Cardless’ Post

I just checked and can confirm that applications for the two new Qatar Airways cards are live now. Keep in mind that the points these cards earn can be transferred to British Airways and then to Iberia, Aer Lingus or Vueling (and very soon Finnair) since they all earn the same loyalty currency - Avios. Check out the article linked below for a quick primer about what each card will offer. https://lnkd.in/gv67GsH4

Airlines - Bridging the Gulf! Airlines in the Middle East are busier than bees - especially when it comes to codeshares & partners. The latest was #riyadhair & #delta The chart below is also pretty busy (sorry!) 1) Shows how old (or young) each of them are. Saudi has the oldest & youngest. 2) Codeshare partners - most have a wide range of partners 3) Fleet current & (orders) - #Emirates & #qatarairways are the biggies! When it comes to #saudiarabia, Riyadh Air will need to grow up fast! Highlights in yellow are the partnerships with American Carriers - and with the Delta agreement all the big three now have a partner in the region. (added Air Canada as well with Etihad) The one with a big gap is #india - with just Indigo. But the list of code(shares) is sure to grow, as so the fleets! #aviation #travel

Etihad has just announced some changes to Etihad Guest and, frankly, the downside bits are unique. How about this? *penalties of up to 75% of your miles for cancelling a reward ticket *your miles will now expire after 18 months unless you credit an Etihad or partner flight (the current rule is they expire after 18 months with no activity of any sort) *you no longer get lounge access by default as Gold or top-tier Platinum - does any other (non-US) scheme NOT give lounge access by default to top-tier members? - but need to opt-in as a 'choice benefit' The one on expiry rules is the oddest. As a 'long haul only' airline (unless you live in the UAE) requiring an Etihad or partner cash flight every 18 months is tough. It means it is too risky to build up an Etihad Guest balance with a view for a redemption in a few years. There is some good stuff too - reduced price Economy redemptions, interesting new milestone rewards for those who are between tiers - but the three changes above are the ones that stand out. Full article on HfP, link in the comments. (If you're not one of the 2,100 people who subscribe to our free weekly LinkedIn newsletter for UK travel trade professionals, click into my profile.) #etihad #etihadguest

✈️ Read our airline feature for August, featuring Qatar Airways 🌍 Find out about Qatar Airways' specialist fare programmes, their return to business plans, and how our clients continue to benefit from our partnership on group bookings. 💻 Click on the link below to find out more. 🔗 https://ow.ly/HSPC50PGrEa #BusinessTravel #TravelManagement #NewBlog #QatarAirways

Great insights and stats below on Emirates Skywards from Nejib Ben-Khedher. A huge member base, generating good income from credit card arrangements despite challenging market conditions. Flight rewards remain dominant with cash + miles providing a very healthy contribution. With a very small percentage of elite members and an even tinier fraction of Platinum to preserve the customer experience and maintain exclusivity and prestige. - 32 million members growing by 300k per month - largest member base is UK with 4.5m followed by US with 3m - approximately 2.3m members in each of UAE, India and Australia - 2.45% (788,000) have elite status globally - 0.05% (18,000) have Platinum status globally - 35% of redemption was for flight awards - 28% cash + miles (average 10,000 miles used) - 18% on upgrades - leaving 19% on non-air rewards In Australia, 40% of points come from non-air partners. Despite the Citi transfer and cobrand card relationship ending. The cross border card deal with Amex has suffered from a declining Aussie dollar which has led to a forced devaluation from 2:1 to 3:1. There was no change in pricing from Emirates so Forex appears to be the culprit with miles likely being priced in USD or pegged. Read the full article below. #nextgenloyalty #ffp #airlineloyalty #loyaltystats #urbanleopardventures https://lnkd.in/gNiJrDpP

FORTH WORTH, DOHA- In a remarkable turn of events, American Airlines (AA) and Qatar Airways (QR), once fierce rivals in the aviation industry, have now entered into the largest codeshare agreement ever witnessed in the airline business. This collaboration allows them to sell seats on each other's flights and market the services under their own flight numbers. #American #AmericanAirlines #AmericanAirlinesnews #AmericanandQatarAirways #AmericanandQatarAirwaysCodeshare #AmericanQatarCodeshare #Qatar #QatarAirways

Our 3 months away have come to and end - but more on that later. In chapter 1 of my book I wrote a fairly long story about the last time I travelled home from Europe. And it just reminded me again. This photo was taken right before we commenced our return trip with Qatar Airways. The recent Skytrax Airline Awards ecently voted them #2 airline in the world - with service being a compelling factor. For the next 22 hours after this photo, we were entirely in the hands of the airline and their service. So who is the next person or company that I (and all of the other passengers on that flight) will get to experience next? This year, it was my local coffee shop. After my last trip 5 years ago, it was the post office. Onboard service in an airline is quite unique, and it stands out especially in comparison to other businesses. No one would ever think that the person they’re about to serve has just come off a 22 hour flight by an award winning airline, but how useful would it be to frame every service moment that way. In competing with a 5 star airline, your service will less likely create a gap in the customers mind, and it’s something we should be striving for every day. What if some of your customers were actually frequent travellers. If you knew this about them, you’d be in a great position to serve them like the airlines do. #serviceculture #customerservice #leadership #airlineindustry #businessbook #allin 📷📍Zagreb Airport 🇭🇷

I am writing this in total frustration with the Etihad Airways service. I've reached out to multiple people from Etihad customer services team and have not been getting a satisfactory response from anyone - I've reached a dead end here. I've been a loyal customer of Etihad for many years as it has been very convenient for me to fly and get UAE e-visa from Etihad. This year, I followed exactly the same procedure but I was informed that Pakistan from this year is not eligible to apply for the e-visa service anymore. PLEASE NOTE - this was not advertised anywhere. Neither on the website, nor through text message or email even to loyal customers - even though they keep bombarding you with rubbish promotional emails that you don't even need. I have now been asked to apply for a visa for UAE through an agent for which the normal processing time is ~10 days. I've been in back-to-back conversations with Etihad's customer service agents where they are neither refunding my ticket, not accommodating a date change. I just got off a call with a rep, it was a 2 hours call that went back and forth without any result. Etihad is neither refunding my ticket nor modifying to a different date - they are asking me to pay insane amount of money for something which isn't even my mistake. This is just ABSURD. Is this the sort of service Etihad provides to it's loyal customers? Because if that's the case - I never want to travel from Etihad again. #worstairline #worstcustomerservice

#Iberia Joins #BritishAirways and #QatarAirways to Expand the World’s Largest Airline Joint Business - Starting 11 December 2023, Iberia will operate daily flights between Madrid and Doha, significantly increasing capacity between the two oneworld hubs - Global travellers can now enjoy worldwide connectivity via Doha, London, and Madrid with increased Avios benefits Qatar Airways, British Airways, and Iberia, the national carriers of Qatar, the United Kingdom, and Spain are joining forces. Together, Qatar Airways and British Airways already operate the world’s largest airline joint business covering more than 60 countries. Beginning in July, Iberia is joining the partnership in a move that will transform connectivity for global travellers. As a result of the joint business, Iberia will add a new daily service from its hub, Madrid Barajas International Airport, flights to Hamad International Airport (voted Best Airport in the Middle East for the 9th consecutive year by Skytrax), starting 11 December 2023. Passengers will be able to connect to more than 200 destinations through the three global airlines. Together, Iberia’s and Qatar Airways’ expanded service will operate three times daily on the route, providing unrivalled connectivity between the Iberian Peninsula and key markets in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and Australia..... https://bit.ly/47dStV2 Iberia | Qatar Airways | British Airways #Madrid #Doha #London #Qatar #Aviation #UK #Spain #AirConnectivity #GCC #MiddleEast 

Qatar Airways is negotiating to acquire a 20% stake in Virgin Australia, potentially lowering ticket prices. This move follows Qatar Airways' blocked bid for more flights into Australia. Aviation expert Geoffrey Thomas suggests the deal could intensify competition with Emirates, benefiting Australian travelers with reduced fares. The Australian Financial Review reports the Qatari interest could be announced next week. This partnership, which began in 2022, aims to challenge the Qantas-Emirates alliance. Despite Qantas's opposition, the deal could enhance competition and lower airfare prices domestically and internationally. Virgin Australia, owned by Bain Capital, returned a $129 million profit last year, with an Australian Securities Exchange listing expected before Christmas. #QatarAirways #VirginAustralia #AirlineIndustry #TravelNews #Aviation #TicketPrices #Qantas #Emirates #BainCapital #AustralianTravel #AviationCompetition #FlightDeals #KalkineTV