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Kong vs. Godzilla: US Banks and Airlines Clash Over Traveler Loyalty – Press Release

October 14, 2025

New IdeaWorksCompany report reveals a battle for dominance in America’s $1.1 trillion travel market. American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi are squaring off with the largest US airlines in a colossal struggle for traveler loyalty, according to a new report from IdeaWorksCompany titled Kong vs. Godzilla: US Banks and Airlines Fight for Traveler Loyalty. The report compares banks to King Kong and airlines to Godzilla, spotlighting a marketplace where financial institutions and carriers both wield powerful advantages. The stakes are enormous: U.S. residents spend more than $1.1 trillion annually on travel . . . and both sides want the bigger share.

“Airlines invented loyalty programs, but banks have amplified them into multi-billion-dollar businesses,” said Jay Sorensen, President of IdeaWorksCompany and author of the report. “Today, banks and airlines are colliding over who owns the customer relationship. For consumers, the question is simple: Are you loyal to the airline, or the bank?”

Kong vs. Godzilla: US Banks and Airlines Fight for Traveler Loyalty – Report

October 14, 2025

American Express, Capital One, Chase, and Citi are squaring off with the largest US airlines in a colossal struggle for traveler loyalty, according to a new report from IdeaWorksCompany titled Kong vs. Godzilla: US Banks and Airlines Fight for Traveler Loyalty. The report compares banks to King Kong and airlines to Godzilla, spotlighting a marketplace where financial institutions and carriers both wield powerful advantages. The stakes are enormous: U.S. residents spend more than $1.1 trillion annually on travel . . . and both sides want the bigger share.

Banks hold the cards. With hundreds of millions of credit card accounts and vast consumer data, the Big 4 card issuers can influence spending habits and can even determine the financial stability of airlines. Their travel platforms now operate like online travel agencies, offering flights, hotels, and more with lucrative reward bonuses. Airlines control the experience. Loyalty programs, free checked bags, seat upgrades, and extensive airport lounge networks give airlines a home-field advantage. Reward travel can be deeply discounted since airlines “own” their inventory.

Basic Economy Remakes the Airline Business: Consumers Pay More to Avoid Air Travel Misery – Press Release

September 9, 2025

The 2025 Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue reveals a cashflow shift: ancillary revenue increased while fares dropped. The 2025 edition of the Yearbook of Ancillary Revenue by IdeaWorksCompany, released today, describes ancillary revenue activities and results for 61 airlines in 2024, continuing the publication’s role as the industry’s singular voice for 18 years. The results in this Yearbook represent the 61 airlines for which IdeaWorks research identified complete or partial elements of ancillary revenue.

Eight Ideas We Admire to Boost Airline Revenue – Report

August 12, 2025

This report spotlights successful ancillary strategies from leading global carriers. Airlines chasing the next revenue breakthrough need look no further. IdeaWorksCompany, the world’s leading authority on airline ancillary revenue, has released an 18-page report: Eight Ideas We Admire to Boost Airline Revenue. The study reveals how these creative practices from airlines around the world are reshaping the way carriers increase profits while improving the passenger experience.

The report highlights exemplary techniques implemented by JetBlue, Turkish Airlines, Sun Country, Jetstar, Condor, Ryanair, Jet2.com, and Pegasus. These airlines have successfully introduced customer-friendly features that deliver measurable ancillary revenue, such as:

• JetBlue: Transforms the seat map into a premium-selling machine with smart visuals and real-time benefit comparisons.
• Jetstar: Unburdens change and cancellation policies with a simple, clear voucher system that increases take-up rates.
• Pegasus: Turns nearly every booking into a loyalty program conversion with a seamless one-click enrollment popup.
• Turkish Airlines: Monetizes empty seats with an in-path upsell that adds comfort and revenue with minimal friction.

Eight Airline Revenue Strategies That Actually Work – Press Release

August 12, 2025

Airlines chasing the next revenue breakthrough need look no further. IdeaWorksCompany, the world’s leading authority on airline ancillary revenue, has released an 18-page report: Eight Ideas We Admire to Boost Airline Revenue. The study reveals how these creative practices from airlines around the world are reshaping the way carriers increase profits while improving the passenger experience. The report highlights exemplary techniques implemented by JetBlue, Turkish Airlines, Sun Country, Jetstar, Condor, Ryanair, Jet2.com, and Pegasus.

Fly High, Land Right: Ten Life Lessons for Success in Business

July 15, 2025

In one sense, the travel industry is built to serve its investors by delivering profits. A more balanced approach would have airlines, hotels, car rental firms and more seeking to well serve investors, employees, and customers. The industry has been inconsistent – but it need not be.

“This report is offered to those working in the airline industry, but its ideas certainly have applicability far beyond it,” said Jay Sorensen, President of IdeaWorksCompany and the author of the report. “I am fortunate to be part of an industry which brings the world together through the magic of air travel. We enable global commerce, deliver leisure experiences, and connect families and friends. I’ve been lucky to learn from others, and this report honors their wisdom.”

Fly High, Land Right is based on Sorensen’s 4+ decades in the air travel business. The 20-page report issued today includes the following advice:

People are hungry for wisdom; the airline industry is best served when its people respect each other, make a good profit, and treat passengers as guests.
Honor your customers; an educated consumer is your best customer.
Your workers are wiser than you; please talk to your front line employees to seek their perspective.
Above all else be honest; employees know when a company relies on honesty to generate more revenue.
Not everyone is cheap; many are willing to spend more for better comfort and convenience.
Listening tells you more; interviewing 100 customers at an airport gate over the course of 3 days garners more wisdom than any survey or focus group can deliver.

Baggage Compliance is the #1 Problem Facing Airlines

April 8, 2025

IdeaWorksCompany is the first to offer on-site consulting and specialized reports to generate millions in new ancillary revenue. The chaos occurring at departure gates around the world is now too obvious to ignore. Some passengers follow the rules for the fares they have purchased; they pay fees to check large bags and only bring smaller carry-ons to the gate. Others have learned the financial reward of flouting the rules. They don’t pay to check any bags and take every bag to the gate knowing most airlines will accept their bags free of charge. Some consumers are simply bewildered by the complexity of fare rules and baggage fees and hope for empathy from the airline and its agents. IdeaWorks is the first consulting firm to offer a packaged solution to help all airlines untangle their baggage problems with 2 on-site consulting products and the only publication that specifically addresses the problem of baggage compliance

Travel Boom Drives Sharp Increase in US Airline Reward Prices – Press Release

March 13, 2025

American and Southwest offer lowest prices in the US Domestic Reward Report, which is the latest Pro Series Report by IdeaWorksCompany. Inflation has worked its way through every nook and crevice of the US economy. The Consumer Price Index posted a 24% increase since the pre-pandemic period of 2019. The average reward seat increase posted by 6 airlines jumped nearly 36% during the same period, with a dramatic range of 9% to 153%. American swam against this current and registered a 21% decrease since 2019.

The 2025 US Domestic Reward Report released today by IdeaWorksCompany answers the question, “How costly is points redemption for the most popular basic reward type offered by top US airlines?” This year’s survey assesses six US airlines: Alaska, American, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, and United.

“The accrual penalties placed on basic economy fares by most airlines has a crushing effect on the value of frequent flyer programs for everyday consumers,” said Jay Sorensen, President of IdeaWorksCompany and author of the report. “It directly conflicts with the objective to add members and to grow them into loyal customers who buy a bigger array of services.”

Paid Seating Becomes Most Prevalent Offer in the Booking Paths of 25 Airlines – Press Release

February 18, 2025

The 2025 Almanac of Airline Retail navigates booking complexity and is the first Pro Series Report by IdeaWorksCompany.

The standard boarding instruction airline passengers hear is now the #1 item they find in online ticket booking paths, according to the new Almanac of Airline Retail. Paid seating tops the list of a la carte items for sale at 25 leading global airlines – and it’s no wonder. Seat assignments are the most conspicuous aspect of flying today, outstripping the top item a decade ago, checked baggage.

The Almanac offers 52 pages of booking path (web, Apple, Android) data and analysis; here are some unique features associated with several of the airlines:

• Air Canada and Ryanair offer 5 bundled fares – the highest number found.
• Air France provides elite status points when its Flying Blue members contribute to carbon reduction efforts.
• Frontier and Spirit Airlines are tied for the biggest shopping carts. Each offers 10 a la carte items in their booking paths; Ryanair appears in 3rd place with 9.
• Frontier inserts a 30-day All-You-Can-Fly pass into its booking path.
• Korean Air was the only airline not offering bundled fares among the 25.
• Ryanair gives free seat assignments to kids with the Family Plus bundle.
• Spirit Airlines has consumers “toggle” between checking a bag or bringing a larger carry-on bag when buying the Go Savvy fare.
• Turkish Airlines offers the ability to block a middle seat for a fee.

The 2025 Almanac of Airline Retail is a 52-page Pro Series Report from IdeaWorksCompany and is designed for airline and travel industry professionals. It’s available for sale at the IdeaWorks store: https://ideaworkscompany.com/store/

Click here to view/download the graphic from page 1 of the press release as a JPG file.

Low Cost Meets Loyalty – Report

December 3, 2024

CarTrawler sponsored report reveals how ten top LCCs have embraced full-feature loyalty programs with partner networks, elite tiers, and co-branded credit cards. Low Cost Meets Loyalty was issued today as a 15-page report to analyze the FFPs of these ten airlines: Air Arabia, AirAsia, Azul, Frontier, GOL, IndiGo, JetBlue, Pegasus, Viva Aerobus, and Vueling. Decades ago airline executives predicted “low cost” and “loyalty” were an impossible combination.

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