The major challenge for the US programs is how to retain customers who through no cause of their own are unable to travel at even close to prior levels (ie, US and foreign-based high yield business travelers). With US domestic leisure travel rebounding nicely, and US domestic business travel slightly growing, but unlikely to get back to 2019 levels for several years, primarily US travelers should be able to get within striking distance of substantially reduced requirements during 2021. However, it’s the globetrotting executive who can’t get anywhere close to the requirements. How should an airline executive respond to that condition?
Some progressive-thinking airlines (NZ comes to my mind) enable pax to suspend their status for a year in the event of external forces impacting their lives (parental leaves, taking care of parent/spouse, etc). Good PR and, equally, benefits both pax (extended status for their hard earned efforts) and the carrier (maintains loyalty of a high value customer who then elects to return to the carrier because of the retained status level). I believe the US carriers will end up extending status for the same reasons NZ and others enable pax to extend their own status.
For some US FFP elites, the status earned in 2019 hasn’t been of value or use given factors outside of the pax control (ie, border closings, employer not allowing for Int’l travel). Makes sense to think about 2019 earnings providing for 2022 status when some pax through no fault of their own haven’t been able to use their hard earned status during 2020 and 2021. A different matter for pax that we’re able to earn and fly during 2020 and those pax earned miles and confirmable upgrades for their efforts.
Last edited by SFO_FT; Apr 7, 2021 at 4:35 pm