Members Only: Frontier, AirTran Laud Rewards Alliance

Frontier Airlines president and CEO Jeff Potter last month said the carrier's recently implemented marketing and referral partnership with AirTran Airways "is proving to be as successful as we had initially anticipated and we believe will provide additional revenue support during slower months." The carriers in November announced a partnership to combine their reservations systems and reward programs, the first agreement of its type between low-cost carriers. The bigger implication for business travelers, however, is the combination of the two airlines' reward programs, said Helane Becker, managing director and transportation analyst at The Benchmark Co. "It's not a huge implication, but it gives travelers an opportunity to earn frequent flyer miles," she said. "It basically extends the reach of the two airlines in question, which is a good event." Under the terms of the partnership, travelers can earn credits in either a Frontier EarlyReturns or AirTran A+ Rewards account, regardless of the airline flown. Travelers also can redeem miles in both programs with rewards from either airline. Additionally, the partnership creates a Web-based reservations system that will list both airlines' destination cities, so each carrier's Web site will route customers to the other, if applicable.

Swiss Joins Star Alliance Loyalty Lineup
Swiss International Air Lines last month became the tenth alliance member to join the Star Alliance Upgrade Awards loyalty program, which allows frequent flyer program members of any participating Star carrier to redeem one-class upgrades on other alliance members. The program is available on Star Alliance member carriers ANA, Asiana Airlines, Austrian, LOT Polish Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, TAP Portugal, Thai, United and now Swiss. Star Alliance CEO Jaan Albrecht said other alliance carriers soon would join. Star said Upgrade Awards requires a confirmed booking prior to travel, "which can then be upgraded through the existing FFP redemption channels through calling reservations or visiting a Web site, depending on carrier's offer." United last year became the first U.S.-based carrier to join the upgrade program. Star member US Airways has yet to do so.

Hilton To Debut HHonors Suite-Choice Tool
Hilton Hotels Corp. extended stay brand Homewood Suites expects by March to launch an online suite-selection tool, an industry first, according to senior vice president of brand management Rebecca Wyatt. The tool, initially available for gold and diamond members of Hilton HHonors program, will allow customers to choose a suite based on such personal preferences as floor or proximity to lobby. The tool eventually will be available to all HHonors members. About 50 percent of the hotels will offer the service by the end of March. Users can scroll over available rooms on Homewood Suites' Web site and have images pop up showing the room type. "We're expanding it in the summer to include a reservations preference request based on a floor plan," Wyatt said. "With extended stay, when customers are staying five nights or longer, they have a very vested interest in where they're staying in the hotel."

AeroPlan Enhances Air Canada, Hotel Redemption
Air Canada's reward program provider, publicly held Aeroplan, last month deployed in conjunction with ITA Software a new system for redeeming frequent flyer miles. The system offers Aeroplan members real-time access to airline inventory, enhancing the prior system's "airfare pricing, shopping and availability management" capabilities, the company said. The system now "processes all fare, schedule and availability data, enabling even very high volumes of complex travel queries to be answered quickly and cost effectively." The company said the program would ease its high-value redemption, as one reward ticket is issued approximately every 22 seconds on average. Meanwhile, Aeroplan last month said Best Western International is the first hotel chain to allow travelers to book Aeroplan mile redemption stays online, instead of calling the hotel or a call center. "Increasing the usability of Aeroplan Miles to create complete travel experiences and building flexible tools for members to book their own travel itinerary according to their needs are key components of Aeroplan's member-focused reward strategy," said Aeroplan vice president of marketing and rewards Craig Landry. "A partner of Best Western's scale means that we can immediately offer global hotel options—along with flights to more than 842 destinations worldwide and car rentals in North America and Europe—through our innovative Web-based booking tool." The car rental brands three car partners—Avis Rent A Car, Hertz Corp. and National Car Rental—already offer online redemptions through Aeroplan.com