February 2010
1 post
2 tags
United Mileage Plus Just Got Friendlier
We are happy to see that United is taking a cue from other players in the frequent flyer mileage segment by adding more flexibility and options to their program. Today United introduced hotel and car rental rewards (cool), in addition to one-way and miles/cash awards (very cool). These new features will make it much easier for frequent flyers to use their miles even if they haven’t reached...
January 2010
1 post
Easy Ways to Donate Your Frequent Flyer Miles to...
Welcome to 2010! You have probably noticed that we have been sparse in our blog posts throughout the last half of 2009, and for this we are sorry. We made a group decision that our limited resources (i.e., a bootstrapping start-up) would be better utilized building our site, working on partnerships, and launching it this quarter! However you can expect our blog posts to resume a normal schedule as...
October 2009
1 post
Business Travel is Booming in 2010! Well, Sort...
It looks like business travel is expected to grow…a little bit…in 2010. The National Business Travel Association (NBTA) just released its 2010 Business Travel Buyers Cost Forecast which predicted a conservative increase in business travel. Seven out of ten business travel managers surveyed expect business travel to grow while about a third see spending remaining the same.
The study...
August 2009
2 posts
3 tags
Jet (Blue) Around in September for $599
Jet Blue announced a pretty crazy deal that will allow you to JET around to over 50 destinations on an unlimited All-You-Can-Jet flying pass for $599. The dates of use are from September 8th to October 8th and you have to be a member of TrueBlue to get the pass.
Bravo to my friends at Jet Blue for coming up with a promotion that is truly unique. It makes sense as well because travel is always down...
3 tags
Southwest, Please Buy Frontier!
Southwest announced Friday their intention to bid on acquiring Frontier in an aggressive move that would make huge inroads in its attempt to become a formidable competitor in the Denver market. Although some analysts say that Frontier has made things ‘miserable’ for Southwest in Denver, I happen to think they HAVE started making a dent in Frontier’s business. Case in point: me. I have always been...
July 2009
2 posts
United Throws a Bone to Frequent Flyers
We got this email yesterday. Whoopie!!! It looks like United is truly providing some value to frequent flyers. Historically last-minute award bookers (like me) were fined a hefty $75 fee if they booked award travel 7-20 days prior to travel. The fees jumped up to $100 for award travel booked six days or less. Obviously United is hoping to fill those last-minute (EXPENSIVE) seats with revenue...
Top Five Silly Airline Cost-Cutting Measures
Many travelers think the airlines have stooped to new lows over the past year as they relentlessly announce one cost-cutting measure after the next to counteract an ailing economy and raising gas costs (again). But honestly, nobody ever gives the airlines due credit for the creativity and courage that goes into developing and announcing their money-saving ideas. Some of these gems are so...
June 2009
3 posts
Recession Drives More Mileage Redemptions
Just as we predicted, the recession is heightening activity in frequent flyer programs as travelers try to find ways to save money on trips instead of forgoing travel altogether. In fact, according to a study released by Deloitte, nearly two-thirds of the respondents (64%) are taking a summer vacation this year, although half of them are going to cut down spending due to economic concerns.
One...
I Want to go to Cuba
I ran across a pretty interesting Orbitz initiative yesterday that I totally support and would like to share with our readers. In response to Barack Obama’s administrative decision to lift travel and communication restrictions for Cuban-Americans who want to see their families or send money to the island, Orbitz recently launched “OpenCuba.org” to encourage Americans to petition...
Frequent Flyer Promo For Coloradans!
As a native Coloradan, I feel lucky to have grown up in such a beautiful state and I continue to experience all that it has to offer on a daily basis. Well, now I can add one more thing to the list: double frequent flyer miles to (and from) Colorado!
Frontier yesterday launched “Frontier’s Colorado Club” to celebrate our state (and their hub). Frequent flyers earn 1,000 bonus...
May 2009
3 posts
We {Heart} Airlines More This Year
I’m writing this blog post from the LAX airport en route to Hawaii for a wedding. This morning en route to the Denver International Airport, I received a phone call from United informing me that my 8:30 AM flight to LAX had been canceled due to mechanical problems and I had been re-booked on the same flight tomorrow. The wedding, coincidentally, is tomorrow, so this was NOT AN OPTION. A series of...
Redeeming Miles on American Just Got Easier
American Airlines this week launched One-Way Flex Awards, which allows members of AAdvantage to book a one-way trip using miles. the cost of one segment equates to half the number of miles of a round trip award redemption (starting at 12,500 miles for travel in the U.S.) Travelers can also combine several different types of one-way awards to make up a round trip, such as booking a MileSAAver award...
Don't Let The Swine Flu Steal Your Vacation!
The initial Swine Flu alarm, exacerbated in part by the media, has died down as businesses in Mexico reopen and the United States officially reverses a mandate that required schools with even one infected student be shut down. It appears now that the “H1H1” virus may not be nearly as potent and is less likely to lead to a pandemic (infecting up to 2 billion people worldwide).
The newest numbers...
April 2009
2 posts
Up to 10% of Passengers Fly For Free!
There are currently more ways than ever before to accumulate frequent flyer miles and points. Airlines have dedicated a plentiful amount of time and effort into expanding their network of partners - and now virtually any business can buy and resell miles from the airlines; from Chase Manhattan to the mom-and-pop florist down the street.
However, when it comes to actually putting those hard-earned...
Achieving Elite Status Is Easy...Right Now
Spring season usually signals the end of many airline frequent flyer promotions and bonus offers as the carriers prepare for a busy summer season of flying. This year is markedly different and is shaping up to be a banner year for achieving elite status in any major program. American Airlines started the elite-qualifying mile bonus frenzy with an exciting promotion that changed the status quo...
March 2009
5 posts
Frequent Flyer Sues Continental
We’ve heard a lot of grumbling in response to the changes airlines are inflicting on their frequent flyer programs to make it more costly to redeem miles for award seats. But one guy took his frustrations to a whole new level by deciding to SUE Continental Airlines for failing to honor it’s OnePass frequent flyer program guidelines.
Apparently it all started when David Simon tried to...
Watch Out TripAdvisor...Here Comes TravelPost!
TripAdvisor recently announced the launch of a flight metasearch engine, which effectively positions it directly in competition with Kayak. And from what we can tell, TripAdvisor is prepared to give Kayak a run for it’s money. Although the flight search product is still in beta, it flaunts several features that Kayak doesn’t already have, including a fee estimator that helps users...
Attn CEO's: Jet Blue To The Rescue!
Jet Blue released a series of funny videos poking fun at CEOs for falling on hard times and having to trade in their cushy, private jets for travel with ‘regular people’ on commercial airlines. The videos are aimed directly at the CEO’s and are a mix of self-promotion (free snacks, leather seats, private entertainment system) and sattire (checking in is easier than writing off a...
Delta & Midwest Link Frequent Flyer Programs, Pose...
Delta announced yesterday a new partnership with Midwest Airlines that will permit frequent flyers to earn or redeem miles through Delta SkyMiles, Midwest Miles and Northwest WorldPerks, due to the acquisition of NWA by Delta last October.
The partnership will benefit Midwest frequent flyers by giving them access to the largest flight network in the world. It will also expand the existing...
Travel in 2009: It's Not All Bad
The recession has certainly affected travel. But just what kind of influence are we talking about? Every day media reports that airlines continue to reduce routes and lay off employees, hotels clamber with dropping occupancy rates, and cruises continue to slash cabin prices to fill their ships. It’s easy to assume, given these facts, that people aren’t traveling anymore. But after...
February 2009
4 posts
Link Delta/NWA...Get 500 Bonus Miles
As we near the end of February, I wanted to remind all of the Delta/Northwest frequent flyers that you need to link your accounts by March 15th to receive 500 bonus miles. You must be online to link your accounts and you need to have BOTH account numbers and BOTH pins to complete the process. NWA members should go here; Delta SkyMiles members can access their accounts here.
SkyMiles will be the...
Southwest No Longer a Family Airline
Our friends at Southwest went a little over the top last week (depending on who you ask), by plastering a full body shot of the Sports Illustrated cover model Bar Rafeli smack in the center of a Boeing 737 airplane.
All the guys are cheering and lining up to buy their next Southwest round-trip ticket, right? Hey, I don’t blame you. In all honesty, I think this is a compelling viral...
The Bright Side of Valentine's Day
Stumped on what to buy your Valentine for the romantic holiday this weekend? If you’re a frequent flyer, this day of love is also a way to rack up a few extra frequent flyer miles/points (finally, something to celebrate!)
For whatever reason, almost all of the major airline and hotel loyalty programs have partnered with florists to exchange bonus miles for every flower/gift purchase. Most of them...
Pigeons Aren't a Carry-On
As many people know, the TravelFli team is spending the week in sunny Sunnyvale meeting with investors, partners, and mentors. There also happens to be a lot of travel news this week, so I’ve elected to provide a quick update on each story in the interest of time. Better Bag Tags I watched an interesting CNN report this morning from the hotel room. Today, United Airlines started testing new...
January 2009
5 posts
Take a Cheap Flight...NOW!
Southwest Airlines started a massive airfare fire sale last week and most of the other U.S. based airlines scrambled to do the same in order to stay competitive. A weakened economy has reduced demand for travel and made it tougher for airlines to fill their seats. American, Continental, Delta, Jet Blue, Air Tran and U.S. Airways authorized dramatic cuts to their fares to match Southwest’s...
Twitter First To Report On Hudson Plane Crash
At this point I’m sure we’ve all heard about the US Airways flight that plummeted into the Hudson River last Thursday after it encountered a flock of birds that virtually collided with it’s twin engines. Fortunately nobody was injured on the plane and passengers were quickly boarded on rescue boats and taken to safety.
I think the bigger story behind this event was the role microblogging...
Techstars 2009 - Applications Open Today!
A year goes by quickly, especially if it happens to be ‘the year’ you get into the Techstars program. TravelFli was one of ten companies out of almost 400 applicants to be invited to come to Boulder (ok, ok, we were already here) to participate in the 2008 Techstars incubator program last summer. The Techstars program is actually a seed stage fund that provides a modest amount of money (up to 18K...
The Future of Travel Meta Search
Online travel agencies (Expedia, Orbitz, Travelocity, etc.) have long had a stranglehold on travel distribution over the Web. Many airlines signed multi-year contracts with the large OTA’s mandating hefty commission fees for fares booked through OTA partner sites. These fees are in addition to the commissions airlines also must pay the Global Distribution Systems (i.e., Sabre, Amadeus, etc.) for...
I'll Take a Side of DIRECTV, Please
I’m reading a lot of blogs in 2009 about how fed up people are with the airlines. Let’s face it - the holidays were a nightmare for most of us. Although weather played a substantial role in all the hassles and delays, the airlines didn’t exactly help the situation. I was delayed on average three hours per segment before and after the holidays flying from Colorado to Fort Myers. Agents were...
December 2008
5 posts
What Does 2009 Mean For The Airlines?
As we approach the end of 2008, I want to take a moment to reflect back on the year as it pertains to the airline industry and share some predictions for what 2009 has in store for them. 2008 was a rough year for the airlines. Eight of them went into bankruptcy protection and/or shut their doors. Fuel prices reached a record high of $145.85/barrel this summer. Since July, fuel has fallen 74%....
186% Increase in Baggage Fees from Last Year
The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reported this week that the airline industry collected $349.8 million in excess baggage fees throughout the third quarter of 2008, up from $178.2 million in the second quarter and $122.4 million in third quarter last year. This is an increase of about $186%!
American, Delta and US Airways led the pack with fees reaching $164M, $116.5M and $93.3M,...
TravelFli Announces New Investment Center!
Over the last few months following TravelFli’s graduation from Techstars, we’ve had the opportunity to meet with some of the top venture capitalists from all over the United States, as well as many of the angel organizations and other ‘important’ people. :)
We’ve realized through this experience that it’s a challenge to keep all of these people as up-to-date as we would...
Get Dead Sexy Hotel Deals on DealBase
The current economic downturn has provided another incentive for travelers to seek out the best deals to travel efficiently and save money. At the same time, there seems to be a new travel site launching every day of the week, and it’s tough to separate the wheat from the chafe. I feel strongly the sites that solve real-world problems will be the ones to survive this market and come out the real...
George Clooney stars in "Up in the Air"
I very rarely have an excuse to talk about Hollywood in a blog that is reserved predominately for frequent flyer and airline news - but today is an exception. According to my sources in Hollywood (I cannot divulge their identities so don’t ask), George Clooney and Vera Farmiga are co-starring in “Up in the Air,” a screenplay adapted from Walter Kirn’s novel about an HR...
November 2008
8 posts
TravelFli's Big Move
Travelfli’s blogs have been sporadic as of late because we have been busy MOVING into our new digs on The Hill in Boulder, Colorado. For those of you who are not familiar with Boulder, The Hill is a neighborhood across the street from C.U. campus that quite possibly has the largest concentration of pizza parlors, sandwich places, and drunken college students in the entire state of Colorado....
Corporate Travel Managers Tighten The Belt
It’s interesting to observe how the economy is affecting travel, and in particular, the frequent flyer industry. Travelfli feels pretty lucky that our company is arguably recession resistant, in that our product becomes more valuable as beleaguered and cash-tight travelers look for ways to save money. That being said, it’s also worth taking a look at how corporations are tightening their belts as...
A Lesson in Analytics with Starwood
Travelfli met with Starwood Resorts on the second day of our trip to NYC. Starwood is one of the largest hotel and leisure companies in the world with over 897 hotels with approximately 275,000 rooms in approximately 100 different countries (according to their site). They’ve recently launched SPG flights, which in my opinion, revolutionizes hotel-based frequent flyer programs. With SPG flights,...
Guy Kawasaki Talks About TravelFli on Vator.tv
Travelfli was one of the featured companies on Vator.tv, a social network for technology start-up companies which gives entrepreneurs a platform to connect with Investors, Acquirers and Media. The Vator Box show was moderated by Bambi Francisco, Vator.tv co-founder and CEO. Travelfli was evaluated by Guy Kawasaki, author of newly-published Reality Check, venture capitalist and founder of...
Lunch with Jet Blue
JetBlue was founded in 1999 by several Southwest Airlines employees that sought to provide a low-cost carrier with high-value amenities such as Satellite Radio and in-flight entertainment. Today JetBlue flies to 52 destinations in 7 different countries. Each carrier is built out with individual TV’s at every seat offering 36 channels of DirectTV, 100 channels of XM satellite Radio, Fox TV programs...
Lots of News for Frequent Flyers
I am still playing catch up from taking a week off (not a good idea if you’re starting a company) to spend my 30th birthday deep in the Amazon! At some point, perhaps I’ll deflect from my normal banter about airlines and frequent flyer programs to talk about how I am a master piranha fisherman or how I caught a sloth and a caymen on the Amazon river!
Alas, we’re going to stay on...
Meeting with Hyatt
Boulder is the best place to start a company! I repeat these words every so often when somebody in the Boulder entrepreneurial community goes out of their way to lend a helping hand or make an introduction. It happens a lot, and it often occurs with no preemptive outreach on my part. This was the case a few weeks ago when John Ives emailed David Cohen with an introduction for the Travelfli Team....
Where The Travel Industry’s Going
Guest Blogger (Dan Vorlage)
There was an article a few months ago where a well-known journalist asked 4 or 5 airline marketing executives if they were considering charging a fee to use the lavatories on their planes. It’s ridiculous enough that the question was asked but it’s even more ridiculous that the executives humored the question. The travel industry’s changing quickly. Here are my...
October 2008
12 posts
The Boulder Colorado Job Fair (a.k.a Boulder.me)
TravelFli has had the opportunity to join 17 other Boulder technology companies in the first ever Boulder Colorado Job Fair also known as “Boulder.me”. The idea is that we get 15 to 20 companies to all kick in $5k and we use that money to fly in 100 of the best developers from across the country and put them up in a nice hotel, wine/dine them, and convince them to move to Boulder. Luckily for us,...
Startups: An Outsider’s Perspective
By Guest Blogger (Dan Vorlage)
So Krista’s in the middle of a well-deserved vacation to Central America which means she’s now only checking email 20 times-a-day. But it also means that it’s a good time for a guest blog. I have a number of friends in the corporate world who are considering making the jump to a startup so here’s what I’ve learned after dabbling in the space a bit.
First off, I’ll...
Monday Meetings with United Airlines
Travelfli landed in Chicago on Monday to meet with United Airlines and Hyatt Resorts. Our first meeting was at the United Headquarters, which is located in a beautiful sky rise in downtown Chicago that overlooks the city and the lake. We met with Robert Sahadevan, the VP of Mileage Plus at United. He runs all of the operations for the Mileage Plus Program. I have long been a United frequent...
Contact Us To Meet in SF or NYC!
Travelfli will be hitting the road again on a coast to coast trip next week to meet with potential investors and partners in San Francisco and New York City. We’ve had a productive month meeting with airlines and making inroads on the product road map and we’ll have lots of exciting news to share with folks. Please contact us if you are an investor or potential partner located in the...
A Day With American Airlines
Travelfli rounded out our trip to Dallas with a series of meetings with American Airlines. I was really excited to meet these folks because they were responsible for launching the first travel awards program EVER in 1981! AAdvantage to this day is the largest frequent flyer program with well over 50 million members.
Krista & Dan in the customary headquarter sign pose (Dan is really...
“Get some exercise, take a shower, eat a good breakfast, and get out there and...”
– Brad Feld (in response to the ‘Doom and Gloom’ theory)
Dropping Oil Stings Airlines
Crude oil is currently trading at $80.91 on the NYMEX. It has fallen about 44% since peaking at a record of $147.27 on July 11. How are the airlines responding to this change? Well, most are doing nothing. A couple are reducing their fuel surcharges, including Thai Airways (dropping them by up to 30%) and Qantas (2-9%).
Others are actually reporting losses due to price of oil falling. I’ve...
Travelfli Featured Company this Month in Vator.tv!