March 26, 2018 View in browser
With United's puppygate scandal now a week behind us, concerned passengers have shifted focus to the airline's service record and overall treatment of animals. And as those wagons circle, United's embattled CEO, Oscar Munoz, has once more been forced to adopt his role as chief apology officer.

That term was first pushed into the limelight after the airline got into trouble offloading a passenger last year in a widely shared viral video, prompting Munoz to step up, engage with customers, and take the blame. But the real genesis of the role is a product of United's last CEO, Jeff Smisek, who had a less-than-excellent relationship with both customers and internal employees.

A big part of what Munoz tried to bring back to United was a sense of humanity with his role as CEO, and he's done a good job at reaching out to both employees and disfranchised, loyal customers over his tenure. Nobody, however, could have predicted the amount of apologizing that the man signed up for.

Skift's Brian Sumers has more on the dual role of chief executive and chief apology officer that Munoz now plays.
Announcing the Editorial Program for Skift Forum Europe
We're 30 days away from Skift Forum Europe, and we're excited to announced our finalized editorial program! You won't find a schedule for a day-long conference better than this, featuring a full bench of c-suite speakers and the biggest innovators in the European travel industry. Tickets are selling out fast, so register today!
Register Now
SKIFT STORIES AND MORE EXPERT INSIGHT
Nobu Hotels CEO on a Restaurant-First Approach to Hospitality
If you talk to Trevor Horwell, the CEO of Nobu Hospitality, Nobu represents much more than just a restaurant experience. It's a true lifestyle brand that also encompasses a relatively small, but growing portfolio of luxury hotels, too — eight of which are open now, and eight more are in the pipeline.

Airlines Fear Tariffs Will Stoke a U.S.-China Trade War
As the Trump Administration prepares to impose strict tariffs on many goods from China, executives at some of the world's largest airlines say they fear the president's decision could spur a trade war and depress demand for travel between the U.S. and China.

Alipay Steps Up Push to Cater to Chinese Travelers in the U.S.
China's most-used mobile payments provider, Alipay, has been establishing a beachhead in North America, defying the established banks and card networks MasterCard and Visa that process most Western consumer cashless payments.

Qantas’ New Australia to UK Flights Will Test Its Ultra-Long-Haul Strategy
Flying from Australia to London in 1935 took 12 and a half days. Passing a major aviation milestone on Saturday, Qantas Airways Ltd. will do it in 17 hours.

Ryanair Is Buying a Majority Stake in an Austrian Airline
Ryanair Holdings Plc agreed to buy an Austrian airline from former Formula One motor-racing champion Niki Lauda, only the second acquisition in the Irish carrier's history.

Amtrak Quietly Makes Big Negative Changes to Cancellation and Refund Policies
For tickets purchased starting March 20, 2018, most tickets will be hit with a 25 percent service fee when refunding to an eVoucher. Unfortunately, the news of these changes is buried in the fare rules on Amtrak's website and on their refunds and cancellations page — and even that doesn't note that there's been a change, or when it went into effect.

Qatar Airways Introduces Oryx Kids Club — A New Loyalty Program for Kids
Qatar Airways' loyalty/rewards program is called Privilege Club, but to be a member, a traveler has to be at least 12 years of age. Now, however, in what appears to be an attempt to fill the age gap leading up to when a child can join the Privilege Club, Qatar Airways has introduced a new loyalty program for kids — the Oryx Kids Club.
Share on Twitter Share on Facebook Share on Linked In Send via Email

For Gmail users: If you are using the tabbed inbox, Skift emails may be pushed to the 'Promotions' tab. To get updates from Skift direct to your primary inbox, drag and drop this email to that tab.

You received this email because you are subscribed to Business of Loyalty Newsletter from Skift.

If you'd like to unsubscribe from this email, click here

If you'd like to receive fewer emails, click here

If someone shared this email with you and you would like to subscribe, visit our newsletters page on Skift