Monday, November 11, 2013

Frontier Airlines Coupon Discount Code

Book a round trip flight on FlyFrontier.com with promo code SALUTE before 11/15 and get 20% off the fare.  This is the best discount code I've seen in a long time for any airline.
Frontier Airbus in Denver

Saturday, November 9, 2013

Spend United Miles Now

United is making the Venezuelan bolívar look like a stable currency.  MileagePlus miles will be worth significantly less on February 1, 2014 if you intend to use them for anything other than coach flights in North America or to Europe.  You can still book flights at the current prices until February 1, but don't wait; availability will deteriorate every day as more and more flights are booked.
I like using United miles for Lufthansa travel

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Singapore Air Is Self Centered

Singapore Airlines announced an expansion of their partnership with SAS in their email newsletter today.  Partner announcements always have an image of the partner aircraft, see Qatar joining oneworld announcements last week for ample examples.  But Singapore Air does things differently and with a strong focus on Singapore Air, so no SAS picture in the announcement.  
Singapore & SAS

Monday, November 4, 2013

Frontier Business Bookings

Frontier doesn’t want anyone making a reservation outside of FlyFrontier.com.  To discourage third party bookings, they charge $25 for a carryon bag, don’t allow advanced seat selection, and award 25% for flown mileage.  All great motivations to book on FlyFrontier.com, but I have to use the corporate travel service at my new job, so my flight is booked through AMEX travel services.  I feel Frontier could refine this policy to not alienate business travelers that don’t have a choice in the booking method.  I can book Southwest flights through SWABIZ, I'd like Frontier to create a similar portal. 
Frontier A319's at Denver

Friday, November 1, 2013

My Postcard to Jeff Smisek

Jeff,

The greatest value of a points program is the aspirational aspect of the awards; the unattainable is now in reach.  The new MileagePlus pricing model moves the unattainable out of reach, destroying the value of the program. 

-Andrew Bussa
Protest Postcard
I feel this is an appropriate method to protest the new MileagePlus pricing model.  You too can write to Jeff Smisek, co/United Airlines, PO Box 66100, Chicago, IL, 60666.

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Rain But No Delays

Small to medium airports have their benefits, mainly they are more relaxed experiences.  This is especially true during bad weather because they can better handle problems with their excess runway capacity.  You can get a direct flight from SFO to almost anywhere, but a little fog cancels dozens of flights.  Interesting trade offs. 
US Airways E175 at IND

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Airbus Using Data To Bash Boeing

Airbus and Boeing have a very long debate going on who makes the better aircraft.  Mostly this debate focuses on fuel consumption per seat and aircraft cost.  Both of those items are surprisingly difficult to compare.  Airlines always bargain the purchase price down and then get deals on parts, service, or financing.  Fuel economy is a though one because it depends on configuration and different airlines rarely have a the same configuration.  Airbus is now trying to win on coach seat comfort.  Boeing seats are 17in wide and Airbus seats are 18in wide.  That extra inch makes all the difference or so says Airbus.  As a frequent traveler, I like the focus on the customer experience, but how far can airlines go without losing revenue?
17" Seats on a 737