Alaska Exec Says Flyers Want Loyalty Based on Spending

Travel + Leisure reports one executive at the company believes it’s how frequent flyers now want to be recognized for their loyalty to a single brand.

Loyalty Policies Changing Because Flyers “Understand Revenue”

The comments came from Alaska vice president of loyalty, alliances, and sales, Brett Catlin, during the Skift Megatrends 2025 conference. After discussing their plans for new international routes and competing with Delta Air Lines in Seattle, the conversation turned towards loyalty and the Alaska Mileage Plan program. That’s where he said flyers are expecting a new type of experience with the carrier.

“We did research last year, a majority of guests want to earn based on revenue, its what they’re used to whether it’s Sephora or an airline or a hotel,” Catlin said, as quoted by the magazine. “I’m not saying Alaska is going to go that direction, but what we’re hearing from guests is that they understand revenue, its easy, they get it, and by and large it’s now a preference for our cohort of travelers.”

When the topic moved to the launch of their upcoming premium credit card, Caitlin noted that it was about creating a premium experience for the airline’s biggest fans at all touchpoints. This includes their lounge network, which continues to expand.

“”We want it [the Alaska Lounge] to be high end, we want to have differentiated offerings but we don’t want there to be a queue of 100 people out the door,” said Caitlin, as quoted by Travel + Leisure. “Because our best guests are there and if our best guests are having to wait 10 minutes to get in or having to join a queue that’s not the experience we want.”

The comments come days after British Airways changed their program to go from travel-based elite rewards to spending-based loyalty. The move has been widely panned by the FlyerTalk community.

Share your thoughts about the evolution of Alaska Mileage Plan on the FlyerTalk forums. 

Feature image courtesy: Alaska Airlines