Loyalty tips

Hyatt Hotels on Thursday entered a new alliance with Under Canvas, a brand that runs 13 luxury outdoor resorts. This move enables Hyatt to tap into the growing trend of upscale nature-based travel experiences, particularly near U.S. national parks.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian said Wednesday morning operations were beginning to improve after days of struggling to recover from a tech outage. 

Delta is facing increasing pressure from its customers and Washington as a meltdown caused by an IT outage on Friday continues. 

The Department of Transportation announced Tuesday that it is launching an investigation into Delta Air Lines as the carrier struggles to recover from a meltdown that has led it to cancel thousands of flights.

Uber users in France and the Netherlands can now earn points for flights with Air France-KLM.

Emirates flies almost a million passengers every week, making it one of the world’s largest international airlines. As part of this, its Skywards program aims to boost loyalty to the brand, converting first-time customers into Emirates devotees. 

Hotel chains are doubling down on loyalty programs, and the strategy appears to be paying off. A CBRE report shows these plans drive occupancy growth for major groups like Marriott and Hilton, even as the programs evolve beyond catering solely to road warriors.

Despite a record number of people traveling this summer, Delta — one of the most profitable U.S. airlines — fell short of Wall Street expectations. 

A dozen companies involved in the travel industry raised at least $100 million during the first half of 2024. In the same time period last year, there were only two that raised so much.

Marriott International has debuted a new booking platform to help small and mid-sized companies book business travel.

When an online travel company has a fast-growing business unit, it usually doesn’t take much prodding to get officials to tout it. But that’s not the case with Booking Holdings and its nine-year old business unit, Booking.com for Business.

Expedia Group in recent years has shed around a half-dozen brands, and it is continuing the purge with the closure of ebookers UK on September 4.

IAG Loyalty, the frequent flyer program that operates Avios, is probably one of the most overarching programs in the airline industry — and it wants to continue expanding. 

Several hotel loyalty programs have seen substantial growth in recent years, with Hyatt reporting it had increased its loyalty program membership 22% in the first quarter from last year.

Passengers aboard a United Airlines flight may start noticing personalized advertisements whenever they try to watch a movie or TV show on the seat-back screens. 

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told Skift that the airline’s new business class product would stay faithful to the IndiGo brand and that it’s the right time for an “IndiGo-like product” to serve the next wave of Indian air travelers.

In-flight connectivity has been one of the hottest topics at this week’s Aircraft Interiors Expo (AIX) in Hamburg, Germany. It’s here that companies have showcased the rapid strides being made to help passengers stay connected while on board. 

Online and offline travel agencies had faced a July 11 deadline: That’s when flyers buying American Airlines tickets on certain booking sites would have no longer been able to earn AAdvantage Miles.

Chase Travel grew sales last year at a pace on par with Booking Holdings and far ahead of Expedia Group.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, May 24. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

JetBlue is seeking a codeshare with British Airways, which would allow the two carriers to significantly expand their networks in the U.S. and Europe.