American Airlines News

American changed its AAdvantage loyalty program to a revenue-based model earlier this year and its members seem to be angrier than usual. But is the furor enough for American to act?

Scott Kirby, known for his strong financial acumen, could be the savior United's investors have been seeking.

American has gone more high-end with its new advertising campaign.

It's becoming clear that airlines are not done with their loyalty experimentation.

Airlines like to strike a delicate balance with on-time performance. They want to be reliable, but they don't necessarily want sky-high on-time rates. An always-punctual operation is expensive.

With American Airlines capitulating, in-flight entertainment on all three legacy carriers is now completely free. The next phase of competition will likely revolve around the quality of that content with each airline trying to out-do the other.

A good operational meltdown like Delta's should make travelers nostalgic for the good old days, when carriers regularly cooperated to help each other's passengers.

Sometimes generosity and taking care of your most loyal customers gives a halo that is not immediately visible, but can have long-term benefits and end up saving your skin.

Those who fly on partner carriers and accrue miles to AAdvantage won't be happy with American's new unannounced changes to its loyalty program.

The Jeff Katz and Boston Consulting Group startup Dihedral -- with an assist from two major airlines and four hotel chains -- can turn out to be something huge or meander nowhere like some of the traveler journeys they'll be charting. Certainly the two have a track record and they are hitting all the right notes, including Big Data and experiences.