Should the National Railroad Passenger Corporation really be spending money on billboard ads questioning the safety of airlines, which another federal agency is responsible for ensuring?
Last year Airline Information asked me to debate Stifel analyst Joe DeNardi on whether airlines should spin off their frequent flyer programs. I argued that they should not, that they were more valuable with incentives aligned through common ownership.
This year Airline Information again asked me to do a debate as part of their loyalty industry conference. This time I squared off against Charanpal Brar from Bond Brand Loyalty on the question of whether airline co-brand cards are as valuable as bank currencies.
In March 2017 World of Hyatt replaced Hyatt Gold Passport. Nothing changed about earning or redeeming points, this was entirely a change to Hyatt’s elite program.
Hyatt’s cutting elite qualification requirements in half for 2021 seems surprisingly like rolling back the clock to Hyatt Gold Passport.
Right now there’s great business and first class award availability on Star Alliance airline ANA from several US cities to Tokyo and back starting in August and running through the end of the current airline schedule (basically, October). That’s great for connecting onward to Asia.
Two passengers can fly from Houston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Jose or Seattle using miles from United (or Chase), Avianca LifeMiles, or even better Virgin Atlantic (which partners with several credit card transferable points programs).
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.
How important are airline frequent flyer programs? United, Delta, and American Airlines have each mortgaged their frequent flyer programs for between $6.5 billion and $9 billion apiece. Stifel analyst Joe DeNardi says that without the ability to attract this cash, both American Airlines and United Airlines would be in bankruptcy.
Speaking on a panel at the Loyalty Summit online conference on Wednesday, DeNardi made this bold claim – but one that’s backed squarely by the numbers around cash burn and how much airlines have raised.
President Trump has been flying Air Force One for the past four years, but still owns a Boeing 757-200 known as ‘Trump Force One’ that he acquied in 2011. The seatbelts, and everything else, are gold plated. It’s currently stored in New York and needs maintenance.
Current American AAdvantage head Rick Elieson interviewed former American Airlines Chairman Bob Crandall at the Loyalty Summit. Crandall spoke about innovations at American, from computer reservation systems to launching the AAdvantage program, the failed launch of a hub and the need for transparency with customers.
He believes “a substantial share of business travel will not come back” and shares how he’d approach the business as a result.
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.
Passengers using fake tests in order to travel is a problem that confounds the re-opening rules several countries have put in place to reduce the amount of virus brought into the country by travel.
95% of passengers on a single flight used an identical test in order to travel, with more than 190 of 200 passengers on the November 25, 2020 Pegas Fly flight EO429 from Moscow to Zhengzhou presenting photoshopped negative results.
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 »
