Welcome to The Morning Shave for Monday, August 11, 2025. United Airlines is back to charging more for solo travelers, American Airlines is adding extra flights ahead of the World Cup, and Air France-KLM had a data breach that exposed Flying Blue member numbers. Visit BaldThoughts.com/tms to read all the stories.
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The Morning Shave
United Airlines Changes Its Mind, Goes Back to Unpopular Policy.
These airlines can’t help themselves. They continuously seek out ways to squeeze every last dime from passengers, while hoping that you either 1) won’t notice or 2) won’t complain. It seems that Delta stopped charging solo travelers extra, but American Airlines and United Airlines have resumed this practice. This is unfortunate for budget travelers. Consider booking with other airlines or exploring alternative travel options until they stop this pricing behavior.
Southwest Airlines slashes Rapid Rewards earnings: Is it a bad sign for customers?
This is somewhat old news, but many travelers are still unaware of the reduced earnings on Southwest flights. Ever since the airline capitulated to its private equity/hedge fund activist investors, it has been bad news for customers at every turn. Reduced earnings on flights. Variable pricing on flights. No more free checked bags (unless you meet specific criteria). Assigned seating and upcharges for certain seats. Increased annual fees on Southwest credit cards. Where will it end?
5 Strange Things That Happen to Your Body on an Airplane.
I love to fly, but it is unnatural for humans to be that high up in the sky. Because of that, the body reacts strangely to the altitude and cabin pressure within the plane. If you’re someone who is affected when flying, take steps to protect yourself. Drink extra water. Use ear plugs that relieve pressure. Wear compression socks.
American Airlines adds international routes, including for soccer fans.
If you love soccer, American Airlines is adding some more routes just in time for the World Cup. And, even if soccer isn’t your thing, these international destinations have a lot to offer tourists of all types. The additional flights include Zurich, Budapest, and Prague. Are you interested in visiting these cities?
Air France-KLM reports data breach.
No matter how careful you are with your personal information, it’s possible that criminals can get your data from other sources. In this situation, hackers breached a third-party platform used by contact centers for Air France and KLM. While the most sensitive data wasn’t compromised (like passwords), the hackers were able to steal names, phone numbers, email addresses, and Flying Blue account numbers. If you haven’t already, activate two-factor authentication on all of your accounts and use different passwords for each account. Consider using a service like LastPass (affiliate) to store log-in info and generate unique passwords for every site.
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