We all know airlines and hotels are hurting right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has been brutal. In a nod to the reality that 2021 isn’t likely to be a “normal” travel year, some brands are already making big moves. Hilton was the first hotel…
Throughout the pandemic, one thing that I noticed was a lack of truly affordable awards for domestic flights. Even in the face of an unprecedented drop in demand, cheap award seats were hard to come by. In the beginning of the pandemic, I wasn’t…
Airlines are facing an incredibly unique set of challenges. The “winners” from this time period will be those that continue to make the best decisions possible. There’s certainly no playbook for navigating a pandemic while trying to run a massive airline. Admittedly, I’m running…
Travel brands across the world have been struggling with how to get customers to travel since the start of the pandemic. Many of those offers were patchwork in the beginning to solve a problem that seemed to be measured in weeks, maybe months. Six…
Boy, have I been swamped lately…… I need your help! Between my blog and podcast (with another surprise or two on the way) I’ve just run out of time. I much prefer writing and recording than social media, but that’s really just me putting…
As 2020 starts to wind down, there have been plenty of announcements from airline and hotel loyalty programs designed to keep members engaged. The first salvo revolved around reducing the requirements needed to earn elite status. This was at a time when it seemed…
Hyatt has announced some more changes and extensions to key benefits that should benefit most travelers. In light of the virtually unprecedented financial impact of COVID-19, travel brands have had to quickly adapt. Back in April, Hyatt moved to extend elite status and other…
Uber will allowed to continue operating in London. For years, Uber has tussled with Transport for London, the major regulatory agency for car transport in the UK city. Uber has been on a series of shorter extensions of their license. They’ve been seeking a…
Disney World is one of those places that most people love or hate. I happen to fall into the former category, but even if you fall into the latter, or don’t spend time focusing on Disney, a recent statistic I heard really surprises me….
I boarded a plane in New Zealand in early March, bound for the United States. While I sat on the tarmac the US announced they were closing the borders to pretty much all travelers arriving from Europe. At the time, it seemed surreal. When…