American Airlines

TSA expands Touchless ID + Free Wi-Fi on American Airlines + Places to go

Airports, , , ,

More airports will offer TSA’s PreCheck Touchless ID 

Having TSA PreCheck cuts down on the time it takes to pass through the airport checkpoint.

But if your airport and airline participate in TSA’s PreCheck Touchless ID program, your trip through the security checkpoint could be a bit faster.

The program allows opt-in PreCheck travelers to use a shortcut lane where their identity is verified by a photo.

To opt-in, you’ll need to add your passport information to your you frequent flier accounts with participating airlines, which currently include Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United.

A PreCheck Touchless ID indicator should appear on your boarding pass and, if you are traveling through an airport that offers the shortcut, you can access a dedicted lane for the service.

Until now, there were just 15 airports offering the service. But TSA just announced that is expanding the program to 65 airports by the end of Spring.

See the map up above for the airports where PreCheck Touchless ID is currently offered and the airports that should have the option soon.

American Airlines is the newest carrier to offer free Wi-Fi

Slowly, but surely, free Wi-Fi is coming to your airplane.

JetBlue offers it for everyone.

Delta Air Lines provides it for Sky Miles members on most flights.

Hawaiian Airlines currently offers it free on all its A330 and A321neo aircraft.

Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards members can get it free on equipped aircraft.

Atmos members with Alaska Airlines should have it on most aircraft by 2027.

And United Airlines offers free Wi-Fi to Mileage Plus members on aircraft equipped with Starlink Wi-Fi.

Several other airlines offers Wi-Fi for purchase. And, depending on their plans, T-Mobile customers can get free Wi-Fi on some airlines as well.

Now American Airlines is getting board with free Wi-Fi.

The carrier announced on Tuesday that it plans to provide free Wi-Fi provided to all AAdvantage members.

The roll out begins with American’s narrowbody and dual-class regional fleets and the plan is to have free Wi-FI on all aircraft by early spring.

Places to go and the “Hotel Hopping” trend

We know we can’t go everywhere. But we want to. Here are some ‘wants’ on our list:

Rochester, NY: MAG and the Eastman Museum


Yes, it’s likely to be really snowly and cold in Rochester, NY in January and February.

But we’d go there to visit the Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), where the exhibition Frontiers of Impressionism: Paintings from the Worcester Art Museum, featuring work by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Camille Pissarro, Mary Cassatt, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent and Paul Signac (above) is on view through March 1, 2026.

We’d also be sure to visit the historic mansion at Rochester’s Eastman Museum.

The shrine to photography beckons in winter with its annual Dutch Connection installation featuring a display of thousands of tulips, hyanciths, daffodils, amaryllis, tropical orchids and other flowers.

The museum says that George Eastman ordered tens of thousands of bulbs from Holland every year between 1905 and 1932. Most were for the garden, but many were ‘tricked’ to blooming indoors during the winter.

The annual flower disiplay is a nod to those original orders. And as a nice touch, the museum offers free Bulb Kits for kids with with museum admission. Kits include a pot, soil, and a forced bulb to take home, plant, and watch grow and flower.

Are you a ‘hotel hopper’?

And we’re encouraged to learn that we’re not the only ones who lean into “hotel hopping” when visiting a city.

We’ll sometimes book a hotel near the airport, another in town near a few attractions we want to be sure to visit and then a third in a neighborhood we want to explore.

Hotels.com has declared this a trend, noting that more than 50% of travelers book mulitple hotels in a single destination so that they can explore different neighborhoods and maximize deals and discounts.

Have you done this?

Swank new ways to fly + cool new places to fly to

Airlines, Uncategorized, , , ,

This week there was news about new planes with upgraded interiors and a bevy of “let’s go!” new routes.

Earlier this week we shared photos and notes about the new seasonal Edelweiss Air flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) to Zurich.

Alaska Airlines also announced that flights between Seattle and Rome will begin in May 2026. The carrier points out that the ‘Emerald City; will be connected to the ‘Eternal City’ for the first time.

With Hawaiian Airlines, Alaska Airlines recently launched flights to Tokyo Narita and in September will begin flying to Seoul, South Korea.

Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) celebrated new seasonal nonstop service to Athens Airport (ATH).

American Airlines woos with the ‘premium’ Boeing 787-9 aircraft

And this week, to much hoopla, American Airlines began flying one of its new 787-9P ‘premium’ aircraft, with an inaugural flight on June 5 from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).

Sadly, the Stuck at The Airport team, sadly, wasn’t on that first flight. But we look forward to hopping on board soon to experience all the new creature comforts.

Here’s a short video of the new interior that the airline shared a few weeks back.

And here’s an important public service announcement

(Image courtesy Clark County Dept of Aviation)

Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) in Las Vegas and the #WhatsMyName Foundation introduced a safety campaign that is important to remember every time and anywhere you hail a rideshare.

The foundation was created to honor Sami Josephson, a young woman kidnapped and murdered by a fake rideshare driver in 2019. The campaign uses the letters of Sami’s name to spell out the tips that could save your life.

Here are the tips to remember:

S: Stop before you get in a vehicle and go over the safety rules in the app

A: Ask your driver “What’s my name?” to confirm that they are the driver assigned to you. (Don’t say, “Are you ….”)

M: Match the make, model and license plate of the car with the one displayed in your rideshare app.

I – Inform a friend or family member of your ride details. Rideshare apps offer a real-time tracking app. Use it.

Airlines offer travel advisories/waivers for weather & 737-9 MAX inspections

Airlines, , , , , , ,

Between the storms in many regions of the country and the grounding of all Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft for inspection, there are a lot of flight cancellations, schedule disruptions, and airline travel alerts.

Here are links to the current travel advisories and waivers (as of early Tuesday, January 9, 2024) in effect for some of the major airlines. Be sure to check your airline’s website for the latest updates on these advisories,

Alaska Airlines

On its website, Alaska Airlines is advising travelers that due to Boeing 737-9 MAX aircraft inspections and winter weather in the Northeast, they are offering a flexible travel policy for travelers who want to change or cancel their flights. Original travel dates include January 9.

American Airlines

American Airlines has a travel alert for close to 60 cities that may be affected by severe weather in the Eastern US and Canada. The airline will waive your change fee if you traveling in any fare class and are scheduled to fly January 9-10 and can travel instead January 9 – 15. See here for more details on American Airlines’ travel advisory.

Delta Air Lines

for Delta Air Lines has travel advisories posted for winter weather in the Midwest that may affect more than two dozen airports and as many in the Northeastern U.S.

JetBlue

JetBlue has also issued travel alerts for winter weather in the Midwest and the Northeastern US.

In the Midwest, the airline will waive change/cancel fees and fare differences for customers traveling through January 9 to or from Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Kansas City (MCI), Milwaukee (MKE), and Minneapolis – St. Paul (MSP). The travel alert covers about 15 airports in the Northeast. Customers may rebook their flights through January 13.

Southwest Airlines

Southwest Airlines has travel alerts posted for the Midwest and the East Coast.

United Airlines

For those scheduled to fly on a Boeing 737-9 MAX airplane, United Airlines offers these options:

You can reschedule your trip and have the change fees and fare differences waived. Your new flight must be a United flight departing by January 18, 2024. Tickets must be in the same cabin and between the same cities as originally booked. Trips rebooked after January 18, 2024, will still have the change fee waived, but there may be a fare difference. Cancelling and getting a full refund is also an option.

Airlines offering heat waivers & banning pets from cargo

Weather, , , , ,

A heatwave in the Pacific Northwest and some other parts of the country is adding another challenge to air travel as we head into a holiday weekend.

As a result, some airlines, including American Airlines and United Airlines, are offering fee-free travel waivers. And Alaska Airlines has put a ban on pets traveling as cargo to and from more than a dozen cities until at least after the July 4th weekend.

Here are some of the details, and useful links to policies as of Monday evening, June 28:

Seattle-based Alaska Airlines is ‘pre-canceling’ some flights and has travel advisories posted for many cities experiencing heatwaves, including Burbank, Fresno, New Orleans, Ontario, Palm Springs, Phoenix, Portland, Redmond, Sacramento, Seattle, Spokane, Texas, and Tucson.

And while Alaska Airlines isn’t offering change fee waivers as of Monday evening, it is pre-canceling some flights.

“While we never want to let our guests down, only a small fraction of our flights have been pre-canceled and we are doing our best to re-accommodate those guests,” the airline said on its website, “

And, because of the heat, through July 7, Alaska Airlines is not accepting animals for travel in the baggage departments to or from most of the affected airports listed above. Ticketed pets are still permitted to travel in the cabin with their owners.

Waivers offered by American and United Airlines

American Airlines’ change fee waiver offer is in effect for ticketed travelers through June 29 for trips to, through, or from the cities below. The airlines’ website notes that this information was current as of June 25, 2021, so if record-breaking heat continues in these areas, the waiver could be updated or extended. Check the website for details.

  • Billings, Montana (BIL)
  • Boise, Idaho (BOI)
  • Bozeman, Montana (BZN)
  • Eugene, Oregon (EUG)
  • Eureka Arcata, California (ACV)
  • Idaho Falls (IDA)
  • Jackson Hole, Wyoming (JAC)
  • Kalispell, Montana (FCA)
  • Medford, Oregon (MFR)
  • Missoula, Montana (MSO)
  • Portland, Oregon (PDX)
  • Redmond / Bend, Oregon (RDM)
  • Reno, Nevada (RNO)
  • Sacramento, California (SMF)
  • Salt Lake City, Utah (SLC)
  • Seattle, Washington (SEA)
  • Spokane, Washington (GEG)

The heat-related travel waiver on United Airlines also currently covers travel booked through June 29 and includes this long list of cities:

  • McKinleyville, CA (ACV)
  • Boise, ID (BOI)
  • Bozeman, MT (BZN)
  • Cody, WY (COD)
  • Eugene, OR (EUG)
  • Everett, WA (PAE)
  • Great Falls, MT (GTF)
  • Helena, MT (HLN)
  • Idaho Falls, ID (IDA)
  • Jackson, WY (JAC)
  • Kalispell, MT (FCA)
  • Medford, OR (MFR)
  • Missoula, MT (MSO)
  • Moab, UT (CNY)
  • North Bend, OR (OTH)
  • Pasco, WA (PSC)
  • Portland, OR (PDX)
  • Redding, CA (RDD)
  • Redmond, OR (RDM)
  • Reno, NV (RNO)
  • Sacramento, CA (SMF)
  • Salt Lake City, UT (SLC)
  • Seattle, WA (SEA)
  • Spokane, WA (GEG)
  • Twin Falls, ID (TWF)
  • Vernal, UT (VEL)
  • West Yellowstone, MT (WYS)

Airlines, airports go pink for Breast Cancer Awareness month

Health, , , , ,

Airlines and airports are going pink to promote Breast Cancer Awareness month.

Throughough October, Tampa International Airport is lighting up its SkyConnect stations in a shade of pink. TPA’s Guest Service Representatives are all wearing pink scarves and ties and airport police officers are wearing pink ribbon-adorned badges.

Miami International Airport is also going pink during October.

Travelers will see pink signage on MIA’s Central  Boulevard welcome sign,  flight information screens, ticket counter monitors and more.

Last year, the Miami-Dade Aviation Department (MDAD) raised more than $35,000 for the American Cancer Society’sMaking Strides Against Breast Cancer (MSABC) Walk – the most of any Miami-Dade County department – through employee-led food sales, raffles, auctions and activities. This year, MDAD has partnered with concessionaires at Miami International Airport to raise more than $16,000, with the goal of surpassing its 2017 total.

Airlines are also going pink.

To raise awareness and support for breast cancer research, Delta Air Lines employees will wear pink uniforms and sell pink products, including pink lemonade and pink headsets, on board and in Delta Sky Clubs throughout the month of October.

This year, customers can also purchase Pink Boutique merchandise through the Pink Boutique online store. Proceeds from the onboard sales and online Pink Boutique benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s research projects and the overall mission of finding a cure. Delta will also donate 10 percent of all on-board sales directly to BCRF during the month of October.

American Airlines is also participating in Breast Cancer Awareness month by raising fund for the Susan B. Komen group:

  • AAdvantage customers can receive 20 AAdvantage miles for every $1 donated to Susan G. Komen with a minimum donation of $25 from Oct. 1 to Oct. 31.
  • Team members who are survivors of breast cancer will be prominently featured on aa.com, on AA flight and gate information display screens and in Admirals Clubs.
  • On planes, there will be pink beverage napkins and pink inflight menus, amenity kits, Wi-Fi portal and more.
  • Passengers will also be invited to donate directly to Susan B. Komen during flights. flight.

Other airlines and other airports will be marking Breast Cancer Awareness Month as well with fundraising efforts, information campaigns and lots of pink. If you know of a campaign, let us know.

Alaska Airlines adds 40 west coast flights for CES 2019

Flights, , , ,

Alaska Airlines joins the list of airlines adding extra flights to Las Vegas for CES 2019, the big electronics show.

Alaska Airlines plane

Alaska Airlines is adding 40 additional flights to Las Vegas from west coast tech hubs in Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Jose for people traveling to CES 2019 (the Consumer Electronics Show) next year.

The extra flights are scheduled from January 7 to January 12 and represent approximately 6,000 additional seats to and from these cities for that week.

While hotels will be very full and hotel room rates may will surely spike during the CES 2019 week, you don’t need to be attending the show to take advantage of these extra flights to and from Las Vegas.

But since these flights just got loaded into Alaska’s system, you might want to book them soon.

Other airlines are adding temporary flights for these days as well. American Airlines and Japan Airlines recently announces extra CES flights between Tokyo and Las Vegas.  Delta Air Lines, which has added CES flighs in the past, will likely announce this year’s batch shortly.

Heading to Las Vegas for CES 2019 or some other event? Be sure to make some time to visit the Neon Museum.

The museum tells the history of Las Vegas through classic, cast-off neon signs and is a great place to visit in the evening when many signs are lit.

Neon Museum Las Vegas

Neon Museum Las Vegas

A tighter leash on emotional support animals flying on American Airlines

Animals, Pets,

American Airlines becomes the latest U.S. carrier to issue renewed and tighter rules for taking emotional support and service animals on board it airplanes.

The full rules, which go into effect July 1, 2018,  are listed here, but some of the  highlights include:

To fly with an emotional/psychiatric service animal, customers must contact American’s Special Assistance Desk at least 48 hours before a flight and provide documentation.

American says validation of that documentation will include having the airline contact your mental health professional.

Certain types of animals from are now forbidden from flying as emotional/psychiatric support or service animals, including insects, amphibians, reptiles, hedgehogs, goats, ferrets, snakes, spiders, waterfowl, birds of prey, animals with tusks, horns or hooves (except specially trained horses) and animals that have an odor.

To fly for free, emotional/psychiatric support and fully-trained service animals must meet the tightened requirements, must be able to fit at your feet, under your seat or in your lap (and if flying in your lap, be smaller than a 2-year old child).

And service or emotional/psychiatric support animals will not be allowed to stick out into or block aisles; occupy a seat or eat from tray tables.

 

American Airlines rolls out Avengers: Infinity War livery

liveries, Movies, , , ,

Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Stand Up To Cancer

Cancer sucks.

American Airlines and Marvel Studios agree. So they have joined forces in the Stand Up to Cancer campaign to create a special airplane livery showing heroes from the Marvel Studios’ film Avengers: Infinity War alongside the Stand Up To Cancer logo and images of cancer researchers and American Airlines employees who are cancer survivors.

 

Photo: Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Stand Up To Cancer

The aircraft was revealed at Los Angeles International Airport on Sunday and will fly between New York and Los Angeles as part of the PSA campaign designed to raise funds and awareness for cancer research and treatments.

Want to help? Donate at least $25 to the campaign and you’ll get 10 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles for every mile donated. Details here.

https://youtu.be/djlTUsXkCuQ

Donate (and earn miles) to help Hurricane Harvey victims

Mileage Programs, Weather, , ,

The devastation in Texas caused by Hurricane Harvey is still being tallied, but it is clear many people lost their homes, their business, their livelihoods and, in some cases, their lives.

Donating money to groups such as the Red Cross is a great way to help right now and American Airlines is encouraging you to do so by offering you some bonus miles when you do.

Through September 24, 2017, AAdvantage members can earn 10 miles for every dollar they donate to the Red Cross, with a minimum donation of $25.  Donate here.

United Airlines is also encouraging you to donate to hurricane relief efforts and has set aside 3 million bonus miles and $100,000 to match contributions from Mileage Plus members made to the American Red Cross, AmeriCares, Airlink, or Operation USA through this fundraising page.

Donate $50-$99 to earn 250 bonus miles; $100-$249 to earn 500 bonus miles and donate $250 or more to earn 1,000 bonus miles.

 

 

 

Airlines + you = hurricane aid

Weather, , , ,

hurricane-matthew-weather-channel

Courtesy the Weather Channel

As Hurricane Matthew continues to pound the southeast U.S. coast, airlines are joining in to encourage everyone to donate funds to help out those affected by the storm.

American Airlines – which has canceled thousands of flights this past week due to the storm – works with the Red Cross year-round and, though Oct. 31, 2016 is giving AAdvantage members who donate $50-$100 to the Red Cross a thank-you of 250 AAdvantage miles. Those who donate $100 or more will receive a 500 AAdvantage miles award.

Details on the American Airlines offer are available here.

United Airlines is also offering some thank-you miles in exchange for your donations to help with hurricane relief efforts:

The carrier is partnering with the Red Cross, Americares, Airlink and OperationUSA and is making five million bonus miles available on a match basis to MileagePlus customers who donate to these organizations through the online donations platform, CrowdRise.

Enter your MileagePlus number when you make your donation, and you can receive miles based on the size of your gift:

·Donate $50-$99 – Earn 250 bonus miles
·Donate $100-$249 – Earn 500 bonus miles
·Donate $250 or more – Earn 1,000 bonus miles.

United’s offer is available on a first-come, first-served basis for donations made here.