Bits: IAG and LATAM sign new price fixing deal, Ramada loses two of its best UK hotels

News in brief:

British Airways and Iberia announce price fixing deal with LATAM

IAG, the parent company of British Airways and Iberia, announced last week that it has applied for permission to operate price fixing with LATAM (owner of LAN and TAM) on flights between Europe and South America.

They don’t call it price fixing, of course.  It is a ‘joint business agreement’, similar to the one which BA, Iberia, Finnair and American Airlines have for flights to North America.  BA has a similar deal with JAL for flights to Japan.

The four airlines (BA, Iberia, LAN, TAM) will pool their transatlantic services into one special purpose entity.  All flights will carry a flight code from each airline.  Fares will be harmonised.  Schedules will be adjusted so that flights do not compete directly against each other.

Frequent flyer benefits will be also be aligned.  This means that the earning rate in terms of Avios and tier points will be identical whichever airline you fly, which will be an improvement.

The deal will require regulatory approval which will take 12-18 months, although there is no obvious reason – given precedent – why it should be refused.  The only issue is the potential lack of competition compared to, say, UK to North America routes.

Two key UK Ramada hotels switching to Marriott

Wyndham is the biggest hotel group in the world.  It has achieved that despite having only a paltry UK presence which consists of a handful of Ramada and Days Inn properties.

If you ever stay in either brand, you will find my overview of Wyndham Rewards and its recent changes here.

It is about to have an even smaller presence.  Two of the most high profile Ramada properties – Birmingham City and Manchester Salford Quays – are jumping ship to Marriott and have already been removed from the Ramada website.

Once refurbished, they will become the first UK hotels to be operated under the ‘AC Hotels by Marriott’ brand.  AC Hotels is a Spanish group which Marriott acquired a few years ago.  I would love to tell you what is special about it compared to the many other Marriott brands but I honestly have no idea.  It is apparently a ‘design led, lifestyle brand’.

I was quite taken by the canal-side rooms of the Birmingham hotel in The Mailbox although the only reason I stayed there was because bmi British Midland was offering 5,000 miles for a single Wyndham stay in a promotion once upon a time.

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How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

• American Express Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Rewards Credit Card (10,000 bonus Amex points)

and for small business owners:

• American Express Business Gold (20,000 bonus Amex points)
• American Express Business Platinum (40,000 bonus Amex points)

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points. 

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)