29 September 2009

Hotel chain offers a first: air tickets

Offering new meaning to the phrase, "the sky’s the limit," InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) announced its newest reward: Flights Anywhere.

The offering is the first of its kind, according to IHG.

"This new program lets members redeem Priority Club® points, or combine points and cash, to book flights on more than 400 airline carriers worldwide without restrictions on availability," the chain says.

"Our customers are looking for ways to stretch their wallets when they travel; with Flights Anywhere they can now pay directly for airline tickets using Priority Club points," said Don Berg, vice president, Loyalty Programs, IHG. He added:

"They’ll never have to worry about seat availability or blackout dates when redeeming Priority Club points for flights."

IHG has more than 4,300 hotels worldwide.

It says the program is "the first and only hotel loyalty program to offer the flexibility to redeem points and cash for flights."

Priority Club points can be redeemed for the entire cost of an airline ticket (including all taxes and applicable fees), or combined with cash for a ticket, enabling consumers to "buy" a ticket at a discount.

Also, there are no blackout dates or limits on available tickets.

By David Wilkening