CCS, CDC, CDG, CHA, CHO, CHS, CIC, CID, CKB, CLD, CLE, CLL, CLT, CME, CMH, CMX, CNS, COD, COS, CPR, CRP, CRW, CSG, CTS, CUN, CUU, CVG, CWA, CZM, DAB, DAL, DAY, DCA, DEL, DEN, DFW, DGO, DHN, DLH, DNA, DOH, DRO, DRT, DSM, DTW, DUB, DUJ, DXB, EAU, EDI, EGE, EKO, ELH, ELM, ELP, EMD, ERI, EUG, EVV, EWN, EWR, EYW, EZE, FAI, FAR, FAT, FAY, FCA, FCO, FKL, FLL, FNT, FPO, FRA, FSD, FSM, FUK, FWA, GDL, GDV, GEG, GFK, GGT, GGW, GHB, GIG, GLA, GLH, GLT, GNV, GPT, GRB, GRK, GRR, GRU, GSO, GSP, GTF, GTR, GUA, GUC, GUM, GVA, HAM, HDN, HIB, HIJ, HKG, HLN, HNL, HOB, HOU, HPN, HRL, HSV, HUX, HVR, IAD, ICT, IDA, IMT, IND, INL, IPL, IST, ITH, ITO, IYK, JAC, JAN, JAX, JFK, KIJ, KIX, KOA, KWA, KWI, LAN, LAS, LAW, LAX, LBB, LCH, LEX, LFT, LGA, LHR, LIH, LIM, LIR, LIS, LIT, LMT, LNK, LOS, LRD, LSE, LWS, LWT, MAD, MAF, MAJ, MAN, MBJ, MBS, MCI, MCO, MDT, MEI, MEL, MEM, MEX, MFE, MFR, MGA, MGM, MHT, MIA, MID, MKC, MKE, MKG, MLB, MLI, MLM, MLS, MLU, MNL, MOB, MOD, MOT, MRY, MSL, MSN, MSO, MSP, MSY, MTJ, MTY, MUC, MXP, MYR, NAS, NBW, NGO, NRT, OAK, OAX, OGG, OKC, OKJ, OLF, OMA, ONT, ORD, ORF, OSL, OTH, PAH, PAP, PBC, PBI, PDX, PHL, PHX, PIA, PIB, PIH, PIT, PKB, PLN, PNS, PQQ, PSC, PSP, PTY, PVD, PVR, PWM, QRO, RAP, RDD, RDM, RDU, RHI, RIC, RNO, ROA, ROC, ROK, ROR, RST, RSW, RTB, SAL, SAN, SAP, SAT, SAV, SBA, SBN, SBP, SCE, SDF, SDJ, SDY, SEA, SFO, SGF, SGU, SHV, SIN, SJC, SJD, SJO, SJT, SJU, SLC, SLP, SLW, SMF, SMX, SNA, SNN, SPI, SRQ, STL, STR, SWO, SYD, SYR, TAM, TCB, TCL, TGU, TLH, TLV, TPA, TPE, TRC, TRI, TUL, TUP, TUS, TVC, TXK, TXL, TYR, TYS, UIO, UOX, VER, VLD, VPS, VSA, XNA, YAP, YEG, YHZ, YLW, YMM, YOW, YQB, YQM, YQR, YQT, YUL, YUM, YVR, YWG, YXE, YXU, YYC, YYJ, YYT, YYZ, ZIH, ZLO, ZRH

Another Fun Picture

Here's another fun picture.

United 737-800

Here's A Picture I Like

It's snowing in Denver, but this picture has me dreaming of a trip on Singapore Airlines.  

Rear View of Singapore 777

Happy Spring

Bike riders are clogging the roads, Home Depot has a full parking lot, and the de-icing trucks are stowed at DEN.  Spring has arrived and delays shouldn't be very bad for a while.  It's time to fly.

No More Pictures Like This For a Few Months

Update 4/8:  Maybe not.  Denver could get 6-12 inches tomorrow.  http://denver.cbslocal.com/guide/colorado-denver-weather-forecast-rain-snow-storm/

The Lufthansa 747 Looks Outstanding

The Lufthansa 747 looks majestic, it has to be the best looking airplane / livery combination in service.  Also the new American is much better in person, it actually looks good. The United Continental colors are also growing on me.

Lufthansa, American, and United at Denver

Flying to Iceland on Frequent Flyer Miles

The Euro crisis is starting to impact my travel plans.  Air service to Iceland (KEF) has been reduced dramatically since the Icelanders started having currency problems (they have since been made to look responsible thanks to Greece, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Portugal, and Cyprus).  Despite not being in the news, air service to the Continent has shrunk to EasyJet, airberlin (oneworld), SAS (Star Alliance), and Iceland Air.  I'm not 100% certain, but SAS and airberlin are my most likely options.

Iceland Air 757 Having an Overnight Stay at DEN

Yes, I know I can fly direct from New York on Delta, but where is the fun in that?  Delta charges twice as many miles to go JKF-KEF than JFK-SFO and KEF is just 7 miles farther away.  If I'm not completely crossing the Atlantic, I refuse to pay full price.  Same complaint for Iceland Air's Saga miles, the rates are atrocious (Alaska is an Iceland Air partner until June 1, 2013 and their rates are also high).  SAS is the best option for me because I can fly from anywhere in Europe to Oslo and then to Iceland.  This will cost 25,000 United or US Airways miles round trip (or 40,000 miles in business class) from another European city.  I can also use American Airlines or British Airways miles to fly airberlin (both would cost 20,000 miles round trip in coach).  Iceland can also be a destination for my United or US Airways ticket and then I can stop at a Star Alliance hub for my free stopover (AA and BA don't have free stopovers).  

I Won't Be Flying Delta

Nevada Test Site (NNSS) Tours

The Nevada National Security Site, originally the Nevada Test Site, was the home of America’s domestic nuclear weapons testing.  100 open air tests, or “shots” as they are called by NNSS, were conducted in the 50’s and 60’s and 828 underground tests were conducted until 1992.  The site is still used for subcritical testing, DHS training, weapons R&D, weapons assembly, radioactive waste storage, and other activities not discussed.  It’s also a good place to take a device one finds with nuclear materials mated with explosives, that is if you didn’t want to bury it where you found it.  

GRABBLE - May 25, 1953

The site has tours open to the public once a month, but reservations need to be made in advance.  More information on the free tours is available on their website.  The problem is their site looks like it hasn’t been updated in a year and the email address is dead.  What you should do is call National Security Technologies (tour operator company) at 702-295-0944 and ask about tour availability.  Frequently there are cancelations so short notice booking is possible.  I booked my aunt and I on a tour about two weeks before the tour date, others on the tour reserved space about a year ago.

PRISCILLA - June 24, 1957

The tour was great!  The tour guide worked at the site doing nuclear tests for 20 years and is very passionate about the area and its history.  The tour departs Las Vegas in a new coach bus in the morning and arrived back in the afternoon.  No cameras or electronic devices are permitted.  The NNSS is very desolate, but there are some fun things to view.  Frenchman Flats was the original areal test site and still has remnants of the test structures.  The railway trestles are an amazing display of the destructive force of a relatively small blast.  Some of the test houses are still standing too.  Some of underground craters are huge; Sedan for example is more than 1,200 feet wide and 350 feet deep.  The bus also drove us into the Bilby crater to help give a sense of scale.  The landscape is pot marked with dozens and dozens of craters.  There are also the remnants of the cancelled US-UK Icecap test.  This test was a few weeks from detonation when the testing moratorium was signed.  All the test facilities are in place and it looks ready to go on short notice.  It’s somewhat eerie to see it 21 years later, but is a great visual of what testing was like.  

Icecap Test

Some of the modern uses for the Nevada National Security Site are also displayed.  There was a tour of the radioactive waste dump that was interesting (I’ve also very comfortable with how waste is stored).  We also drove through a DHS training area with quite a few wrecked vehicles.  Some of the current uses were kept a good distance away and Area 51 is about 12 miles from the Sedan crater.

Sedan Shot

It was a great tour and fun way to experience Las Vegas off the strip.  I also recommend the MobMuseum in downtown if you have time.  The Westin on Flamingo felt dated, but it’s the closest SPG location to The Strip.  

NNSS Landscape

Smooth Landing Into Denver Today

I came back from a 36 hour trip to Vegas (more later) and had a very smooth arrival and landing into Denver.  Those are very rare when there is any wind on the mountains, especially on the small CRJ-700.  It's a great day to fly.

United 757 at DEN

I took a bunch of pictures with a disposable camera (made the TSA hand check it too), it may be a little while before those are developed.

United Airlines A319 First Class Seat 1A

I have mixed feelings about United's A319 aircraft.  Seats 21A and 21F do not have a seat in front of them, so you have about 50 in of leg room.  The first class cabin however has only 8 seats.  It's always a difficult flight to clear an upgrade, especially when flying hub to hub or at peak times.  On my most recent flight, my upgrade cleared at the gate (1K on a Q fare flying on a Sunday morning DEN-SFO if you are interested).

United A319 Seat 1A

The first class seat in United's Airbus fleet is very comfortable and has plenty of recline.  There isn't too much legroom, but the bulkhead for 1A and 1B has a cutout for a little more space.  No meal was served (United A319 lunch review) and I was able to get in almost two hours of work on the flight.  The flight went fast and was a nice trip all around with some fun views coming into SFO.

United Airlines A319 Parked at Denver

Lufthansa iPhone App

I enjoy all things Lufthansa, especially their brand.  I am reading Lufthansa and Graphic Design: Visual History of an Airplane, an interesting review of their brand and it's developments over time (the book is too small for the rich imagery, it should be coffee table size book but is a small paperback).  I also like their iPhone app because it has a pictures section to download phone wallpapers.  The images are great, I have a 747-800 for my lock screen and the Lufthansa logo on a cabin wall for my wall paper.  The app is worth the download just for the images.

One of my Lufthansa Pictures

I Finished Grad School

I finished school and can travel any time now, not just between Friday and Monday so I don't miss class.  I can go anywhere, but don't have any pressing plans.  I'm still limited by my 10 days of PTO too.

Ready To Go

Hilton HHonors Points Inflation

If Zimbabwe can function after hyper inflation Hilton HHonors can too.   Hilton is changing their award chart by adding three new categories so the most expensive hotels go from 50,000 points to 95,000 points, 90% inflation.  They adding a fifth night free bonus like SPG, but that doesn't take out the sting of hyper inflation.  The changes go into effect March 28th, so book now at the old prices.  There may be some better values at road side Hampton Inns, but the fun of points programs is the aspirational aspect of awards, not general discounts.   

Hilton Vienna, Nice Hotel

Southwest Fighting In Denver - Status Match

Southwest is trying to steal elite flyers in Denver from Frontier (this happened last year) and United.  This is a big move to take on United on their home turf.  I can't wait for fare wars out of Denver to start.  United will match Southwest fares everywhere Southwest flies and I can grab some cheap miles and vacations.  Competition rocks!

Southwest 737 Heading for Battle

Here are the offer details:
We have an exciting opportunity for Colorado Rapid Rewards® Members who have elite status through the United Airlines MileagePlus® or Frontier EarlyReturns® programs!  Through April 30, 2013, MileagePlus Premier® and EarlyReturns Ascent or Summit members can get complimentary Rapid Rewards A-List Membership!

To take advantage of the status match offer, just send an email (make sure your Rapid Rewards state is CO first):

To:  RapidRewards@wnco.com
Subject:  Colorado Status Match Offer
Body:
1.  First Name:
2.  Last Name:
3.  Rapid Rewards(r) account number:
4.  Phone number:
5.  Attach a copy of your current, valid United MileagePlus(r) Premier(r) or Frontier EarlyReturns(r) Ascent or Summit membership card or statement.
6.  Enter "Colorado Status Match Offer" in the subject line.

To avoid delays, please ensure that your request includes all of the above information.  Please note that your e-mail submission cannot exceed five megabytes (5MB).

Frontier Airlines March 2013 Coupon Code

Use promo code SPRING5 and take 5% off your next fare. Buy by 3/18. Fly by 6/8/13. Happy travels.

Frontier Jets Ready to Go

Good Morning

It's (always) a great day to fly.  I'm grounded this weekend until finals are over.

Sunrise at DEN

Star Alliance Lost Another Airline

The Star Alliance has lost two airlines in the last two months (though they don't leave until 2014).  US Airways bought American and is going oneworld after the merger and today it was announced that TAM, as part of their merger with LAN, is going to be a oneworld carrier too.  This new (though not shocking) development will limit awards in South America, especially to small and medium cities.  Star Alliance is still my favorite for awards, but it's not the far and away winner any more.

TAM 777 Landing at FRA

I'm not counting Blue1 in this because it was disbanded by SAS.  The biggest loss is that their airplanes looked outstanding.  They also good availability (all coach carrier) around Scandinavia.  Spanair (also tied to SAS) stopped flying last year, complicating trips in southern Europe.  I enjoy connecting in MUC and FRA, but I do miss the flexibility.

Guess Which One I Flew

Guess which of these was my aircraft this weekend.  Yup, the CRJ.  I was connecting in SFO and saw about a dozen planes that made me think 'oh, I want to go on that one.'  The CRJ did not evoke a similar reaction.

British Airway 747 Looks Great

Upgrade List Tension

I had some drama at the airport this morning, there was no traffic, Pre-Check was a breeze, and my aircraft was at the gate two hours early, but I was #1 on the upgrade list with zero seats remaining.  Then I looked again and one seat was available.  The upgrade cleared just before boarding started and I grabbed a window seat too.  A good start to my travel day.

Upgrade List Tension

Slow News Day

It's a slow news day, no mergers, no smoking deals, and I don't have any flights booked until mid April.  All that aside, a Untied 747 can still create some excitement.  It looks great and is going somewhere far away and interesting.

United Airlines 747-400 White Over Blue

Japanese Airlines Work A Little Different

Japanese carriers work a little different than American and European carriers.  They seem to enjoy flight more than anyone else.  Two examples are the ground crew waiving (after a respectful bow) to their departing 777.  I also spotted a Panda colored 767 (ANA also did a Pokemon 747 that has since been repainted in normal colors).

Bow Then Waive After Push Back

ANA's 767-Panda

Fun Picture

Sunrise at the airport is always a great time, too bad you have to leave two hours before sunrise to enjoy the view.

Denver Morning

Milwaukee Airport's Deserted D Terminal

Milwaukee's Mitchel Airport has a creepy deserted terminal that I never knew about until I flew through it last week.  Since Frontier changed their hub operation in Milwaukee to a lonely outpost, there are just two flights to Denver and a less than daily one to Mexico.  For this minor operation, Frontier has 26 gates and an entire terminal to themselves. There were several restaurants, but only one is open.  The closed ones still had all the fixtures and supplies to open any day, but are deserted.  The ground level gates with zero flights a day sill had a moving walkway and escalators running. It is an airport ghost town 

Moving Walkway to Nowhere

I'm surprised the airport authority doesn't move Frontier to an unused gate (they only need one or could share even) in another terminal and close the D terminal until traffic picks up enough to necessitate it.  The costs to keep a terminal up and running must be exorbitant and Frontier's landing fees don't cover the operation.  It would also remove a creepy ghost town, it was seriously disturbing (Omega Man?).

View On The Way Into Milwaukee

MKE still has a cool airport museum, I enjoyed browsing through it again.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Enjoy a photo from the LUV airline.

New Southwest Airlines Logo.

Southwest started flying out of Love Field in Dallas (LUV airport code) and their NYSE ticker is LUV.  They also are loved their customers (or so their marketing tells me).

US Airways & American Airlines Merger Thoughts

I originally though US Airways was talking about buying American Airlines to thwart AA's restructuring process then pull out last minute and create a very weak AA. I was very excited to see this fun way to cripple a competitor in action.  US suggested better terms than AA to unions and creditors throughout the process.  Then at the last minute US signed the dotted line and overpaid for an expensive operation.  Not quite as I expected.  But what does this mean to frequent flyers?

These Jets Will Need New Paint Soon

US Airways will be folded into American Airlines and the new airline will be a oneworld (still better than Skyteam) member.  This is bad news for me because I am a loyal Star Alliance flyer and soon (but not sure when) will not be able to fly US for cheap EQMs.  The merger will take a while to happen, so I'll sill get EQMs for my US flight in April.

Star Alliance Quote

Once the merger is completed, CLT and PHX will probably lose out to DFW and MIA (even though MIA is stupidly expensive and out of the way) for hub traffic, PHL should be fine.  Dividend Miles will be transferred 1:1 to AAdvantage Miles and the AAdvantage award chart will be devalued slightly.  The US award chart, with it's cheap around the world awards, will vanish.  I also won't fly the new airline if a United option exists, so none of this will bother me and I'm not interested in the on board experience.

American Jet at CLT