Airlines Must Own Up to Environmental Impact and 8 Other Top Aviation Stories This Week

pixelschoen  / Adobe

Carbon offsetting might sound good, but airlines need to be more proactive and less profit driven when it comes to the environment. pixelschoen / Adobe

Skift Take: This week in aviation news, carbon offsetting has become a popular way for airlines to improve their image, but the reality is they are still pumping millions of tons of CO2 into the air. In addition, the coronavirus continued to hamper travel, including cancelled flights for airlines.

— Danielle Hyams

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Japanese Prime Minister Doesn’t Expect Virus to Affect Tokyo Olympics

Tomohiro Ohsumi  / AP Photo

Japanese PM Shinzo Abe Tomohiro Ohsumi / AP Photo

Skift Take: Japan has doubled down on using international sporting events like the forthcoming Olympic Games as a way to turbocharge its tourism industry. It’s clear from the prime minister’s remarks on Monday that it doesn’t expect the coronavirus to get in the way of that.

— Rosie Spinks

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Asian Destinations Hit by Fallout From Coronavirus and 6 Other Top Tourism Stories This Week

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Destinations that are popular with Chinese tourists, like Thailand and Japan are feeling the impact of Chinas ban on tours as the country tried to contain the coronavirus. Artinun / Adobe

Skift Take: This week in tourism news, destinations that rely heavily on Chinese travelers like Thailand and Japan are feeling the pinch as China halts outbound tours in its struggle to contain the rapidly spreading coronavirus. Plus, Pakistan, which was once one of the most dangerous places, is gearing up with a new tourism push.

— Danielle Hyams

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Centre Pompidou Ramps Up China Strategy With Shanghai Satellite

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Centre Pompidou received 3.33 million visitors in 2019; a mere 1 percent of these hailed from China. Pascale Gueret / Adobe

Skift Take: The Parisian contemporary arts institution is taking the long view in its approach to attracting Chinese outbound travelers. This segment is increasingly seeking cultural experiences, so it’s a smart move to park a satellite branch in China’s cultural capital to build brand awareness.

— Faye Chiu

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How To Get Rewarded For Every Mode of Transportation You Use

Travel rewards from the metro

Whether we’re on a long-term trip overseas, enduring a busy work week or embarking on a weekend adventure, a lot of time is spent traveling between the places we visit. Although the actual ‘travel’ part of traveling can be a positive experience at times, it can also be extremely exhausting. But, what if you could get rewarded for your travels, no matter what mode of transportation you use? Sure, it sounds like a bit of gimmick, however, it’s actually quite real.

There is indeed a way to earn travel rewards for sitting in traffic, taking the subway, biking or even skiing.

The Transportation Industry and Travel Rewards

Every year people across the globe travel 25 trillion miles via some form of ground transportation. In fact, economists put $18 trillion as the cost people pay for moving from A to B through ground transport. Yet, the universal behavior of mobility goes largely unrewarded. So the question is – why are the only travel rewards programs focused solely around flying? This is where the Miles App swoops in to save the day.

How Does The Miles App Work?

Simply put, Miles is an app that delivers value for every mile traveled, across every mode of transportation – with greener forms of travel rewarded even further. The app is designed to work seamlessly in the background, logging each trip from start to end along with the mode of transportation used. For example, users who carpool or take a rideshare service earn 2x miles, those who use public transit receive 3x the miles, those who bike earn 5X, and those who walk or run earn 10x the miles. You’re even rewarded 3X the miles for skiing!

The Best Part – Getting Rewarded

You might be wondering what exactly you can do with these “miles” that you earn and accumulate throughout all your travels. They’re essentially points you can use to redeem rewards with leading brands and retailers across various categories. Rewards cost as little as 100 miles and are redeemable either online or at a nearby store. Rewards include free products and services, credits, and discounts with brands such as Target, Ray-Ban, Home Chef, Garmin, TOMS, Silvercar, YourMechanic, Chewy.com, Thrive Market, and many more. With over 200 brand partners offering exclusive specials on the Miles platform, there’s typically a reward for everyone.

But The Value Doesn’t Stop There (more travel rewards)

Miles doesn’t only work with brands to provide rewards. They also partner with cities and public transit authorities to encourage users to choose more sustainable modes of transportation. The way they do this is through what’s called a “challenge”. For example, Caltrain, located in the San Francisco Bay Area, put out a challenge to residents to take three train trips. Once completed, the user was rewarded with a $10 Amazon.com Gift Card. With challenges like this which encourage users to partake in greener forms of transportation, the Miles app incentivizes a more eco-friendly and healthy lifestyle, while providing users with rewards they love. They’re on a mission to deliver as much value for every mile traveled, all while promoting green travel. What’s there not to really like about this program?

To build up your miles quickly, there are a few things you can do. Here are some top suggestions:

Refer a friend! Every time you refer Miles to a friend, they’ll receive 1,500 miles upon sign up and you’ll receive a bonus 1,000 miles when they complete their first trip.

Use eco-friendly forms of transportation whenever possible. The bus and train give you 3X the miles, biking 5X, and when walking & running you earn 10X the miles.

Take a road trip with friends! Carpooling gives you 2X the miles, and your friend gets to earn along with you.

Get 250 bonus miles when you use this exclusive code given to me by the Miles team – “earl2019”. It needs to be used soon though as it’s only valid through 12/31/2019 and only for the first 500 users!

So, if you have a chance, I highly recommend downloading the Miles app. There’s no other app out there that offers rewards for all forms of ground travel like Miles does. They’re also constantly adding new reward options and challenges which are not only exciting and fun, but well worth the bonuses you receive!


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