Episode Description

On this episode of MTM Travel Shawn and Mark dive into some of the changes Southwest announced after our previous show. It's far worse than anyone imagined including cuts in benefits, no free bags, basic economy and more. Are they destroying the brand or will it grow from this bigger and better than ever?

We also discuss Mark's upcoming trip to Baha Mar and what options are left for points on the island. Other topics discussed include: Hyatt's Chicago hotel problem, why 2025 is the time to reevaluate some perks and why you should probably just fly the cheapest/most convenient airline for you.

Episode Guide

• 0:00 Welcome to MTM Travel
• 1:50 The Alaska/Hawaii card rush and why Alaska miles can be good for American flights
• 5:47 Southwest gets even worse - No free bags, basic economy and more
• 12:25 How Southwest is using everyone else's playbook
• 18:55 The status hamster wheel & reevaluating loyalty in today's corporate world
• 24:25 Hyatt's big Chicago problem & increasing travel costs
• 32:25 Reevaluating Hyatt perks in 2025 with all of the changes
• 36:45 Nassau points options & previewing Mark's trip

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Music: Rewind by Jay Someday | https://soundcloud.com/jaysomeday Music promoted by https://www.free-stock-music.com Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported License