Hilton’s Hampton Inn brand has promoted a ‘100% Satisfaction Guarantee’ for years. The commitment that ” If you’re not 100% satisfied, we don’t expect you to pay. That’s our promise and your guarantee” dates to the 1990s.
But is it even real? Hotel chains no longer see guests as their customers. Hotel owners are the customers and the goal is to sign on more rooms under their umbrella. Guests are the product they market to owners.
United Airlines crew are wearing old uniforms for the last time, as frontline employees debut their new Brooks Brothers uniforms on Wednesday.
The end of Southwest Airlines as a brand is Tuesday, May 28th. They begin charging for checked bags on all tickets sold beginning tomorrow. What’s amazing is that they refused to even tell customers what they’d be charging. They were too embarrassed – having built their entire reputation on being a customer-friendly airline, with ‘bags fly free’ as the centerpiece.
Etihad Guest will award 5 million miles to the first member who flies to or from each of the carrier’s 15 brand-new year-round destinations during the coming 12-month window. Two runners-up will pocket 3 million and 1 million miles.
Etihad had been restricting American AAdvantage from booking business and first class long haul awards until 14 days from departure. But something seems to be afoot, because it’s not just the new Atlanta – Abu Dhabi flight that is now open to AAdvantage members.
First class awards are wide open on some routes like Paris to Abu Dhabi and Abu Dhabi to Singapore. You can even book Etihad First Apartment awards on the Airbus A380, complete with your own room that offers a seat and separate bed, and an onboard shower.
I failed to earn miles when I was younger, even failed to have an account when I first flew enough to earn elite status. I’ve let miles expire. And I broke some program rules without even realizing it was a big deal.
This isn’t a ‘play list for the road’ it’s about borrowing someone else’s poetry to describe the travel experience. There’s no question that George Gershwin didn’t write Rhapsody in Blue to be about travel, but it’s equally clear that the 1924 composition has become inextricably linked with United Airlines.
What songs most evoke travel for you and are missing from my list? Which ones here are new to you?
American Airlines should fix standby by reversing policy changes that make them uncompetitive and inconvenient for customers.
Delta Air Lines says they see weak demand for coach travel right now, but no decline in premium cabin demand. Their executives believe that once passengers fly first and business class, they’ll do anything possible not to go back.
Two people are buried underneath runway 10/28 at the Savannah Hilton Head International airport, and planes take off and land there every day.
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 »
