Just got my son’s hospital and NICU bill. It cost him $35,341.22 to be born! Thankfully we have good insurance — we only owe $1,059.90.
“Why aren’t millennials having more kids?”
That’s on top of the $72,000 billed (so far) for my wife’s care — again, just about a grand out of pocket because we’re fortunate enough to have good insurance. Grateful that lifetime limits were banned under the ACA.
For the record this is not a complaint about the absolutely top notch, compassionate and incredible care we received. Healthcare practitioners are stuck in this flawed system just like their patients.
Reiterating that I’m grateful we received amazing care and have good health coverage, and cognizant that this isn’t the case for everyone. I don’t know what the solution is for our system, I just know everyone should have access to quality healthcare without financial ruin.
People’s lives are likely going to be ruined by the Southwest meltdown; I don’t think that’s hyperbole at this point.
People spend everything they can spare to fly their families home for the holidays. Now they’re stuck stranded, choosing between missing work or paying…
Lockheed Martin stock is down more than 5% a day after a Twitter Blue-verified account impersonated the defense company and said it was halting sales to certain countries, including the U.S.
Similar declines at Eli Lilly after an impersonator Twitter account. $LMT $LLY
I think a lot of industry insiders and commentators are forgetting that while this is a big deal for Southwest Airlines and the industry as a whole, for countless individuals, this could be a life-altering disaster.
Lots of comments on social media posts of ATC audio saying the (female) pilot sounds “frazzled” or not calm, with more blatant misogyny.
During depressurizations, pilots don bigger oxygen masks. She sounds calm and professional — while speaking loudly through a mask.
…prices they can’t afford for walk-up fares on other airlines. In a country where 40% of people would struggle to cover a $400 emergency, it seems safe to assume people are going to empty their savings or take on punishing debt to get home or cope with a week being stranded.
Southwest says it will look into covering reasonable expenses, but details and it’s actual obligation are minimal. It’s also unclear how long reimbursements will take in approved cases. How long will people have to float credit card balances with high interest rates?
United Airlines will give all active employees a $1,000 bonus in recognition of their work over the past 19 months, CEO Scott Kirby announced earlier. The airline also unveiled a new livery to honor staffers.
This isn’t news. This happens to dozens, hundreds of flights a day. Aviation is safe because of redundancies and because airlines, as a matter of routine, take all precautions when something innocuous like, say, a lightbulb behind a random switch burns out before you depart.
A United Airlines flight bound for Japan returns to the gate at San Francisco International Airport due to a mechanical issue with the plane. The incident marks at least the 10th of its kind involving the U.S. airline in the past two weeks.
Association of Flight Attendants calls for banning the passengers involved with yesterday’s “mob” incidents on flights to DC. Describes today’s events at the Capitol as an “insurrection.”
Update: Per Port Authority, an Alaska Airlines employee "approached two men at gate 30," who both "fled." The employee was concerned at hit an alarm, triggering the evacuation. The two men were found and are being questioned, but there "is no danger to anyone at the airport."
@sokane1
Just…imagine not having access to or being able to afford decent insurance. Hell, imagine having a baby with a high deductible plan, which is the only option for a lot of people.
Here’s something for you AvGeeks. Message from Australian ATC to the
#ProjectSunrise
flight deck as we crossed into Aussie airspace, and the flight crew’s response.
#QF7879
@tisharowemd
@AmericanAir
Hi Tisha, I'm a reporter with Business Insider. Would love to speak with you about what happened — could you shoot me a DM or e-mail? dslotnick [at] businessinsider [dot] com. Thanks!
Hello from the *overflow* room at the US District Court in Boston, MA, where the antitrust trial for the JetBlue-Spirit merger is about to get underway.
@doubledutydaddy
It was just a few days and honestly the care was incredible, both for Henry and for us. It was an overwhelmingly positive experience but I can’t imagine what 42 days must have been like! And I can’t imagine getting this bill without adequate insurance.
In early 2019, American Airlines lost 7 underutilized slots at JFK. The reason they weren't fully used? CCO Vasu Raja says it's because the airline didn't realize they had them. They miscounted during the 2013 merger with US Airways.
The idea that people should allow an extra two hours to get to/from Boston Logan Airport for the rest of the summer is so bewildering. Forget frequent travelers; are airport workers supposed to spend an extra four hours commuting every day?
@sganley
Same. I think most seasoned travelers accept the possibility of a problem that you have to solve with a credit card and figure it out later, and have the privilege of being able to afford that risk. But so many unseasoned travelers who fly once a year or less, who are stuck now.
NEW: Southwest plans to operate about 1,500 flights per day through Friday as it works to sort out its network. It also plans to zero-out inventory, making it so people can’t buy tickets or rebook onto flights that may eventually be canceled.
NEW: Delta CEO concedes SkyMiles changes "probably went too far" and says that some "modifications" based on customer feedback will be announced in the coming weeks.
New: CrowdStrike accuses Delta of creating a “misleading narrative that CrowdStrike is responsible for Delta’s IT decisions and response to the outage.” Letter from CrowdStrike’s outside counsel:
New: Microsoft says Delta declined multiple offers of help during last month’s meltdown; accuses Delta of pushing narrative that’s “incomplete, false, misleading, and damaging to Microsoft and its reputation.”
Letter from Microsoft’s attorney:
Some personal news: Today is my last day at
@businessinsider
.
I’m starting a new role on the aviation beat in about a month — stay tuned for more on that! Till then, I’m taking some time off to rest, recharge, recalibrate, and get so bored that I’m raring to get back to work.
Obviously stock prices are complicated and some other companies in the sector were also down today, so it’s not like the tweet was the singular driver, but taken in context with Lilly and all, it’s clear that this is all chaos.
Also, in all fairness, “Lockheed Martini” is ace.
Find audio of any depressurization with a male pilot and it sounds the same. Or of masked firefighters. They’re a similar type of mask, and while your voice is muffled by the mask, you have to raise your voice to speak on the radio and be heard.
New: DOT launches formal probe into airline frequent flyer programs, investigating potential “fairness, transparency, predictability, and competitiveness of airlines’ rewards programs.” Template of letter sent to airlines from
@SecretaryPete
today:
@mehdirhasan
Hi
@mehdirhasan
, I'm an airline reporter with Business Insider. Trying to get to the bottom of what happened, could you shoot me a DM or an e-mail at dslotnick
@businessinsider
.com? Thanks!
Hello from federal District Court in Boston, where it's Day 5 of the JetBlue-Spirit antitrust trial. The defense questioning of JetBlue CEO Robin Hayes has started.
United Airlines has asked Boeing to stop building 737 MAX 10s for it until it's clearer "if and when" the type will be certified, CEO Scott Kirby says at the JP Morgan Industrials conference. Until then, the planemaker is converting manufacturing/delivery slots to MAX 9s.
United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby thinks it’s a 60-40 chance that the JetBlue-Spirit merger closes, he says.
Kirby tells me he isn’t worried about the potential newly merged competitor: “I think we’re going to win no matter what.”
An incredible story. A Southwest pilot’s father was killed in Vietnam War when his fighter was shot down. His remains were found earlier this year, and today, the Southwest pilot flew his dad home to rest.
The new CDC guidelines could be strongly supported by data and science. They could be the right choice.
But as far as the public sees, a virus is spreading like wildfire, corporations asked a policymaker to treat it less seriously, and CDC went with it during a holiday week.
Cuomo speaking and getting a bit...weird. Paraphrasing but: “I can’t refer to a terminal as ‘sexy.’ That opens other questions. Is the terminal male or female? What’s its orientation? How do you touch the terminal?”
This is an exceptionally well-written statement. It informs; it acknowledges that the videos look extremely alarming; and it explains a technical fault in a ridiculously succinct and understandable way.
The photo over my right shoulder (above the books) is of my grandfather and the rest of his crew in front of their B-17 during WW2. My grandpa was the only one who made it through the war.
Interesting hearing travel brands talk about how business travel won't come back the same as it was before, and then see an airline change its loyalty program to largely benefit old-school business travelers whose companies pay full fare.
Good morning, I'm back in court this morning for the JetBlue-Spirit antitrust trial.
Eric Friedman, JetBlue's director of route planning, is currently being questioned by DOJ.
Alaska Airlines is taking additional safety measures ahead of the inauguration, including limits on tickets sold to DC, “increased mask enforcement,” ban on checked firearms, and new procedures for turning back to the gate or diverting in the event something happens on board.
SLATER SCOOP: American Airlines has added Kansas City-Las Vegas flights for the Super Bowl.
Flight 1989 for Taylor Swift’s hit album
Flight 87 for Travis Kelce
Unfortunately I’m not at the JetBlue-Spirit trial today, I’m not feeling well and had to take a sick day. I’ll try and share any info or updates I can, though I won’t be live-tweeting.
Wow, from TD Cowen: "We believe Spirit is likely to look for another buyer (maybe private equity?) but a more likely scenario is a Chapter 11 filing, followed by a liquidation."
Meet Henry! He and
@ReniEllis
are both doing great, and we’re all learning the true meaning of the word “exhausted.” I’ll be mostly offline for a couple of weeks, so see you all soon!
Watching the fast, predictable, deliberate, and methodical way that the false narrative surrounding the Southwest cancellations spread last week, I have such renewed respect for
@brooklynmarie
and everyone else who spends every day fighting disinformation. This is exhausting.
At 2am, the Texas Senate advanced one of the most odious voter suppression bills in Texas history.
Georgia’s
@Delta
spoke out against similar bills. Will
@AmericanAir
&
@SouthwestAir
—both huge Texas-based companies—speak out against this blatant voter suppression in our state?
VIDEO: Thousands gathered in France at the weekend to break the world record for the largest-ever gathering of Smurfs.
Around 3500 people set aside fears of the
#coronavirus
to dress up as the characters, which come from a Belgian comic franchise
Southwest’s former CEO Gary Kelly will stand down as executive chair, and six board members will resign amid a corporate governance shakeup, as Southwest tries to stave off a hostile takeover.
I spoke with Transportation Sec.
@PeteButtigieg
this week. I was going to ask the usual questions — and get the usual answers — but decided to go for something more interesting.
Among other tidbits: he turns down elite upgrades because of optics.
The Pfizer vaccine news is fantastic. But keep in mind that it will take years just to distribute it. Two doses are needed per person, and the storage requirements during transport are extremely challenging. Background from October:
We created an entirely new cabinet-level department, made the whole world put their shampoo in 3-oz containers, and hired agents to grope anyone who forgot to take their belt off at the full-body X-ray machines.
New livery: “Freedom One,” celebrating employees who are veterans, and “50 years of the freedom to fly.” First three photos mine, fourth is Southwest’s.
Alaska Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines are holding a press conference in Honolulu right now. Alaska CEO Ben Minicucci is opening it by thanking employees of both carriers.
And we're done. Thanks all for following along, obviously stay tuned for more as it develops. No word on a timeline for a decision — there are rumors that it will be by the end of December, but I don't know if there's anything substantial there.
Really interesting: Flight attendants and other airline workers have much lower rates of COVID-19 than the general population. It's a sign that the safety measures airlines are taking really do work.
JetBlue says in an SEC filing that it's informed Spirit that the merger agreement "may be terminable on and after January 28, 2024." Spirit responds that it "believes there is no basis for terminating the Merger Agreement." More to come.
Southwest has now canceled 2,718 flights so far today. That’s 67% of its schedule.
For comparison, other airline cancellations so far today:
Delta - 263 (9%)
United - 133 (5%)
Spirit - 140 (7%)
JetBlue - 63 (6%)
Frontier - 44 (8%)
Allegiant - 9 (1%)
Boeing says it will furlough workers in the coming weeks to preserve cash during strikes. The company will also freeze hiring, cut non-critical business travel, withdraw from airshows and trade events, pause purchases from suppliers for 737, 767, 777.
Memo to Boeing employees:
Incredible:
@Delta
sent
@afa_cwa
a cease-and-desist after the union (which does not represent Delta flight attendants, but is in the midst of an organizing drive) criticized Delta’s latest COVID protocols.
Newly relevant file photo: A Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft for Alaska Airlines at Boeing's assembly plant in Renton, Wash., in June, 2022. David Slotnick/TPG
Delta blaming their meltdown on Crowdstrike reminds me of Southwest blaming theirs on weather.
Yes, an initial event outside their control caused the initial disruption to them and every other airline. But then when everyone else got back on track, they continued to flounder.