News and notes from around the interweb:
- Defend prioritizing upgrades for pilots over passengers all you want, customers do not like it.
@AmericanAir Just passed two deadheading pilots in first class while I’m seated between two oversized people in the back. $474 one way, Executive Platinum. Thanks for taking care of your valued passengers! pic.twitter.com/c39xNUwEMV
— Kevin (@Kevin62157635) June 18, 2025
- Leading LGBTQ+ bar seeks to open in Chicago O’Hare’s United terminal
- It’s not just the $26 water bottle in the room, Aria Las Vegas charges you a fee for using the mini-fridge in your room.
This hotel in Vegas that charges a fee for keeping your own bottles in the mini fridge of the room you paid for
byu/nopetynopetynops inmildlyinfuriating - Azul’s frequent flyer program has an interesting feature, burn before you earn where they let members redeem for travel and then they help you earn the points to cover it. More discussion here.
- Many such cases, but is this really a better return for the driver than just doing the ride?
An Uber driver was caught lacking using Facebook while leaving a rider waiting for over 10 minutes; the rider confronted him, accusing him of trying to scam.
— Rain Drops Media (@Raindropsmedia1) June 18, 2025
- What’s the social change model embedded here, exactly?
Protestors from Minnesota celebrated Palestine on their flight back from their humiliating trip in Egypt while ignoring the flight attendant’s repeated request to return to their seats. pic.twitter.com/PwlWbIaLtW
— Leviathan (@l3v1at4an) June 19, 2025
- All the new things you can redeem United PlusPoints for since your upgrades will never clear
Look for… the Union Label….
There is no such thing as palestine, just arab squatters on Jewish land.
Do pilots really need to sit in F when they deadhead. What the union is saying is that E is below class for the over weight old pilots. That these Disabled men need bigger seats
“Slammed”!
@Walter Barry — So, you with Ted or Tucker on Iran?
Post pandemic, I’ve never had a pilot upgraded before me into F, and I have the lowest status. I guess I’m just lucky, or, wait for it, I just pay for F with $ or miles. I’d rather sit next to a dead-heading pilot than the complaining EP guy.
So do we call the male drama queen’s “Kevin” after his little pout there in coach cabin?
@Walter Barry:
There are definitely squatters in Mandatory Palestine, but none of them are Palestinian.
Protestors from Minnesota celebrated Palestine…
Never any severe air turbulence when you really need it.
SIDETRACK AT ORD? OMG! GURL YASSSS.
There are a lot of Cry Babies on planet earth. Always crying about something.
Gary,
You consistently advocate for lower wages and decreased benefits of airline crew, as well as decreased requirements. You belittle people and passengers constantly on your blog with name calling. You are a bad human and neighbor. You will have no sympathy when it’s your turn.
Why do you do these things? What’s your endgame?
Upgrades are an illusory benefit. Stop complaining. If you want to be in First, you need to P A Y. Duh.
The Park Hyatt Beaver Creek Vail once charged me $14 to keep the mini bar locked. I had the kids with me and was uncomfortable with them having access to alcohol. It amounted to a fee for doing absolutely nothing
$474 lol… Executive Platinum.
Its almost certain he paid $0, and his status is OPM – which is why he flies Y and begs for upgrades.
Just shut up and take your seat in the back, the one that your corporate overlord paid for.
Unexpected severe turbulence would have been so amusing in the middle of that little pro-terrorist dance on the way back to see Ilhan Omar and her brother – er, husband.
These protestors from Minnesota, kicked out (deported) from Egypt, are so appropriately represented by the chief anti-Semite in US Congress. They have no brains and no shame.
Why were they not arrested upon landing, for not compliance with FA demands?
Those same shameless protesters were probably flying home to go to s climate change protest.
Sorry if you’re an elite flying coach the US3 just don’t see you as that valuable. If you want/need first so bad then buy first or pay for an upgrade.
The thought of Showtune Sunday and Drag Race watch parties at ORD makes the misery of that airport much much more tolerable.
> You consistently advocate for lower wages and decreased benefits of airline crew, as well as decreased requirements. You belittle people and passengers constantly on your blog with name calling. You are a bad human and neighbor. You will have no sympathy when it’s your turn.
@KB…
Do you realize how many benefits airline crews already have? Have you seen pilot wages recently? Moreover, how the quality in service continues to decline, while crews cry for more pay? I think AA needs to prioritize those paying the high compensation for those pilots…
We get upgraded on rare occasions when we’re travelling for work, which means we’ll be flying that day. It’s important to be rested when we’re flying our plane.
For the customer, EP are usually upgraded for free. If you want to guarantee an upgrade, then you need to buy first class or pay for it. Otherwise, enjoy the many times you fly first for free.
I recently flew in economy next to an overweight passenger who was in my seat from MIA to LAX.
@Mike — Slay, queen!
Face it, there is just not enough premium capacity on airplanes today to accommodate the increasing number of passengers PAYING for First and Business, let alone the elite Frequent Fliers who want free upgrades when they pay for coach.
Deadheading pilots are on duty (most of the time) and therefore are getting paid by the airline while sitting. As such, they should ride in the cockpit jumpseat to help in case of emergency and to improve safety instead of being paid to do Tetris in business class seats.
Buy a first class ticket. On my AA flight today (6/20) two pilots were first on the upgrade list. Neither pilot got upgraded and no passengers were downgraded.
Mr. Executive Platinum,
You bought an Economy Ticket. The pilots (collectively) paid for First Class Deadhead. If you want an occasional free upgrade keep playing the game. If you want a guaranteed First Class seat, buy one.
Gary Leff,
Whatever.
Courtney,
How do the pilots negatively affect your experience? You’re punishing the cashier for how the manager runs the store.
Have you seen how badly the wages for pilots were the last 2 decades? The layoffs? The vanishing of pensions? The lives upended?
All people like you and Gary see are numbers.
So I’ll ask you what I asked: why do you advocate for lower wages. You know it won’t affect our ticket prices.
BTW, you’re defending Gary, a millionaire who uses his platform to push for lower wages of people who make less than him. Not sure that’s the camp you want to be in.
@kb. As Courtney says if the wages are so bad the pilots can get a job elsewhere
No one is forcing them to stay
Dillon,
That’s a pretty simplistic view of a complex issue. It doesn’t account for the specialized skills and training required, the potential disruption to their lives (removing benefits and wages), or the broader implications for the industry.
Your argument makes no sense. Let’s drive down wages so they’re forced to leave? Where does that stop?
Courtney didn’t say the wages are bad. Courtney said their wages are high, so they don’t get to have additional benefits.
None of you answer any questions; just repeating Gary’s garbage because you *might* get passed over for a FREE upgrade.
And again, why do you advocate for lowering of their wages, when you know it will do nothing for our ticket price?
STOP with the fake outrage – no one was downgraded to accommodate these pilots – You just didn’t get your free upgrade this time – FWP!
Sidetracks at ORD! Finally a reason to fly through ORD instead of avoiding it.
Upper AA management rides confirmed in first class.They don’t wear a uniform taking a first class seat away from a upgrade. Suggest pilots wear a different shirt when deadheading. As others said “Buy a first class ticket” when available.
@John C — If you were running an airline (upper management), I’d think you’d want to ‘blend in’ and ‘learn a thing or two’ sitting all over any aircraft, upfront, last row middle, everything. Executives who think of themselves as a superior race of person are myopic. Besides, domestic First recliner on a 737 is not ‘that great’…
I love to look at the upgrade list on a domestic flight I’m taking in F. I just have to chuckle at 25 names on a list for a plane with 8, 12, or16 F seats, all or nearly all of which have already been spoken for. I last had status that could get me upgraded to F on TWA. I was upgraded a lot. How can anyone expect an upgrade to F today? Things have changed; adjust your expectations.
If the pilots are deadheading in first class, then they (through hard-fought contract negotiations) along with their employer, American Airlines, PAID for those seats. If Mr. Kevin wanted to sit in first class, he could have purchased a seat in that cabin as well.