Skift Take
American changed its AAdvantage loyalty program to a revenue-based model earlier this year and its members seem to be angrier than usual. But is the furor enough for American to act?
What to Know Now
Passengers cried bloody murder after both Delta and United changed their loyalty programs to revenue-based models, but it seems that after American’s transition the grumpiness is worse than usual.
On Flyertalk, there are 118 pages of American customers stewing over the new program, while in private groups on social media, elites are bemoaning the changes and promising to drop their loyalty to the airline. Even the diehards are losing steam.
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American isn’t doing anything above and beyond what its competitors did, but the recent merger with US Airways already has both employees and customers on edge and as many point out, unlike Delta and United, AAdvantage was one of the best things about the carrier.
If the angry mob doesn’t settle soon, American may soon have a pretty big problem with customer retention.
Social Quote of the Day
Oh weird. Turndown service tied my USB cables into decorative bundles.
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EasyJet, IAG CEOs Say Market Overreacted to Brexit: Little has changed for the UK’s airlines since the country signaled in June it would leave the European Union, and carriers do not expect to markedly alter their models even when the UK withdraws, the CEOs of EasyJet and International Airlines Group said Thursday in London. Read more at Skift
Airports
JetBlue Braces for Battle With Delta on Atlanta-Boston Route: JetBlue Airways Corp. plans to increase daily flights from Boston by about 40 percent, including new service to Atlanta as the carrier steps up competition with Delta Air Lines Inc. Read more at Skift
San Jose airport completes new fencing to keep trespassers out: The airport’s security was called into question after trespassers scaled the perimeter fencing numerous times in recent years. Read more at the San Jose Mercury News
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Tech
Radiologist Offers App for In-flight Medical Emergencies: Stepping up to the call in the air “Is there a doctor on board?” can quickly overwhelm even experienced physicians confronted by unfamiliar conditions in even more unfamiliar surroundings, but a Peoria doctor has developed an app to help. Read more at Skift
Major Changes Coming to Wireless Networks in Europe and Beyond: Major changes are coming to cell phone plans and data rates soon that will make many people quite happy. Last June, the European Commission voted to completely scrap roaming fees while traveling within the continent starting in 2017. In the meantime, roaming charges are capped at €0.20 (22 cents) per megabyte of data, €0.60 per text, and €0.50 a minute per call. Read more at The Points Guy
Business Travelers Want Free Hotel Wi-Fi and Smart Power Outlets More Than Anything Else: Hotel companies looking to get more customers to book through direct channels may have a not-so-secret weapon, at least with business travelers: free Wi-Fi. Read more at Skift
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Hilton Dishes Up New Experiential Food-Pairing Program For Conferences: Everyone who’s ever attended a conference knows that feeling around mid-afternoon when your energy crashes and your mental focus starts lagging. Read more at Skift
Marriott Partners With TED Talks for In-Room, Social Media and Live Programming: Marriott is making it easier for its guests to access TED Talks while they’re on the road. Read more at Skift
Your Turn
The BBC just pushed a mini documentary on the lost streets of Chicago — my home town. Check it out here.
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Can be sent to gm[at]skift[dot]com or to @grantkmartin
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Photo credit: As the last major carrier to change its loyalty program, American could have been expected to do better than its peers. It has not. American Airlines