Upgrade tips

Want to fly Virgin America as an elite member of the airline’s Elevate program? If you’ve already earned elite status with American, Delta, Southwest, or United, Virgin America will match that status, for three months.

United CEO Oscar Munoz began this morning’s investor call by acknowledging the company’s subpar operational and financial performance, and then proceeded to outline plans to increase his airline’s profit margins to levels achieved by American, Delta, and Southwest.

Hilton announced early this year that there were significant changes coming to the Honors program, set to take effect on April 3. This is a reminder of what’s coming, and how it’s likely to affect you.

For most of us, premium economy is just the scenery we walk past on the way to our coach seat. But of all the upper class seating options, premium economy is the most accessible and perhaps the easiest to justify purchasing, especially on long-haul transoceanic flights.

If “summer travel” triggers images of beachside idylls and Disney theme-park thrills, you likely drive rather than fly to your summertime vacation spots. Because summer air travel is a very different picture, indeed.

Supersonic speed – mainstream fares

For all their copious complaints about tight seating and sketchy service, consumers have proven themselves to be remarkably price-sensitive, willing to forego all manner of niceties to save a buck or two. Proof positive is the reliably robust financial performance of the likes of Southwest and Spirit.

Last week, Alaska Airlines made two significant announcements. First, the airline will be making changes to its upgrade policies and procedures. And second, it will be rolling out a premium economy product worthy of the “premium” designation.

If you’re among the privileged few whose pocketbook or corporate travel policy allows you to fly business class, you’re in for an upgrade.

Most elite members of Delta ‘s SkyMiles program probably didn’t pore over the airline’s recent Investor Day presentation. And of those that did, only a handful got as far as Slide 37 in the 56-slide deck. For their perseverance, they were rewarded with an ugly truth: First-class upgrades, already in scarce supply, are set to become scarcer still.

Bare fares—cheap coach fares with few perks and plenty of restrictions—are a thing. The unbundled fares, as they’re also called, are what have made Spirit, Frontier, and other ultra-low-cost carriers the darlings of the most price-sensitive customers, and of Wall Street. And the legacy carriers can’t afford not to compete for those flyers.

If so-called basic economy fares aren’t yet a pervasive fact of travel life, they soon will be.

Premium economy—upgraded coach service, typically featuring more legroom, priority airport services, and more amenities—is hot. And for good reason: At least in theory, it’s a win-win.

On February 28, 2017, at the stroke of midnight, Hyatt’s current loyalty program, Gold Passport, will be terminated. That’s right: terminated. As in, the end. Kaput.

Let’s be honest: We’d all fly first class if we could.

As of yesterday, American was the only one of the Big Three legacy airlines that hadn’t revealed details of its basic economy fares, the cheap coach fares with few perks and plenty of restrictions that have made Spirit, Frontier, and other ultra-low-cost carriers the darlings of the most price-sensitive customers, and of Wall Street.

That’s the copy for American’s newly launched “World’s Greatest Flyers” ad campaign. The words scroll across the screen over slick images of desert trekkers, an apple-cheeked baby, multi-colored waves of grain. Music, insipidly pleasant, swells in the background.

There’s an ongoing debate among travel junkies concerning what’s commonly referred to as premium economy. Specifically: When does an airline’s coach product legitimately deserve to be called premium economy? Is a couple of extra inches of legroom enough to qualify for the “premium” designation? An upgraded inflight entertainment system? Better meals? Priority boarding? More frequent-flyer miles?

Love ’em or hate ’em, most travelers would agree that kids on a plane can make for a stressful flight experience.

While American Express would be loathe to admit it, the purveyor of upscale rewards cards is losing traction with the well-heeled high-frequency travelers the company once considered its exclusive reserve.

Free meals in coach? Holy throwback!