I may be playing Captain Obvious here but forward bookings for domestic leisure travel destinations are picking up steam (for a very low base). While one of the easiest places to cut in a pandemic-driven recession is marketing, it’s also one of the places a brand needs to spend to goose business precisely when facing challenging business conditions.
Since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis Hawaii has mixed a legitimate desire to keep cases out of the islands and prevent spread with a fear and even hatred of outsiders.
Now there’s a move to keep tourists segregated in resort areas and keep them out of Hawaiian neighborhoods that want to keep those neighborhoods only for locals. This is also protectionism for hotel owners.
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.
Last week word broke that American was targeting letting go 30% of management and support staff. They were being offered voluntary departure packages, at 3 to 6 months at one-third pay. Hanging around and being terminated later wouldn’t be as good a deal. United meanwhile changed its internal rules so that laid off employees receive no severance.
Southwest Airlines, by contrast, is being really generous with its employees.
Alaska Airlines is offering 50% bonus elite qualifying miles for flights through the end of the year, and also elite qualifying miles for credit card spend.
You might actually catch the virus while you’re traveling. And if you do you’re faced with an unexpected situation. You’re going to need to quarantine. That may mean a couple of extra weeks on the ground with lodging and meals, and changes to your onward or return flights. You may need additional medical care.
If you travel to Cyprus and catch COVID-19, Cyprus will cover all of your expenses. That should make it easier to visit with confidence. But isn’t this just an invitation for anyone with the virus to travel to Cyprus and have all their expenses covered..?
American Airlines is offering double miles, up to an additional 10,000 miles, for new tickets booked by June 30 and travel by September 30. They’re also promoting a fare sale through June 14 and vacation package discounts to goose summer bookings.
Starting today there are several changes to American Airlines catering: more hand sanitizer and substantial changes to beverage service.
I’ve been consistently hearing from American Airlines employees that several Admirals Clubs are expected to open in June. I’ve heard about major hub clubs, and the dates being offered are late in the month.
Asked about what I’ve been hearing, an American Airlines spokesperson offered “We hope to have more information to share this week.”
This morning I covered a fantastic story about an interaction between American Airlines CEO Doug Parker and a Southwest Airlines flight attendant, where they connected over issues of race and the challenges confronting our country right now. This story, initially shared by the flight attendant to Facebook, is gaining broad coverage across the internet.
Doug Parker actually shared his version of the encounter as well, first with American’s executive leadership and then with employees on their company intranet. Here’s what he wrote.
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 »
