Leslie Josephs
@lesliejosephs
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Airline reporter @cnbc. Previously @wsj in New York and @ap in Peru. Queens native. Dog is my co-pilot. Reach out: [email protected]
New York
Joined April 2012
Hawaiian Airlines signs deal to offer SpaceX's Starlink Wi-Fi on its planes, a service it plans to offer for free to passengers on those long trips over the Pacific. Story w/ @thesheetztweetz $HA
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@tedcruz Hi, Senator. I wrote that article. Where did you hear that there is a shortage due to the vaccine mandate?.
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Delta to pay flight attendants during boarding, a first in the U.S., as it faces a union drive. It's also expanding boarding times by 5 minutes to 40 minutes. $DAL.
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Largest flight attendant union, @afa_cwa, wants pro-Trump rioters barred from flights. AFA and AA's FA union @APFAunity are raising safety concerns about politically-motivated disruptions on board.
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"A recent study from the Congressional Budget Office found that a minimum-wage increase to $15 by 2025 would increase paychecks for roughly 27 million American workers and lift 1.3 million out of poverty.".
While the U.S. may be closer than ever to a $15 federal minimum wage, the idea still faces stiff opposition via @csreinicke.
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United joins Delta, Alaska in banning firearms in checked luggage to DC-area airports Jan. 16-23.
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Elon Musk's SpaceX hits $100 billion valuation after secondary share sale @thesheetztweetz reports. Boeing has market cap of ~$133B
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still-available vaccine appointments in Staten Island is the most NYC thing ever.
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Frontier Airlines CEO urges crackdown of "rampant" abuse of wheelchair services at airports, arguing imposters create delays for those with genuine needs. “We are healing so many people" he says, citing 20 wheelchairs to a flight and three upon arrival.
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The last 747 is rolling out of Boeing's Everett, Washington factory tonight after airlines' constant push for more fuel-efficient planes ends its more than 50-year production run.
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A Texas software company you probably never heard of (non av people) just crippled Aeroflot's ability to sell seats.
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@ShadesInfluence @SouthwestAir SWA didn't say those were the only reasons. Southwest said that it initiated its issues over the weekend but acknowledged staffing issues created the bulk of the problem. As we reported today, union figures show 2,000+ cancellations were bc of unavailable crews.
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United reading the room.
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Alaska Airlines is first major U.S. carrier to respond to SCOTUS ruling. Lots of silence elsewhere, including from the two big Texas airlines, American and Southwest.
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United CEO Scott Kirby says the U.S. is near capacity limit on the number of flights that are possible. Airlines large and small have also been trying to upgauge to larger aircraft as a way around this.
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It's happening: Southwest is getting rid of open seating and will start offering extra legroom seats in the biggest shift of the airline's 53 years of flying, making it look a lot more like its bigger airline rivals. $LUV
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Delta CEO Ed Bastian: “Those who refuse to display basic civility to our people or their fellow travelers are not welcome on Delta. Their actions will not be tolerated, and they will not have the privilege of flying our airline ever again.”
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Delta to charge unvaccinated employees extra $200 a month for health care. Says average hospital stay costs it $40K/a person. "This surcharge will be necessary to address the financial risk the decision to not vaccinate is creating for our company."
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United’s first passenger (non rev) flight with one engines fueled by only sustainable aviation fuel just landed at DCA
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How Delta made itself America’s luxury airline—and what United wants to do about it
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American Airlines COO David Seymour tells staff that AA flew 2.1M customers over Labor Day weekend, more than double last year "and slightly more than we saw in 2019." $AAL.
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@ShadesInfluence @SouthwestAir Southwest's president and COO told staff that the airline is trying to build a better staffing "cushion". Shortfall of backup bit Southwest ops - and employees who complained about fatigue during the summer w American, Spirit also facing tight staffing/busy scheds.
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FAA chief Steve Dickson says there will be consequences for unruly behavior on flights. Comments come after pro-Trump chanting on board flights, shouting at at least two US senators, mask non compliance. Alaska Air banned 14 customers on Friday.
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United is preparing to ground dozens of its Boeing 737 Max 9 planes for inspection after a door blew off on an Alaska Airlines flight a day earlier.
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Buffett letter 2007
Warren Buffett says Berkshire sold its entire position in airlines because of the coronavirus
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Biden needs a flight attendant to show him how to deescalate.
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United's CEO Scott Kirby tells @Lebeaucarnews the airline is making plans without the yet-to-be certified 737 Max 10 after a series of Boeing setbacks, calling the grounding of the Max 9 (after a Alaska blowout) "the straw that broke the camel's back."
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Airlines are just on hold with Verizon now. Your call is very important to us.
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Patriotic Millionaires letter calls for higher taxes on global elite “We make this request as members of the most privileged class of human beings ever to walk the earth.” @LaurenSHirsch has the letter
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Scanning my boarding pass the one time I flew in business on an international long haul
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America’s bills are still due: Rent, credit card, payroll. “The deadline is looming large and it is petrifying.”
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Kelly Ortberg is now CEO at Boeing. Today he'll be walking the 737 Max factory floor at Renton. He'll be moving from Florida to the Seattle area, a big departure from previous Boeing CEOs who lived thousands of miles from the factory. $BA
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I would like to hear an earnings call from an average American.
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Delta CEO says free/fast Wi-Fi (for SkyMiles members) will be available for trans-Atlantic flights by the end of the year.
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United Airlines will require its 67,000-person U.S. workforce to be vaccinated, the first major U.S. carrier to mandate them. Latest possible date Oct. 25. In January, CEO Scott Kirby was one of first CEOs to call on companies to require vaccines. $UAL.
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Celebrating three years @CNBC on the most fascinating and dramatic of beats, one that has taken me to Iceland, the Mojave and through the eye of a hurricane, figuratively and literally. Thank you to those who shared their stories with me. My line’s always open to hear more.
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Hawaiian Airlines says it will require U.S. staff to be vaccinated against Covid by Nov. 1, the third major airline to issue a vaccine mandate in less than a week. Exceptions for medical/religious reasons. United and Frontier issued mandates on Friday.
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After more than three years of planning, @JetBlue’s inaugural flight to London is in the air.
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U.S. flight cancellations today topped 3,100, the biggest daily total since the 3,899 on Feb. 15, according to @flightaware.
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Wheels down. Here's how airline stocks did this year: American: -45%.United -51% .Delta -31% .Southwest -14%.Alaska -23%.JetBlue -22%.Spirit -39%.aaaand Allegiant FTW +9%.
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Reiterating: If any Southwest employee has information about this weekend's flight disruptions my DMs are open. or DM for Signal.
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"Have you ever lost your job?" Florida Sen. @SenRickScott asks United's CEO Scott Kirby, grilling him about the airline's strict vaccine mandate. "I have," said Kirby, next to his ex-boss AA. (American fired Kirby in 2016. He jumped to United where he is now CEO).
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American too.
United joins Delta, Alaska in banning firearms in checked luggage to DC-area airports Jan. 16-23.
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Southwest COO/pres after alleged passenger assault on employee "Let me be clear: this Passenger will never fly on Southwest Airlines again, and neither will any other Passenger who physically assaults one of our Employees. And we will push for the maximum fines and punishment".
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Nearly-nude women replaced by . soap.
L Brands - the parent company of @VictoriasSecret - changed its investor-relations website in wake of @nytimes article on its culture of misogyny. Last week vs. this week.
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Why does anyone watch soap operas when the airline industry exists?.
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United is opening its first pilot bases in 20 years, Orlando, Tampa and Las Vegas so pilots can get to work from the cities they actually live in, not the sometimes complicated commute
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FAA's 'aircraft division' has been under fire over the 737 MAX certification for more than two years, enough to spark new aircraft cert legislation after criticism it was too cozy w Boeing. Followed two deadly crashes that killed 346 people.
@NASASpaceflight Unlike its aircraft division, which is fine, the FAA space division has a fundamentally broken regulatory structure. Their rules are meant for a handful of expendable launches per year from a few government facilities. Under those rules, humanity will never get to Mars.
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And so, two days before the 20th anniversary of 9/11, @POTUS told the nation to "show some respect" toward flight attendants after a surge in unruly behavior against crews. "It's wrong, it's ugly.".
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You guys, airlines are comparing results to last year, not 2019.
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American Airlines enforces on-board mask policy, bans passenger for refusing to wear one on flight. Statement here:
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Remember when being No. 14 for takeoff from LGA was annoying?.
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This is about to be canceled. United just resumed Israel service in early March.
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JetBlue passengers must wear a face mask/covering starting next month.
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United and ALPA @UnitedPilots now have an agreement in principle for new terms of their CBA, first of the majors to get there in this cycle. United and its ~13,700 have the least contentious relationship w mgmt of the majors. Delta, Southwest, American are in negotiations. $UAL.
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PSA: ALWAYS pack at least one granola bar if you are flying. It will hold you over for hours and is easy to pack.
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Southwest cuts Boeing Max 7 from '24 plan. “As I prepared for this job. did a deep dive into what happened with the Max originally. the message was extra vigilance,” FAA chief Whitaker told CNBC. "That higher level of vigilance is going to remain.”
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@CaptainConcurs the statement isn't an opinion on the issue. It's telling employees that it will continue to provide them benefits that will help cover costs to access medical procedures.
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Southwest is considering cutting schedule back even more after meltdown. “We’ve already made significant reductions from our previously published November and December schedules, and if we think we need to do more, we will," its president told staff. $LUV
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American Airlines says it expects a "full" business travel recovery in 2022. $AAL.
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Things to watch during airlines' quoted hold times this a.m.:.JetBlue/Delta 157 mins, 154 mins, respectively: Pulp Fiction, Metropolis, Eyes Wide Shut.United 20-25 mins: Pretty much any sitcom.American +4 hrs: Once Upon a Time in America, Bridesmaids 2x. Southwest <2 min: TikTok.
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Vaccination mandates sweep across Corporate America. @RobertToweyCNBC and I go over the fine print:
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This Thanksgiving, Delta CEO gives thanks for the ~40k employees who took leaves of absence, offers employees 2 free flights anywhere Delta flies w guaranteed space. $DAL
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Pandemic turning point: United Airlines will resume pilot hiring as early as next month, according to a company memo. $UAL .
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FAA administrator Dickson’s full statement below. Warning is after @afa_cwa raised safety concerns about onboard disruptions. The union said the ppl who stormed the U.S. Capitol shouldn’t be able to fly. Interfering w crew is against the law and comes w up to $35,000 fine.
FAA chief Steve Dickson says there will be consequences for unruly behavior on flights. Comments come after pro-Trump chanting on board flights, shouting at at least two US senators, mask non compliance. Alaska Air banned 14 customers on Friday.
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United said the number of staff facing firing because they aren't vaccinated against Covid-19 dropped from 593 to 320 on Thursday. "Our vaccine policy continues to prove requirements work," airline says $UAL .
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Delta is cutting some corporate/mgmt employees as it seeks to get a handle on costs. Frontline workers not affected. $DAL
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Fewer people are flying but they're getting rowdier. Flight attendants find themselves "playing babysitter for adults" as travelers when travelers refuse to wear masks, shout, or worse. The FAA promises "zero tolerance," $35K fines
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United dangles triple pay for pilots to pick up trips through most of January to ease omicron-driven staffing shortage, flight cancellations
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A new era in travel: @taylorswift13's postponed @TSTheErasTour show in Buenos Aires prompts South America's biggest airline LATAM to waive ticket-change fees.
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A look inside United’s brand-new 737 MAX8 cabin before passengers start wearing it down
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it was only a matter of time.
First things first, let’s buckle those seatbelts. Masks are mandatory, but mittens are optional.
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Boeing CEO Dave Calhoun stepping down at the end of the year, board chair and head of commercial airplane unit also leaving, in wake of latest Max crisis. Calhoun was appointed after the Max crashes to clean up operations at Boeing four years ago. $BA
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Boeing 737 Max supplier Spirit Aerosystems plans to cut 2,800 jobs as grounding wears on. here’s the msg from Spirit’s CEO: $ba $spr
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Looking up vaccine appointments for people is giving me travel agent days flashbacks of looking up summer Europe flights. "Would you be willing to go through Cincinnati?".
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UPDATE: Southwest's staffing issues snowballed after crews were out of place and some couldn't even find hotel rooms. “I know this is incredibly difficult for all of you, and our Customers are not happy,” Southwest's evp of daily operations tells staff.
Southwest blames flight cancellations on weather, ATC in Florida Friday. "No FAA air traffic staffing shortages have been reported since Friday. Some airlines continue to experience scheduling challenges due to aircraft and crews being out of place." -FAA
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For those just tuning in, this is happening with intl travel rules between incoming Biden admin/outgoing Trump admin
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And here is the hottest feature on the new A220: the bathroom window.
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Beyond the $54B in govt airline aid that prohibited them from laying off workers through 9/30, airlines begged employees to take leave or buyouts at the peak of the pandemic to cut costs. Now they are scrambling to hire up to capitalize on better demand:
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Frontier Airlines CEO Barry Biffle on airports: “They need to stop building Taj Mahals” and build gates.
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JetBlue is calling back flight attendants who took two-month leaves early because of rising demand, company memo says. $JBLU
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US airlines spent more than $39B on buybacks over last five years. Unions, lawmakers say employees have to come first in the bailout.
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Southwest CEO Bob Jordan, sounding more frustrated than I've ever heard him, says Boeing needs to do better. The all-Boeing 737 airline is reevaluating 2024 financial estimates bc of long Boeing delays. $LUV
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Airline push alerts are no match for eavesdropping on gate agents.
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Two years into the pandemic as the cost of living continues to surge, Starbucks baristas, coast to coast, are unionizing. More than 30 stores have petitioned the NLRB to organize. story from @katerogers @Thxamelian
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How did we get to this point in air travel chaos? “Bad pay and poor working conditions,” for behind-the-scenes staff, @thatjohn tells @flightradar24 ‘a AvTalk podcast
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TSA screened 984,234 people at US airports on Sunday, most since March 16 but down 61% from a year ago.
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If this debate was a flight at what point do you think the captain would divert?.
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It has happened. “UPDATE: Delta issues travel waiver and caps fares for travelers affected by Hurricane Delta”.
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