I had a chance to crawl around American’s new Airbus A319 in a hanger during a layover a DFW. They had the plane parked and they were doing media tours. Turns out the tours were scheduled for the afternoon I was coming through in late morning but they were happy to accommodate. There were several planes parked, both in the old and new livery. I actually like the new American logo, overall the paint job has grown on me and even the tail looks a lot better in person than it did in the renderings the day it was released. The planes parked side by side, viewed from the terminal, are actually quite nice. But I do find the tail to be a bit much. I climbed on board to get a closer look at…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for August 2013.
What it Takes To Use Your Miles, Sometimes: Brazilian Edition
Denis passes along this Brazilian video talking frequent flyer miles to both me and to Ben. The main character is traveling with his wife and kids using miles. They each have to travel separately, using circuitous routes to get to Miami. (“Yeah, I got lucky that bus service is now part of the Star Alliance…”) His wife is going by donkey to Maceio.. He’s going Galeao – Guarulhos – Campinas – Belem – Bogota – Mexico City and taking a ferry to Miami. The newborn gets a truck ride straight to Miami! He’s been planning this trip since ’97… The return trip, that’s not booked yet, they’ll get home eventually but in the meantime he’s arranged work in Miami. (Perhaps frequent flyer mile capacity controls are at the root of illegal immigration? What public policies…
Expedia Rewards’ Devaluation is Even Worse Than I Thought
Yesterday I went through the devaluations to Expedia Rewards points earning. I recited the history of the program, that this is the second set of major devaluations for a program that is only two and a half years old. And both times the changes were implemented with no notice whatsoever. Programs that simply make your points worth less one day are not to be trusted. Programs that let you earn with a redemption goal in mind and then change the earning rules after you’ve invested time and money in their program are like Lucy, Charlie Brown and the football.. keeping the goal forever just out of reach. I’ve now concluded that Expedia Rewards is a program that I believe is not to be trusted, and also is no longer worth bothering with, since the cuts…
The New Hyatt Place Would Be the Best Hotel at LAX If Only I Could Be Confident in Their Airport Shuttle
Basic principles. You want the airport hotel connected to the terminal if there is one. Otherwise you want the one that’s newest or at least most recently renovated, since airport hotels disproportionately accommodate one night stays and wear faster. Beyond that a decent on-site restaurant is nice, especially when the property doesn’t have nearby walking options, and price is going to influence choice — the Grand Hyatt DFW is an exceptional hotel but it’s often so much more expensive than other Dallas airport hotels that it becomes tough to choose. Historically I’ve picked the Sheraton LAX for a Los Angeles airport overnight. It’s certainly showing wear but the rooms are decent, the restaurant is pretty good, and there’s a Starbucks in the lobby. There’s a (mediocre) club club and a nice pool area. But the…
Why Can’t We Use Cell Phones on Planes?
Not safe for work. So it’s a good thing I posted this on Saturday. You can join the 30,000+ people who see these deals and analysis every day — sign up to receive posts by email (just one e-mail per day) or subscribe to the RSS feed. It’s free. Don’t miss out!
Expedia Rewards Devalues Without Notice — AGAIN
Heels First Travel reports that Expedia Rewards is changing its points earning structure. They are doubling points earning for hotels and dropping points earning on airfare from 1 point per $2 (it used to be 1 point per dollar) down to 1 point per $5. Personally I used Expedia only for airfare, since I care about getting elite benefits on stays (many chains like Hilton and Starwood won’t honor those if booking through an online travel agent) and I care about earning points and stay credit (the rest of the chains won’t award that). What’s striking is that the changes have gone into effect immediately, with no advance notice whatsoever. And that this isn’t the first devaluation the program has made with no notice — and the program is only two years old! The program…
Bits ‘n Pieces for August 17, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: The DOJ lawsuit against the American-US Airways merger puts a lot of personnel changes on hold. Both airlines now need people to run operations that were told they wouldn’t have a job once the merger closed. Guy sticks a camera on his plane. Then he winds up crashing. Makes for a great video, if not a great flight. Fortunately he’s alright. Two Turkish Airlines pilots were abducted by Lebanese Shiites and are being held hostage to try to force Turkey to pressure Syrian rebels to release Lebanese kidnapped in Syria. This story deserves greater coverage. With the merger of LAN and TAM and the clarity that the combined entity becomes a member of oneworld, it’s not surprising that American miles will be able to be used on TAM…
Has Hertz Figured Out the Rental Experience of the Future?
There have been only two major breakthroughs in the rental car industry, from a consumer perspective, in recent decades: The rental car ‘club’ you join where your car is pre-assigned and your billing information is on file — no need to wait in line or fill out paperwork. Choose your own vehicle, pioneered by National (Emerald Aisle) but recently starting to get copied by others. Now Hertz is trying to think through their own innovations, a couple of which are hits but some are clear misses. Hertz unveiled redesigned car rental locations, featuring on-site printing capabilities, mobile device recharging stations and retail options, according to the company. Redesigned locations sell food, drinks and some travel accessories. Hertz also is “piloting new telematics for its buses” that would allow travelers to use an app to determine…
Priority Club Points Can Now Officially Be Included in Your Estate Plans
Yesterday IHG Rewards (“the hotel loyalty program formerly known as Priority Club”) revised its terms and conditions to codify a benefit that was previously undocumented — the ability to transfer miles from an account upon death. Transfer of IHG® Rewards Club Points Upon Death. When an IHG® Rewards Club member passes away, the member’s IHG® Rewards Club points may be transferred to the IHG® Rewards Club account(s) of the member’s beneficiary(ies). The request for transfer should be sent to the IHG® Rewards Club Service Center by the executor or administrator of the decedent’s estate, along with court documents showing authority, or by a sole beneficiary, along with copies of the decedent’s will and death certificate. The request must be received within one (1) year of the date of death. Transfer fees will be waived. They…
Why Devaluations Can Be Even Worse for Programs Than They Are for Members
Program devaluations can kill the golden goose. And, it appears, we may already be seeing that with Hilton. Ric Garrido points to a really interesting article in Hotel News Now on the value and evolution of loyalty programs which quoted hotel program execs on how the programs generate value and on the risks in disrupting that relationship. In general frequent flyer programs are highly profitable. That’s why I’ve been so skeptical of totally remaking their business models (“revenue-based” airline frequent flyer programs). Sure, members can be frustrated with redemptions on the airline side especially, not finding enough seats. That’s mostly an HR and technology problem. Agents aren’t incentivized to work hard for frequent flyers — they don’t get paid a bonus for successfully booking an award, or for spending lots of time on the phone…
