Low cost carriers often eschew global distribution systems – to save money you buy tickets from them in person or online. And in some parts of world many tickets are indeed still purchased in person. Brand identity matters — if you’re going to get consumers to buy from you, they need to know who you are. And certainly the Thai domestic market is crowded. In addition to national flag carrier Thai Airways, there’s competition between Thai AirAsia, Bangkok Airways (not to be confused with a low cost carrier), and Nok Air. So NokAir is running a promotion with Maxim models dressed as flight attendants posing with their planes. I’m not sure why this is supposed to make people want to fly Nok Air. Hooters Air didn’t survive, and the Hooters Girls were actually on the…
Bits ‘n Pieces for February 12, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Head for Points passes along a £20 signup bonus for Uber with promo code URBANJUNKIES. Meant for U.K. residents, I haven’t tested to see whether the code will work for others. The standard offer (my referral link, as always feel free to leave yours in the comments) provides a $10 credit towards your first ride and $10 to the person whose link you used to join once you use the service. Wandering Aramean has updated his very useful tool for calculating the cost of an award ticket using British Airways Avios points to include new oneworld partner Malaysia Airlines. Their award chart is distance-based, and prices each flight segment separately (except for intra-UK segments), and so I find myself consulting this regularly to quickly test how much an…
Marriott Increasing the Price of Award Nights
Last night Marriott announced both hotel category changes (almost all are going ‘up’ in price) and the introduction of a new, higher award category — category 9. The new category 9 will cost 45,000 points per night 36% of properties will go up by one or more categories (almost all by only 1) Only 1% of properties will drop by a category. The changes go into effect May 16. Here’s the full list of properties changing categories. They new category 9 hotels are: Boston Marriott Long Wharf Le Merigot, A JW Marriott Beach Hotel & Spa, Santa Monica London Marriott Hotel County Hall London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square Grosvenor House, A JW Marriott Hotel London Marriott Hotel Park Lane JW Marriott Essex House New York Marriott Marquis Paris Marriott Hotel Champs-Elysees St. Pancras Renaissance London…
Your Kiva Microloans Double Their Impact Today — And Earn Miles
Kiva.org is a micro-lending site that facilitates your ability to do good in the world by making small loans to entrepreneurs around the world. They have partners on the ground who vet people and projects and work with folks who need the funds to foster businesses or cover expenses that allow them to pursue investment in their futures. You can provide funding for loans they’re making, you don’t earn interest but when the borrower pays the loan back you get the funds returned to your account. You can then make another loan with the funds, or withdrawal your principal back to your bank account. Kiva accounts can be funded by credit card. Paypal picks up the processing cost so the amount you charge to your card is the amount available to loan out, and ultimately…
Awesome Southwest Flight Attendant Raps the Safety Demonstration
Even better, to me, than an Air New Zealand safety video. But then I miss late 80s-style rapping. What’s funny is, I remembered this wasn’t the first time I’ve seen a Southwest rapping flight attendant go (kinda, sort) viral on YouTube.
In Under the Wire: Should You Get the US Airways and American Credit Cards Now Before Any Merger?
In my discussion last week about the ten best credit card signup bonuses, many of the reader comments centered around what’s looking likely to be a merger between American Airlines and US Airways. Several readers asked, given the probability of a merger, should they get in on the US Airways card now? In general my answer is yes but not for the reason most people seemed to be thinking. Neither the US Airways card nor the American Airlines cards will go away right away. In fact I expect both cards to stick around for awhile. But getting them now may provide for the opportunity to get them again (including signup bonuses) before one of them disappears. Getting a 50,000 mile bonus from the Citibank American card and a 40,000 mile bonus from the US Airways…
Looks Like We’ll Have to Wait Until Midweek for US Airways-American
From the ever-useful Dallas Morning News aviation blog The Associated Press, which Friday had been quoting sources saying the AMR board was scheduled to meet Monday and that the US Airways board would meet over the weekend or Monday, on Sunday said the meetings had been delayed. The AMR board wants to meet in person rather than have a telephone conference, and the US Airways board would take its vote after the AMR board does, AP reported. Reuters, which also been reporting a Monday meeting, said Sunday that “AMR needed more time to finalize details and the boards of the two airlines are now not expected to gather until around Wednesday, the sources said.” The drama has been going on for a year, I guess we can wait just a few more days.
Do Alaska Airlines Miles Really Expire?
Expiring miles are an interesting thing, programs like them to expire because they hold the miles as a liability on their books and if they expire unused they both save themselves from the expense of redemption and also can recognize any remaining revenue associated with those miles. At the same time, programs like active, engaged members even more. Because those members are profitable, they make the programs profitable. Dormant members, though, not so profitable. Delta was one of the leaders in reducing the length of time it takes for miles to expire down from 3 years to 18 months. having done that, expired tons of miles, cleaned up their balance sheet they now say their miles won’t ever expire. Eighteen months is the ‘U.S. standard’ though with United and American maintaining that rule. And when…
Bits ‘n Pieces for February 9, 2013
News and notes from around the interweb: Sequestration’s across the board budget cuts won’t affect travel in a meaningful way. I’ve made that case before, and now air traffic control isn’t even part of the Administration’s parade of horribles. Lufthansa Miles & More discounted awards for bookings by February 28 and travel through March 16. Details of Virgin Atlantic’s planned domestic U.K. service How Airlines Prepare for Big Storms
We’re Number One! (But Don’t Actually Believe It)
@GrantMartin tweets Looks like @garyleff is back on top. The battle continues! He’s referring to this blog’s Technocrati ranking (and as compared to his Gadling). I don’t pay attention to rankings, and I don’t even often check the stats package for this blog or Google Analytics. I just write and hopefully some folks find it useful or interesting. And I suspect that the rankings for what’s the most influential blog in all of travel must be off and highly flawed even. I’m even more confident in that judgment when I see that Technorati lists me as having the 16th most influential blog in Living. … just a hair behind MTV Style and Fashionista. I did once skip the velvet rope at KU DÉ TA in Singapore. But that’s as close to being one of the…
