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Ed and Richard are back home after another exhausting stretch of travel, and Richard has survived Virtuoso Travel Week in Las Vegas—barely. Before getting into the airline news, they recap the Vegas experience, including $25 asparagus, $34 cocktails, increasingly unfriendly casino odds, Bellagio's surprising food problem, and why "free parking" has somehow become a legitimate Las Vegas selling point.
There's also some fresh Bilt news. Bilt has relaunched its partnership with Blade, allowing members to redeem Bilt Cash for up to two airport helicopter seats per year, along with the ability to use Bilt Points toward Blade flights. Ed also celebrates another year of Accor Platinum status through Bilt's returning status match.
Then it's time to talk airlines. After some decidedly unimpressive United flights, Ed and Richard discuss American Airlines ending complimentary upgrades into premium economy on select three-cabin domestic routes. Is this actually a meaningful loss for elites—or just another acknowledgement that complimentary upgrades are already disappearing?
Delta, meanwhile, is moving hard in the opposite direction when it comes to premium cabin capacity. Some A330-900neos will feature a whopping 56 Delta One suites, while new domestic aircraft will also feature substantially larger first-class cabins. But Richard raises an important question: if airlines add all those premium seats without adding crew, lavatories and galley capacity, will the experience actually feel premium?
Plus, Ed recaps his first D23 experience, they revisit last week's Amanvari controversy after new details emerged, Richard questions what's happening with Delta's operational reliability, and Uber One announces an "improvement" that involves… giving members less.
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✈️ What We Cover in This Episode
✈️ Bilt Cash takes to the skies
- Bilt's revamped Blade partnership
- Using Bilt Cash for airport helicopter flights
- Redeeming Bilt Points toward Blade
- Accor Platinum status returns
✈️ Is Las Vegas getting too expensive?
- Free parking is now a selling point
- Resort fees and cheap room rates
- $25 asparagus and $34 cocktails
- Why Bellagio can be surprisingly difficult for a quick meal
✈️ United's aging aircraft problem
- Broken or nonexistent Wi-Fi
- Old entertainment systems
- Why SNA is still a fantastic alternative to LAX
✈️ Ed's first D23
- New Disney attractions
- Fixing the Yeti
- New roller coasters
- The future of Figment
- Ed's take on Hyatt Regency Orange County
✈️ The Amanvari controversy gets more complicated
- New details about the canceled hotel stay
- What the original story left out
- Why opening-week hotel reviews remain a bad idea
✈️ American changes complimentary upgrades
- Premium economy on three-cabin domestic aircraft
- Routes where free upgrades are disappearing
- Why Richard thinks chasing status for domestic upgrades is already a losing game
✈️ Delta dramatically expands premium cabins
- 56 Delta One suites on select A330-900neos
- Bigger first-class cabins on domestic aircraft
- The potential problem with lavatories, galleys and staffing
- Why more premium seats may not mean cheaper premium fares
✈️ What's happening with Delta?
- Richard's recent delays
- Delta becoming his worst-performing airline this year
- Another missed Shake Shack burger
✈️ Uber One gives members an "improvement"
- Ride credits drop from 6% to 5%
- Why corporate messaging sometimes makes things worse
⏱️ Episode 450 Timestamps
0:48 – Surviving Virtuoso Travel Week and the Vegas heat
2:48 – Bilt Cash can now pay for Blade helicopter flights
5:59 – Vegas prices, free parking and Bellagio's food problem
14:05 – United's aging planes, broken Wi-Fi and the convenience of SNA
17:22 – Ed's first D23 and the biggest Disney announcements
22:48 – New details change the Amanvari hotel controversy
26:14 – American ends some complimentary premium-economy upgrades
31:01 – Delta dramatically increases premium cabin seating
36:24 – Richard asks: What is happening to Delta?
36:49 – Uber One's unusual definition of an "improvement"
