Monthly Archives for February 2020.
The Austin airport was supposed to be getting a new lounge accessible by American Express Platinum cardmembers. The airport solicited bids to run a new independent lounge, and selected MAG (“Manchester Airport Group”) USA which runs Escape lounges. A rendering of the lounge even suggested it might be a dual Escape Lounge-Centurion lounge which is the setup in Phoenix. However the Austin City Council balked in a dispute over minority contracting rules.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker explains why when he sees something wrong he doesn’t insist that fixing the problem should be a priority.
United flight 363 from Newark to Honolulu was supposed to be operated by a Boeing 777 on Saturday. The airline swapped the plane for a Boeing 767-300, and that meant fewer business class seats. The airline needed ten volunteers who were willing to downgrade.
These ten passengers each received $10,000 in travel voucher compensation for volunteering, or $100,000 total for the one flight, and they still got to fly in premium economy seats.
I think I’ve figured out why Chase and Visa would agree to give United $400 million more a year – starting right away – for a credit card deal they already had in place for several years.
Much of United’s explanation why made no sense. This new deal isn’t likely to lead to a lot of “portfolio growth” (more cardmembers). They already were introducing new cards, new benefits, and have been running aggressive acquisition bonuses. However 5 words in United’s SEC filing seem to give away the plot.
Secret Flying warns that this price is so low (compares to over $800 on other airlines) that i could be a mistake. I disagree, it looks like a deep discount sale to me. However the airline could get seller’s remorse so it’s a good idea to wait several days before making plans around these tickets.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Chase and United are long term partners issuing United-branded credit cards. Their existing deal ran into 2025. They’ve extended the deal into 2029. United says the new deal will increase their revenue this year by $400 million. I’m having a hard time making sense of that number.
Wouldn’t it be great to pick up pre-ordered food nearby the lounge you’re headed to and get a discount on the meal?
Bringing more airport vendors on the platform means better customer data – with a broader view and greater understanding of each customer, in order to better tailor offers that move the needle on sales – and cross-marketing to existing customers.
A roundup of the most important stories of the day. I keep you up to date on the most interesting writings I find on other sites – the latest news and tips.
Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary believes a lot of controversial things and says them. I’ve often been skeptical that he even believes what he says – whenever he’s been out of the news for awhile he’ll talk about making customers of the European low cost carrier pay to use the lavatory, which I guess he believes entrenches the belief in customers’ minds that his airline is cheap.
However in a new interview he made made several claims only a couple of which are clearly self-serving.
Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel -- a topic he has covered since 2002.
Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »
