COMMERCIAL TRAVEL,AIRLINES AND AIRPORTS
Southwest Airlines | September 22, 2022
Southwest Airlines Co. ( NYSE: LUV) is rewarding its Rapid Rewards Members for their long-term support by giving them a limited-time incentive, making it easier to earn tier status through 2023. Starting today, Rapid Rewards® Members have more opportunities to maintain or accelerate their way to the highly coveted A-List or A-List Preferred tier status.
"We're making it easier for our Members to either earn A-List or A-List Preferred tier status, or maintain it through next year as a way to show our appreciation for their continued engagement with Rapid Rewards, We believe loyalty is a two-way street, and this is our way of thanking Customers for continuing to fly Southwest and for trusting us to connect them to the people and places that matter most in their lives."
-Jonathan Clarkson, Vice President of Marketing Loyalty & Products at Southwest Airlines
Reward Travel Counts
Southwest Airlines® is counting reward flight segments from Jan. 1 through Sept. 19, 2022, and applying them toward tier status segment requirements so Members can continue to enjoy the benefits and rewards they love and value. No registration is necessary for Members, and qualifying reward flight segments were automatically added to Members' tier progress on Sept. 13.1 Customers can view changes in the "My Account" section on Southwest.com.
Earn With New Reward Travel
Rapid Rewards Members who register and purchase Southwest® flights using Rapid Rewards points through Nov. 30, 2022, can now earn flight segment credits that count toward A-List or A-List Preferred tier status through 2023.1 The flight segment will appear in "My Account" within 72 hours after the flight is completed.
Earn Double Tier Qualifying Points
Southwest Rapid Rewards Members who register for this promotion and purchase Southwest qualifying flights, and travel through Nov. 30, 2022, can earn double tier qualifying points toward A-List or A-List Preferred tier status for 2023.2
Join Rapid Rewards
The Rapid Rewards program is designed around a simple concept—to make earning reward flights faster and easier. With Rapid Rewards, every seat is a reward seat, there are no blackout dates, and points don't expire. Customers can create an account to become a Rapid Rewards Member at Southwest.com.
All Rewards flights are subject to availability and taxes, fees, and other government or airport-imposed charges of at least $5.60 per one-way.
Tier qualifying points are earned on flights paid entirely with dollars, LUV Vouchers, gift cards, or travel funds, and with no portion of the purchase price paid for with Rapid Rewards points. Only qualifying activity will be eligible for flight credits.
ABOUT SOUTHWEST AIRLINES CO.
Southwest Airlines Co. operates one of the world's most admired and awarded airlines, offering its one-of-a-kind value and Hospitality at 121 airports across 11 countries. Having celebrated its 50th Anniversary in 2021, Southwest took flight in 1971 to democratize the sky through friendly, reliable, and low-cost air travel and now carries more air travelers flying nonstop within the United States than any other airline.3 Based in Dallas and famous for an Employee-first corporate Culture, Southwest maintains an unprecedented record of no involuntary furloughs or layoffs in its history. By empowering its more than 62,0004 People to deliver unparalleled Hospitality, the maverick airline cherishes a passionate loyalty among as many as 130 million Customers carried a year. That formula for success brought industry-leading prosperity and 47 consecutive years5 of profitability for Southwest Shareholders ( NYSE: LUV). Southwest leverages a unique legacy and mission to serve communities around the world including harnessing the power of its People and Purpose to put communities at the Heart of its success. Learn more by visiting Southwest.com/citizenship. Southwest is also continuing to develop tangible steps toward achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, including offering Customers an opportunity to help the airline offset its carbon emissions. To be part of the solution, visit Southwest.com/wannaoffsetcarbon.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,INDUSTRY OUTLOOK
Expedia Group | September 14, 2022
Expedia Group announced its new global social impact and sustainability strategy to advance a travel ecosystem that is responsible, open, and accessible to all. Combining the company’s mission, purpose, and values with its traveler-centric mindset, the Open World™ social impact and sustainability strategy is focused on three priorities – increasing access for underserved travelers, democratizing the travel economy, and innovating sustainable solutions for the future of travel.
Earlier this year, the company announced its Open World technology platform – created for partners of all sizes to leverage and configure products and services needed to succeed in the travel ecosystem. Aligned with this innovation, and the belief that travel is a force for good, the next iteration of Open World extends to the traveler experience, community engagement, and environmental impact.
“Travel is transformative. It broadens horizons, strengthens connections and changes perspectives. With our new Open World™ social impact and sustainability forward-looking plans, we will further our mission to power travel for everyone, everywhere,Travel needs to lighten its footprint on the planet, and everyone should be able to experience it and receive the associated benefits. Now is the time to innovate the existing model. We have a responsibility to enable a stronger, more sustainable industry.”
-Peter Kern, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Expedia Group.
The Open World™ social impact and sustainability strategy will tackle inequities in travel, accelerate meaningful change for the mosaic of travelers and communities that power the global industry, and ensure a healthy planet.
Expedia Group’s social impact and sustainability strategic framework includes:
Inclusive pathways for underserved travelers
Unfortunately, historic and social barriers still too often limit equitable and accessible travel. Per Expedia Group Media Solutions’ recent Inclusive Travel Insights Report1, demand is increasing as consumers are seeking more inclusive travel offerings when searching and booking. Expedia Group is increasing its own capabilities to improve the experience of underserved travelers by identifying and helping to lessen gaps. For example, Expedia.com has made improvements to accessibility filters to include options like elevators, service animal accommodations, roll-in showers, sign-language staff availability, and also expanded search features for travelers such as LGBTQIA+ welcoming properties.
What’s Next? To ensure more people are able to experience all that travel has to offer, Expedia Group will focus a portion of its giving to provide grants to impact-driven organizations working to remove barriers to travel for underserved communities around the world.
Economic advancement for communities underrepresented in travel
Expedia Group is strengthening economic opportunity across the travel ecosystem to ensure more people and communities can benefit from the industry’s growth and associated benefits. Using the power of its technology platform to help diversify the business of travel, Expedia Group will support small and local businesses, particularly those focused on improving the representation and experience of underrepresented travelers.
What’s Next? To help diversify the business of travel and meet traveler demand for more responsible options, Expedia Group will soon launch a program aimed at start-ups and small and medium-sized businesses in travel.
Prosperous planet for generations to come
Expedia Group recognizes the environmental toll that today’s travel industry often has on the planet and is committed to mobilizing its vast network of travelers, partners, and peers to innovate more sustainable business models and empower travelers to make more responsible choices. Fostering a healthy planet and a travel industry that mitigates and adapts to climate change is central to the Open World social impact and sustainability strategy.
Expedia Group recently joined the Travalyst Coalition and signed the Glasgow Declaration for Climate Action in Tourism. Under the Glasgow Declaration, Expedia Group has committed to deliver plans that will support the global goals of cutting emissions in half over the next decade and allowing the travel industry to reach Net Zero emissions as soon as possible before 2050. The Travalyst Coalition enables these goals by allowing travel companies like Expedia Group to deliver unified sustainability frameworks and methodologies to travelers across the globe.
What’s Next? Expedia Group is currently developing a long-term climate action plan and associated roadmap for greening its own operations while driving industry-wide change. A new program being developed in partnership with The Travel Foundation will offer training and practical guidance to destination marketing organizations (DMOs), enabling them to lead the way on climate action in tourism and catalyze meaningful change at a local level.
These three priorities build upon Expedia Group’s foundation and ongoing commitment to philanthropy. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Expedia Group led programs including the Give the World a Shot initiative – a joint endeavor with UNICEF to enhance COVID-19 vaccination rates in communities around the world – as global, equitable access to the vaccine is in line with traveler values and essential to reopening the world to travel. Expedia Group donated approximately $10.5 million – vaccinating three million people and moving the travel industry one step closer to recovery.
Learn more about Expedia Group’s past impact work in its 2021 Global Impact Report and latest Inclusion and Diversity Report. For additional information, visit www.expediagroup.com/who-we-are/Impact--Sustainability.
The research for the Inclusive Travel Insights Report was conducted in collaboration with Wakefield Research, which included an online survey of 11,000 representatives, general population adults ages 18+ in 11 global markets – Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Mexico, the UK and U.S. – fielded between February 11 and March 6, 2022.
About Expedia Group
Expedia Group, Inc. companies power travel for everyone, everywhere through our global platform. Driven by the core belief that travel is a force for good, we help people experience the world in new ways and build lasting connections. We provide industry-leading technology solutions to fuel partner growth and success, while facilitating memorable experiences for travelers. Our organization is made up of three pillars: Expedia Product & Technology, focused on the group’s product and technical strategy and offerings; Expedia Brands, housing all our consumer brands; and Expedia for Business, consisting of business-to-business solutions and relationships throughout the travel ecosystem. The Expedia Group family of brands includes: Expedia®, Hotels.com®, Expedia® Partner Solutions, Vrbo®, trivago®, Orbitz®, Travelocity®, Hotwire®, Wotif®, ebookers®, CheapTickets®, Expedia Group™ Media Solutions, CarRentals.com™, and Expedia Cruises™.
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TRAVEL TECHNOLOGY,DESTINATION AND TOURISM
SugarCRM and ResPax | August 26, 2022
SugarCRM, provider of the award-winning AI-driven CRM platform and ResPax, a leading tour reservation system provider with thousands of customers worldwide reaching millions of travelers globally, today announced a strategic partnership offering the first fully integrated CRM and tour booking platform for the travel and tourism industry.The goals of the partnership are to help fuel travel and tourism industry growth through cutting-edge tools to scale operations, turbocharge visitor numbers, boost customer experience and loyalty, enhance job creation and drive revenues.
With this powerful combination of technology, operators can achieve the benefits of a holistic view of customers, tight data integration and collaboration, and enhanced customer insights fueled by AI.
The SugarCRM and ResPax partnership provides travel and tourism operators with world-class innovative technologies to streamline business operations, gain an enhanced understanding of visitor needs and preferences, provide a high-definition customer experience, and stay on top of shifting consumer habits and preferences.The combined offering will help travel and tourism operators to:
Minimize busy work and enable tour operators to serve and target customers more efficiently;
Remove roadblocks and accelerate customer engagement by enabling tour operators to perform preference-based targeting and gain a data-driven deeper understanding of customer needs and preferences to create highly personalized offers; and,
Minimize blind spots and optimize customer journeys and user engagement, translating into better user experience, and improved brand loyalty and cross-selling and upselling opportunities.
“The customer experience is at the beating heart of the travel and tourism industry,Together, ResPax and SugarCRM are making the hard things easier for tour operators and their guests by streamlining processes and engagement to help the tourism industry rebuild and embrace a period of new growth.
-Craig Charlton, CEO, SugarCRM
We are pleased to partner with ResPax, a well-respected company with deep roots and expertise in the travel and tourism sector to deliver a purpose-built solution to help tourism operators make the most of every interaction, to rebound following years of pandemic lockdowns, he said.
“We are delighted to partner with SugarCRM, to bring the power of the company’s AI powered CRM to tour operators, ResPax and SugarCRM are both innovators and leaders in their respective fields and together we will provide an unparalleled experience for operators and guests. Tour operators can now revolutionize the guest experience and build even stronger and more profitable relationships, using rich customer insights to create unique experiences that resonate with clients.”
-Tony Bridgewater, ResPax CEO
About SugarCRM
SugarCRM is how marketing, sales, and service teams finally get a clear picture of each customer to help businesses reach new levels of performance and predictability. Sugar is the CRM platform that makes the hard things easier Thousands of companies in over 120 countries rely on Sugar to achieve high-definition CX by letting the platform do the work. Headquartered in Silicon Valley, Sugar is backed by Accel-KKR. For more information about SugarCRM, visit: www.sugarcrm.com.
About ResPax
Since 1999, the team at ResPax has been developing enterprise-grade reservation software for leading brands, small operators, and forward-looking organizations in Asia Pacific, Europe, and the U.S. ResPax streamlines tourism operations, giving customers a single workflow to manage all their operations with online bookings, channel manager and enterprise-grade reservations system, so tour operators and travel agents can spend more time growing their business. ResPax is a leading tour reservation system provider that reaches millions of travelers globally, from small day tour operators to large multinational operators.Trinity Software Australia (ResPax) is a private company based in Cairns Australia.
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