American Express is assembling its travel and lifestyle super app. Cardmembers spend a lot on restaurants, and those with the disposable income to go out at upper-end restaurants are a lucrative segment.
Meanwhile, embedding a card brand into the dining ecosystem, and leveraging a platform to deliver restaurant reservations and experiences to guests, is a way to win loyalty. At least that’s the bet.
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 Southwest Airlines CEO Bob Jordan said he isn’t resigning, which – outside of an expression of ‘full confidence’ from the Board – is the surest sign his two-year tenure is jeopardy. There’s now growing talk that his departure could be imminent, with current COO and Hawaiian Airlines veteran Andrew Watterson taking over.
Air France KLM Flying Blue will now status match customers in the U.S. and Mexico up to the Gold level, with status valid for 12 months. This is fantastic if you have a stash of bank points that transfer to miles, and great if you fly Delta as well.
Southwest Airlines flight 4069 from Las Vegas to Oklahoma City descended all the way down to about 525 feet – when it was still 9 miles from its destination airport. Air traffic control received an alert about the plane’s altitude and contacted the pilots, “Southwest 4069, low altitude alert. You good out there?”
Virgin Atlantic is offering 40% off awards booked by June 24 for travel through December 31, 2024.
The American Airlines flight attendants union has told its members, “We do not believe further negotiations will be scheduled prior to the National Mediation Board determining to release the parties into a thirty-day cooling-off period. All American Airlines Flight Attendants should prepare for an upcoming strike.”
American already reduced its pilot hiring for 2024 by 40% year-over-year, also citing Boeing issues, pausing new hire classes for the summer and potentially for December as well. This was consistent with guidance the airline had provided at its March investor day.
But now has cancelled all of its new-hire pilot training through end of 2024.
I often meet people at hotels and sit in their lobby. I’m not a guest! Is that wrong? Nobody has ever said anything to me about it.
I’ve never had a problem taking a water from the refrigerator in the lobby of the Andaz 5th Avenue in New York, and I’ve found it a nice central meeting place.
Readers often wonder why I care what happens to JSX. I have no ownership interest in them. I have never been paid a dime by them. They no longer even serve my home airport in Austin, having been chased off the real estate. Whether JSX continues to fly benefits me not at all. It’s simply an outrage that consumers keep getting the short end of the stick in favor of entrenched interests.
There are more than 4 million private flights each year operating from private terminals, offering convenient air travel to those who can afford it. As soon as 50,000 flights are made accessible to people otherwise stuck as customers of American Airlines and Southwest, they run to the government to stop it.
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 »
