Visa Giving Free Uber Travel For Your Retail Purchases Plus Troubles for Scott Kirby

by Gary Leff

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News and notes from around the interweb:

  • Doctor of Credit reports that ‘5/24′ limits’ are now official on at least one Chase Sapphire Preferred Card application page.

  • A hint for PR folks looking for coverage: No I really don’t have interest in a conversation based on a media pitch about the way in which hotel housekeeping staff and receptionists will engage in gamification through software-as-a-service that manages the infinite complexity driven by the integration of scalable repeatable measures and customization while handling employee performance reviews as well. I cannot even begin to tell you how much this pitch does not interest me, even if the underlying product would be fascinating.

  • Free stay in the Maldives

  • The troubles facing Scott Kirby: Sure he became President of United Airlines with a potentially clearer path towards one day being CEO of a major airline. Sure he pocketed around $13 million walking away from American, plus his new salary at United. And he’ll wind up with lifetime flight benefits from both.

    But he also gets a year’s health insurance from American in addition to benefits from his new job at United. And this means for the next year he’ll be dealing with subrogation and coordination of benefits issues. And I don’t wish that on anyone, no matter what changes to American’s loyalty program where made under his tenure as President.

  • Uber Launches ‘Uber Offers’, Link Visa Card and Get 10% Uber Rebate at Select Merchants

  • Delta, United, and American are fighting to protect their subsidies through the Fly America Act which requires US government travel on US airlines even when it’s more expensive, complaining again about JetBlue receiving an award for government travel on DC – Dubai and New York – Milan using its codeshare with Emirates.

    JetBlue was the low cost bidder for air travel on these routes, and legally they’re JetBlue flights, but US airlines want the exclusive right to charge the government more for travel on their own planes.

  • I discussed Scott Kirby’s departure from American to United and what’s driving airline frequent flyer program devaluations on yesterday’s Boom Bust.

About Gary Leff

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 »

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Comments

  2. Gary, i just want to let you know that after reading your previous post “Possible $15 Uber Credit for Existing Customers” in july, i was able to load the offer.
    i used uber yesterday and did get the $15 credit.
    thank you.

  3. Normally, I would agree that health benefits subrogation and coordination between providers, employers, and employees is a zero sum game that always leaves the employee with a massive headache, but not for Kirby. If he can’t connect those dots with his eyes closed, he will probably be looking for a new gig. After all, the airlines are masters of these mathematical and logistical games that get people and luggage from one side of the planet to the other and back, while never providing the same solution at the same price twice.

  5. @Gary Leff

    Re #2, the PR people pitching a product for hotels.

    Uh, what? Could you explain that in English?

  6. @Dan I think it’s a way to give customized room servicing instructions to housekeeping via mobile app of some kind, and give employees performance reviews electronically. But I’m not actually sure…

  7. If you skip to the 17:50 mark, the following exchange occurs:
    ——
    Reporter: “How much do you think Revenue Management has to do with this? .. If there is a SNAFU you aren’t going to get a flight. I took an American flight in August. I was in a little place in Colorado and it was cancelled. Is that.. Do you think that has something to do with how much money they are making?”
    Gary: I am just going to ignore that rambling non sensical question and instead pretend like you asked me about Wall Street.

  8. While we can disagree about the merits of the law, the award of government contracts to fly Emirates seems like a clear violation of legislative intent when the law is called the Fly America Act”! My guess is that Congress will eventually order the DOT to stop such awards — especially since the reason Emirates is cheaper is because of their massive government subsidization.

Comments are closed.