Delta Airlines

Delta Expands Private Jet Fleet With New Acquisition

Filed under: Wings

After a year of private jet bad news signs of life are starting to emerge and now Delta Air Lines' private jet subsidiary, Delta AirElite will be massively expanding its fleet of small craft with the acquisition of Segrave Aviation. The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Delta's all-cash purchase of Segrave will add 21 aircraft to AirElite's fleet of 24 planes. The expansion will also improve Web-based booking and the travel experience for fleet membership card and charter customers. Delta didn't reveal the exact terms of the deal. Segrave operates a fleet of managed aircraft and specializes in wholesale charter aviation services, private aircraft management, aircraft maintenance and fixed base operations.

Because Delta offers both commercial and private jet service it offers flexibility for travelers. Delta AirElite passengers can also earn SkyMiles (Delta's reward program) and immediate Medallion qualification up to Diamond status. The fleet includes aircraft such as Hawker Beechcraft, Lear 60 and Challenger 604 jets. With recent security concerns, longer lines, more ancillary charges and airport delays, the private jet option is becoming more appealing once again. Last month my colleague Tom Johansmeyer stated that private jet travel is back and gave four solid reasons why.

Tags: delta air elite, delta airelite, Delta Airlines, DeltaAirElite, DeltaAirlines, jet charter, JetCharter, private jets, PrivateJets, segrave

Continental Joins Cashless Cabin Trend

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

If you are flying Continental Airlines this holiday season you can leave your cash in your wallet. The airline has announced that starting today, the flight crews will only accept credit and debit cards for on-board purchases (except duty-free purchases). The crew will have new hand-held devices meant to be more convenient for customers.

Continental says the change is a result of customer feedback from those tired of fumbling for money and making correct change. The hand-held devices read cards for purchases of alcoholic beverages and headsets but also provide sales information for the airline to help better manage product inventory. The new cashless system is be available on all Continental Airlines mainline flights, except for service to and from China as Continental is still working on a process for accepting that country's predominant credit card, The China Union Pay card. Cash is still being accepted on Continental Express, Continental Connection and Continental Micronesia flights but plans to switch to a cashless cabin on those flights in the first quarter of 2010.

As our sister blog Daily Finance recently reported, Delta has also switched to the cashless cabin. On the Daily Finance article there is a spirited debate going on in the comments about the legality of banning cash and about whether or not it really is more convenient for the business traveler to use a credit card. It seems likely that the cashless cabin is a trend that will only increase as time goes on. I'm just waiting for the airline iPhone app that lets you pay directly from your phone.

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Tags: cashless cabin, CashlessCabin, continental airlines, ContinentalAirlines, delta airlines, DeltaAirlines, flights