Stories by Bernie Leighton

CONTRIBUTOR - SEATTLE, WA. Bernie has traveled around the world to learn about, experience, and photograph different types of planes. He will go anywhere to fly on anything. He spent four years in Australia learning about how to run an airline, while putting his learning into practice by mileage running around the world. You can usually find Bernie in his natural habitat: an airport. Email: bernie@airlinereporter.com.

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It’s finally here! We’ve waited months to see ANA bring their cross-promotion with Disney Japan for Star Wars: The Force Awakens to light, and boy was it worth it! This aircraft is, of course, the first of three in the ANA Star Wars line. ANA takes its partnership with Star Wars seriously. How seriously?

A United Boeing 757, taking off from LAX

United Airlines’ CEO Jeff Smisek is no longer the CEO. Nor is he even on the board, which he used to chair. It’s a rarity for an airline CEO to make such a grand exit without telegraphing the move to not only the board of directors and shareholders, but even senior management.

There is usually one reason for this. The biggest fear any businessman can face: a federal investigation.

Seems this is exactly the case. Remember how earlier this year, United was involved in an internal investigation regarding preferential treatment to the chairman of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, David Sampson? You may also remember him from that time Governor Chris Christie ordered a bridge closed. Either way, it was not clear if this investigation would yield evidence of a breach of criminal law. We now know that, at least in the eyes of unnamed federal investigators, it may be.

Last year, the Four Seasons hotel and resort chain did a hospitality industry first: They made an inclusive, sometimes round-the-world, travel experience called the Four Seasons Private Jet Experience. By inclusive I mean that everything you saw after arriving at the airport was either arranged or directly handled by them. The biggest of the trips is […]