JetBlue X Spirit Merger Attempt Officially Comes To An End

Live And Let's Fly: "JetBlue and Spirit Airlines will go separate ways after deciding that the obstacles of a merger were too much to overcome."

"JetBlue and Spirit released statements disagreeing with the ruling and noting that options for appeal were being explored. But recognizing the uphill battle, JetBlue and Spirit have now officially broken off their merger plan and will not pursue a union further at this time."

"Perhaps JetBlue also realized that it was vastly overpaying for Spirit Airlines? It must now pay a $69 million fee to Spirit, baked into the merger agreement, but will have to look at other avenues for growth."

Points Wire Note:

JetBlue hasn't been on the winning side of anti-trust cases lately. They recently lost their Northeast Alliance with American Airlines as well. However, its seems like a different partnership structure with American Airlines could work, so I'll be curious to see if they give that another try.

New Lufthansa Business Class Coming To Vancouver First

The Bulkhead Seat: "Lufthansa announced that it was updating its Business Class cabins in 2017. All sorts of delays popped up across the pandemic and aircraft delivery. There was no word on what route would see the new seats first until this week when the German carrier shared that flights between Munich International Airport (MUC) and Vancouver International Airport (YVR) would be first this coming May."

American Airlines Makes It Harder To Fly Standby

View From The Wing: "Starting this Friday, March 1 you must be an AAdvantage member to take advantage of free standby. So that’s a new restriction on standby, though of course people can join the program at the airport."

"What wasn’t previously announced, though, but American is now telling customers is that they won’t be able to get added to the standby list by a customer service agent or gate agent. Standby requests will be self-serve only:"

Coming Soon: DC To Get Amex Lounge And Capital One Landing In Q2

Professor of Points: "Both American Express and Capital One have been building lounges at Ronald Reagan National Airport. The American Express Centurion Lounge at DCA will be the traditional American Express lounge (although, presumably one of the smallest). Capital One is opening the Capital One Landing in collaboration with Jose Andres."

Langham Launches New (But Uninspired) Loyalty Program

One Mile At A Time: "The company has just unveiled a new loyalty program, named Brilliant by Langham, which is launching this week. Frankly, the program doesn’t seem particularly inspiring, especially since you’d think Langham would use this as a point of differentiation, given its small footprint."

New Oneworld Lounge In Amsterdam Now Open

One Mile At A Time: "Amsterdam Schiphol is a logical location for oneworld to open a lounge. Keep in mind that the intent of the oneworld lounge network is to offer lounges at airports where oneworld carriers themselves don’t operate lounges, but where there are a significant number of oneworld carriers with lounge needs."

"I recently had the chance to check out oneworld’s new lounge at Seoul Incheon, and I’ll be reviewing it soon. In terms of soft product, I’d definitely recommend managing your expectations with these lounges, as I didn’t find the lounge to be much better than your typical contract lounge in terms of food and drinks, aside from bartender-made cocktails."

Etihad Announces New Pajamas (In Business Class Too)

One Mile At A Time: "Etihad has just announced some substantial improvements to its inflight amenities. Not only is Etihad revamping its amenity kits and skincare products, but the airline is also introducing pajamas in business class on select flights, plus tote bags in economy."

Points Wire Note:

Etihad's recent first class amenity kits were provided by Acqua di Parma. At one point, these were impressive kits complete with travel-sized shampoo, body lotion, etc. However, that changed and the first class amenity kits were similar to the Acqua di Parma kits on Air Canada in business class.

The reintroduction of pajamas in business class reminds me of my Etihad flight from Johannesburg (JNB) to Abu Dhabi (AUH) in November 2017. In the months leading up to my flight, Etihad stopped offering pajamas in business class. The passenger in front of me  didn't keep up with aviation news was surprised and furious. He proceeded to yell at the flight attendant who was clearly responsible for this corporate decision.

He continued to be a pain throughout the flight. As we disembarked the plane, I noticed his top-tier elite status bag tags. You would think a person who interacts with flight crews on a regular basis would know better, but you'd be wrong. Anyway, be nice to your crew. Enjoy airline PJs when you can get them.

JetBlue Quietly Increases Checked Bag Fees

JetBlue increased the cost of checked bags without an announcement. They simply changed the rates listed on their site. An airline hiding a free increase... just what customers love to see.

Your first checked bag will now cost $35 and a second checked bag will cost $50 if you pay at least 24 hours prior to departure. If you wait until within 24 hours of departure, your first checked bag will cost $5 and your second will cost $60. Third and fourth checked bags will cost $125 and $150, respectively.

Mosaic elite status and Mint (business class) tickets also continue to included two free checked bags. If you have the JetBlue Plus Card, you and three travel companions on your reservation can get a one free checked bag if you pay for the flight with your card.

American Airlines Checked Bag Fees Hit New High

View From The Wing: "American Airlines has increased first and second checked bag fees to a most-expensive in the industry $40 per first checked bag on domestic U.S. itineraries and $45 for the second checked bag. They’ve also increased checked bag fees for travel to Central America and the Caribbean."

Points Wire Note:

While I wouldn't make co-branded credit cards a focus of a points strategy, a Barclays or Citi AA card could make sense if you need to check bags regularly on domestic/regional flights.

Etihad Takes Delivery Of Boeing 787s With New Business Class

One Mile At A Time: "In early 2023, Etihad Airways unveiled plans to introduce a new business class seat, which is debuting on newly delivered Boeing 787s. It’s not just business class getting a refresh, as there are also new economy seats, as well as improved Wi-Fi."

"There’s now an exciting update — while we still don’t know exactly when this aircraft will enter service, Etihad took delivery of its first of these jets this week, so I imagine it will have its first passenger flight soon."