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Tag Archives for hainan.

Passengers Told to Sit in the Lavatory, and Elite Status After One Flight

by Gary Leff on April 29, 2018

Apr 29 2018

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.

Chinese Travel Conglomerate Anbang Taken Over By Government, HNA Group Teetering

by Gary Leff on February 23, 2018

Feb 23 2018

There’s little transparency in large Chinese conglomerates. They’re often layers of companies with unclear ownership and difficult to verify financials. Their leadership is often politically well-connected.

At the same time regulation of these entities is unclear as well. When the Chinese government decides to take an interest in the operation and systemic risks posed by these companies which rapidly expand through acquisitions both domestically and around the world, it’s not always clear whether it’s because of regulatory violations (or explicit as to which ones) or a signal of internal power struggles inside the government — whose faction is in and whose is out?

The U.S. is the Biggest Air Market in the World – And No One is Catching Up Soon

by Gary Leff on February 19, 2018

Feb 19 2018

The biggest aviation market in the world – by far – is the U.S., based on the number of departing seats. So this isn’t just domestic flights, it’s domestic flights plus outbound international flights as well. Here are the top 10.

The EU as a whole is roughly comparable to the Chinese market. The UK as a whole is the biggest aviation market in Europe, though their former colony India is a bigger market still.

Alaska Airlines Quickly Rolls Back Limits on Last Minute Partner Award Booking

by Gary Leff on February 15, 2018

Feb 15 2018

Loyalty fraud is a costly issue for programs. A lot of it originates in China.

The challenge though is limiting the cost of fraud without undercutting the value proposition of the program to legitimate members. That’s what I highlighted earlier in the week with Alaska’s new policy of prohibiting booking awards within 72 hours of travel on Cathay Pacific, JAL, or Hainan Airlines.

Alaska Airlines Eliminates Close-in Redemptions on Cathay Pacific and JAL

by Gary Leff on February 13, 2018

Feb 13 2018

Alaska Airlines has a fantastic award chart compared to many other airlines for premium class travel to Asia. And they have great partners, though they don’t always seem to have as much access to Cathay Pacific award space as other airlines do.

Now Cathay Pacific — and JAL — booking is about to get worse because Alaska will no longer allow reservations within 3 days of travel.