Airline's mileage programs come up short. David Koenig, The Columbian.
Delta Air Lines Inc. said that starting Jan. 1, it will reward passengers for the amount they spend on tickets, not the number of miles they fly. The change to Delta's SkyMiles program will be great for people who buy expensive tickets in first-class, but bad for vacationers who shop for the cheapest fare.
Pretty much a shorter summation of what I previously stated here. The airlines are doing a better job of identifying the customers that they wish to keep and are focusing their marketing/loyalty programs accordingly.
Are Airlines right to change their mileage programs? Christopher Elliot, USA Today
For him, the process feels like a bait-and-switch. To avoid being wedged into a Lilliputian economy-class seat for 14 hours, Beeman says he worked hard to earn elite status on Delta. But when he tried to redeem his miles for an upgrade, the airline wanted even more.Christopher Elliot is a known critic of both the airlines and loyalty programs. He also doesn't like mileage runners and pretty much anyone who plays the travel game. As is typically the case with him, he gets very close to making some good points here but runs a little off the rails due to his general disdain for the industry/people he covers.
Airlines to coffee shops: what's the benefit of loyalty programs? Melissa Preddy, Reynolds Center
I was surprised the other day to receive an e-mail from the Best Western rewards program asking me to vote for it in the Freddie awards. Yes indeed, the hotel and air loyalty programs have their own annual awards; here’s a link to the Freddie site which says this years winners will be crowned April 24 at the Museum of Flight in Seattle.I've said it before and I'm saying it again, beware travel information from reporters who seem to lack a basic understanding of the travel game.
Do airlines face a pilot shortage or a salary problem? Hugo Martin, LATimes.com
The world’s largest pilot union released a statement last week, saying that the only reason pilots are in short supply is because regional airlines are not willing to pay an adequate, livable salary. Regional airlines carry about 22% of all domestic passengers.
The average starting salary for new first officers in the regional airline industry is only $22,400, according to the Airlines Pilots Assn. International, which represents nearly 50,000 pilots at 31 airlines in the United States and Canada.The story is lacking perspective from the airlines on the issue of salaries, with the union statement allowed to stand unchallenged, but there is a good point in here that hopefully a better reporter can flesh out.
Boeing Dreamliner puts Austin on the global travel map. Ben Mutzabaugh, USA Today
A red-carpet welcome awaits British Airways Flight 191 when it lands in Austin on Monday night, giving the quirky-but-booming Texas capital its first-ever regular service to Europe.
The flights to London — to be flown on Boeing's new-age 787 Dreamliner — will make Austin one of the smallest U.S. markets able to boast of trans-Atlantic airline service.This is a pretty big deal for Austin, and it illustrates the real potential of the Dreamliner. This was covered back in September 2013 by the Austin American-Statesman but I missed it. There's no cost advantage (for now) flying out of Austin but this could make British Airways an additional option for European travel in the future. I'll be watching this closely.
Delta Airlines and the power of great customer service. Ken Krogue, Forbes
Does lightning really strike twice? Is there such a think as Deja Vu? Can people and companies change? Can people and companies just have a bad day? Is one person’s view too limited to make judgement? Are we responsible for things we put in print for the world to see?Just a reminder that it's unfair to rate an airline on one flight, or even a small handful of them. Things can change fairly rapidly in the travel industry and all airlines are going to have good, and bad, days. There is no such thing as 100% customer service no matter how companies try to make it so.
Quite a run-down of stories today, some good, some bad, some "meh". One thing that most travel writers for the mainstream media seem to have in common however is that they rely heavily on miles and points bloggers for their information. I feel that doing that, without disclosing their cozy relationships with the credit-card companies and the airlines, is doing a disservice to readers.
