Scott Kirby Says Only Two Premium Airlines Can Exist — Passenger Photos Show United Isn’t One Of Them

I receive compensation for content and many links on this blog. Be aware that websites may earn compensation when a customer clicks on a link, when an application is approved, or when an account is opened. Citibank is an advertising partner of this site, as is American Express, Chase, Capital One, and others. Any opinions expressed in this post are my own, and have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by my advertising partners. I do not write about all offers that are available -- instead focusing on miles, points, and cash back (and currencies that can be converted into the same). Terms apply to the offers and benefits listed on this page.News and notes from around the interweb: United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby says only two premium airlines can exist, but maybe one of them isn’t actually United? I hate airline tweets BUT this is an actual sofa in @united club in Newark. And I paid for my kids to sit on it. I know first world problems.. pic.twitter.com/pShPRzqv7Z — Benjamin J. Davies MD, MBA (@daviesbj) August 1, 2026 @united seriously dudes, I’m a premier member second time in a month I have gotten in a first class set with a broken table. Last flight was from EWR to LIS now FLL to EWR. No problem charging thousands of dollars to the consumer huge problem with this broken down equipment. pic.twitter.com/odATdHVHb7 — Susan Palenik (@susanpal0715) August 1, 2026 Hey @united I just got on the UA2799 from Ind to SF and not only was it delayed the seat is super dirty as well. pic.twitter.com/jCpfcOIGhL — Aishwarya Ramasethu (@Aishwarya1955) August 1, 2026 Is Avios devaluation inevitable? From the first half results report from British Airways parent IAG, the loyalty arm’s profit rose 25% to $321.7 million, and reported a 19% margin. Avios issuance rose 15%, mostly due to banks. Redemptions though increased just 6%, and they blamed Mideast suspensions and fewer people flying Qatar Airways due to the unpleasantness in the region. They’re printing points, premium opportunities to use them are constrained, they’re making more money but increasing future liabilties. That to me suggests – if trend continues – future devaluation. The Citi Strata EliteSM Card (See rates and fees.) includes a Blacklane credit. Bilt Rewards should be introducing one. GHA Discovery has a new status-earning and discounts tie-in with Blacklane. So it may be useful to sign up for a (free) account. I have 3 referrals to offer with code Fr5JT for $40 off first ride. Since the Citi Strata Elite benefit is a statement credit, it stacks with this. (Note I’d also get $40 off my next booking as well.) Not sure how long all these credits are going to last through Blacklane’s acquisition by Uber, for what it’s worth. Not that they won’t! Just an interesting wrinkle. Singapore Airlines is trialing a personal concierge for Suites and first class passengers departing Changi Terminal 3. Assigned in The Private Room, the concierge monitors flights, handles disruptions and shopping requests, then provides buggy transport to the gate and front-of-line security access. Capital One 15% transfer bonus to Avianca LifeMiles through August 31, 2026. DFW airport wants to buy the Hyatt Regency there for $193.65 million they already own the Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Place and the under-construction Hyatt House. It seems to me this airport should never again receive federal subsidies. (Many such cases.) Amtrak unveils restructuring plan Loyalty program redesign shows what consulting work will survive AI consultants aren’t being paid primarily to give you the answer, but to give the buyer the answer the want to get internal buy-in within the organization, and as long as people are involved in work we have organizations and they’re political valuing different things. So consultants are a tool for moving forward with the solution you already need. AI can’t do the organization work itself because the relevant knowledge is tacit and private. AI (so far) gives you the solution, not the performative element. Of course “the AI says that” is itself a political tool. A consultant I had lunch with recently is redesigning the loyalty program of a large airline. His team finished the analysis in two weeks. Months later the program still does not exist. This is because the purpose of the assignment is not to solve an analytical case study, but to figure out which redesign the parties will accept, and to get the people with authority to commit to implementing it. …So the consultants spend weeks doing an enormous amount of work that looks peripheral to the problem. They repeatedly meet the head of the loyalty program, then the CFO, then the CEO. They also meet the commercial partners, and that means meeting the head of loyalty, then the finance team, then the chief executive. They revise the proposal. They redo the presentation. And all of these people speak different languages. Organizations have different internal codes because they care about different things and deal with different problems. What the consultants are doing is a mix of analysis, translation and intermediation. The assignment of the consultants is to design a program that is an agreement that the relevant parties will authorize and implement. Once the analysis is cheap, what remains is to learn what each party will actually accept, and to obtain commitments from those who are authorized to make them. Topics on this page Editorial note: any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any card issuer. Comments made in response to this post are not provided or commissioned nor have they been reviewed, approved, or otherwise endorsed by any bank. It is not the responsibility of advertisers Citibank, Chase, American Express, Barclays, Capital One or any other advertiser to ensure that questions are answered, either. Terms and limitations apply to all offers.