News and notes from around the interweb: How many credit cards will each bank let you have? Air Tahiti Nui buying 2 Boeing 787s. The Papeete-based carrier which flies to Tokyo, Auckland, Los Angeles and Paris (via Los Angeles) will use them to replace A340s. We can probably expect a new lie flat business class in dense configuration. Parents owe $14.3 billion in unpaid child support. Is it just me, or does it make you think: 14.3 billion miles in potential manufactured spend? American Airlines to phase out complimentary cabin pressurization (from The Onion and HT: Kevin D.) Are United and American looking at flying to New Zealand? Speculation is United could fly a 787 from San Francisco to Auckland, and American could fly from Los Angeles (one imagines a 787 as well). Air New…
The Last Hotel Internet Domino Falls. Hilton Will Offer Free WiFi, But There Are Catches…
IHG Rewards came out with internet for everyone a year ago (though of course most of their hotels already gave it to everyone as a brand standard, only the upper-tier ones did not and in certain regions). And Marriott announced this two months ago, with a restriction of having to book through Marriott channels. Starwood launched announced free internet in December and started offering it a month ago. They require bookings to be made through a Starwood channel to be eligible. Days later Hyatt announced free internet — no loyalty program membership or booking channel requirement whatsoever. That left Hilton dangling out there as the only major US chain still charging the bulk of its guests for internet. That couldn’t be sustainable, and indeed they emailed this morning to say they’re going to offer free…
Hyatt Made Several Changes to Its Terms and Conditions. Here’s What You Need to Know.
Hyatt just updated its terms and conditions for Gold Passport. I cannot emphasize enough that loyalty programs should share with members when they do this, and explain the changes that they’re making, even when the changes are innocuous or consistent with other announced changes to a program that have been made. Here’s what Hyatt has done.
Inflight Internet: It Isn’t Too Expensive for What You Get, It’s Too Cheap
The Marvel — and Tradeoff — of Inflight Internet Inflight internet is one of the truly amazing advances that’s made a direct difference in life over the past few years. Some people hate it, it makes them feel obligated to stay connected whereas flying was one of the few times where they could turn off their life. They couldn’t be reached. It was an opportunity to read a book, or even to nap during the business day. Cherished personal time. In some ways inflight internet is one example of the trend towards eliminating the distinctions between work and personal time, although much (though certainly not all!) business travel is done during the work week. For me, it’s not only made me more productive it’s generally reduced my overall stress level. I used to hate landing…
Should You Travel to Countries With Awful Human Rights Records?
The ethics of traveling to certain parts of the world — places where human rights aren’t respected, where a sex trade exists (perhaps illegal but unfettered) or where ‘guest workers’ have their passports taken on arrival and have little choice but to toil in unsafe conditions – can be complicated. I think it’s difficult, and certainly uncomfortable, for a world traveler to ponder how their choices affect the people they meet. And it’s even tougher to ponder the signals their choices send — does visiting Turkmenistan endorse that regime? Does it provide hard currency that sustains the regime? Is your tourism in some way fostering terrible conditions that people live under? Sometimes that might be the case, although rarely does one person’s decisions materially affect the situations of people on the ground and rarely would…
How JetBlue is Winning Hollywood With Cheap Prices for First Class
JetBlue is winning Hollywood. Not the studio contracts, of course. If you have a deal with Paramount, you’re flying American on the lucrative Los Angeles – New York route. But the ‘real’ Hollywood. The actors and directors and producers and independent talent who work for a living, aren’t traveling on a studio’s dime, but view the world through the lens of those who do. One of the best sources of clients for my award booking business has been Hollywood – recognizable actors who have had many small roles in film, or recurring roles on cable TV, comedic directors whose shows we know but that we wouldn’t recognize in an airport. They travel in circles with actresses and actors who fly private, or who are flown in international first class all over the world. They want…
Revenue-based Frequent Flyer Programs are Good for Flyers — and Not for the Reason You Think.
Revenue-based frequent flyer programs are good for consumers — just not in the way airlines would have you believe. Frequent flyer programs are the most successful marketing creations ever. And as such they get consumers to behave irrationally. Customers buy more expensive tickets than they otherwise would. And not even for the elite benefits, non-elites do it too and low level elites who may not get much incremental value from their status. Frequent flyer programs turned airline seats, which were otherwise commodity products, into differentiated products, and differentiated products consumers were willing to buy at a premium. But when you commodify the relationship, and you turn the frequent flyer program into a straight rebate there’s little advantage to choosing one program or another. What’s more, the leader in the revenue-based space — Delta Air Lines…
Your Fellow Passengers are Generous, Polite, and Well Behaved. The Data Says So.
Back in August, the knee defender guy touched off a media firestorm. The fight started when the male passenger, seated in a middle seat of row 12, used the Knee Defender to stop the woman in front of him from reclining while he was on his laptop… A flight attendant asked him to remove the device and he refused. The woman then stood up, turned around and threw a cup of water at him, the official says. That’s when United decided to land in Chicago. The two passengers were not allowed to continue to Denver. For about a week there was a ‘national conversation’ about how bad things have gotten with air travel, whether there’s a right to recline your seat, and the need to be polite (“we’re all in this together”). There were even…
Would You Pay 50 Cents More So That Flight Catering Workers May Eat? Plus Lufthansa First Class News and United Lounge Renovations!
News and notes from around the interweb: United is renovating its lounges with “improved wi-fi, more power outlets and more comfortable seating” — even redoing the incomparable B18 lounge at O’Hare. Here’s the renovation schedule. Unions representing SkyChefs and Gate Gourmet workers want a federal 50 cent per ticket tax to supplement their wages. I’m surprised there’s as much catering spend still: Airlines spent $3.62 per passenger on food in 2013, according to federal statistics, down from $4.79 in 2001. Lufthansa’s Munich flights now all have their new first class. If this doesn’t scare you off of Global Entry, nothing will! (If you have any outstanding warrants, that is..) SAS sells a London Heathrow slot pair to Turkish
You Get the Devaluations You Deserve
Commenter Dan writes, I used to do Strategy and Analytics for an [Online Travel Agency] and had an offer for a similar title [tp General Manager, SkyMiles Strategy & Analysis] at United Mileage Plus. This is much more an analytics role than a strategy role. At all these firms, they need a business person who can run data models to tell them what is making/not making money. Sometimes I was able to put together small changes or run promos that helped the bottom line (my biggest was probably an international fare sale on select foreign carriers), but the overall direction of the program is guided by the higher-ups. This person would just tell the higher-up how much money they would be making off the decision. That being said, 100% of the decisions made come down…
