News and notes from around the interweb:
- Scott McCartney posits in the Wall Street Journal that Delta’s shift towards a revenue-based frequent flyer program will create further bad incentives between business travelers versus their companies, with travelers putting off booking travel — to net higher fares and thus more miles.
- United’s Mercedes tarmac transfers will be extended to Los Angeles and San Francisco (Chicago, Houston and Newark already have the feature).
- Here are the flights you want to take if you’re O’Hare-based. I tell Crain’s Chicago Business that alliance partners of American (like Cathay Pacific and Japan Airlines) and United (like ANA, Asiana, and Turkish) offer flights that passengers might not think of, and that Lufthansa’s Dusseldorf flight often has seats including award space.
- Please enter Fly & Dine’s Starbucks giveaway.
- Iron Maiden lead singer Bruce Dickinson is backing the development of the world’s largest aircraft.
- Online Travel Review says that if you give American Express some information about your business you may find out you’re targeted for a 75,000 point signup bonus for the Business Gold Rewards card.
- The U.K. intends to reduce its draconian ‘Air Passenger Duty’ (aka ‘premium cabin departure tax’) for long haul destinations.
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Interesting United development, Gary. Any sense of whether the Mercedes transfers will be limited to paying Global First passengers, or will award travel also be included?
“He mistakenly suggests that JetBlue has shifted to such a model, however, as opposed to beginning its TrueBlue life as a revenue-based program.”
JetBlue did have a non-revenue based program at first. You earned points based on short/medium/long haul and if you earned 100 points, you got a free restricted ticket. It was not revenue based at all. Then they changed to revenue based several years ago.
Upon the news i also immediately thought this about delta too. I’m an accountant and travel admin for concur at my company. I’m also an avid mileage junkie. I’m a bit concerned about this aspect. Lots of people are already booking last minute travel, and I find it occurs more often with southwest travelers.
Good old Bruce. I remember sitting with him at an airport in remote Algeria around 5 years ago and him spending a couple of hours explaining why the airship was going to make a comeback. If anybody can make that work, he is the guy. Absolutely brilliant person with an enthusiasm for aviation that is simply unmatched.
@Jason yes of course.. :space cadet: