Is $50/hour a fair price to pay for upgrading to a business class seat? American Airlines suggested that price to me last week, and after a long couple days of work north of Los Angeles I took the offer. With a transcon flight home ahead, I figured the extra space and comfort would be worthwhile. It was a pleasant and comfortable trip, though the A321T fleet is starting to show its age.
Product Reviews
A fresh take on the Breeze in-flight experience
Yes, Breeze Airways flies under the low cost carrier concept. But executives hope the airline will be seen more as a “Nice Low Cost Carrier, a niche of its own where we really focus on treating guests the right way.” Here’s how that’s playing out, nine months into the airline’s operations.
JetBlue’s Mint Studio to London: Most of the premium, none of the crowd
With half of the aircraft space devoted to the Mint business class cabin it is clear that JetBlue wants to win over the premium travel market to London. And while loads are light as service ramps up (and COVID continues to impact international travel rules), the on-board offering represents well versus the competition.
JetBlue across the Atlantic: A compelling coach offering to London
From the moment the company announced its plans, there was little doubt that JetBlue would bring a different take to the transatlantic market. The real question was what the execution would look like. Now that the A321LRs are flying the answer is clear: It is phenomenal.
Flying on Flair: A Canadian ULCC Adventure
What’s the experience like on Flair’s new 737 MAX? Just fine, once you get to that point, though also a bit less than expected.
Flight Report: Vistara’s domestic 787 experience
This is certainly not how Vistara expected its 787s to be flying as it launched the new fleet and expanded its global footprint. Still, the on-board experience offers several bright spots as the company adapts to the COVID-19 era of service.
Bamboo Airways (maybe) delivers the "value" carrier promise
Bamboo Airways (mostly) operates a fleet of single-aisle Airbus A320 family planes. It is a mishmash of configurations and arrangements. Still, it is a mostly positive experience on board, one that makes flying with Bamboo pleasurable.
Putting AirAsia’s new GX WiFi to the test
Deploy quickly and work out the bugs along the way. That’s not a typical approach to anything in the aviation world, and for good reason. But for AirAsia’s GX Aviation WiFi deployment that’s the plan, even if it means some hiccups along the way, as were experienced during a recent demonstration flight.
What to expect on board as United’s new CRJ550 takes flight
Removing nearly 30% of the seats from an aircraft is guaranteed to make the remaining product a more comfortable experience. Still, until United Airlines opened up its new CRJ550 to passengers over the weekend it was not clear just how much better the on board passenger experience would be. This plane is a big win, and not just for first class passengers.
On board the new JetBlue A321neo
What’s it like to fly on JetBlue’s newest A321neo? Come along on board as I put it through the paces.