Travel Technology
prnewswire | June 27, 2023
Our commitment to care for our guests comes in all forms, including improving their travel day. To help do that, Alaska Airlines is partnering with CLEAR – the secure identity company – to provide friction-free and predictable travel experiences with CLEAR Plus. With our new partnership, Mileage Plan members can take advantage of a discounted rate for a CLEAR Plus membership and also receive bonus miles for a limited time. This is the first step in the partnership to accelerate the adoption of digital identity and remove friction throughout the travel journey.
CLEAR Plus is an opt-in program that allows its members to travel faster through security at 52 airports nationwide by verifying their identity with their eyes or fingerprint, replacing the need to take out their wallet and driver's license. After verification, a CLEAR Ambassador escorts members through a dedicated lane and directly to TSA physical security, saving them time waiting in line at the security checkpoint.
"We understand from our guests how important it is for them to have the best possible experience when traveling with us, and part of that is saving time when they're at the airport," said Shane Jones, vice president of real estate and business development at Alaska Airlines. "Our frequent flyers are already big fans of CLEAR Plus. With a discounted CLEAR Plus membership available to all of our Mileage Plan members, we believe more of our guests will appreciate this valuable travel benefit."
All Mileage Plan members can enroll in CLEAR Plus at a discounted rate of $179 a year at clearme.com/alaska. Plus our elite Mileage Plan members – MVP, MVP Gold, MVP Gold 75K and MVP Gold 100K – who enroll will receive 1,500 Mileage Plan bonus miles. Elite Mileage Plan members who renew an existing CLEAR Plus membership and link it to their Mileage Plan account will receive a total of 1,250 miles every year upon renewal.
In addition, to celebrate the launch of the partnership, between now and July 16, 2023, all Mileage Plan members – elite or non-elite – who enroll in a new CLEAR Plus membership will receive 1,000 Mileage Plan bonus miles.
"CLEAR is obsessed with delivering the best customer experience, so we're excited to provide Alaska Airlines' Mileage Plan members with the confidence and predictability of CLEAR Plus," said Kasra Moshkani, executive vice president of operations at CLEAR. "We look forward to expanding our partnership with Alaska to continue unlocking seamless experiences for their frequent flyers from home to gate and beyond."
CLEAR Plus is available at Alaska's key hub airports in Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. Mileage Plan members who join CLEAR Plus can add up to three family members or friends to their account for just $70 each. Family members under 18 years old can always join CLEAR members in the CLEAR Lane for free. CLEAR has more than 16 million members.
While CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck are independent of each other, many passengers use CLEAR Plus and TSA PreCheck together for the fastest way through airport security.
About Alaska Airlines
Alaska Airlines and our regional partners serve more than 120 destinations across the United States, Belize, Canada, Costa Rica and Mexico. We strive to be the most caring airline with award-winning customer service and an industry-leading loyalty program. As a member of the oneworld alliance, and with our additional global partners, our guests can travel to more than 1,000 destinations on more than 25 airlines while earning and redeeming miles on flights to locations around the world. Learn more about Alaska at news.alaskaair.com and follow @alaskaairnews for news and stories. Alaska Airlines and Horizon Air are subsidiaries of Alaska Air Group.
About CLEAR
CLEAR's mission is to create frictionless experiences. With more than 16 million members and a growing network of partners across the world, CLEAR's identity platform is transforming the way people live, work, and travel. Whether you are traveling, at the stadium, or on your phone, CLEAR connects you to the things that make you, you - making everyday experiences easier, more secure, and friction-free. CLEAR is committed to privacy done right. Members are always in control of their own information, and we never sell member data.
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Travel Technology
prnewswire | July 28, 2023
Choice Hotels International, Inc. one of the world's leading hotel franchisors, announced today that all nine Radisson Hotels Americas brands – including Radisson Blu, Radisson, and Country Inn & Suites – are now available to be booked on ChoiceHotels.com. This adds nearly 600 hotels onto its world-class central reservation system ahead of schedule and less than a year since its acquisition of Radisson Americas closed. Choice also announced the successful integration of the Radisson Rewards Americas loyalty program into the award-winning Choice Privileges program. This enables the nearly 60 million Choice Privileges members to earn and redeem points at over 7,400 hotels across 22 brands in 45 countries and territories.
"We are excited to offer travelers hundreds of additional hotels to choose from on ChoiceHotels.com, including numerous upscale and full-service properties, as we welcome our Radisson franchisees to Choice's powerful reservation engine," said Pat Pacious, CEO, Choice Hotels International. "Integrating nearly 600 hotels and the Radisson Rewards Americas program in such a short period of time is a testament to Choice's advanced technology and integration expertise and shows our commitment to providing franchisees with opportunities for optimal success and offering travelers ways to easily find the right hotel to meet their travel needs on one website."
Integration Milestone Marks More Bookable Options on ChoiceHotels.com
More upscale and full-service hotel options located in the U.S., including in 90% of the top 25 markets. Examples include:
Radisson Blu Aqua Hotel (Chicago, Illinois)
Radisson Panama City Beach-Oceanfront (Panama City, Florida)
Cambria Hotel Boston Somerville (Somerville, Massachusetts)
Heights House Hotel, Ascend Hotel Collection (Houston, Texas)
4,000 midscale, economy and extended stay locations located within one mile of an interstate exit, many with pools. Examples include:
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson, Charlottesville-UVA (Charlottesville, Virginia)
Sleep Inn & Suites Lancaster-Platteville (Lancaster, Wisconsin)
Comfort Suites Natchitoches (Natchitoches, Louisiana)
Quality Inn Murfreesboro-University Area (Murfreesboro, Tennessee)
Fantastic selection of hotels outside of the U.S. Examples include:
Radisson Blu Hotel Toronto Downtown (Toronto, Canada)
Radisson Blu Aruba (Palm Beach, Aruba)
Clarion Hotel Post (Gothenburg, Sweden)
Comfort Hotel Jeddah King Road (Jeddah, Saudi Arabia)
hotel around TAKAYAMA, Ascend Hotel Collection (Takayama, Japan)
Radisson RED Hotel Miraflores (Lima, Peru)
Quality Hotel San Martino (Garbagnate Monastero, Italy)
More options for members of Choice Privileges, including the opportunity to earn and/or redeem points at casinos, luxury resorts and vacation rentals through Preferred Hotels & Resorts, Penn Casinos and BlueGreen Vacations. Examples include:
Margaritaville Resort Casino (Bossier City, Louisiana)
Bluegreen Vacations Fountains, Ascend Resort Collection (Orlando, Florida)
Circus Circus Hotel & Casino (Las Vegas, Nevada)
Integrated Loyalty Programs Bring New Choice Privileges Member Benefits, Co-Brand Credit Cards & More
Diamond Elite members of Choice Privileges, the highest Elite level, starting today, are entitled to free breakfast for two at Radisson Blu, Radisson, Radisson RED, and Park Plaza hotels in North and South America and LATAM. Click here for a full list of benefits.
Members of Choice Privileges now have more accommodation options to choose from where they earn and redeem points, as well as two new co-branded credit card options which launched earlier this year, that accelerate the number of points earned to get to a redemption night faster. Cardholders can now earn points on everyday purchases, including at gas stations, grocery stores, home improvement and phone plans, making this the fastest way to earn points during stays at participating Choice Hotels properties.
About Choice Hotels
Choice Hotels International, Inc is one of the largest lodging franchisors in the world. A challenger in the upscale segment and a leader in midscale and extended stay, Choice® has more than 7,400 hotels, representing over 625,000 rooms, in 45 countries and territories. A diverse portfolio of 22 brands that run the gamut from full-service upper upscale properties to midscale, extended stay and economy enables Choice® to meet travelers' needs in more places and for more occasions while driving more value for franchise owners and shareholders. The award-winning Choice Privileges® loyalty program and co-brand credit card options provide members with a fast and easy way to earn reward nights and personalized perks.
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Travel Technology
businesswire | June 30, 2023
Spotnana, the modern infrastructure for the travel industry, today announced it has partnered with United Airlines to develop a direct NDC integration that delivers seamless end-to-end traveler journeys via NDC. Spotnana’s direct integration to United’s NDC API supports personalized travel booking experiences, self-service post-ticketing changes, real-time analytics, and comprehensive servicing capabilities delivered through Spotnana’s modern retailing experience.
“We’re thrilled to partner with United Airlines to deliver an approach to modern retailing that goes far beyond booking tickets through a next-generation storefront,” said Sarosh Waghmar, Founder and CEO of Spotnana. “We have built the deepest direct NDC integration to date with United, and we will continue to work together to innovate and push the boundaries of what’s possible.”
Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service Platform now supports United NDC-based offers throughout all stages of a trip both on a self-service basis and fully assisted by travel agents. Key features of the advanced NDC integration between United and Spotnana include:
Continuous pricing - access to 40% more price points from United that are the same or lower than fares available via EDIFACT-based distribution channels.
Negotiated rates and bundles - the ability to display corporate negotiated rates as well as custom bundles that can include amenities such as WiFi, Economy Plus, Premier access, and more.
Entitlement shopping - personalized shopping experiences based on traveler loyalty status, such as a seat map that extends complimentary access to Economy Plus seats for travelers that have Premier Gold MileagePlus status or higher.
Self-service changes and cancellations - capability for travelers to cancel or make changes post-ticketing to flights, dates, cities, seats, Known Traveler Number, or loyalty program number without agent assistance.
Comprehensive servicing - agents have access to the same capabilities for booking, changing, and canceling NDC fares as the travelers they serve.
Carrier ticketing - ensures agents can seamlessly service bookings even if previous changes were made by United or on a United channel, enabling travelers to be serviced wherever they prefer. Waiver codes are automatically applied when United is responsible for a flight change.
Integrated real-time analytics - travelers and travel managers can view and download real-time reports with integrated data across NDC and EDIFACT-based bookings.
“We want our products to be available in channels where our customers want to buy them. As a part of that effort, we’re collaborating with industry partners like Spotnana to provide a more contemporary shopping environment through NDC,” says Doreen Burse, United’s Senior Vice President of Worldwide Sales. “With this exciting integration, Spotnana’s platform now supports United NDC-based offerings to provide a more seamless experience for our customers, from booking to servicing.”
Through its modern architecture, Spotnana has eliminated the need for PNR comments and mid-office operations that make it difficult to support NDC and EDIFACT-based content side-by-side. As a result, travelers benefit from a seamless booking and servicing experience across all types of content.
About Spotnana
Founded in 2020, Spotnana, a software development company for travel, offers solutions for enterprise software, infrastructure, business travel, corporate travel, and travel technology. It gives an exceptional global travel experience. It modernized the infrastructure of the travel industry for freedom and simplicity of travel. Its travel-as-a-service platform makes travel more simple and more affordable for corporations. It connects travel agencies, suppliers, and technology solutions provider partners for operational efficiency. Its ecosystem unlocks new revenue sources and innovations. It has developed advanced cloud-based travel technology dedicated to the needs of travelers.
About United
At United, Good Leads The Way℠. With U.S. hubs in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., United operates the most comprehensive global route network among North American carriers, and is now the largest airline in the world as measured by available seat miles.
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