Airlines
JetBlue Sells Loyalty Points to Bolster Cash by $150 Million
JetBlue has announced it has sold $150 million worth of loyalty points to Barclays Plc to raise money due to COVID-19's impact on travel. JetBlue is not the first brand to sell its loyalty points, as Hilton and Marriott have done the same. "It was a good opportunity for us to get a small amount of incremental liquidity at attractive terms," Chief Financial Officer Stephen Priest said on a conference call Thursday to discuss first-quarter financial results. Barclays, which issues JetBlue's co-branded credit card, confirmed the sale.
Sports
UFC Partners with Chiliz to Launch Fan Voting and Rewards Program
UFC has announced it is partnering with the cryptocurrency firm Chiliz to launch fan voting as well as a rewards program. These fan interactions will be based in Socios, which is the firm's platform for buying digital fan tokens. Those who buy tokens can vote on topics pertaining to the league through polls and surveys and will be rewards with points for voting. "By partnering with Chiliz, UFC now has access to a captive audience of fans from some of the biggest sporting organizations on the planet, creating an unprecedented opportunity to attract new followers," Alexandre Dreyfus, CEO and founder of Chiliz and Socios, said in a press release in the above Sports Techie article.
Customer Experience
Carvana Launching 100 Markets to Bring Online Car Buying and Touchless Delivery to Customers Who Need It
Carvana has announced it is going to begin offering soon-as-next-day touchless home delivery to 100 more cities in 24 states to help those purchase a car do so while also maintaining social distancing measures. The new cities can be seen at the link above, and Carvana has a 7-day return policy to allow people to make sure the car is what they want.
"We know that many consumers are spending more time at home and balancing that with the need to keep moving. For many, that includes the need to buy or sell a car, and often their options are limited," said Ernie Garcia, Carvana founder and CEO, in a press release. "That's why we are bringing as-soon-as-next-day touchless home delivery to even more consumers and launching 100 markets."
Restaurants
Tropical Smoothie Cafe Announces 1 Million Smoothie Giveaway
Tropical Smoothie Café has announced, after already donating 180,000 smoothies in April to frontline workers, it will give one million more to guests as a part of its suitably named One Million Smoothie Giveaway. The brand has also said it is donating $100,000 to the American Nurses Foundation's COVID-19 Resource Fund when it reaches its goal of giving away one million smoothies
"The support Tropical Smoothie Cafe already gave to nurses and other healthcare professionals is tremendous. We appreciate them doing even more by giving away 1 million smoothies and making a generous donation to the American Nurses Foundation Coronavirus Response Fund for Nurses," adds Kate Judge, executive director, American Nurses Foundation, in a Tropical Smoothie press release. "Their donation will help the Foundation support critical areas where frontline nurses need immediate and ongoing support like mental wellness, direct financial assistance and national advocacy."
Employee Focus
Love's Extends Raises & Time Off, Offers Employees Additional Bonuses
Love's Travel Stops and Country Stores has announced it is extending its base pay increase and sick pay pertaining to the pandemic and is also giving meals for all hourly store employees to a variety of later dates. Employees will also get a $200 bonus if they work in the month of June.
"Our team members continue to work hard to help get professional truck drivers back on the road quickly," said Jenny Love Meyer, executive vice president and chief culture officer of Love's, in a CS News article. "The importance of their work isn't going unnoticed by us or by our customers. We'll continue to support them as they support those who are delivering essential goods across the country."