Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
As part of the Portland International Airport modernization and expansion it has been announced that the old carpet will be making a return. From PDX Next: Truth be told, we love it, too. More than a few of us have the shoe selfies to prove it. We can spot the carpet’s distinctive pattern from across…
Category: aviation
Last Chance to Snag Emirates First Class Using Alaska Miles
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
Just a quick reminder that starting April 1, 2021, Alaska MileagePlan members will no longer be able to redeem their miles for Emirates First Class. This comes after a late 2020 announcement by Alaska that Emirates was removing the ability for their partners to redeem for the coveted front cabin. So, if you have some…
A Single Flight Conundrum
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
Between January and March of this year I flew United quite a bit. When Covid travel restrictions hit in mid-March the airlines started changing their requirements to qualify for their statuses for 2021. In most cases the airlines actually extended a frequent flyer’s status into 2021 carte blanche but with some caveats. In United’s case, […]
The post A Single Flight Conundrum first appeared on Stephan Segraves.
Read MoreIs United’s additional Thanksgiving capacity irresponsible?
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
United will be adding 1,400 flights for the week of Thanksgiving and plans to use larger aircraft on some flights. From that same Bloomberg article – Half of its Thanksgiving customers are buying tickets less than 30 days before the holiday, up from about 40% last year, United said. The airline will monitor bookings “in […]
The post Is United’s additional Thanksgiving capacity irresponsible? first appeared on Stephan Segraves.
Read MoreBasic economy may disappear after the pandemic — but don’t get too excited
The global pandemic will have many lasting implications. Our “new normal” could one day become normal, even after there’s a readily available vaccine. We’re already getting a sense of what that’s going to look like for the aviation industry. Gone are the jumbo jets in favor of more fuel-efficient and cost-effective types of widebody planes. …
Read MoreUnited may need a dictionary
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
You may remember that I posted about United’s refusal to refund tickets for cancelled flights, instead offering passengers ETCs (electronic travel certificates) for future bookings. During the crazy times we are living, United is trying to preserve as much cash as possible. Their recent earnings call statedearnings call stated a first quarter net loss of […]
United Really Doesn’t Want to Give Refunds
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
I had a flight scheduled for work travel, heading to Montreal on March 16 and back to Portland on March 19. Due to Covid-19 restrictions I moved that flight to March 30 with a return on April 2. After rebooking, United made a number of route network changes, including get rid of Washington-Dulles to Portland, […]
COVID-19, Travel, and the Future
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
By now I am sure you are all too familiar with Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) but I wanted to write about some of my recent travel experiences and what all of this could mean for the future of aviation and travel. I am not a doctor or epidemiologist so my health expertise is limited to […]
Austrian Airlines introduces 3D seat maps for Boeing 777 flights
Gone are the days of frantically Googling cabin interior photos and compulsively checking Seat Guru, at least if you’re flying long-haul on Austrian Airlines. The airline has introduced 3D seat maps for all flights operated by its Boeing 777s. The new technology will allow passengers to look at individual seats during the selection process, and …
Read MoreAirlines have still not perfected “spend”
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
Ever since a number of airlines have implemented a dollars or “spend” calculation into their elite statuses there have been complaints. The complaints have escalated as the required amount of spending has gone up for most levels over the last couple of years. My complaint is a little different in that I understand a need […]
Something doesn’t add up with this unaccompanied minor story
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
There is a story coming out today on a number of different news sites stating that United put a 14-year-old passenger on the wrong connecting flight. He was set to go to Stockholm on SAS but ended up on a Eurowings flight to Düsseldorf. Those two flights board next to each other and the gate […]
Read MoreTurkish Airlines’ new 787-9 damaged during a photo shoot
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
In case you missed it, Seth reported that Turkish Airlines’ brand new 787-9 was damaged during a photo shoot. Reports suggest that the aircraft window melted out of its mount in the fuselage. How did it get so hot? Seems that the company was filming inside the plane and had it fitted inside and out […]
Paint Me Unimpressed
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
Images of United’s new livery hit the internet last night before the official “reveal” today in Chicago. The new paint scheme drops the gold elements from the look and replaces them with different blues. For all the hype that United was trying to generate around the new livery, overall it appears like a very minor […]
The Madrid Ghost Plane
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
From CNN: Officials from the Adolfo Suárez-Madrid Barajas airport are trying to find the owners of a plane that has been parked on the tarmac, without moving, for years. Airport director Elena Mayoral submitted an official notice to the Boletín Oficial del Estado, the official gazette of the Kingdom of Spain, informing the nation of […]
United unveils new uniforms
Written by Stephan Segraves @ Stephan Segraves
From Today in the Sky: United Airlines employees will get their first look Wednesday at new uniforms that will soon roll out to all 70,000 of the carrier’s frontline workers. The new line comes with a distinct look that includes colors like “Pacific Blue,” “Premium Purple,” and “Atlantic Amethyst” — all among a half-dozen hues […]
Why Air Tahiti Nui’s Brand-New Dreamliner Made a Pit Stop in Oklahoma City
Up until this week, Oklahoma City’s Will Rogers Airport had never seen a Boeing Dreamliner. In fact, widebody passenger aircraft are an especially unusual sight here — OKC is a much more common destination for regional jets than large international planes. Air Tahiti Nui decided to shake things up on Tuesday, though, making the Sooner …
Read MoreNew Theory Says MH370 Crashed on Land: Here’s Why
The official investigation into the fate of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 may have ended with a mystery unsolved, but a London lecturer says that there’s reason to lend credence to a new theory that the Boeing 777 crashed on land, not at sea as widely believed. Yijun Yu, a lecturer in computing at The Open …
Read MoreNew Delta Engine Shop Gets First Repair: Virgin Atlantic Trent 1000
Back in August, Delta cut the ribbon on an advanced engine repair shop at its Atlanta headquarters. As expected, its first engine induction – a Trent 1000 engine operated by Delta’s joint venture partner Virgin Atlantic – occurred this week. The new shop enables Delta to perform maintenance on sophisticated engines. In particular, the next-generation …
Read MoreAirbus A321LR Gets Safety Approval, New Launch Customer After Primera Bankruptcy
Airbus’ latest jet has received one of the most important regulatory approvals it can get before it enters commercial service — but the company has had to find a new launch customer for its newest aircraft. The Airbus A321LR received safety approval from US and European regulators, Airbus announced today. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the …
Read MoreThe First Indigenous Woman to Start an Airline Talks Planes, Routes and Peanuts
At the age of 30, Teara Fraser, a Métis woman living in British Columbia, took a flight that changed her life. She immediately enrolled in flying classes, got her pilot license and began flying for a living. Now 47, she just made history by becoming the first indigenous woman in Canada to start her own …
Read More