The airline industry has found a new revenue idea: you. United has been building Kinective Media, a business that turns its frequent flyer data and seatback entertainment screens into a targeted advertising network — an effort that stumbled at first until the airline brought in Vasu Raja, who shook up the team. Now Delta is following United into the ad game, which surprises nobody given the appeal of the pitch: rich customer data, affluent passengers, and hours of captive attention at 35,000 feet. Expect more sponsored content on your next flight, whether you asked for it or not.
On the deals front, there are a couple of quick wins. The Rakuten referral bonus offer was set to end September 30 — the shopping portal pays cash back or points (choose Amex or Bilt) on purchases, and a simple move was buying a $50 gift card for Uber, DoorDash, Southwest or Delta through it, effectively getting $50 or more in points for free. CardPointers, the app that tracks credit card credits and offers, was half-price until October 1, when the regular price doubles.
Points collectors should note a quiet devaluation in India: Axis Bank slashed transfer caps to Air India, Flying Blue and Qantas by 75%. The earning rates and transfer ratios are unchanged, but Atlas cardholders can now move only 30,000 miles a year into that group of partners, down from 120,000. Same spending, same points — just far fewer you can actually use.
There's better news for Air Canada fans. The refreshed Chase Aeroplan card brings a 15% discount on award redemptions that include at least one Air Canada segment. The useful wrinkle: the discount extends to everyone in the cardholder's Family Sharing pool, not just the cardholder — though the green eligibility flags don't show up in family members' own search results, so book accordingly. And SAS is handing out 500 free EuroBonus miles to anyone who tries its new app before October 28.
In the air itself, Singapore Airlines is rolling out more than 100 new dishes across every cabin under its SIA Chefs' Selection menu — regional favourites, reimagined classics and new creations, served on bespoke Christofle tableware with an upgraded wine list. Anyone who rates Singapore's catering (consistently among the best in the sky) has reason to be pleased.
Finally, a familiar complaint: a United passenger posted that after a three-hour delay, the airline forced him to gate-check his carry-on citing full overhead bins — only for him to board and find the bins roughly 70-80% empty. Meanwhile, United continues to win praise for how its crews mark frequent flyers' million-mile milestones.
Why it matters: most of this week's news quietly touches your wallet or your flight experience — from ads aimed at you mid-flight to award discounts you may already qualify for without realising it. Original reporting via View from the Wing.
