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.
Premium economy is like domestic first class with foot rests (or in some cases a foot bar). It doesn’t let you lie flat, but it gives you extra room and some upgraded amenities. I don’t think it’s a replacement for business class on ultra long haul flights, but it’s ‘good enough’ flying transatlantic Westbound (day flight) and certainly a whole lot better than coach.
I watch Sydney fares because I have family in the suburbs there, and I’ve been going since I was a kid. In fact my very first international trip was to Australia. I even flew American Airlines the last time they served Sydney — DC10s via Honolulu.
When I wrote that Hyatt points have remained a remarkably steady source of value for the last 5 years since they devalued their points, that even when they announced those changes in late 2013 they weren’t that bad, and since then even the modest shifts in award categories we’ve seen for hotels have been balanced my point was to re-assure about Hyatt points not to cause consternation.
However I received several comments along the lines of why are you pointing out to them it’s time to devalue? Hyatt is already aware of the economics of their program and when they last made changes.
United’s President spoke yesterday at the Morgan Stanley 6th Annual Laguna Conference. It’s always interesting to listen to him, he lays out his thinking more clearly and candidly than most airline executives.
One thing pointed out is that “in the last 30 years airline revenue as a percentage or GDP has gone to about .6 from about 1.2%.” The conclusion he draws is that airfares should double, “we are under pricing our product by 50%.”
We thought US airlines were done complaining about competition when Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar settled complaints this year. But American is back at it — now complaining about a European airline that’s part-owned by a Gulf carrier.
American Airlines CEO Doug Parker is worried about airline jobs when airline employment is at a peak and when his own flight attendants and mechanics unions are furious at him. Although it’s a well-worn strategy to blame foreigners as a distraction for problems at home. It’s even more ironic though because he did this in a speech where he also talked about inclusion.
I’ve gotten value from Thanks Again earning miles for years, just a few at a time. They started out with brick and mortar retailers and I’d earn points when I least expected it. Then they pivoted to focus largely on airports.
When you go through the airport you’re the airline’s customer, and the airport rarely knows who you are. But the airport makes money when you spend money at retailers there. So by rewarding that spend they learn about who their best customers are can provide even greater rewards.
Airlines have taken that knowledge, that business travel booking engines will filter out basic economy options, and used it as ‘the new Saturday night stay’ — the means to differentiate pricing for leisure travelers and business travelers.
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.
Multiple readers reached out to me about delayed transfers of Chase Ultimate Rewards points to Singapore Airlines Krisflyer. They made transfers and those points did not post. This seems to be for transfers originating around September 4 onward.
In late August I wrote that Chase was about to introduce their new Sapphire Banking product — but not to sign up right away because a bonus would be on its way that you should wait for. They’ve now shared what that bonus will be.
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 »
