航空公司常旅客新规有何影响

Tension is growing between employers looking to rein in spending and business travelers who treasure their hard-earned frequent-flier miles.

一些航空公司采取了根据票价而不是距离来奖励乘客的新政策。在航空公司纷纷调整常旅客奖励政策之际，寻求控制支出的雇主与珍惜来之不易的里程奖励的员工之间矛盾越来越大。

Under new airline policies that reward travelers based on fares, not distance, fliers have incentive to book expensive tickets close to the departure date rather than plan ahead with cheaper advance-purchase itineraries. The Business Travel Coalition, a lobbying group of travel managers and travel agencies, polled 66 industry executives this week and found 84% believe the new way of calculating frequent-flier rewards will lead to higher travel prices.

一些航空公司采取了根据票价而不是距离来奖励乘客的新政策，这些政策或促使旅行者临行前才订购价格昂贵的机票，而不是提前安排行程，预订优惠机票。代表差旅经理和旅行社的游说组织美国商务旅行联盟(Business Travel Coalition)近期对业内66名管理人士进行的调查发现，84%的人认为，计算常旅客奖励的新方式会导致差旅费用增加。

Some corporate travel managers suspect travelers are starting to delay bookings or make superfluous trips because airlines have made it tempting to do so. 'We have people requesting trips they might not have taken in the past,' said Kevin Maguire, director of travel for intercollegiate athletics at the University of Texas and a past president of the Global Business Travel Association. 'And it's going to get worse.' He also thinks employees are booking later.

一些公司的差旅经理怀疑，在航空公司新规的诱惑下，旅客会推迟订票或者做出不必要的行程安排。得克萨斯大学(University of Texas)校际运动员旅行事务负责人、全球商务旅行协会(Global Business Travel Association)前总裁凯文·马圭尔(Kevin Maguire)表示：“有人要求安排一些他们过去不会安排的行程。估计情况还会变得更糟。”他还认为现在员工订票比过去晚了。

How baited is the hook? Southwest Airlines, which switched to fare-based rewards in 2011, offers 1,847 Rapid Rewards points on its $353 'Wanna Get Away' discounted fare, and 11,654 points on its $1,066 'Business Select' fare. Pay three times the fare and collect six times the points.

缩水的常旅客里程奖励那么诱惑究竟有多大呢？美国西南航空(Southwest Airlines)2011年将奖励计划调整为与票价挂钩，针对售价353美元的“Wanna Get Away”打折机票的Rapid Rewards计划返点为1,847点，针对售价1,066美元的“Business Select”机票的返点则为11,654点。支付三倍的票价就可以获得六倍的返点。

Starting next year, Delta Air Lines will pay four times as many SkyMiles on a $1,600 ticket as on a $400 ticket. Today, it awards miles based mostly on distance. Even JetBlue Airways has changed its calculations, giving three points per dollar spent, plus bonuses for booking directly with JetBlue and for extra-legroom fares.

从明年开始，在达美航空公司(Delta Air Lines)购买售价1,600美元的机票，可获得相当于400美元机票四倍的飞凡里程常客计划(SkyMiles)返点。该公司现在主要根据飞行距离来奖励里程。就连捷蓝航空(JetBlue Airways)也改变了计算方法，在该公司每花一美元购票，可获得三点返点，另外，直接在捷蓝航空订票或者订购加长空间座位还可获得额外奖励。

Most businesses let employees keep frequent-flier miles or rewards accrued on business trips, a perk of being away from home that travelers care passionately about. High status brings upgrades and smoother travel. Any move by companies to claim the miles would touch off a backlash, industry executives say.

多数公司都允许员工保留常旅客里程或者在商务旅行中累积的奖励，而员工也非常看重这项出差带来的福利。等级较高的常旅客计划会员可以享受升舱，旅途也更为舒适。业内管理人士称，公司一旦采取行动收回里程奖励，就会招致激烈反对。

Steve Howarth, a quality-control expert from Salt Lake City, travels to inspect facilities for clients and is easily within Delta's highest frequent-flier status, called Diamond. He got an email from the airline saying based on his past trips he is likely to end up with more miles under the new plan. Flight by flight, Mr. Howarth compared his 2014 miles so far with miles he would expect to get under the 2015 rules at the same fares. The result, covering a period of almost four months: a 19,000-mile reduction, or about 20% less. He expects to spend his own money more often for tickets for his four children on family trips.

来自盐湖城的质控专家史蒂夫·豪沃思(Steve Howarth)经常到各地出差，为客户检查设备，他轻松成为达美航空级别最高的 石卡(Diamond)会员。豪沃思收到达美航空的一封电子邮件称，根据他过去的行程，在新规下他有望获得更多里程奖励。于是豪沃思把他2014年以来历次飞行累积的里程数与2015年新规下相同票价的累积里程数逐一对比。结果显示，在将近四个月的时间段中：累积里程数减少了19,000英里，降幅约为20%。他估计今后在家庭旅行时，他要更多地为四个孩子的机票自掏腰包了。

Anthony Black, a Delta spokesman, said although the airline will issue fewer miles under the redesigned program, it will make more award tickets available at lower mileage redemption levels. So while Mr. Howarth will earn fewer miles, he'll spend fewer miles to get free tickets. Miles will become more valuable and travelers like Mr. Howarth will have an easier time claiming awards, Mr. Black said.

达美航空的发言人安东尼·布莱克(Anthony Black)说，根据新计划，虽然里程奖励减少了，但该公司也针对较低的里程兑换等级推出了更多奖励机票。也就是说，虽然豪沃思获得的里程奖励减少了，但他用较少的里程数就能兑换到免费机票。布莱克说，里程会变得更有价值，而像豪沃思这样的乘客领取奖励会变得更轻松。

'The 2015 SkyMiles program isn't intended to change the behavior of a corporate or business traveler or to direct them to more expensive fares,' he said. 'It will benefit the traveler who often is unable to book lower fares that require an advance purchase or who must book flights that have only higher classes of service available.'

他说：“2015年的飞凡里程常客计划不是要改变公司或商务旅行者的行为，也不是要诱导他们购买更贵的机票。新政策将有利于那些经常因没有提前预定而买不到优惠机票或者必须购买仅有更高等级舱位航班的旅客。”

Mr. Howarth says he is 'not real happy' about the changes but will continue to seek discounted business-travel fares. Trying to fly on more-expensive fares, he says, 'really is up to the individual and their integrity.'

豪沃思说，他“其实并不乐意”看到政策的变化，但他会继续在商务旅行时寻找打折机票。他说，买不买更贵的机票“其实取决于个人和他们的诚信度”。

The Business Travel Coalition survey found 82% of travel executives believe the new incentives will make it harder to get employees to adhere to corporate travel policies. Kevin Mitchell, the coalition's chairman, thinks companies will police travel spending more, track which employees book trips close to departure and force more high-level approval for expensive tickets. 'I think this is a big move,' he said.

商务旅行联盟的调查发现，82%的差旅管理者认为，新的奖励规定会导致员工更难遵守公司的差旅政策。该机构主席凯文·米切尔(Kevin Mitchell)认为，公司会更加严格地监督差旅支出，追踪哪些员工在临行前订票，并要求员工购买高价机票时须经过更多的高层审批。他说：“我认为这是一项重大的变化。”

Yet some of the biggest abusers historically have been senior executives, Mr. Mitchell said. Word gets around. 'It all gets down to: What's in it for me?' he said.

但米切尔说，从过去的情况来看，违规最严重的恰恰是高管。他表示，说来说去，“一切都归结为：新规对我有什么好处？”

Other airlines are expected to follow Southwest, Delta and JetBlue into revenue-based frequent-flier rewards. After all, it's the fares that matter most to airlines, and they say they want to give their best rewards to their best customers.

预计其他航空公司也会效仿美国西南航空、达美航空和捷蓝航空的做法，采取基于运营收入的常旅客奖励政策。毕竟，对航空公司来说最重要的是票价，而航空公司表示，他们想把最好的奖励授予最好的顾客。

Southwest's average fare has risen 19% over the past three years -- faster than the rest of the industry. The airline says there are many reasons for the rise, including the addition to its network of more long flights that cost more. But the frequent-flier change has led to more purchases of higher fares. 'The program is contributing to that but is not the largest driver,' a Southwest spokesman said. The airline has found customers are 'willing to pay more' to get points, he added.

美国西南航空的平均票价在过去三年里上涨了19%——增速比业内其他公司快。该公司称，票价上涨有很多原因，其中之一是公司在网络中增加了更多费用较高的长途航班。但常旅客计划的调整也导致乘客更多地购买价格较高的机票。美国西南航空一名发言人称：“常旅客计划是原因之一，但不是最重要的原因。”他补充称，公司发现，顾客“愿意花更多钱”来获得点数奖励。

Airline incentives to accumulate points are more powerful than hotel and car-rental loyalty programs, which have always based points on dollars. Several airlines have added spending requirements to qualify for elite-level status. That means reaching gold, platinum or higher isn't just a matter of how many miles you fly or flights you take. Carriers sometimes exclude frequent-flier rewards on low international fares; if you want to earn miles, you have to buy a higher fare.

航空公司的点数累积奖励政策比酒店或租车公司的客户忠诚计划力度更大。酒店和租车公司一直都将返点与消费金额挂钩。有几家航空公司提高了取得精英等级的支出要求。这就意味着，要达到金卡、白金卡会员或更高等级，不能只看你飞了多少里程或乘坐了多少个航班。航空公司有时候不累积低价国际机票的常旅客奖励里程；如果你想赢得更多里程数，就得购买较贵的机票。

Corporate travel managers set policies specifying preferred airlines, hotels and car-rental companies, plus limits on business-class and first-class bookings, whether the lowest fare must be selected and whether travelers have to make a connection to get a better fare or can fly on more-expensive nonstop flights. Airlines sign contracts with companies for loyalty, offering travel managers ticket discounts and upgrades to dole out, in exchange for a percentage of the company's bookings overall and on specific routes.

公司的差旅经理制定政策，指定优先选择哪些航空公司、酒店和租车公司，限制商务舱和头等舱机票的订购。他们还就是否必须选择最低票价，是选择需要转机的路线以获得更优惠机票还是选择票价较贵的直飞航班等问题做出规定。为赢得客户的忠诚，航空公司会与企业签订合同，提供机票折扣和升舱机会供差旅经理分配，并从企业手中获得一定比例的订单和特定路线订单。

Travelers often break policies when they book, though. A Global Business Travel Association study in February found 59% of business travelers went out of policy on at least one major expense during their most recent trip. Out-of-policy bookings typically were 14% more expensive, the study found. These expenses may be legitimate. An expensive flight might be needed to make a last-minute meeting on time.

不过，商务旅行人士在订票时经常会违反政策。全球商务旅行协会2月份一项研究发现，59%的商务旅行者在最近一次行程中至少有一项重大花销违反了规定。研究发现，违规订购的票价一般要贵14%。不过，这些花费也可能是合情合理的。比方说，要想准时出席临时召开的会议，就有可能需要购买价格昂贵的机票。

Robin Whitley, who works for the U.S. government in England, travels often around the world for business plus personal trips home to California. She has top-tier status on both American and Delta. Her office insists on booking the lowest fare. But, like many travelers, she'll sometimes tweak her schedule to get the flights she wants, such as adding a Saturday night stay so a Delta or American fare becomes lower or comparable to another airline.

美国政府驻英国的工作人员罗宾·惠特利(Robin Whitley)经常在世界各地出差，并因私回加州的家。她在美国航空(American)和达美航空都享有最高会员级别。她的办公室要求订购价格最低的机票。但和许多旅行者一样，有时候她会稍稍调整一下自己的时间安排，以搭乘她想订的航班，比如周六晚上多住一晚，这样一来，达美航空或美国航空的票价就会比另一家航空公司低，或者与之相当了。

She figures next year she'll get only about 60% of the miles she currently gets on Delta due to the change. 'I'm not going to pay $3,500 to fly across the Atlantic,' she said. Still, she knows many frequent fliers obsess over miles and will find ways to maximize benefits under the new rules. 'It is going to change the face of the game,' she said.

她发现，政策调整后，明年她在达美航空就只能累积相当于现在60%左右的里程了。她说：“我是不会花3,500美元从英国飞到加州的。”不过，她知道许多常旅客很在乎里程数，他们会在新规下想方设法实现利益的最大化。她说：“这会改变游戏的格局。”