News and notes from around the interweb:
- Airline partnerships — outside of joint ventures — still matter. 30% of TAP Air Portugal’s Boston passengers start their journey on JetBlue.
- Bill Franke: the man responsible for turning around America West and Spirit Airlines, who hired Doug Parker and Scott Kirby
There is a certain push-comes-to-shove between customer service and the low-cost model that the market needs to understand. In Europe, they do understand. That’s the model.
- Third time ever a case of meningococcal disease was contracted on a plane The investigative report is just out, though the incident happened two years ago on a flight from Japan to Germany.
- HSBC has a new premium rewards credit card for folks with $100,000 or more with the bank, and it’s pretty much a me-too product.
- No one ever expects the Spanish Inquisition: Malaysia Airlines says announcement of CEO move to Ryanair ‘Unexpected’
- An indie band resurrected former Star Alliance member airline Ansett Australia (which I much enjoyed flying) for a music video. (HT: The Flight Detective)
- NOOOOO!!!!
Bill Franke is definitely in the Airline Industry Hall of Fame. While the products he’s created have not always been “fun to fly,” they’ve been great business models — and have saved consumers untold millions of dollars.
It’s not widely known, but he’s just started a new low fare airline in Chile called JetSmart. What’s odd is that, on its face, Chile doesn’t need a new low fare airline. The two incumbent airlines, LATAM and Sky, already offer cheap fares and service little better than Spirit and Frontier. But LATAM and Sky still let you bring a rollerboard for free, and JetSmart doesn’t. In Franke’s new venture succeeds, the worldwide trend to barebones service will probably accelerate.
I’m shocked that Lucky hasn’t picked up on the naked man in Lufthansa. Great scoop Gary!!! 🙂
What’s the problem? I sleep naked too.
i went to school with Tina Arena in Melbourne, she was from my the suburb i grew up in.
Yep. Loved Ansett Australia too…Was working for them the day they went out of business in the same week as 9-11…’twas a bad week.
remember good old Reg Ansett 🙂
and Budget Car Rentals