Originally Posted by
LaserSailor
Because 99.9% of these same HGP don't give a hoot about what airline they fly, except what gets them there directly.
I think this misses my point. Of course, loyalty programs will only ever be one factor in swaying business travelers. For frequent travelers in hub markets, they are almost always inclined to fly the hub carrier (which offers the most non-stop options). That's a red herring... because those customers were never in play.
I have to assume that if SkyBonus had no marketing value to DL, DL wouldn't continue to operate the program. It logically follows then that there are some HGPs who are swayed by SkyBonus... DL has just decided that only those HGPs who work for medium-sized companies (which you'd really have to be in most cases in order to have five employees who fly as part of their job in most industries) are worth trying to sway with the SkyBonus carrot. That just seems so arbitrary to me.