After American’s earnings calls the company’s executives meet with employees and take their questions. One of the questions was about the airline’s internal employee survey which revealed significant discontent.
Mergers create a brief window where customers are largely protected from devaluations. Airlines are distracted by merger integration, and don’t want to make customers feel like the merger will be bad for them right away. Once American Airlines moved to a single reservation system in October 2015 we learned about a gutting of AAdvantage the next month both for elite status qualification and benefits and for their redemption chart, and then the rollout of basic economy the next year.
Alaska Airlines right now has by far the most lucrative US airline frequent flyer program. Their award chart is far more attractive than that of their competitors. And they’re a better airline to fly. That may change.
American’s policy is vague, but they do not ask flight attendants to enforce seating with a cabin. If there’s an empty seat with more legroom and you move to it, flight attendants aren’t expected to stop you (let alone charge you, the way United might).
During United’s investor call airline President Scott Kirby reiterated his belief that the largest airline a market will sign up customers for their credit card. If they grow in a market they’ll get more credit card signups and make more money from Chase.
Nowhere in the discussion is there anything at all about the features or benefits of that credit card.
What happens when your cross the worst baggage handlers with the US mail? You get computers stolen from rural school children.
These brain surgeons used a a Ravn truck to move the items they were stealing from the post office to the employee parking lot where they moved goods straight into their cars, and then gave items to family members and co-workers and kept other items in their homes.
In The Gods Must Be Crazy, a tribe which lives off the land believes that the gods have provided for them until a Coke bottle is thrown out of a plane and comes to earth unbroken. They see it as a present from the gods, and make use of it as a tool, but since there’s only one Coke bottle the tribe descends into chaos not knowing how to share it.
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Hyatt now counts free night awards towards elite status. But they’re doing more than that. They’re re-calculating 2017 status as though free nights counted last year, and they’re sending out emails to members who would have achieved a higher level of status or earned additional suites and points.
American told flight attendants today that starting in the spring Main Cabin Extra seats with more legroom also get free booze, and overhead bins will have reserved signs.
However that may mean changes soon to limit frequent flyer benefits.
Last night United Airlines President Scott Kirby gave an extended airline economics lecture to investors, explaining how they make more money by building up their hubs. As a result they’re projecting to grow capacity 4% – 6% in 2018 — and continue growing at a similar clip through 2020.
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 »
