Thank you to this week’s Cranky Daily presenting sponsor, The Airchive.
AA AAnounces AAdvantage Elite Choice Rewards
American Airlines unveiled the latest addition to its AAdvantage program, offering Platinum Pro and Executive Platinum members the option to select exclusive rewards when qualifying for status.
Similar to Delta’s Choice Benefit program that’s been around for several years, AA will give Platinum Pro members one selection while Executive Platinum members will have two.
Platinum Pro members will be able to choose one of seven options that range from useless to semi-useful. Options include a $200 AA voucher, six Admirals Club passes, one systemwide upgrade, and an olive that former CEO Bob Crandall removed from the salads back in the ’80s.
Executive Platinum members get to choose two options from either the Platinum Pro list or their own. The EXP list ranges from the slightly less useless to somewhat useful. It includes: two systemwide upgrades, Admirals Club membership, gifting of Gold status, and the option to fly on Delta whenever you have an important meeting so that you actually arrive on-time.
The elite choice rewards program will be live for the 2021 qualification year, beginning in a few weeks.
Southwest Announces Schedules for New Destinations
Southwest Airlines released its schedule for Summer 2021 today. The highlights are the first schedules for two new airports along with big expansion in another.
The airline is moving back across town in Houston, launching 18 daily flights from Houston/Intercontinental airport to five destinations on April 12:
- Chicago/Midway (2x daily)
- Dallas/Love (6x daily)
- Denver (3x daily)
- Nashville (3x daily)
- New Orleans (4x daily)
Just to the east of Houston, Southwest will resume service to Jackson, MS (JAN) for some unknown reason on June 6 with seven daily flights to three cities. Atlanta and Houston/Hobby will see 3x daily flights with once-daily service to Baltimore.
In addition to these two new destinations, Southwest also announced four new routes from its ever-growing operation in Long Beach. The airline plans to fly twice-daily to both Chicago/Midway and Houston/Hobby and once-daily to three new cities: Dallas/Love Field, Reno, and St. Louis. Existing cities will also see growth.
United Commits to Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions by 100%
United Airlines is planning to actually become 100% carbon neutral by 2050 with a commitment to do more than just buy carbon offsets.
Most businesses, airlines included, achieve “green goals” by purchasing carbon offsets as opposed to actually reducing their own emissions. But United CEO Scott Kirby said “It may feel good in the short term but the math just doesn’t come close to adding up. The only way we can truly make a dent in the levels of atmospheric carbon is through direct air capture and sequestration.”
United is announcing a plan to reach 100% carbon neutrality through a hefty investment in a new technology called Direct Air Capture, along with investments in sustainable aviation fuel for its aircraft. If you know what Direct Air Capture is, and how it works, you are either Scott Kirby or someone who needs a new hobby.
United is so committed to this idea of pulling carbon out of the atmosphere and storing it that beginning in 2035, it plans to hook premium passengers up to a hose that will take their carbon exhalations and route them into the Basic Economy passengers for permanent storage.
Alaska Unveils Oneworld Perks for Elite Members
With Alaska Airlines set to formally join oneworld in March, the airline unveiled the perks its elite members will receive from its fellow alliance carriers. To start, Mileage Plan elites will receive the following elite status within the alliance:
- MVP = oneworld Ruby
- MVP Gold = oneworld Sapphire
- MVP Gold 75K = oneworld Emerald
Mileage Plus elites will not be eligible for upgrades when flying on other oneworld airlines, but they will have access to upgrades with miles — soon.
As oneworld Emerald, Alaska’s MVP Gold 75k members will have access to some of the world’s best lounges, including Cathay Pacific’s The Pier and Qantas’s First lounge in Singapore — even when flying in economy. Thanks to reciprocity, other oneworld airline elites will now be able to wait inside the trailer for departures from Yakutat instead of staying outside with the bears.
Aer Lingus Prepares to Increase U.S. Flying
Aer Lingus, the flag carrier of Ireland, established a cleverly-named subsidiary — Aer Lingus Limited — in the UK this week, with plans to carry both passengers and cargo between the United States and United Kingdom.
The UK-based airline is based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and plans to add the codes of Aer Lingus and BA on its flights between the UK and US. Aer Lingus is hoping to take advantage of the recent Open Skies agreement signed between the United States and United Kingdom, which was needed due to Brexit.
Two potential holdups for Aer Lingus exist on both sides of the pond. The airline is registered in the UK, but it is not yet licensed as an airline by the UK Civil Aviation Authority. It expects to receive that license by February. Second is that the US DOT requires airlines that are a party to Open Skies agreements be owned and operated by the country in the agreement. With Aer Lingus still being a fully Irish, this requirement hasn’t been met since 1921, so the DOT will need to waive this part of the deal to allow Aer Lingus to operate.
Airline Potpourri
- airBaltic announced its summer 2021 schedule, connecting its Riga hub to 65 worldwide destinations.
- Cathay Pacific has painted its livery on its first Cathay Dragon airplane, an A321neo that Cathay Dragon had taken delivery of this summer before it was merged into Cathay Pacific.
- El Al received a $50 million capital injection from its owner Eli Rosenberg today, hours before sundown and the first night of Hanukkah. We’ll be watching to see what El Al receives over the next seven nights.
- LIFT Airline, a startup in South Africa flew its inaugural flights today, from Johannesburg to Cape Town and back.
- United took delivery of a new Boeing 737 MAX this week, the first MAX delivered by Boeing to the airline in the last 20 months.
Andrew’s Moment of Levity
I was cleaning the house today and I lost my ‘Gone in 60 Seconds’ DVD. It was here a minute ago.