Gaining elite status in the Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards program will be a little easier in 2021. The company announced a boost for all members and adjustments to some partner qualifying activities.
Loyalty
Aeroplan adds Virgin Australia as earn/burn partner
Members of the Air Canada Aeroplan loyalty program have a new option to expand their travels into Australia. The carrier announced that Virgin Australia will be a partner for both earning and redemption of frequent flyer points as of 19 January 2021.
JetBlue adds Companion Pass for 2021, lowers Mosaic qualification requirements
Elite status will be a bit easier and better in the JetBlue TrueBlue program next year. The carrier announced changes to the Mosaic status tier on Wednesday, including lower travel and spend requirements to qualify and a BOGO travel option in the first several months of the year.
Air Canada adds WiFi payment via Aeroplan points
Air Canada passengers have a new option to buy in-flight WiFi service. The carrier now offers the ability to pay with Aeroplan points on board.
Aeroplan to add US credit card, Chase Ultimate Rewards
The new Air Canada Aeroplan program has some great sweet spots, but for non-Canadian members the earning options weren’t great. A new partnership with Chase announced today changes all that. Eventually.
Alaska Airlines announces oneworld alliance status tiers
Alaska Airlines and OneWorld confirmed the mapping of elite status tiers for MileagePlan members as the carrier approaches its alliance join date. The decisions are far from surprising.
EasyJet shrinks cabin baggage allowance
The carrier is pitching the move as a push to improve on-time performance, but easyJet’s new hand baggage policy looks an awful lot like an ancillary revenue push.
Reciprocal upgrades coming to American, Alaska Airlines
As the west-coast alliance between Alaska Airlines and American Airlines continues to evolve some frequent flyers got good news this week: upgrades will be available to top tier elites across both loyalty programs.
Shifting the spread on loyalty earn and burn
We know that overall passenger numbers are, for very good reason, down massively. But airlines have relied on their loyalty programs to provide a significant, and perhaps more importantly steady, stream of revenue for the operations. So, as the airlines use those programs to collateralize billions of dollars in new financing, it is worth considering if that revenue flow is as reliable as airlines (and debt holders) hope it can be.
The Weekly Wrap: GX+ North America and Spirit’s New Loyalty Program
In this edition of The Weekly Wrap we’re chatting with Philip Balaam, president of Inmarsat Aviation, about the company’s tie-up with Hughes to create a new in-flight connectivity solution, GX+ North America. Plus FreeSpirit, OpenIFC, and showers in the sky.