What’s new in the world of air travel? U.S. airlines raise luggage fees, United Airlines streamlines your boarding process and Wow Air plans an IPO.
Tweet of the Week
Cathay Pacific spells own name wrong on new plane https://t.co/HsYAlKxcfS
— BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) September 19, 2018
US Airlines Raise Luggage Fees
Things you might say to your SO and airline carrier: What’s up with the extra baggage (fees)? Delta Air Lines increased its checked luggage fees this morning from $25 to $30 for the first bag and from $35 to $40 for the second—making it the third US airline to raise its prices since Aug. 27. JetBlue and United, as well as Canada’s WestJet Airlines and Air Canada, have all jumped on the trend in previous weeks. Some blame climbing fuel prices. Some blame JetBlue (they did it first)—to which JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes said, “We want to have what makes a difference to the customer. And everywhere else, we just need to be competitive. And those products, they’re an investment, right? If you have more leg room, TV and Wi-Fi, it costs money to provide that.”
Our advice: Save the baggage for therapy. Pack light with these smart tips.
United Improves Boarding Process
Now boarding: your sanity. After a year of testing out new boarding concepts, United Airlines rolled out its new and improved boarding process on Wednesday at more than 1,000 gates in the world. This one’s customer-approved. Major changes include notifying passengers when a flight is boarding through in-app alerts and reducing the number of boarding lanes from five to two to prevent overcrowding and the inexplicable compulsion to guard one’s spot in line. Another change: MileagePlus Premier 1K and Mileage Plus Premiere Gold flyers will move up in boarding groups.
Flying United at a streamlined gate? Tweet us about your experience to get featured.
Wow Air Plans IPO to Raise $300 Million
Low-cost Icelandic carrier Wow Air is planning to go public and aims to raise $200 to $300 million in 12 to 18 months, CEO Skuli Mogensen told the Financial Times. He will sell less than half the company. The popular airline operates affordable flights between Europe, North America, Tenerife, Tel Aviv and India via Reykjavik’s Keflavik International Airport (KEF). European airlines Alitalia, Small Planet, Air Berlin and Monarch Airlines, take note. (They have all become insolvent or kaput in the past year.)
