Travel Loyalty News

Lots of macro issues at work here, as airline and hotel companies rethink their travel loyalty programs. Understand the changes, get our report.

How can marketers capitalize on new innovations in technology and shifts in traveler behavior to build more genuine customer loyalty and larger profits in the future?

Lufthansa's Guide Service has an international flair that other VIP services don't: It is offered in 51 languages at Frankfurt and 33 languages at Munich airports. That translates into very personalized service as the airline values some customers much more highly than others.

TripIt is doing the right thing for its users by coming up with a work-around to track the loyalty programs of airlines that don't want to be tracked by third parties. Delta, United, Southwest and American are still playing hardball.

OK, these baby steps are the easy part in the integration of American Airlines and US Airways. Game on.

American Express call center agents were deceiving travelers and others about the benefits of paying off old debt or the bonus points they'd get when enrolling in certain credit card programs. Not surprising for a credit card company, but shameful nonetheless.

Well, the American Airlines and US Airways integration teams certainly had plenty of time to prepare for some of the early merger milestones, and they've started to detail some of the timelines. The airlines, meanwhile, will continue to function separately for an extended period as the heavy lifting in the integration proceeds.