Originally Posted by
cbn42
I think this article makes a valid point. From the perspective of the majority of the public, frequent flier programs do more harm than good. Essentially, most people pay a little more so that a few people can get extra benefits. Of course, most of us are in the latter group
Norway banned frequent flier programs several years ago, and by some accounts fares have gone down.
It would be interesting to see what comes of this. I don't see any bans or major regulations in free-market-crazy America, but perhaps there will be disclosure requirements similar to a Schumer Box.
Norway never banned frequent flyer programs. Norway banned the earning of frequent flyer miles on some flights; but it did not ban earning of FF miles for all flights. Nor did it ban companies from having a frequent flyer program offering in Norway or from marketing FF programs to Norwegians. What Norway did to increase the opportunity for competitors to rise up against the legacy carrier was to restrict the earning of FFP miles/points on a defined type of route. Sweden did something like Norway did too, but Sweden's method was more targeted and city pair specific than Norway's. This of course is largely just a history lesson at this point. That said, the restrictions did level the playing field a bit for de novo players/competitors and had probably increased the affordability of travel over what it would otherwise be. Whether such approach would hold true for the US is more in doubt.