Loyalty frequent fliers are quickly becoming a thing of the past as more travelers are growing tired of their trusted airline’s everchanging reward programs, making maintaining their status harder than ever.
Many seasoned travelers ditch the cheapest fare for one more costly, longer and less efficient, simply for the benefits offered to those who actively earn airline loyalty points.
Frequent flier programs have captivated passengers for years, as points earned typically leads to lounge access, free seat selection and priority security.
Yet the strong relationship between traveler and airlines has morphed into a frustrated affair, as loyalty programs are seemingly beginning to reward big spenders rather than budget-seeking fliers in the air week after week.
‘Earning real value from airline loyalty programs is tougher than ever,’ Kyle Olsen, a travel products editor at CNN Underscored, told CNN Travel.
‘Airlines have raised flight redemption costs and made rewards less valuable,’ he added.
‘Higher spending requirements make status harder to achieve. Dynamic pricing means award flights cost more points than before.’
Airlines across the nation have revamped their frequent flier programs in recent years, erasing the days when miles and loyalty were the main currency.
Loyalty to dozens of airlines are quickly becoming a thing of the past as more frequent fliers are growing tired of their trusted airline’s everchanging reward programs, making maintaining their status harder than ever
Frequent flier programs have captivated passengers for years, as points earned typically leads to lounge access, free seat selection and priority security, but frequent fliers are ditching their status as loyalty programs are seemingly beginning to reward big spenders rather than long-time budget-seeking fliers
Airlines across the nation have revamped their frequent flier programs in recent years, erasing the days when miles and loyalty were the main currency – now, it’s how much you spend
Now, many fed-up travelers are ditching their once ‘favorite’ airline – along with the unnecessary credit cards and flights needed to earn points – and are instead traveling as a solo free agent.
In one of the biggest disappointments for loyal earners, Delta Air Lines announced its move to a purely spend-based system in September of 2023 – a move that has since become a major trend for airlines.
Instead of earning points with every flight taken, the program shifted to rewarding those who spend the most.
SuzAnn Brantner, a longtime Delta flier with the highest loyalty status the airline offers, enjoyed expedited security screenings, priority boarding and top preference for complimentary first-class upgrades while traveling each month as a marketing executive, The New York Times reported.
Yet similar to many others, Brantner began to question her own loyalty. She wondered if maintaining the status was worth it anymore, as travelers started calculating how much they would need to spend/travel for the rest of the year to keep up the gig.
The frequent flier recalled a time where she had to spend a total of $15,000 with Delta each year to reach the top-tier status, or in Delta terms, the Diamond Medallion.
However, the popular airline now asks its customers for an annual fee of $28,000 to earn the very same status.
In a devastating twist, Brantner also learned that her American Express Delta Reserve credit card would soon restrict how many times she could use Delta’s Sky Club lounges, unless she managed to spend at least $75,000 on her card each year.
In one of the biggest disappointments for loyal earners, Delta Air Lines announced its move to a purely spend-based system in September of 2023 – a move that has since become a major trend for airlines
SuzAnn Brantner, a longtime Delta flier with the highest loyalty status the airline offers, began to question her own loyalty after the popular airline began to ask its customers for an increased annual fee of $28,000 to maintain status as well as restricting the amount of times the lounges are used by each person
Instead of earning points with every flight taken, the program shifted to rewarding those who spend the most while also cutting down lounge access for its card holders
Frustrated, she began flying with American for her work trips, citing the more convenient, nonstop flights they offer.
Delta’s decision was met with immediate outrage. Not only were frequent fliers now earning points from spending the big bucks, but the benefits were just not worth it after the airline announced cutting down lounge access for its card holders.
Benjamin Carter, a veterinary chief medical officer in Florida who also has Delta’s Diamond Medallion status, has been in the top tier of the airline’s loyalty program for six years, the Wall Street Journal reported.
After feeling betrayed over Delta’s poor customer service and the higher cost of maintaining his ‘elite’ status, Carter ended up considering flying with Spirit for his business trips.
‘If I’m able to find an airline that gives me more point-to-point service with less connections, that will be a huge factor in determining who I choose going forward,’ he said.
Overall, Delta’s changes resulted in more than 100,000 people with high levels of earned points checking what competing airlines had to offer.
Mark Ross-Smith, the CEO of the tech company Loyalty Status Co, said that ‘while not all of those people would have actually flown on another carrier, the Delta changes were material enough that members felt they needed a backup option.’
So many loyal fliers felt disregarded by Delta that CEO Ed Bastian made a statement shortly after, admitting that the airline ‘probably went too far,’ according to CNN.
Overall, Delta’s changes resulted in more than 100,000 people with high levels of earned points checking what competing airlines had to offer
So many loyal fliers felt disregarded by Delta that CEO Ed Bastian made a statement shortly after, admitting that the airline ‘probably went too far’
Other airlines, including American and United, have also embraced the model of focusing on how much customers spend rather than how often they travel
Mark Ross-Smith, the CEO of the tech company Loyalty Status Co, said that ‘while not all of those people would have actually flown on another carrier, the Delta changes were material enough that members felt they needed a backup option’
Other airlines, including American and United, have also embraced the model of focusing on how much customers spend rather than how often they travel.
Dan Daley, a freelance journalist who has flown more than four million miles with American, has held the Executive Platinum status – the highest status available – for a total of 17 years, the New York Times reported.
He would jump through hoops to maintain his hard-earned status, including taking a day trip to Paris with the sole purpose of accumulating miles.
Yet through the years, he has seen his long-time airline change as it shifted its reward structure, which devalued his built-up miles overtime.
‘I saw the game was becoming rigged,’ 71-year-old Daley said.
He decided to ditch his decade-long status for a new strategy – flying less and only purchasing a first-class ticket on whichever airline offered the best deal.
‘It’s been a much better ride ever since,’ he added.
This year alone, three carriers – British Airways, Iberia and Qantas – have announced soon-to-come changes to their loyalty schemes, continuing what many call a ‘downward trend.’
This year alone, three carriers – British Airways, Iberia and Qantas – have announced soon-to-come changes to their loyalty schemes, continuing what many call a ‘downward trend’
By April, it will be harder to achieve frequent flier status on both British Airways and Iberia. As for Qantas, earning loyalty points will require travelers to spend more money come August
‘Earning real value from airline loyalty programs is tougher than ever,’ Kyle Olsen, a travel products editor at CNN Underscored, told CNN Travel
By April, it will be harder to achieve frequent flier status on both British Airways and Iberia. As for Qantas, earning loyalty points will require travelers to spend more money come August.
A man who wished to remain anonymous and only go by the name ‘Rob,’ is the community director of FlyerTalk and member of the British Airways Executive Club forum, CNN reported.
Nearly halfway to ‘Lifetime Gold’ status – a top-tier level where fliers are awarded status for life – British Airways announced their changes.
‘All my lifetime plans reaching it just before retirement have been blown out the window,’ he told CNN.
‘When I read the news, I turned to my wife and said, “We’re leaving BA,”‘ he added. ‘It’d probably cost $50,000 between us to maintain Gold. That’s not a viable proposition for 99.9 percent of people in this country.’
Rob seemingly shares the popular opinion on the abrupt changes – the airlines have ‘splintered what trust people had with them.’
‘It’s sticking the middle finger up to the little people,’ Rob added.
Paula Thomas, another program member, told seemed to agree, and told CNN: ‘It’s extremely disappointing for someone who wants something of value.’
‘If you’re not allowing people to enjoy what you’ve promised, or if you’re moving the carrot further away, you’ve misrepresented the value of the program,’ she added. ‘Business is business but it has to be fair.’
Delta, American, United, Iberia and British Airways did not immediately respond to the DailyMail.com’s requests for comment.