LOYALTY POINTS
Loyalty schemes have been blamed for undermining travel policies, but they do have their advantages
PLAY YOUR POINTS RIGHT F
REQUENT FLYER PROGRAMMES have long been the bane of travel buyers’ lives. The ability to put points into an ever-expanding loyalty wallet is often irresistible for travellers, who book outside
policy for personal gain. Not only does this undermine corporate deals, reducing the amount of business given by their employer to a particular airline, it also lays waste any duty-of-care. Passionate point-collectors are also financially frustrating to organisations whose policy is the lowest logical fare. However, travel buyers can make
WORDS CATHERINE CHETWYND 92 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
corporate and leisure loyalty programmes work for them, and with careful planning enhance duty-of-care, traveller wellbeing and staff retention – and even save a bit of cash along the way. One US software company allows employees to use loyalty points, provided they do not influence travellers’ decisions. It used to be a member of British Airways On Business but switched to negotiated rates due to levels of spend. “Centralised corporate loyalty schemes can be useful, but managing such accounts can be time-consuming, often to the point where the time and cost involved outweigh the benefits,” says Jef Robinson, category manager, meetings and events, global shared services, for the software company.
From the outside, it may appear that airlines change the rules with such regularity, they undermine the value of the schemes. “The goalposts do indeed move,” admits Robinson, “but most schemes tend to be well managed by the service providers. There can be some advantages on a corporate level as well as a personal traveller level. In fact, the use of loyalty schemes can actually support policy compliance.”
REWARDING TRAVELLERS So which airlines are pulling out the stops for their members? Programmes that reward businesses and travellers alike are largely aimed at SMEs or larger organisations with a smaller travel spend. Emirates’ business customers can sign up for Emirates Business Rewards and individuals benefit from Emirates Skywards points; similarly, Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Co (corporate)/Flying Club (individual), Etihad Business Connect/Etihad Guest, Singapore Airlines HighFlyer/KrisFlyer and Qantas Business Rewards/Frequent Flyer. Company members of Air France KLM’s BlueBiz earn Blue Credits every time their travellers use Air France or KLM. These can be converted into flights, upgrades, seat selection, extra baggage and time to think, which allows bookers to guarantee their reservation and rate for three days. From November, these benefits also apply
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