Losing elite status in an airline or hotel loyalty program doesn’t mean a member is done travelling—or done with your brand. Too often, brands treat every downgraded member the same, missing a critical opportunity to retain high-value customers. By understanding the distinct profiles of downgraded elites, loyalty programs can tailor retention strategies to keep the […]

The post Rethinking Elite Status Downgrades appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

This is my favourite podcast so far in 2022. Let’s Talk Loyalty host, Paula Thomas, has a powerful conversation with loyalty industry heavyweight Mark Ross-Smith. While Mark currently heads up StatusMatch.com, a global status management firm that works with some of the worlds largest airline brands, Mark remains one of the top industry thought-leaders and […]

The post Positioning Airline Loyalty Programs for New Value Creation appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

According to a recent SEC filing, American Airlines AAdvantage generated $1B cash in Q2 2022, representing a 73% gross margin for the loyalty business. American Airlines AAdvantage program has been valued at almost $30B, while at the time of the valuation, the entire airline group was valued by the market at less than $15B. Gary […]

The post Loyalty Programs Need More Control to Fuel Growth of Airline Industry Valuations appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Each year I review past loyalty predictions and make new predictions for the upcoming 12 months. The report card for my 2021 predictions is 4 out of 5 transpired throughout the 2021 year. The big one which didn’t happen – yet – ‘a loyalty program will buy/acquire an airline‘ – is coming. Perhaps the call […]

The post Airline Loyalty Predictions for 2022 appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Over the past two years –  airlines, hotels and travel companies extended complimentary status for elites because, Covid. These elite status extensions were mainly justified under the premise of ‘goodwill’ – the idea that elites couldn’t requalify for status based on the published program criteria through no fault of their own. Often due to their […]

The post Will airlines & hotels ever end the unlimited free elite status extensions? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

The magic of loyalty is something we’ve all experienced in our lifetimes, and yet, few of us can articulate that powerful feeling while linking it back in a business context. The magic of loyalty cannot be explained with numbers. Like falling in love – the magic of loyalty is a moment in time that you […]

The post The Magic of Loyalty appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Some of the brightest people in the travel sector have hung up their boots and are beginning new careers in other industries – and good for them. It can take real courage to shift industries. [side note: A great story on Qantas pilots becoming bus drivers here] These same travel companies are lining up for […]

The post Airlines – Wakeup and Smell the Money appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Can airlines and hotel loyalty programs have too many elite members? What happens to the core business when programs are top-heavy on elites? Does the core business generate more revenue, or is there a drop-off in status attractiveness? These are some of the questions I asked two of smartest minds in the airline loyalty industry […]

The post Leadership Interview: Can Airlines Have Too Many Elite Members? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

In 2020 –  United Airlines announced a US $5B loan secured by MileagePlus, proving once again that the Loyalty Program is more valuable than the Airline. Last month, American Airlines President Robert Isom shared on a Wolfe Research call that the AAdvantage Loyalty Program is valued at US $18B – $31B. The Delta Air Lines […]

The post Airline Loyalty is a C-Level Role appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

According to research by Loyalty Data Co, up to 60% of all Status Match submissions are fraudulent. With no way to know how many times a cardholder has requested matches with competing Loyalty Programs, and no way to verify the cardholders existing status is real – why do Loyalty Programs continue beating down the same […]

The post Loyalty Status Matching – What’s the Future? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

“MASSIVELY INSIGHTFUL – Something all airlines can learn from”.  That is how Aviation Festival Americas organisers described the recent “What’s the Status of Status” Airline Loyalty Discussion Webinar. If you missed the live online event, you can watch the entire 60-minute session via the Aviation Festival Americas website. The key themes discussed on the 1st […]

The post Leadership Interview: Frontier Airlines Insights appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Industry veterans, Dave Canty and Phil Gunter join the Loyalty Summit WebCast to discuss reinventing loyalty programs. In the Loyalty Leaders Insights discussion series, we seek out the smartest minds in loyalty and dig deep to uncover their thoughts on the most relevant topics that can assist loyalty program managers. Following the live WebCast, I […]

The post Leadership Interview: Reinventing Loyalty Programs appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

The Loyalty Summit continues to host regular weekly Loyalty Webinars with special industry expert guest speakers. In the Loyalty Leaders Insights discussion, we went all-out and hit our panellists with tough questions on Balancing Member Value vs Program Profits, to deep-dive into serious questions that the loyalty industry is addressing. While in the current environment, […]

The post Leadership Interview: Balancing Member Value vs Program Profits appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

The Aviation Festival Asia is hosting a series of leadership interviews with experts in their respective fields to discuss key airline challenges, insights and themes to aid the industry in a healthy recovery. Joining the Aviation Festival Asia Loyalty webinar are two of Asia’s top airline loyalty experts, Nik Laming and Mark Ross-Smith. The key […]

The post Leadership Interview: Time For A Loyalty Reboot appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Nik Laming

Extend elite status or Not to extend elite status? That’s the million-dollar question circling around the travel loyalty industry lately. The unprecedented grounding of aircraft, significant decline in demand, and empty hotel rooms are forcing management to be creative and discover new ways to generate cash, stimulate demand, and in some cases – survive as […]

The post Should Airlines & Hotels Extend Elite Status in Times of Crisis? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

“Show me the money!” That’s what Jerry Maguire says to keep his Client in Cameron Crowe’s 1996 film starring Tom Cruise in which Jerry, a sports agent, is let go by his employer and finds his own way. It’s also an excellent mindset for those seeking successful airline careers. Over the last 40 years, the […]

The post Loyalty & Revenue Management – The Super Duo appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Oliver Ranson

Take a moment to consider the following: Who are the most valuable passengers to the airline? How do the airlines track and measure total passenger loyalty? Today, airline loyalty members represent between 20% and 70% of total pax depending on the airline, and it means there is a significant percentage of passengers who are not […]

The post Shadow Loyalty Members – The Revenue Hiding in Plane Sight appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Pitching your product to an airline loyalty program? Here are 5 tips from someone who has run a global airline loyalty program into the most profitable and successful years for the airline. These tips are brutally honest. No sugar coating today. Put your seat in the upright position, fasten your seatbelt by putting the buckle […]

The post 5 Tips For Pitching Your Product To An Airline Loyalty Program appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Successful data-driven airlines typically attribute value of the airline loyalty data they collect within the loyalty program based on the commercial application of that data. That is to say – how much top-line revenue that data can generate versus what income could be generated without that data. That is why investors, financial analysts and board […]

The post Monetizing Data: How Much is Airline Loyalty Data Worth? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Looking back over the past 10-years, could we have predicted the airline loyalty industry would be where it’s at today? Could we have predicted that airlines would buy-back loyalty programs they once had sold to third parties? Could we have predicted that United Airlines would stop rewarding members based on distance? Okay, yes, we probably […]

The post 5 Predictions for Airline Loyalty in 2020 appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith