American Airlines CEO Robert Isom used an internal employee meeting to lay out a real shift in priorities. After years of chasing lower costs and more seats, American is now telling employees the way out is revenue: better customer experience, more premium demand, network growth, and a stronger AAdvantage program.
Robert Isom addressed the airline deal rumors employees were already talking about internally: United, Alaska and Spirit. United is a hard no, Alaska is the partnership American wants to expand, and Spirit is not a fit — though American would consider assets and stranded passengers.
Southwest Airlines came to Washington to unveil a patriotic “America 250” jet with Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy. But behind the celebration was the administration’s more urgent airline problem: Spirit needs a rescuer, and Southwest was apparently asked whether it would be the buyer.
The World of Hyatt Business Credit Card biggest-ever welcome bonus is being pulled: 80,000 points after $10,000 in spending in the first three months, up from the previous 60,000-point offer. The bigger reason to care is that Hyatt makes this its fastest card for spending your way toward elite status.
Delta passengers say they flagged a first officer who appeared intoxicated before their Charlottesville–Atlanta flight, and law enforcement ultimately removed her from the aircraft. Delta called it a “safety issue,” but the flight did not leave for nearly 10 hours — finally departing after midnight with a new crew.
Wells Fargo just added Cathay Pacific Asia Miles as a 1:1 transfer partner, only two weeks after adding its last new partner. The timing is useful: Amex is making Cathay transfers less valuable, while Wells Fargo’s $95 Autograph Journey card is quietly becoming a more serious travel card.
Delta still benefits from the strongest premium brand halo among U.S. airlines, but more and more of the actual experience no longer lives up to that image. From weaker-than-advertised first class catering to lagging wifi, aging business class seats, and a reliability edge that is not what it once was, the gap between Delta’s reputation and what customers actually get is starting to widen.
Bilt Rewards just announced Bed Bath & Beyond as a new partner, which mostly made me wonder how Bed Bath & Beyond is still around. It turns out the answer involves Overstock buying the dead retailer’s name, buybuy BABY getting reacquired, Reality TV’s Marcus Lemonis taking over, and one of the strangest corporate reincarnation stories in retail.
The easy part of keeping a business credit card is earning the signup bonus. The real question is whether it still makes sense once the first-year math is over, and for me the AAdvantage Business card still earns enough extra value through AAdvantage Business miles and Loyalty Points to justify the annual fee.
Hotels keep building bathrooms with glass walls, barn doors, and almost no privacy because those rooms look bigger, brighter, and more luxurious in photos. The problem is not that hotels do not know guests hate this design — it is that marketing, perceived space, and cheaper construction keep winning over comfort.
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 »
