Defiant Air Italy Will Launch Two New North American Routes Next Year

by Gary Leff

qatarplane
May 09 2019

U.S. airlines are lobbing political grenades at Air Italy, which flies from Milan to New York, Miami and now seasonally to Los Angeles and San Francisco (cities with no other non-stop service on the route). Air Italy has a total of 15 aircraft in its fleet, and has already reduced service on the Los Angeles and San Francisco routes, and cancelled Chicago service before it even began.

Air Italy is defiant. They say they plan to launch two new North American routes in 2020, at least one likely just summer seasonal, and they hope to re-instate Los Angeles and San Francisco’s service to year-round status.

Continue Reading »

How Much Would You Pay to Avoid Connecting? And How Long is Too Long to Wait in an Airport?

by Gary Leff

shanghai airport
May 08 2019

If you’ve never missed a flight you’re spending too much time in airports. Non-stops are nearly always better than connecting, though on the longest flights the time a connection adds to your overall journey is relatively smaller (if everything goes as planned).

Passengers prefer non-stop travel over connections, but at what margin? How much are people willing to spend to avoid a connection and does it depend on how long of a connection they’d have to take?

Continue Reading »

One Credit Card is Now Offering a Bucket to New Customers Who Apply

by Gary Leff

costco bucket
May 08 2019

Don’t discount the value of a bucket as a signup bonus!

Along with some pvc pipe, gravel, sand and charcoal you could use a bucket to build a water filter. You can grow food inside of a bucket. Or harvest rainwater. You could even attach a couple of straps to the bucket and make it a backpack. With holes near the bottom of the bucket, and placed inside roasting pans, you might be able to use it to feed chickens. Buckets are also super useful if the ALS Foundation gets the ice bucket challenge to go viral again.

Continue Reading »

Andaz West Hollywood’s GM Responds to Their Scammy Award Availability Strategy

by Gary Leff

building
May 08 2019

Monday I wrote about how the Andaz West Hollywood keeps World of Hyatt members from using their points.

The hotel benefits from being a Hyatt. They attract stays from guests loyal to the brand, and looking to earn elite night credit when staying in the area. But they appear not to want to honor the other end of their obligation by redeeming free night awards.

Continue Reading »

Delta Introduces Elite Status Family Leave Benefit

by Gary Leff

delta plane
May 08 2019

Several frequent flyer programs around the world let you put your status on pause, or extend your status, when you experience major life events. It’s not nearly as common in the U.S., perhaps because we’re not as focused here on accommodating new births or medical issues as people are in Europe or Australia.

It makes all the sense in the world for a travel loyalty program, though. A customer who was incredibly valuable before having a child is likely to be incredibly valuable once the get back on the road.

Continue Reading »