Zach Griff

Travel, tech, lifestyle. @Wharton MBA grad. Always on the move, preferably in the sky. Embrace the underscore. IG: @_zachgriff

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

It has nuggets I've never shared publicly before, like when I decided that now was the right time to go independent.

If you haven’t yet subscribed to my free newsletter, you’ve already missed four emails, with many more coming soon.

👉 Subscribe now: https://t.co/ojqgaA2GWW

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@MattCAviation I doubt it, though maybe they'll be inspired now that AA made this move.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Effective immediately, @AmericanAir no longer offers free 24-hour refunds on tickets booked within a week of departure.

How the other major airlines handle it:

✈️ Delta: no time restriction
✈️ Southwest + United: 7-day rule on paper, more lenient in practice

American is now complying with the bare minimum policy required by the DOT, but it used to be more generous (free 24-hour cancels for tickets booked up to 2 days before departure.)

For an airline trying to be more premium, this feels like a step backwards. Do you agree?

(Thanks @garyleff for flagging.)

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@jackmayofilms @AmericanAir Completely agreed. I'm not pleased either

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@skibo75 @Allegiant agreed. Though unclear how well padded they will be

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Introducing @Allegiant first class. (Not kidding.)

Allegiant First will be two rows of recliners in a 2-2 layout. 37 inches of pitch, calfrests, and USB-A, USB-C, and AC power outlets.

First flights start next spring. Premium is seriously every airline's favorite buzzword.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

My favorite part of the announcement is how @SecDuffy describes the current state of IAD.

"Stale concourses, drab interior, endless walkways, and those absurd mobile lounges."

I couldn't agree more.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Want to see what $20 billion in airport renovations gets you?

Take a look at these renderings of the transformed Washington Dulles Airport.

Goodbye, people movers.

Hello, revamped headhouse, new C/D concourse, new (larger) Polaris Lounge, more gates, AeroTrain, and much more.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@McFrequentFlyer @Delta later this year

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Finally, @Delta just told me that free Viasat Wi-Fi is about to get a much-needed upgrade!

Viasat's new F2 satellite — which will provide more capacity than all of Viasat's existing infrastructure, combined — is entering service within weeks.

This should also be great news for @AmericanAir and @JetBlue flyers (both airlines are heavy Viasat users).

I still wish that Delta would have chosen Starlink instead of Viasat, because structurally, a low-Earth orbit solution provides lower latency and often more capacity per aircraft.

(Delta is partnering with Amazon Leo — a forthcoming Starlink competitor — but not until 2028 and only on 500 jets to start.)

What's been your experience with Delta Wi-Fi recently?

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@Hiraweb3 @Delta couldn't agree more. It's been mostly unusable for serious work recently

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@BSDATL @Delta Just wait until your try Starlink on another airline

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

.@Delta is dropping three destinations from JFK:

Houston, Memphis, St. Louis.

Delta will still fly to all three cities from LGA (up to 4x daily).

But anyone who prefers JFK or wants to connect to Delta’s transatlantic flights there is out of luck.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Hey non-rev travelers, I’ve got bad news.

The days of clearing into @JetBlue Mint might be over.

JetBlue just launched its first-ever Mint bid-for-an-upgrade program designed to fill unsold seats with paying passengers.

Yet another way to boost revenue. My scoop: https://t.co/MqF7JVlKu1

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@Lucamichele80 @united It wouldn’t surprise me, but my gut tells me no. Unless, of course, they get a deal they can’t refuse

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

So @United just cut 10 routes from Chicago. Before any of them even flew a single flight.

Why? Well, the FAA extended its schedule cap at O'Hare through October 2027, and United had to pick what to drop.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it picked the regional network. Mainline cities went untouched, which is yet another blow to smaller markets.

But here's the thing that nobody at United or American has said yet: this cap just saved them both.

AA and UA have been fighting a turf war in Chicago that neither was going to win decisively. And the FAA stepped in before the airlines launched a ton of unprofitable flying.

For travelers, the cap is good news.

Between the construction and an already packed schedule, ORD taxi times are among the longest in the country.

But the regional markets are once again the ones to bear the brunt of these changes.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@Jamesinclair @united So then you’ll have to deal with whatever I post on Twitter because I have heavily deemphasized my blog (who needs a blog in the world of AI?)

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@Jamesinclair @united Maybe just subscribe to the newsletter instead? It’s free

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Fair, I’ve been experimenting with ways that I can repurpose my existing content.

For instance, I wrote (without ai) about United’s route cuts in my newsletter today, but also wanted to post to Twitter. So I asked Claude to take my section and trim it into a tweet.

I’m a one-man show so looking for every time-saver I can find.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Fair, I’ve been experimenting with ways that I can repurpose my existing content.

For instance, I wrote (without ai) about United’s route cuts in my newsletter today, but also wanted to post to Twitter. So I asked Claude to take my section and trim it into a tweet.

I’m a one-man show so looking for every time-saver I can find.

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

@Luay17387029 @beehiiv Mr. Porter (their own brand)

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

Less than a year ago, I launched my travel newsletter, From the Tray Table, and made a big bet on myself by leaving TPG.

Today, that bet is lit up over Times Square.

This journey is just taking off. @beehiiv, this is wild!

[Zach Griff @_ZachGriff]

NEW: At long last, @JetBlue just confirmed the name for its hotly anticipated new domestic first-class experience.

"BlueFirst"

I like it. No word yet on what the actual product + amenities will look like, but it will launch with Base, Standard, and Flex fares.