AA Unveils RevAAmped AAdvantage Program
American Airlines unveiled a brand new AAdvantage loyalty program today that will simplify the ways to earn elite status on the carrier while turning loyalty earning as we know it on its head.
Beginning in 2022, AAdvantage elite status will be earned via Loyalty Points. AA Gold will need 30k points, AA Platinum will require 75k, AA Platinum Pro will be 125k, AA Executive Platinum will be 200k Loyalty Points, and AA Gilded Platinum Dipped in Caviar-Encrusted Gold will require 3.4 million Loyalty Points.
As for earning Loyalty Points, flying starts at 5x base miles per dollar spent with bonuses added based on status. Loyalty Points are earned on all AA tickets, including basic economy. Class of service bonuses will also apply to allow customers to increase their points total more quickly, and points can be earned when flying oneworld partner airlines and JetBlue.
There are also points to be earned via credit card spend, and spending money with various AA partners. The carrier considered offering Loyalty Points for customers who booked high-value Business Select fares on Southwest out of Love Field only to cancel them 15 minutes before departure but ended up leaving that out. For more on AA’s new AAdvantage program, please visit today’s post on crankyflier.com.
JetBlue’s Q3 Results Are Good, But Cost Concerns Remain
JetBlue Airways released its Q3 earnings this morning after finally receiving permission from AA to make the announcement. The carrier beat Wall Street’s estimates for Q3 on revenue strength, while showing a net profit of $130 million for the quarter, a dramatic improvement from its nearly $400 million loss in Q3 2020.
The carrier’s total revenue for the quarter totaled $1.97 billion beating the pre-quarter estimates of $1.93 billion despite seeing capacity decline 0.8% from Q3 in 2019. The $1.97 billion revenue figure was a 5.5% drop from the third quarter of 2019, but better than the 6-9% drop that was expected. The problem is on the cost side which is expected to see greater growth than revenues going forward.
JetBlue paid back $74 million in regular debt during the three months while also paying back $115 million in CARES Act loans and $105 of bank loans. It ends the quarter with $3.3 billion in cash and cash equivalents. Of that, $400 million is being spent on a campaign to bring The American Way back onboard AA aircraft, just over $1 billion is being used on B6 hearts AA billboards in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area, and the rest is being spent on lawyers to fend off the DOJ lawsuit over the Northeast Alliance.
United to Finally Begin Newark-DC Shuttle Service
United Airlines announced today it will begin shuttle service between Newark and Washington/National, a service the carrier announced in 2019 but had held off on launching due to the pandemic and general operational malaise.
The service will begin this Sunday – on Halloween – and will operate 18 times a day from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., all seven days of the week. The carrier is also adding five new flights from Newark to Washington/Dulles, giving it nine total flights between those airports each day.
The flights represent slot squatting more than anything else, as the DOT goes back to “use it or lose it,” with most slot-controlled airport exemptions for domestic travel coming to an end on November 1. UA launching these new flights on Halloween make the DOT deadline with a whole day to spare. The unnecessary flights will operate on UA’s most unnecessary airplane these days, the business-friendly CRJ-550. The CRJ comes with 10 seats up front, 20 in Economy Plus and 20 for the hoi polloi in the back.
- Air Calédonie is grounding all flights until November 7 while New Caledonia sorts out its health pass regulations.
- Air Transat will begin seasonal, weekly service between Quebec City and London/Gatwick this summer from May 11 to September 28.
- Alaska and Zero Avia announced plans for a hydrogen-electric powertrain capable of flying 76-seat Q400 turboprop more than 500 miles. The official stance of Cranky Daily is for our readers to not hold their breath.
- Avelo petitioned the DOT to allow it to change its legal name to — Avelo Airlines, Inc. The previous legal name of “Crashy McMoneyLoser, Inc.” was deemed inappropriate.
- Avianca‘s unsecured creditors approved its reorganization plan ahead of today’s hearing in U.S. bankruptcy court.
- Breeze unveiled its first A220-300 aircraft today in Mobile with half the airplane having First Class-style seating.
- Bonza, the new Australian LCC that seems completely unnecessary says that 30 airlines have shown interest in the carrier. Ok.
- GOL completed refinancing of $215 million of short-term debt.
- Hawaiian is doubling the size of its premium cabin on its new B787-9 aircraft, putting 34 flat bed business class seats in the pointy end of the plane. The new aircraft are also expected to come with self-serve POG juice dispensers at each premium class seat.
- JetBlue is down to just 300 unvaccinated employees who do not have an approved exemption.
- Southwest announced a new Rapid Rewards Business Program allowing travelers to earn Rapid Rewards points for The Man when traveling on the company dime.
My neighbor hired me to paint his house last week. He asked me why I charged him for my time and labor but not the paint. I said “because the paint is on the house.”