FlyerTalk
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FlyerTalk is an Internet forum for discussion of airline frequent flyer programs, hotel loyalty programs and other issues related to air travel. The site was founded in 1998 by Randy Petersen and was acquired by Internet Brands in 2007[1].
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[edit] History
Randy Petersen founded and launched FlyerTalk in May 1998. According to Petersen, he was struggling to answer letters and faxes from readers seeking information and advice about their frequent flyer miles. He saw FlyerTalk as a concept that allowed the readers to combine their knowledge into a knowledgebase for other travelers[2]. Since that time, FlyerTalk has grown to more than 200 forums and over 10,000,000 posts. The site has approximately 20 million page views per month and 27,000 - 52,000 daily unique visitors [3]. who discuss anything and everything related to travel. One of FlyerTalk's forums is the Newsstand where members post articles relating to travel.
[edit] Industry Use
Some of the hotel and airline forum participants include official presences who use FlyerTalk to learn about the issues important to their customer base. This was also something Petersen envisioned, when he saw FlyerTalk providing airline and travel companies a wealth of information to leverage as another touch point into the concerns and interests of their customers. One example of the site's influence is a wager between the Continental Airlines CEO and a FlyerTalk member as to whether 60 or more community members would voluntarily fly (using their own miles and incurring their own out-of-pocket expenses) to a feedback meeting in Houston for the airline; 274 did. [4]
[edit] Mileage Runs
A commonly heard term around FlyerTalk is mileage run, during which the customer flies solely for the purpose of attaining the miles or segments necessary to attain or retain elite status. When done for the purpose of status with a hotel chain, the activity is sometimes called a mattress run. First coming to the attention of mainstream press in 2005[5], the mileage run is most common at the end of the year, as the accrual deadline for most loyalty plans is December 31st.
In addition to mileage runs, discussions of promotional offers for frequent flyer miles and other points schemes are common, one of the most talked about being PuddingGuy's so-called "pudding run" in 1999[6].
[edit] References
- ^ New York Times. "FlyerTalk Sold". http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/13/business/13memos.html. Retrieved on 2007-03-13.
- ^ Tsai, Jessica (December 2007). "Power to the People". CRM Magazine. http://www.destinationcrm.com/articles/default.asp?ArticleID=7395. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ "WebFlyer :: The Frequent Flyer Authority". http://www.frequentflyerservices.com/mediakit/webflyer_flyertalk.php. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ FlyerTalk. "New York times coverage of Contintental "Fly-in"". http://travel2.nytimes.com/2005/06/14/business/14chat.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1119282882-bRfrn+PdXo6I+b1+v8krDQ.
- ^ Grossman, David (2005-11-11). "The Art and Science of a Mileage Run". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/travel/columnist/grossman/2005-11-11-grossman_x.htm. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
- ^ "Reader Profile". Inside Flyer. February 2003. http://www.insideflyer.com/articles/article.php?key=917. Retrieved on 2007-12-28.
