5 Ways Travel for Frequent Flyers Got Worse in 2016
Photo Credit: The new United Airlines Polaris Seat, which it introduced in late 2016. Upgrades to U.S. carriers' business classes are fewer these days. United Airlines
Skift Take
It's been a rough year for heavy business travelers as airlines slowly shifted towards revenue-centric products and loyalty programs. Five illustrations of this trend show how just how dramatically the landscape is shifting.
2016 was a banner year for disruptive changes to airline loyalty programs.
Fueled by pressure to increase revenue and protected by swollen loyalty program ranks, U.S. carriers tightened the financial screws on consumers, exploring new types of fare structures and cabin designs to boost profits. As a result, many of the luxuries once enjoyed by frequent flyers have now been limited, lost to restrictions or wholesale program changes. Five of the bigger trends are highlighted below.
Basic Economy Fares
When basic economy fares were originally rolled out by Delta to compete with low-cost carriers, the official stance was that bare-bones fare classes would only be sold on routes that compete with Spirit
