Ngolunye usuku, enye indiza. Njengomqondisi wezentengiso weRearden Commerce, eqala eFoster City, eCalifornia, uMike Lawrence undizela amamayela ayi-100,000 ngonyaka kodwa uyavuma ukuthi selokhu kwaba nokuwohloka komnotho, uhambo lwakhe lubhekwa kakhulu. “Hhayi kakhulu ekutheni ngidinga ukuya kwelinye idolobha ukuze ngiyohlangana, kodwa ngiqinisekisa ukuthi ngikhetha izindleko eziphansi kuzo zonke izindawo zokuhamba - umoya, imoto, ihhotela, indawo yokudlela, ukupaka. Konke sekubalulekile manje,” usho kanje.
Nokho uMnu Lawrence usaqinisekisa ukuthi ukhetha inkampani yezindiza efanayo uma kungenzeka. “Izinhlelo ezivame ukundiza zihlale zibaluleke kakhulu ekuthinteni ukukhetha kwami. Nge-Alaska Airlines, isimo sami seGolide sisho ukuthi ngithola ukuthuthukela ekilasini lokuqala ezimweni eziningi, izihlalo ezingcono uma kungenjalo, ukugibela ngaphambi kokugibela, amamayela aphindwe kabili - ngisho ne-cocktail yobumnandi ngisho noma ngingemuva.”
Uma unenhlanhla yokuthi usasebenza nomqashi ozimisele ukukukhokhela imali yendiza, asikaze sibe khona isikhathi esingcono sokundiza njalo njengoba izindiza ezingaphansi kwengcindezi zinciphisa amamayela adingwa izinhlelo zazo zokwethembeka zokuhlenga izindiza zamahhala noma ukuphinda kabili amamayela abalwa ukuya esimweni "sabantu abaphakeme".
Kodwa kukhona esinye isizathu: ama-flyer miles ahlala kakhulu eshidini lebhalansi lenkampani yezindiza njengezikweletu, aze asetshenziswe. Ngakho-ke, akumangalisi ukuthi abathwali banikeza izihlalo zamaflaya ezivame kakhulu kunangaphambili. E-Delta, okuyinkampani yezindiza enkulu kunazo zonke emhlabeni, isibalo samamayela atholwa amakhasimende minyaka yonke eminyakeni emithathu edlule sikhule ngamaphesenti angama-25, kusho uJeff Robertson, iphini likamongameli wenkampani wezinhlelo zokwethembeka.
UMnu Robertson ungemuva kwephromoshini enkulu kunazo zonke kuleli hlobo. Kuze kube sekupheleni kwalo nyaka, abagibeli bangathola ama-flyer miles aphindwe kabili kuzo zonke izindiza ze-Delta nezaseNyakatho-ntshonalanga nakuzo zonke izigaba zesevisi. Amaflaya kufanele abambe ikhadi lesikweletu le-Delta SkyMiles ukuze bathole amamayela ebhonasi, kodwa amathikithi akudingeki akhokhiswe ekhadini.
Ezinye izinkampani zezindiza, ezihlanganisa i-American, United, Qantas kanye ne-Jet Airways bezilokhu zinikeza inqwaba yamadili amasha kumalungu ezinhlelo zawo zokwethembeka.
Ingabe leli qhinga liyasebenza? Kunobunye ubufakazi bokuthi abahambi basebenzisa amamayela manje ngoba baboshwe imali - noma ngoba balindele izindiza ezinezinkinga ukuthi zikhuphule amazinga emivuzo ezinyangeni ezizayo.
Kodwa kulokhu kwehla komnotho, inani langempela lezinkampani zezindiza zezinhlelo zokwethembeka lisemandleni azo okwenza imali kunokwethembeka. "Izinhlelo zamaflaya ezivamile azisasebenzi ukushayela ukwethembeka komkhiqizo kuphela, kodwa kunalokho ziletha imali eyengeziwe, ikakhulukazi ngokuthengisa amamayela kumabhange akhipha amakhadi," kusho uJay Sorensen, owayeyisikhulu seMidwest Airlines futhi manje engumongameli we-IdeaWorks, umxhumanisi. iqinile.
E-Delta iyodwa, uMnu Robertson uthi izinhlelo ze-SkyMiles kanye ne-WorldPerks kulindeleke ukuthi zenze imali engaphezu kuka-$2B ngo-2009. I-United ne-Continental ngayinye iqoqe ukheshi ngonyaka odlule kusukela ekuthengisweni kwangaphambili kwamamayela kumlingani wabo wekhadi, u-JPMorgan Chase.
"Izikhathi ezinzima zomnotho zikhuthaze izinkampani zezindiza ukuthi zithembele kulolu hlobo lokwaneliseka kwesikhashana," kusho uMnu Sorensen, ocabanga ukuthi lapho ukuzethemba kwabatshalizimali kubuya ezinye zezindiza ezinkulu zizozama ukuthengisa izinhlelo zabo.
Kuze kube yileso sikhathi, ezinye izinkampani zenethiwekhi zizama ukwenza imali eyengeziwe kumakhasimende athembekile ngokusebenzisa izinkokhiso zokwelashwa okubalulekile, njengokuhlola ukuphepha okusheshayo, ukuthuthukiswa kanye nokucutshungulwa kwamathikithi omklomelo wamamayela.
"Umphumela ohlala njalo wokuwohloka komnotho kuzoba yizinkokhelo eziyinkathazo manje ezihlotshaniswa nezinhlelo zokwethembeka" kusho u-Tim Winship, umshicileli wewebhusayithi ye-FrequentFlier. "Izinkampani zezindiza zibafaka emzamweni onzima wokuthola imali enciphile, futhi ngeke zihoxiswe esikhathini esizayo."
“Eqinisweni, ngazo zonke izinkokhelo ezintsha nomthamo omncane kanye nokuthuthukiswa okumbalwa kwekilasi lokuqala okutholakala nsuku zonke, ngingajabula ukugcina izinto lapho bekhona,” kusho uMike Lawrence, njengoba elungiselela indiza yakhe elandelayo. "Kuyisifiso esinzima, kodwa ngakho konke okwenzekayo ekuhambeni kulezi zinsuku, ngingakuthatha njengesinyathelo esikhulu esiya phambili."
