They influence purchasing decisions. An interesting statistic: Theunis Potgieter, the senior executive manager at SAA Voyager, says research shows that frequent-flyer programmes influence 30 to 35 percent of consumers who are choosing an airline.
New travel columns this past week (and new catty comments by me)
David Rowell is unimpressed by British Airways business class. Joe Brancatelli offers obvious and/or useless tips for Holiday travel. Chris Barnett offers hopefully the last of a zillion eulogies to the Concorde, with no new observations to boot.
Reading is fundamental
Print this 20% off coupon for in-store purchases at Borders from November 14 – 20.
Edward Arlington Robinson’s Revenge
No miles and points for this, but a text game worth checking out: the Richard Corey Interactive Adventure. This frightens me. (Link via Sasha Volokh.)
A View from the Wing Primer
Since this website is brought to you in the form of a blog — daily commentary offered with the most recent items first — older items quickly fall off the page. I only display the most recent week’s worth of content at any one time. I like to think, though, that some of the entries retain their value even after the week has passed. And you can still read them — just click on the Archives link or pick one of the entries labeled “Greatest Hits” at the right (under my picture).Don’t want to miss a single deal or offer? Just be sure to enter your email address under Subscribe for Updates and each night you’ll receive an email with the day’s content. And I will never use your email for any other purpose. For…
Keeping Abreast of Changes at Hooters Air, Enlarging their Schedule
Hooters Air is adding flights to Nassau, Bahamas and Ft. Myers, Florida. I still haven’t been on a Hooters Air flight…
Another note about Northwest
Two weeks ago I said that Northwest Airlines was best positioned not to change its frequent flyer elite program qualification rules, but that they’d face pressure because partners Delta and Continental had already made changes. Looks like they followed their own best interest, ignoring the calls to restructure their program to reward fare basis purchased rather than miles flown.
Instant Hilton HHonors Gold is Back
Sign up for a Hilton HHonors account with this link and enter offer code ACAT. You’ll get instant HHonors Gold status and you’ll earn 25,000 bonus points for four stays.
No news is the best news
Northwest Airlines has announced program changes for 2004. The biggest news is no change at all: Northwest won’t go along with partners Delta and Continental on elite qualification — Northwest flights will continue to earn 100% elite mileage even on the lowest fares.Additional changes: Northwest will only award 50% of elite mileage on Continental flights at the lowest fares, so stay on Northwest metal! Most strikingly, Northwest will award 100% of elite mileage on Delta flights at the lowest fares (effective this Sunday – we don’t have to wait until January 1 for this one!). So Delta frequent flyers flying L, U, and T fares will only earn 50% mileage, Northwest frequent flyers will earn 100% elite mileage on the same flights. Northwest is increasing the number of miles required for First Class awards from…
So long 757
Transport Blog eulogizes the Boeing 757 as that aircraft is ushered out of production. The 757 was intended to replace the 727, but for some reason Boeing got its market research wrong. Rather than building a 150 seat replacement for the 150 seat 727, Boeing made the 757 a 200 seater. As it happened, most of the airlines that were replacing their 727s didn’t want a 200 seater, but wanted a 150 seater. Boeing did not immediately have one available, and this provided a market opening that was ultimately taken up by Airbus, who built the A320, and by McDonnell Douglas, who built a stretched version of the DC-9 called the MD-80. This was the market opening that allowed Airbus to move from a niche player in the airliner world to being clear number two…
