Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

United Airlines just revealed massive changes to its MileagePlus Program . How much a traveler spends on the tickets is the only thing that matters in the airline’s new frequent flyer program.     Not long ago, United quietly switched from a distance-based reward program to a fare-based frequent flyer program . Since 2015, people earn mileages based on how much they spend on the air tickets instead of how far they fly.  For example, I typically earn about 4,000 reward miles for a round-trip ticket between Los Angeles and Asia, even though the distance of the trip usually ranges from 10,000 to 12,000 miles. Nevertheless, the distance I fly still matters because it will be counted towards the “qualified miles” for elite status.  Now, the airline wants to take a big step further to (only) reward those top-spending travelers as their elite customers.        The terms used in the current MileagePlus Program There ar...

McDonald’s Corporation introduced the world’s first voice-initiated job application process called  McDonald’s Apply Thru . Now, job seekers can initiate the job application process through McDonald’s Apply Thru by taking to either  Alexa  or  Google Assistant . How McDonald’s Apply Thru works The job application process begins with the applicants saying: “ Alexa, help me get a job at McDonald’s. ”  or “Google, help me get a job at McDonald’s.”   Then, the job applicants will need to answer a few basic questions, including their name, job of interest, and the location where they want to work. Afterward, the job applicants will receive a text message with a hyperlink that will take the applicants to continue the rest of the application process.   Where McDonald’s Apply Thru serve McDonald’s Apply Thru is now available in nine countries, including the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Irelan...