Marriott’s View of Loyalty Prevails: Al Maha Won’t Charge Guests for Meals, Activities After All

by Gary Leff

view from villa
Jan 09 2019

Hotel loyalty programs face a unique challenge that airlines don’t. Airlines set the rules and provide the product directly. Hotels have to get properties which are often owned and even managed separately to comply, with benefits like upgrades delivered consistently by individual employees at a front desk perhaps thousands of miles away. They rely on individual hotels and even employees to comply.

Embedded in a loyalty program as well is a philosophy of how to treat guests redeeming their points.

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Delta Will Stop Automatically ‘Upgrading’ Elites to Extra Legroom Seats on 7 Routes (‘Temporarily’)

by Gary Leff

delta check in airport
Jan 08 2019

Delta calls moving from regular coach to extra legroom coach (“Comfort+”) seats an ‘upgrade’ the way other airlines call coach to business an upgrade.

When you buy a ticket you don’t just assign yourself an extra legroom seat, your upgrade ‘clears’ into the extra legroom section of the plane. This process is going to create a problem on several routes beginning in March.

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Love Letter on an Airsickness Bag: Woman Takes a Last Shot Declaring a Crush

by Gary Leff

love letter
Jan 07 2019

A 21 year old woman named Andrea flew from Miami to DC. Inflight internet wasn’t working but her mind was on overdrive. She had a huge crush on her best friend. She showed up at the airport to meet him during his connection… before heading off to study in Australia for a semester.

And she shared the teen romance drama on an airsickness bag, discovered by an aircraft cleaner.

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Why Delta 44,000 Mile Sydney Roundtrips Are Sad

by Gary Leff

sydney opera house at sunset
Jan 07 2019

I’ve written before about how Delta award sales don’t drive much value to the program.

Pulling up award calendars on Delta it’s indeed possible to find 44,000 mile roundtrip. What’s striking to me is how much extra legroom coach is pricing for the same flights (164,000) and how much business class costs. Imagine, 930,000 miles for business class. This isn’t even first class – and you’d better hurry, there’s only 1 seat left at this price.

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What Delta is Telling Employees About the Year Ahead

by Gary Leff

delta plane
Jan 06 2019

On New Year’s Day Delta CEO sent a message to his airline’s employees laying out the company’s goals for the year. While Delta doesn’t have the simple mission the way that Southwest does they have clear goals and metrics to know whether they’re reaching those goals or not.

And it seems useful sharing what the airline is telling its employees what the company is doing, and the priorities those employees should have as they go about their year.

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Happening Now: Teenager Fleeing an Arranged Marriage in Saudi Arabia Being Held in Bangkok Airport

by Gary Leff

saudi woman
Jan 06 2019

An 18 year old Saudi woman fled her family and homeland. She obtained an Australian visa — because this could be done online, and as a woman she could not travel to an embassy unescorted. She’s being described as an ex-Muslim who was trying to escape an arranged marriage.

Rahaf Mohammed flew to Bangkok but is being detained. The Saudi government wants her returned.

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