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.
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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.
American Airlines flight 4837 from Indianapolis to Chicago rejected takeoff on Saturday morning when smoke was reported in the cabin. The Republic Airways Embraer ERJ175 was accelerating on runway 5L at the time.
Some of the 67 passengers on board were “crying and kind of screaming and you could see people praying,” according to one man on the flight, after they “started seeing smoke coming from the cabin door and smelled something burning.”
United Airlines probably does the best job of making additional award space available to elite members (even Silver) along with cobrand credit card customers. That extra inventory is real.
What a lot of American AAdvantage members don’t realize is that Executive Platinum (and Concierge Key) members also have extra award availability.
Newer The Club lounges are so much nicer than what you used to expect from the brand. The airport lounges from Airport Dimensions, which is owned by the same parent company as Priority Pass, has been offering better-designed spaces and even more food and drink options. And in the Covid era they’ve had table service replace buffets and it’s a nice experience.
The Club at MSY is a gorgeous space, and Charleston, South Carolina’s The Club is excellent as well.
It seems to me that it is one thing to save a seat or even a row, and other thing entirely to save multiple rows. Still it is not against Southwest’s rules. I’m not sure how a passenger trying to save a row behind them would block a passenger from sitting there, but social custom seems to make it a plausible strategy.
Is saving multiple rows of seats going overboard? Would you honor someone’s claim that they’re saving seats in a row they aren’t physically in?
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 »
