"I think the frequent-flier program is a very important commercial tool ... of each airline"
Who said that? Dr Franz himself according to
this article in
Today in the Sky.
On the topic of frequent-fliers being able to redeem miles for tickets on other carriers within the Star Alliance group, Franz said "we have an interest in our company to have a balanced mix of redemption tickets from our customers and customers from Star partners on our aircraft."
When asked about complaints United has received from customers who are upset that it will now be harder to book on partners like Lufthansa, Franz said: "This is obviously for us a compliment, with regard to the quality that we offer."