How Are Frequent Flight Programs Changing in a Changing World?

Airlines make it easy to stick to schedule

In the last 18 months, every airline took a different approach to hold on to the top spenders, but their goal remains the same: to make it easy for customers who have achieved status to retain it. Alaska Airlinesfor example, it gives its customers 50 percent bonus miles for all flights they make in 2021. United Airlines reduced the number of flights and spending required to reach all levels of the loyalty program. For example, the lowest tier, Premier Silver, can be reached with 16 flights and 12 flights with 3,000 points (relative to dollars spent) instead of 4,000 points.

United also organizes dinners with Premier pilots to understand their priorities when they return to fly. “We are committed to being flexible,” said Michael Covey, general manager of United’s MileagePlus program. “We are monitoring the demand and making adjustments.”

American Airlines It has reduced its minimum requirements for 2021 and greatly modernized its program for 2022. Currently, Gold, the lowest tier, can be obtained for 25,000 miles or 20 flight segments, in addition to spending $25,000 or $2,000 from 30 flight segments. Spend $3,000. Starting from 2022, The airline recently announcedAAdvantage will simplify the AAdvantage program so that branded credit card spend and flights contribute to a single “Loyalty Points” aggregate instead of asking flyers to reach separate spending and flight thresholds.

Delta Airlines extends the status of all frequent flyers for another year until January 2023 and counts all miles flown in 2021 or 2022 towards status in 2023. Travelers earn bonus miles when they fly, and for the first time earn miles on “rewarded” flights — those purchased with miles. Passengers who fly and spend enough to meet their status requirements will be given priority when it comes to free upgrades, over flyers that retain their status through an extension.

Earn and spend more points on the ground

All major airlines offer branded credit cards that allow customers to accumulate points or miles that can be used to purchase flights, and during the pandemic, they continued to slash tens of thousands of points as an incentive to purchase. Alaska Airlines offers a bonus 50,000 mile and low-cost companion fare ticket after the credit card holder makes $2,000 in purchases in the first three months of use. A recent Delta Sky Miles Platinum American Express Card offer promised 90,000 miles to purchase flights and 10,000 Medallion Qualification Miles that can be used to reach status levels after spending $3,000 in the first three months, and an annual card fee. 250 dollars.