John Ollila
The principal author and founder of LoyaltyLobby, John has been traveling non-stop since 2004 for both business and leisure.
Originally from Finland, John studied at the Helsinki School of Economics before accepting a scholarship to the United States where he completed an MBA in Finance at a notable university. While he had already taken his first around-the-world trip at age 20, John’s MBA and his skill at analyzing hotel and airlines programs ignited a wanderlust that has taken him to over 80 countries and continues to this day.
As a cosmopolitan, John has spent the last 10 years staying in the world’s finest hotels, visiting world class cities and enjoying the perks of First Class airline travel, all by strategically making use of hotel and airline loyalty programs.
Annually John flies 150,000-250,000 miles and through his travels has earned more than ten million frequent flyer and hotel points thus earning him top-tier elite status in all airline alliances and major hotel chains.
Through LoyaltyLobby, John shares his unique analysis and tips on how to strategically maximize your hotel and airlines miles and points earning power for you to enjoy free flights, free hotel nights and upgrades.
Sebastian Powell
A contributing editor to this blog, Sebastian has had a passion for aviation and travel since an early age and has lived in six different countries since 2003.
Originally from Germany, Sebastian studied Business Management and worked in related positions for various companies including Lufthansa and the Thomas Cook Group before obtaining his BA and Masters Degree in Vancouver, Canada.
Currently residing in Japan, Sebastian has earned a combined six million frequent flier miles through his travel while also holding various Lifetime Status Level with airlines and hotel chains. Per year, he spends 150-175 nights in the finest hotels and flies approximately 150,000 miles on different airlines.
Sebastian contributes to LoyaltyLobby on a regular basis to share his views and in-depth analysis on a variety of topics in the world of travel, miles and points.
Freddo Zabaleta
Freddo’s relationship with the travel industry is not just an informal interest but is also more technical in nature. He received his PhD in Mechanical Engineering in 2008, specializing in the study of fluid dynamics and flow simulation. This has led to a role in academia as a professor and researcher for an R&D center in Spain and consulting for the aerospace and automotive manufacturing industries.
Travel has long been a part of Freddo’s life, beginning in his college years when he enrolled in his first frequent traveler program. Today Freddo flies approximately 100,000 miles and spends 60-80 nights in hotels every year for both leisure and for work. He currently holds elite status with 4 airlines and 7 hotel chains.
Freddo started as a contributing editor to LoyaltyLobby in 2017 with his daily “Airfare of the Day” articles. He has also written numerous hotel and airlines reviews for us since joining our editorial team.