Alaska Airlines is rolling out Elon Musk's Starlink to all its planes and letting customers choose how to earn loyalty points
The airline announced Wednesday that the high-speed, streaming-quality WiFi will be free for all members of its Atmos Rewards program.
It comes after Hawaiian became the world's first major airline to deploy the service last February.
Alaska Airlines expects to begin installing Starlink next year and have it fully installed across its fleet in 2027.
"The idea of a game changer is a word I don't particularly subscribe to, but Starlink, for a business traveler, fundamentally changes your productivity and what you can get done," Brett Catlin, Alaska's vice president for loyalty, told Business Insider.
"It can't get on our fleet soon enough," he added.
Alaska also announced that loyalty members will be able to choose how to earn points: per mile flown, per dollar spent, or per flight segment.
"We were very deliberate in how we designed the program to make sure that we brought everyone in, that it was this idea of a big tent," Catlin told Business Insider.
He explained how customers flying on short-haul trips like Honolulu to Maui could benefit from choosing to earn via flight segment, with each worth 500 points. Meanwhile, high-spending business travelers would likely prefer to earn per dollar.
Loyalty members would be able to change their preferences once a year.
"It's technically more complicated to introduce, of course, but we were very deliberate in deciding we're going to make that investment because it's important to how we compete," Catlin said.
A new co-branded credit card with Bank of America, called Atmos Rewards Summit Visa Infinite, would let holders reach status faster, earning one status point for every $2 spent on purchases.
The airline also said that Atmos Titanium members, the top tier worth 100,000 status points, could be offered complimentary business-class upgrades for themselves and a companion on the day of departure.
The Seattle-based carrier is opening its first-ever transatlantic routes and doubling down on its loyalty scheme, which is crucial to US airlines' profitability.
"Loyalty, particularly for a US carrier, is integral to everything that we do — both the program, but then also the co-brand portfolio," Catlin said.
Through the first half of the year, Alaska Airlines turned a profit of $6 million, while its loyalty program generated revenue of $417 million.
Since acquiring Hawaiian Airlines, it has taken ownership of four Boeing 787 Dreamliners, opening up longer journeys.
Alaska's Dreamliners will first fly from Seattle to Seoul on September 12. Flights to Tokyo begin on January 7, followed by flights to Rome and London in the spring.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
41 minutes ago
- Los Angeles Times
Lowe's Announces $8.8-Billion Acquisition of Santa Ana's Foundation Building Materials
Home improvement retailer Lowe's Companies Inc. announced it has entered into an agreement to acquire Santa Ana-based Foundation Building Materials for approximately $8.8 billion. Foundation Building Materials is a North American distributor of interior building products, including drywall, metal framing, ceiling systems, commercial doors and hardware, insulation and complementary products serving large residential and commercial professionals in both new construction and repair and remodel applications. Since 2011, FBM has grown into a network of over 370 locations in the United States and Canada, serving 40,000 Pro customers. Last year, it generated approximately $6.5 billion in revenue. 'With this acquisition, we are advancing our multi-year transformation of the Pro offering,' said Marvin Ellison, Lowe's chairman, president, and chief executive. 'Foundation Building Materials' scalable, multi-trade distribution platform and strong leadership, combined with our recent acquisition of Artisan Design Group, will significantly enhance our Pro offering.' Ruben Mendoza, Foundation Building Materials' chief executive, and the senior leadership team will continue to lead the company. Lowe's has secured $9 billion in a fully committed bridge financing from Bank of America, N.A. and Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC. The transaction is expected to close in the fourth quarter of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approval. Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC and Centerview Partners LLC acted as financial advisors for Lowe's, while Freshfields US LLP acted as legal advisor. RBC Capital Markets LLC acted as financial advisor for Foundation Building Materials and Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP acted as legal advisor and its investors. Information for this article was sourced from Lowe's Companies, Inc.
San Francisco Chronicle
41 minutes ago
- San Francisco Chronicle
Defamation case against Fox News highlights role of its hosts in promoting 2020 election falsehoods
NEW YORK (AP) — Court papers in a voting technology company's $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit against Fox News point to Maria Bartiromo, Lou Dobbs and Jeanine Pirro as leaders in spreading false stories about election fraud in the weeks after Democrat Joe Biden's victory over President Donald Trump in 2020. Arguments for summary judgment by Smartmatic were filed in lightly redacted form this week at the New York Supreme Court. It's like a bad rerun for Fox: Similar revelations about its conduct following the 2020 election came in a lawsuit by another company falsely accused of doctoring votes, Dominion Voting Systems. Fox agreed to pay Dominion $787 million in a 2023 settlement after the judge found it was 'CRYSTAL CLEAR' that none of the claims against the voting system company were true. In short: Fox let Trump aides spread conspiracy theories despite knowing they were false because it was what their viewers wanted to hear. Fox was trying to hold on to viewers who were angry at the network for saying Biden had won the election. Fox said it was covering a newsworthy story. It accuses the London-based company, which had only Los Angeles County as a client for the 2020 election, of exaggerating its claims of damages in the hope of receiving a financial windfall. Pirro now working in the second Trump administration The focus on Pirro is noteworthy because the former Fox personality now serves in Trump's second administration as U.S. attorney in Washington, D.C. Smartmatic, relying on emails and text messages revealed as part of the case, said Pirro was using her position as a Fox host in 2020 to help Trump and persuade him to pardon her ex-husband, Albert Pirro, who was convicted of conspiracy and tax evasion. Trump pardoned him before leaving office in 2021. In a text to then-Republican National Committee chairwoman Ronna McDaniel in September 2020, Pirro said, 'I'm the No. 1 watched show on news cable all weekend. I work so hard for the President and the party,' Smartmatic said in court papers. One of her own producers, Jerry Andrews, called Pirro a 'reckless maniac,' Smartmatic said. He texted after one of her shows in November that it was 'rife (with) conspiracy theories and bs and is yet another example of why this woman should never be on live television." The court papers said Pirro also suggested 'evidence' of supposed fraud to Trump lawyer Sidney Powell that she could use on a television appearance — material that also was spread by Bartiromo. Bartiromo still works at Fox, and in 2020 had shows on both the news channel and Fox Business Network. The court papers uncovered messages showing her desire to help Trump: 'I am very worried. Please please please overturn this. Bring the evidence, I know you can,' she texted to Powell. Dobbs, whose business show was canceled by Fox in February 2021, texted to Powell four days after the election, saying 'I'm going to do what I can to help stop what is now a coup d'etat in (its) final days — perhaps moments," a reference to Biden's victory. Dobbs died in 2024. A central figure in Fox's 'pivot' Smartmatic portrayed Pirro as a central figure in Fox's 'pivot' to deemphasize Biden's victory because it angered Trump fans. Instead, the network found that ratings jumped whenever claims of election fraud were discussed, it said. As in the Dominion case, the discovery process helped Smartmatic find messages and statements that seem embarrassing in retrospect. For example, in early December, Fox's Jesse Watters texted colleague Greg Gutfeld that 'Think of how incredible our ratings would be if Fox went ALL in on STOP THE STEAL.' Fox, in a response to the newly-revealed court papers, pointed to an ongoing corruption case involving Smartmatic and its executives, including a claim by federal prosecutors that it used money from the sale of voting machines to set up a 'slush fund' for bribing foreign officials. 'The evidence shows that Smartmatic's business and reputation were badly suffering long before any claims by President Trump's lawyers on Fox News and that Smartmatic grossly inflated its damage claims to generate headlines and chill free speech,' Fox said. 'Now, in the aftermath of Smartmatic's executives getting indicted for bribery charges, we are eager and ready to continue defending our press freedoms.' ___
CNBC
42 minutes ago
- CNBC
Household robots are about to get a big price cut — if China's top 'robovac' player has its way
BEIJING — Household robots for cleaning are about to quickly become an affordable reality. At least that's what Quan Gang, president of Beijing-based robot vacuum cleaner company Roborock, has in mind as he strategizes for the next five years. The company ranks first among smart vacuums by global market share, according to IDC Research. Last week, it reported a nearly 79% revenue surge in the first half of this year. About half of sales came from outside China. In an exclusive interview with CNBC on Wednesday, Quan predicted that human-like robots will become part of many households by 2030, thanks largely to advances in generative artificial intelligence. And before then, he expects, Roborock can make its latest, high-end cleaner with an AI-powered robotic arm so cheap that the mass market will be able to buy it — for at most a few hundred U.S. dollars. "If we only focus on the premium segment, in the end, other than being the best robotic vacuum cleaner company in the world, we will have nothing," Quan said in Mandarin, translated by CNBC. He noted that robot vacuums still don't have a very high household penetration rate. China, the largest market for the robot vacuums by value, has a penetration rate of only 5.6%, while the United States, the second-largest market, has a 22% penetration rate, according to Euromonitor estimates for 2025. The firm predicts penetration in the U.S. will tick up to 24.1% over the next two years, and edge down to 5.5% in China. Competition in the robotic vacuum + robotic arm category heated up earlier this year at the U.S. Consumer Electronics Show, with Roborock and at least two other Chinese competitors releasing demos. The AI-powered arm removes obstacles from the cleaner's path as it rolls autonomously around the house. So far, only Roborock has started selling one, called the Saros Z70 — but with a hefty price tag of around $2,600 on The site shows 141 reviews and a 4.6 rating. Roborock did not share specific sales figures. Initial reviews of the Saros Z70 from U.S. tech sites such as Mashable and Wired weren't impressed, especially given the price, but hoped for more capable versions in the near future. Both recommended that consumers stick with the more traditional Roborock Saros 10R — which retails for $1,600. Robot vacuum cleaner companies should develop products that "bridge cutting-edge technologies and mainstream price points to accelerate adoption," said Jin Liu, senior analyst of small appliances at Euromonitor International. But even if the price comes down, it would only be a small step toward having a robot help with cooking and other household chores. Vacuum cleaners are the "only successful application [of robots] in our homes to date," said Jeff Burnstein, president of the Association for Advancing Automation (A3). "This is after four decades of talking about how we're going to have robots in our home." "What made the [robot] vacuum cleaner so successful is it didn't cost that much," he said. For the same thing to happen for humanoids to enter homes, he said, there needs to be a compelling quality for the price. Humanoids, such as those from Chinese startup Unitree, still cost tens of thousands of U.S. dollars and don't have clear household use cases yet. Despite its mass market ambitions, Roborock said that because of tariffs, it had to raise the Saros Z70 price by $700 from the original $1,899. Quan said Roborock started working with suppliers late last year in Vietnam, where he said the company can fulfill all its North American orders. Looking ahead, he said the company is considering global supply chain partnerships, but not necessarily to invest in building its own factories. Roborock's plans for a Hong Kong listing are primarily to raise capital for international expansion, Quan said, noting the company is also expanding beyond vacuums. Despite Roborock's 79% revenue surge, the company more than doubled its spending, largely on research and development, steepening the company's losses in the first half of the year. Quan said the company has hired nearly 100 AI experts this year and is still hiring — with an eye to add a total of nearly 200 AI experts this year. He said many of the new hires have overseas education or work experience. The company built a dedicated AI lab in Shanghai and a research institute in Shenzhen, soon after Roborock's founding in 2014. When asked about computing power, Quan said there are many solutions and that buying Nvidia chips aren't the only option. As for improving the AI-powered robotic arm and making it cheaper, "the challenge lies primarily with the algorithm and data," he said, not the hardware. As AI becomes more critical for household robots, Quan has an even bigger vision. "If this robot in your home needs to clean, then it will have to integrate the cleaning knowledge that Roborock has accumulated over the years in algorithms, models, data and training," he said. "Then it can be installed onto the robot like an app." "This robot may be Tesla's, or Unitree's, or someone else's, ... but in the area of cleaning, it will be inseparable from Roborock," he said, claiming the company has the best data on cleaning tasks. Another company might have the best data for robots to cook, he said. The humanoid market will likely reach $5 trillion by 2050, with $800 billion in China alone, according to Morgan Stanley estimates. "With humanoids, if they can't do more than one thing, then they're competing against an existing form factor that can do one thing very well," Burnstein said. But ne noted companies around the world expect there's a big market for safe, affordable humanoids that can cook, clean, help the elderly and do other things. "We're not there yet with the technology, but maybe we'll get there and maybe that multitasking would be the differentiator potentially," he said. "So you wouldn't need 5 robots. You might just need one."
