In other airline, hotel & travel industry news this week… The Airlines Reporting Corporation (ARC) reported a 4.8% decrease in tickets processed in July through which virtually all airlines account. A total of 11.6 million air transactions were settled through ARC, the lowest figure for July transactions for the last six years. This could be…
Monthly Archives
Monthly Archives for August 2011.
United Airlines Chase Explorer Card “Baggage Claim” event & giveaway
I’m glad I read my “My Mileage Plus†email last night when it arrived. Turns out United Airlines and Chase are going on a four-city tour to promote the launch of the Mileage Plus Explorer credit card, and they’re in Los Angeles Glendale, CA today (and yesterday). Next up will be San Francisco on August…
Airline, hotel & online travel agency website usability study
A web usability surveyor based in Amsterdam named Usabilla just published results detailing user experiences on airline, hotel and Online Travel Agency websites. Participants were asked to perform simple tasks, such as “where would you click to get your boarding pass,†and leave additional comments about layout and other site features or functions. The full…
Qantas reveals new airlines, route structure & top-tier frequent flyer status
Qantas released a dizzying amount of teasers yesterday with regard to restructuring their ailing international operation, as well as planned improvements to their Boeing 747 fleet, frequent flyer program and lounge offerings. The carrier held an official “A New Spirit†briefing where the below items were announced, many of which were more fully analyzed and…
Analysis of American Airlines’ AAdvantage Elite Rewards program
Last week American Airlines launched elite rewards as part of the 30th anniversary of the AAdvantage frequent flyer program. It’s based on your elite status at the close of the year along with how many Elite Qualifying Points (EQPs) you’ve racked up to that point. Each tier has its own selection of rewards available once…
Vintage Airline Seat Map: United Airlines Boeing 747-SP (Special Performance)
The Boeing 747SPs flying around for the major U.S. carriers was truly something special in the 1980s. I previously posted the American Airlines 747SP seat map whose routes focused on the high yield traffic to Tokyo, and likewise United’s Special Performance version of the bird flew primarily to London with additional flights to Buenos Aires,…
Videos: Airline Global Distribution Systems explained, with a bit of humor
Eventually I’ll get around to posting a detailed description and history of Global Distribution Systems (GDSs), but in the meantime check out these videos from Everbread. The UK-based travel technology company put these together in part to explain the method by which airline reservations have been booked since the 1950s, but also to expose the…
My gift of two United Airlines Systemwide Upgrades goes to…
I’m thrilled that two of my available United Airlines Systemwide Upgrades have found a new home. Congratulations to commenter number 58, and I’ll be emailing you directly with further details shortly. Thanks for everyone’s interest and happy flying to us all!
My thoughts on the rumored United Airlines Mileage Plus changes
Ben over at One Mile at a Time gave many of us quite a shock last night when he posted details of the Mileage Plus program rumored to begin in 2012. Here’s a summary of what he learned: As for upgrade priority, the all mighty fare value on each segment will be the primary metric…
Delta hits and misses; American rewards; death by airfare; LAX grows; Tiger flies; cheap hotels and terrible IFE
In other airline, hotel & travel industry news this week… I’ve flown Delta Air Lines and have had pleasant experiences, but as most know the SkyMiles program for redemption opportunities remains the most ridiculous of the majors in the U.S. The good right now: Delta is giving a 100% bonus on purchased and transferred miles…