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Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for July 2010.
Are the Hotel Chains Getting Government Help to Drive Bookings Away from Travel Agencies?
The New York Times reports that the current version of the pending New York State budget includes a 20 percent increase in hotel occupancy taxes for travel intermediaries (meaning travel agencies, tour operators and online travel companies). Get that? A tax on travel agencies and online booking services. That’s distinct nad separate from the hotel occupancy tax. The “Interactive Travel Services Association” calls this “the Connecticut and New Jersey tourism promotion act” because raising the cost of travel to New York would push travelers elsewhere. But that aanalysis is really incomplete. It’s actually the “major hotel chain revenue channel integrity act.” It’s the Marriotts, Starwoods, Hiltons, and Hyatts versus Expedia, Orbitz, and Travelocity. This tax applies to rooms booked via third party sites, not rooms booked with a hotel or chain directly. The major hotel…
United Discounting Short-Haul Coach Awards Through August 31
United is discounting short-haul awards booked by August 31 for travel through January 7, 2011. Instead of the usual 12,500 miles one-way or 25,000 miles roundtrip, they’re charging 8,750 one-way or 17,500 roundtrip. This applies to awards booked at least 7 days in advance of travel (no discount on last-minute award bookings), and is for flights that are 700 miles or less each way and only within the Continental U.S. or between the U.S. and Canada. That’s a better value for those awards, of course, and I’ll take the discount. It’s for coach only, and I can certainly stand coach on a short hop. But it’s still not the way I’d tend to use my miles, and the discount isn’t “what it once was.” Back around 2005 and 2006, United and American offered short-haul awards…
Free Drinks in United’s Economy Plus
On the Economy Plus One-time Option Page, United details a short-term promotion where customers traveling in economy plus from August 6 – August 16 can request a complimentary drink. Complimentary alcoholic beverage offer for Economy Plus customers is available during first beverage service only on flights departing August 6 through August 16, 2010. Upon request, each customer seated in the Economy Plus section during the promotion period is eligible for one (1) complimentary alcoholic beverage. That’s great for elites sitting in coach, of course. And it might just get some more people to buy up to Economy Plus. More importantly I’d love to see it as a test of developing a real premium economy product, beyond just 3 to 4 inches of legroom. When United was unloading excess amenity kits they were giving old ones…
Jeff Foland to Run the Combined United-Continental Mileage Plus
Holly Hegeman reports that Graham Atkinson will “not be staying with the “new” United.” Though United’s Jeff Foland will run the combined loyalty program in his place. This seems like a strange move to me, they’re cleaning house at the top but leaving a United person in place. I still expect that program to be called Mileage Plus, it’s the name that the larger pool of members are identified with. And I assume they inherit the Mileage Plus architecture. So at least initially more features of the United program than the Continental one, though I fully expect changes between now and the day the switch is flipped to merge membership lists. First, I assume that some time after the United-Continental transaction closes, but before the programs themselves combine, that there will be a way to…
10% American Airlines Discount
Every so often American seems to offer the opportunity for 10% discount codes on purchase of airfare through their marketing partners. Everyone who ‘votes’ in the Century in the Making sweepstakes by September 12 will receive a 10% discount code valid for purchase and travel through October 26.
Southwest Drink Coupons WIll Now Expire
Wandering Aramean reports that Southwest is going to start enforcing the expiration dates on their drink chits. This may seem minor to some (most?) but I have to say, I have a stash of these old drink coupon books and despite having expiration dates on the coupons it’s always been nice that Southwest would take them. I could give them away to colleagues stuck on a Southwest flight, or offer up a bunch to buy a round for the plane. It was just so very Southwest that these coupons would always be taken, no questions asked. But no longer. Southwest has had a VERY lenient policy regarding drink coupons over the years. Most notably was that, although there was an expiration date printed on the coupons, they were always accepted. As of Sunday, August 1,…
Do Kate Hanni and “Flyers Rights” Manipulate Their Data?
Travel Weekly has published a pretty damning hit piece on Kate Hanni, the airline passenger ‘consumer advocate’ of Flyers Rights with hair-brained schemes that seem to make passengers worse off and who seems as inclined towards publicity for its own sake as, say, Chuck Schumer. It’s a rambling piece with a whole lot of irrelevant detail and meaningless facts dropped as innuendo. Still, there’s a good bit in there that helps paint a picture of FlyersRights.org as a confused shop and Kate Hanni in particular as erratic and untrustworthy. There are allegations that she’s misled Congress, especially about the size of her ‘membership’ which appears to be anyone who signed an online petition, and the number of calls her organization receives. Her group hasn’t ever filed a tax return, and seems very lackadaisical in handling…
My Very First Call from a Frequent Flyer Program’s Auditing Department
I was walking into a meeting when my cell phone rang. It was someone in the auditing department at US Airawys. “This is XXXX from US Airways. I see you have an upcoming trip with [my wife]. Are you still planning on taking that trip?” “Umm, which trip is that?” I do have more than one upcoming itinerary, so really didn’t know what she was talking about. “Departing on XXXXX.” Oh, my India trip! Now I was scared, I’m being called by an auditor about an award redemption. And I thought she might do something unpleasant. Like cancel my award. “Yes, of course. What seems to be the matter?” “Well, you don’t have enough miles in the account for that.” “The miles were taken out of my wife’s and my accounts separately for this. And…
Air Berlin to Join Oneworld
Just announced, details to come in their news conference tomorrow, but Air Berlin will be joining oneworld. These integrations usually take 18 to 24 months, so don’t go out redeeming those American Airlines miles for Air Berlin flights between Miami and Europe and on to Egypt and Male just yet! But it’s an interesting expansion, not one I would have predicted. First, with British Airways and Iberia and Hungarian oneworld is relatively well-positioned with European-based airlines. Second, because oneworld has tended to focus on premium carriers like Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and even British Airways. So a ‘discount carrier’ breaks the mold a bit. Air Berlin is apparently the six-largest airline in Europe, and they reach Africa, Asia, and North and South America. They fly mostly all-coach products but their Airbus A330s do offer business class,…
