Delta once said ‘if everyone’s elite, nobody is.’ But if everyone has lounge access, nobody does. To mitigate overcrowding Delta and American Express worked on getting Delta premium card customers access to (also overcrowded) Centurion lounges, and to build Centurion lounges in some Delta terminals.
That hasn’t solved crowding because more people have access, and are trying to use the lounge, than there’s space. That can mean lines to get in – a wait list.
Marriott’s Edition brand doesn’t have to provide elite members with breakfast. However all Marriott hotels have to provide guests staying on points the same benefits as guests on paid rates.
The Edition in Bodrum, Turkey is a Bonvoy member favorite. It’s also one of the hotels where awards were devalued the most when Marriott went to dynamic pricing.
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.
Someone asked on Twitter why American Airlines has the requirement for three separate fields to log in – the account number, password, and last name. In other words, why isn’t account number and password enough? I happen to know the reason, and it’s mildly interesting.
Sometimes when you talk to airline or hotel employees that work in loyalty fraud they seem to think that a customer benefiting ‘too much’ (being unprofitable) is the definition of fraud. They’re in their own bubble, and they’re probably doing their own programs a disservice.
Too much is often considered – or a flag for – fraud within the loyalty industry. But that doesn’t mean there’s not real fraud.
Some people suggest messaging Delta rather than calling when it’s impossible to get through but that can be just as futile, as one passenger who took to social media explained after being told of a more than 11 hour wait time to connect with an agent.
When a man shoplifted from a Dallas – Fort Worth airport shop, American Airlines used surveillance video to accuse a passenger of the crime. Though the passenger looked nothing like the perpetrator, arrest warrants were issued, and the man found himself in a New Mexico jail for 17 days unaware of what he’d supposedly done.
It was only after strip searches, seeing other inmates punched in the face and bloodied, and living in filth that he was finally released – and when his lawyer finally got prosecutors to compare surveillance photos to the man. They immediately dropped charges. Now the passenger is suing American Airlines.
The Supreme Court issued a unanimous ruling against Southwest Airlines on Tuesday that is both almost self-evident in its simplicity as it will be surprising to some to see.
The Court ruled 8-0, with Justice Thomas writing the opinion and Justice Barrett not participating in the case, that ramp workers loading and unloading baggage and cargo are engaging in interstate commerce.
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.
The airline didn’t just offer the status challenge, what they’re highlighting as unique is that they actually had a communications plan with members who registered to get more information from the customers in exchange for 500 miles (where they want to travel) and then followed up marketing destinations to those members.
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 »
