Category Archives for Commentary.
Uber is devaluing its rewards program, dropping the option to redeem 500 points for $5 cash. This was the simplest and straightforward redemption option.
Though Uber offers a milquetoast statement to explain the move, the truth is this represents a huge change in strategy for the company – walking away from plans to build their own digital currency.
Working as a flight attendant has been transformed over the last 40 years from high status to much lower status in American esteem. One day a year though we’re supposed to re-elevate the role. Yet somehow I’ve never really internalized that May 31 is international Flight Attendant Appreciation Day.
There are two ways travel can spread the virus. Both are manageable at this point. Europe’s CDC has brand new recommendations for re-opening travel.
The Travelocity twitter account is like the Death Star’s exhaust port, or the vulnerability exploited in the final battle scene of Independence Day.
Jessica Langer shared her ‘earliest internet memory’ in response to someone’s silly question on twitter. It was a slow effort as her father tried to book a flight using Travelocity when she was really young. Langer was offering a genuine recollection, that wasn’t likely to garner much attention, except a Travelocity customer service bot decided to respond.
One of the things I really enjoy doing is responding to reader questions and it looks like I haven’t really opened things up in a structured way in some time. So here’s your chance.
What happens if someone picks up COVID-19 during their travels? They get tested and need to quarantine?
Ben Schlappig, known as Lucky from the One Mile at a Time blog is contemplating a trip to Iceland next month and the way he frames the discussion, and the ensuing comments, are a fascinating sociological study in how people are reacting to the coronavirus pandemic and travel.
He’s talking about visiting Iceland – which plans to welcome visitors starting June 15, with COVID-19 testing on arrival. He shouldn’t be sheepish or apologetic about this.
Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly says it is safe to fly again, “We’re doing everything possible to encourage people to come back and fly.”
I’m going to offer what I hope is a slightly more limited and nuanced take, that it is safe for some people to plan now to travel again during the months of June, July and August. This is speculative, but sums up my currently thinking about where we stand.
The U.S. borders with Canada and Mexico are closed to non-essential travel, but agents on the border processing immigration say they haven’t received guidance on what that means and they’re left to make up the rules themselves.
Immigration officers further resent the number of people coming into the U.S., viewing them as physical threats to their health.
The major approaches to ensuring arriving passengers are safe and are not infected all have limitations – so severe that they may not provide much protection at all.
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 »
