News and notes from around the interweb:
- Three years of Shipt free shipping for Visa Infinite cardmembers like Sapphire Reserve.
- A free night at the Four Seasons New York for Amex Centurion cardmembers, not bad.
- More airline subsidies in Australia
- And in the U.S.: Small airlines battle to serve the most remote US cities, where even empty flights can be profitable thanks to millions in subsidies
- Airlines get another exemption from ‘use it or lose it rules’ on airline slots at U.S. airports but only for slots used for international. Treating slots as an airline property right, given away free and in perpetuity, is a huge subsidy for incumbent carriers. Not letting other airlines use those slots when they actually are willing to offer flights is even more egregious.
- Plaza Premium wants to roughly triple its airport lounge portfolio by 2025. They could add lounges to high speed rail hubs in China. U.S. markets are harder because it’s mature, airports are full, so they look at space ready to be renovated. They’re working with partners here. (HT: @crucker)
Airport-lounge operator Plaza Premium is “cautiously optimistic” about an uptick in travel and plans to expand to more than 500 lounges by 2025. @sophkamaruddin speaks with Mei Mei Song, the group's brand director. Full video: https://t.co/srB7bHUwz3 pic.twitter.com/ssn9c1IAsH
— Bloomberg TV (@BloombergTV) September 20, 2021
