Skift Take

Hacks are becoming as regular as loyalty breaches these days.

What to Know Now

Those of you who stay in Hyatt hotels regularly may want to double check your statements. The company acknowledged this week that one of its systems used for payment processing was infected with malware, potentially exposing its customers’ credit card numbers.

Hyatt is only the latest hotel chain to get hacked. In September Hilton investigated its own credit card breach while Starwood experienced its own hack at 54 properties.

The moral of this latest story is that it always pays to keep an eye on your credit card statements and your loyalty point balances. Hyatt is further updating it’s customers on the latest breach over on http://www.hyatt.com/protectingourcustomers/.

Social Quote of the Day

Soon there will be no hotels where your credit card

information will remain safe.

– @phat_hobbit | Ian Trump, CTO, Info Sec Pundit, ITIL & COBIT Dude, Drinking Buddy

cathay pacific pilots

Airlines

United Pilots To Get 13 Percent Pay Hikes in 2016 if They Approve Contract: United Continental Holdings Inc. rose the most in two weeks after pilot leaders agreed to send a proposed contract extension to union members for approval. Read more at Skift

Are Airlines Killing The Golden Goose?  If you want to make the frequent flyer programs thrive based on non-flying means, there needs to be a value proposition or an element of mystery/aspiration. Read more at One Mile at a Time

Cathay Pacific Fined $547,000 for Pilot Pay Practices in France: Cathay Pacific Airways Ltd. was fined almost 500,000 euros ($547,000) for what a French court termed irregular pay practices concerning pilots operating European routes for the Hong Kong-based airline. Read more at Skift

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Airports

Boingo Brings Travelers Super Fast Wi-Fi at Seven U.S. Airports: Some travelers visiting family or journeying away for the holidays may find faster Wi-Fi than they have at home at several U.S. airports. Read more at Skift

Transit Group Wants a Bus Route to La Guardia to Be Labeled a Free Ride: It is a frustration shared by many New Yorkers, not to mention many visitors to the city: You cannot take the subway to La Guardia Airport. Read more at the New York Times

The Craziest Things the TSA Found in 2015: In our modern age of heightened security, most flyers use common sense when packing their bags to clear the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) luggage checks at airports. But thanks to TSA’s Instagram feed @tsa, we can look back at TSA’s unexpected finds. Read more at Flyertalk

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Tech

Yelp’s Struggles and the Evolution of Online User Reviews: Growing skepticism about the validity of online reviews is a challenge for companies like Yelp and Angie’s List, which have both lost favor on Wall Street. Read more at Skift
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Hotels

Hyatt Warns Guests of Possible Data Breach to its Payment-Processing System: Hyatt Hotels Corp. says it found malicious software on the computer system that processes customer payments, raising the possibility that hackers may have obtained credit card numbers or other sensitive information. Read more at Skift

When Is It OK To Sleep Naked In Hotels? There are many hard-and-fast rules of etiquette to follow when traveling. But once the “do not disturb” sign goes up for the night, a particularly, um, interesting question arises: Is it OK to sleep naked in a hotel room? Read more at The Huffington Post

Inside the Lives of the Animals Who Work at Hotels: More and more hotels these days are allowing guests to bring pets with them when they travel. Some spots, however, are taking “pet-friendly” to a completely new level, offering homes to animals in need. But what is life like for these creatures once they leave behind the lives they know and step into the hospitality industry? Read more at Flyertalk

Your Turn

Happy Holidays from the Skift Business Travel Editorial Team, closing out the year with just over 200,000 miles. Next year: more sleep.

Tips and Comments

Can be sent to gm[at]skift[dot]com or to @grantkmartin

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Photo credit: Promotional Image for Hyatt Centric South Beach. Hyatt

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