Is American Airlines a better airline than we give them credit for? They have made a decade of boneheaded decisions and the customer hasn’t been at the forefront of their thinking. But they’ve also made real improvements, and I don’t think they’re doing enough to tell that story.
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.
Delta Air Lines will pay $8.1 million to settle charges that it misused Covid-era government subsidies.
The IHG One Rewards Premier Credit Card has a best-ever initial bonus offer by a lot, worth 5 free night awards which can have a total value of 300,000 points. That’s more than double the value of the previous offer, and something I recall their offering only once before.
It’s good that American Airlines is joining this trend. I’d rather see them investing in more lounges and lounge renovations. But additional options are certainly better than not. Hopefully those refrigerators will be stocked with a couple bottles of water I can grab when I pass through in a few days.
The goal of any pricing strategy is to grow net revenue. That could mean charging a customer more. But it’s too easy to avoid higher AI fares. The real win is that AI can help airlines offer more low fares to more people without cannibalizing high fare revenue.
When Alyssa Gallagher found herself stranded by American Airlines – and the airline blamed weather – she should have been on her own. She could have slept in the terminal, or come out of pocket for a hotel room. However American itself told her she’d be “eligible for hotel accommodations.”
American Express is launching a new lounge concept, in airports where they already have Centurion lounges. It will be branded “Sidecar by Centurion Lounge.”
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.
I had been to the old Seattle American Express Centurion lounge several times, but hadn’t been to the new expanded one since it opened two years ago. Located in the airport’s Central Terminal mezzanine above the food court, they went from having just 4,500 square feet to about 14,000 square feet – a legitimately large lounge.
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 »
