The Business of Passenger Experience
Got Status?
For Delta Air Lines’ SkyMiles Medallion members, that status just extended another year. The carrier announced today that member status for the 2022 program year will not be lower than it was in 2021. This is the second consecutive year the carrier chose to extend status in its frequent flyer program.
Is it really loyalty if you’re just paying rent? And does it matter if you’re earning a lot of points as part of that experience?
American Airlines and JetBlue recognize that elite requalification thresholds remain a challenge for many travelers. The carriers have come up with shifts in earning means and promotions to help boost accounts, though each in a slightly different manner.
Breeze is ready to take flight. The newest US carrier announced its route network today, serving 39 nonstop routes between 16 cities in the Southwest, Midwest, Southeast and Eastern US. The airline will waste no time getting its planes into service. The first flights will operate next Thursday, from Tampa to Charleston and then to Hartford.
Buried in a release about an expansion of codeshare routes between JetBlue and Qatar Airways is news that the pair will also establish recipocity for frequent flyer points earning and redemption. Details are scarce, but any growth on that front should be welcome for TrueBlue program members.
With a quarter of the year gone recovery of the Canadian aviation sector remains a long way away. Air Canada acknowledged this, choosing to extend elite status in the company’s Aeroplan frequent flyer program another year.
Alaska Airlines wants to expand its frequent flyer base in California, and free flights are on offer. The company will give away up to 25,000 round trip flights to California residents that joins the loyalty program this week.
Air Canada and Air Transat received approval from the Canadian government this week to close on their merger, though not without some additional conditions covering slots, loyalty, lounges, and Quebec employment guarantees.
The Norwegian CashPoints loyalty program is taking a break. As the carrier moves through the bankruptcy protection and reorganization processes in Ireland and Norway the bulk of the programs benefits will be removed.
The new Free Spirit program is now live. And with it comes some change in the company’s approach to airline loyalty.
