Skift Take
With business travel down, is there a future where we see a surge in free agents untethered to loyalty plans? This might be on the horizon for certain segments.
Pre-Covid, airline status was a bragging right of a certain tier of the traveling public.
Road warriors would rack up the miles, and in turn, unlock "game-ified" levels of elite status. From the entry-level American Airlines Gold, all the way to Swiss and Lufthansa’s rarified Hon Circle, these schemes are built and refined by airlines to create stickiness and addiction.
We're all familiar with the unlocks that come with this: little things that make the traveling experience more pleasant: early boarding, access to international lounges, preferred seats, and the ability to actually get through to someone on the phone. Look around at any airport boarding line, and you’re sure to spot the various status tags dangling from someone’s Tumi bag. The status signaling is implicit: I’m important enough that my company spends the money to fly me all around!
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