Editor of @ThriftyTraveler, helping you see the world for cheap. Proud @AP, @inforum & @mndailynews alum. Bad jokes. No, like really bad. Opinions are my own.
Minnesota, USA
Joined March 2010
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Not exactly defeating the monopolist allegations by making his case to swallow American Airlines from a luxury resort that costs $3,700 to $5,500 a night.
Kirby’s current press tour is just strange.
NEW: @united CEO Scott Kirby was at the luxury Amangiri resort in Utah when he felt compelled to draft a message about his vision to merge with @AmericanAir.
Kirby said he felt all of the critics were missing the point about his goal through a tie-up of the giants.
This is officially the funniest (yet seemingly completely earnest) thing I’ve ever seen from a travel influencer.
And the bar is HIGH.
1. Airplane seats are not gallons of milk and 2 is hardly “volume.”
2. Until it cropped up last year, this pricing mechanism was unheard of for airlines.
3. The data broadly shows it’s not a discount for booking 2+. It’s a penalty for booking 1.
United declined to comment on this story.
American simply didn’t respond to multiple requests for comment.
BREAKING: As if flight prices weren't ugly enough, two major U.S. airlines are still charging solo passengers higher fares than groups of two or more.
United & especially American are increasingly penalizing solo flyers, our latest analysis found - with some egregious examples.
The penalties for booking solo w/ American or United range from mild to severe.
Booking Miami to Charlotte in December for one, it's almost $500 one way. Economy.
But add a second passenger and the same fare drops to $155 - or a $100 basic fare, which isn't an option for one.
Bilt 3.0: "We're simplifying our rewards for the third time in 3 years by eliminating a brand-new 'Cash' currency that wasn't actually cash but you could use to earn the other points currency you actually wanted while also introducing new rewards ... that we can't talk about"
Kyle Potter retweeted
I’ve was part of the launch team for the text line through Apple Business Chat. Was a well-received game changer. Sad to see the current leadership decide to sunset it.
OUT: Delta's helpful text support line, which I've used dozens of times to avoid long call wait times.
IN: Support via the AI-powered 'Delta Concierge,' which is ... questionable at best. thriftytraveler.com/news/air…
When you do not, in fact, know ball:
OK, I'll bite. If John Cassavetes is so insanely influential and brilliant, why have I not heard about him until recently?
I've been on a side-quest with classic and esoteric movies, mostly through the Criterion collection. I've watched dozens of Criterion closet picks from filmmakers and actors I admire.
They pick Cassavetes films ALL THE TIME. Probably more than any other director except Scorsese. I haven't seen a single Cassavetes film. I don't think I've ever heard anyone talk about a Cassavetes film outside of those videos.
I'm not a slouch on film, I've got a pretty wide spread on what I've seen & what I appreciate. How has Cassavetes slipped through that net so completely for so long?
Tons of newsy tidbits, anecdotes and quotes from United CEO Scott Kirby from today's Cheeky Pint podcast with @collision and @benthompson.
On Starlink rollout, future international destinations on his mind, predicting disruptions ... and also how he eats? 🧵
Kirby shot down the frequent suggestion that airlines are just credit card companies that own planes.
“There’s a cost. 50,000 people today will fly free on United today by using their credit card miles," he said.
“It’s important … but it’s blown way out of proportion.”