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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?”

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 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.

Not Everyone is Cheap, Honor Your Customers, and 8 Other Ideas for Travel Executives

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: Ten Lessons for Success in Business is based on Sorensen’s 4+ decades in the air travel business.

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 Carriers Surrender to FFP Popularity – Press Release

December 3, 2024

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. But today, loyalty is now firmly embraced by LCCs.

Airline Ancillary Revenue Skyrockets to $148.4 Billion Worldwide for 2024 – Press Release

October 29, 2024

The CarTrawler worldwide estimate leaps nearly 26% above 2023 and nearly $39 billion above the pre-pandemic year of 2019. CarTrawler, the leading B2B provider of car rental and mobility solutions to the global travel industry, and IdeaWorksCompany, the foremost consultant on ancillary revenue, project airline ancillary revenue will increase to $148.4 billion worldwide for 2024, compared to $117.9 billion for 2023 and well above the previous $109.5 billion record in 2019. This CarTrawler Worldwide Estimate of Ancillary Revenue represents an increase largely built on 2023 passenger growth and increasing market share gains by low cost carriers.

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

Click here to view/download the graphic from page 2 of the press release as a JPG file.

2024 Big Book of Airline Data Reveals $918 Billion in Revenue for 2023, Up More Than 32% From Prior Year – Press Release

October 22, 2024

IdeaWorksCompany, a foremost consultant on ancillary revenue, frequent flyer programs, and airline retail, has released the 5th edition of its annual data compendium: The Big Book of Airline Data by IdeaWorksCompany.

The new edition provides a world of data for individual airlines, regional compilations, airline alliances, employment data, and frequent flyer membership totals. The collection of data allows for interesting comparisons; here is a sampling of global results for 2023:

• Asia & Pacific airlines experienced the largest year-over-year traffic growth of 116.2%; the region also has the largest share of global traffic at 32.1%.
• Canada and US airlines remain the world’s largest revenue producers with a 29.4% share of global airline revenue. However, Asia & Pacific had the highest year-over-year growth of airline revenue at 80.9%.

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