The briefing in brief: Delta adds "basic" premium class pricing and gives you less than ever. Air France/KLM Flying Blue eliminates free advance seat assignments on its award tickets. Hyatt will open a Tucson property in a long-abandoned building that once housed a Braniff Airlines hotel. American Airlines revives Chicago-Tokyo route. EVA of Taiwan hopes to woo U.S. flyers to connect over Taiwan to India. United adds two more South American routes. And more.

DELTA'S NEW PITCH? PAY MORE OR GET LESS UP FRONT
Delta has promised segmented premium class pricing for years only to get scooped in the spring by United's ghettoization. But Delta is nothing if not dogged in its attempt to degrade your travel experience. So this week's announcement that it was creating "basic" levels of first and business class fares should come as absolutely no surprise. As you can see here, Delta will give you less whenever you purchase a less expensive first class or international business or premium economy fare. Example, purchase a basic business class fare and you no longer receive advance seat assignments or access to a Delta lounge. You won't even get business class check-in privileges. You must stand in the economy line to check in. You'll also get a smaller checked-bag allowance and fewer SkyMiles. Make no mistake: Delta isn't lowering fares to create a basic level. It's a naked ploy to charge you more to receive what business class has traditionally included. The multi-tier approach is already in place for first class fares. The "basic" level internationally kicks in beginning in September. A darkly hilarious note: Delta explains that it is branding the ghetto version of premium tickets "basic" so it does not bastardize the "Delta One experience." Because, you know, we all think of Delta's narrow and nasty business-class seats on the aging Boeing 767s as an "experience."

AIR FRANCE/KLM FLYING BLUE DOWNGRADES AWARDS
With all due respect to those who find bargains in the British Airways-fronted Avios program, I've never seen much value for American flyers in international frequent travel plans. The one exception: Air France/KLM's Flying Blue. It was generous with points transfers from banks, allowing 1:1 transfers from many major institutions. It offered reasonably priced premium-class awards with low co-pays. But as more U.S. travelers flocked to the program--and transferred bank points--Flying Blue devalued dramatically. It abandoned fixed-priced awards, so you now might be charged upwards of a million points for a business class one-way ticket. Cash co-pays have become rapacious, around $350 for each one-way business class award. Flying Blue has lost key partners, too, with the departures of SAS Scandinavian and ITA Airways of Italy. Now the unkindest cut of all: Flying Blue no longer offers advance seat assignments for business class or premium economy awards. You can only choose seats at check-in. The problem with that? Since most Americans use Flying Blue for leisure trips, they most likely fly as a couple. If you want to guarantee you sit together, you'll now be charged literally hundreds each way for advance seat assignments.
        Aeroplan is hooking up with Club Avolta, the frequency program of the Swiss travel retailer formerly called Dufry. Avolta also operates the Hudson, HMS Host and Autogrill brands. Aeroplan members who link accounts will receive one point for each C$2 of purchases at eligible Dufry shops.

Hyatt Reviving Long-Dead Braniff Convention Hotel
A 13-story building near the Tucson Convention center will be converted to a Hyatt hotel late next year thanks to an agreement with a local developer and management company. The soon-to-be Hyatt Regency Tucson Downtown has an intriguing history. Closed for 14 years, the property last operated as the Hotel Arizona, but it opened in December, 1973, as the Braniff Place Hotel. Yes, that Braniff, the pre-deregulation carrier that was one of the first to fall in the deregulated era. Braniff had dreams of building a hotel chain to challenge Pan Am, which created and operated the Intercontinental chain. Braniff even hired away an Intercontinental executive to run its properties. Oddly, when the Braniff Place opened, Braniff didn't even fly to Tucson. That didn't come until five years later.

AMERICAN REVIVES O'HARE-TOKYO NONSTOPS
American Airlines says it will resume Chicago/O'Hare-Tokyo/Narita flights in March. There will be daily nonstops using Boeing 787-9 aircraft. American's ORD-NRT run was one of the early casualties of the COVID pandemic when AA dropped the route in early 2020. AA's return will not be easy. Three airlines--United, All Nippon Airways and Japan Airlines--already fly from O'Hare to Haneda, Tokyo's close-in and much preferred airport. And United has already announced it would add O'Hare-Narita flights starting in October. Normally, I'd say look for some fare wars, but, you know, airlines don't seem to do that anymore.
        United Airlines says it will launch flights to Cartagena, Columbia, from its Houston/Hobby and Washington/Dulles hubs. The routes will begin on December 17 using Boeing 737s. There'll be four weekly flights on each route during the winter months.
        EVA Airways of Taiwan says it'll begin nonstops from Taipei to Delhi in December. The goal? Compete for U.S. and Canadian West Coast flyers headed for India. And that may not be a pipe dream. EVA already gets 40% of its passenger revenue and 70% of its cargo revenue from North American service. Although details remain scant, EVA flights from LAX and Seattle seem best-positioned to make the onward connection in Taipei to Delhi.

TRAVEL NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW
More airport clubs are opening. American Airlines has opened the Provisions grab-and-go concept at its New York/Kennedy hub. The 3,700-square-foot outlet is located in Terminal 8 between Gates 12 and 14 on Concourse B. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines has opened the first portion of its Delta One Lounge in LAX Terminal 2. The 4,000-square-foot space on the mezzanine level seats 75 guests for dining. Delta One Lounges are reserved for Delta international business class flyers. Well, not all business class flyers now that Delta bars customers who buy its new "basic" business class fare from its lounges.
        The Gordie Howe Bridge linking Detroit to Windsor, Ontario, will finally open on July 27. The 1.5-mile span over the Detroit River cost about US$4.5 billion and was paid for by Canada. The opening has been delayed due to one of President Trump's occasional objections to U.S.-Canada trade relations and his astonishment that Canada isn't particularly interested in becoming the 51st State.