There has been a lot of ruckus about the relevance of loyalty programs lately, where many frequent fliers have been disgruntled by their respective programs. Part of the problem is also that airline loyalty programs have never been fun – they’re only about earning and burning miles. But that may change, if Virgin Atlantic has its way.
Let’s Play, and earn miles, says Virgin
Virgin Atlantic recently announced plans to re-launch  its social travel community site, www.vtravelled.com, with a strategy focused on rewarding their frequent flyers using gaming mechanics.

As  one  of the first airlines to launch their own online community, Virgin Atlantic  will  partner with social gaming experts Lithium, as they plan to engage  with  their  1.8  million  Flying  Club  members.  The airline will introduce  the  ability  to  earn  real  currency  in  the form of miles in addition to the more usual virtual rewards. The  plan  is  to  take  the  fundamental  thinking  and technology behind social gaming and develop it to allow  loyal customers and Flying Club members to be rewarded for their contributions.

Lysette Gauna, Creative Director at Virgin Atlantic and one of the key people behind this initiative was kind enough to be interviewed over this new development, and …

“True brand loyalists should ideally fly due to a deep emotional connection, not just miles.”

“Your most valuable customer is like your best friend. He’s there with you even in the tough times.”

These are just a couple of gems Randy Petersen shares in his interview with SimpliFlying, Live from Fort Lauderdale, Florida. For those who’re not aware, Randy is the man behind InsideFlyer and Flyertalk.com. He is the champion of frequent fliers around the world, and the organizer of the Freddies.

Randy and I met on the sidelines of the 21st annual Freddies and the FTMA Conference. At the conference itself, Randy led the panel discussion with me, after my keynote on airline branding and Web 2.0. It was an honor to be on the stage with the aviation industry stalwart and interview him for SimpliFlying afterwards.
Is a frequent flier a loyal customer? Nope.
Randy feels that the current miles as an incentive system only shows you frequency of travel, but doesn’t show you recommendation, it doesn’t show you passion. And hence it doesn’t even prove loyalty.
Lessons from Apple and …

Some of us have jobs important enough to fly business class frequently. Are the rest of us destined to be packed into cattle class unless we pay an arm and a leg for business? Not really, even when it is generally getting more difficult to earn and claim Frequent Flier miles.
But frequent fliers are often pampered by the airlines in a variety of ways. So why not try out a few interesting techniques to be taken good care of in the air? Here are five ways the clever people earn and use their miles, especially for upgrades.

1. Just Fly It!
The fastest way to earn an upgrade is to earn miles, especially if you fly frequently. A return trip from Singapore to New York on Singapore Airlines economy class generates nearly about 20,000 miles, not far from the 30,000 miles needed for a one way business class upgrade, or a free economy ticket to Hong Kong. Stick to one major airline, or network such Star Alliance or One World. Do take note that super discounted fares may appear attractive but do not usually qualify for miles accruing.

2. Splurge on Regional, upgrade on International
Passengers may want to consider paying to fly premium on regional routes and using miles to upgrade on international routes. This is simply because the costs are so much more manageable. The actual price difference between an economy and business ticket begin to widen with trip distance. Yet flying comfortably is so much more important on long hauls. Splurging on regional and upgrading on international reduces costs substantially. However, this would not work if the majority of the sectors that the passenger is intending to fly are long haul.

3. Swipe your way to an upgrade
Co-branded credit cards are common and available across the globe for major airlines. Singapore Airline’s most premium credit card, the American Express Singapore Airlines PPS Club Platinum card, earns a mile for every dollar spent. To earn a trip from Singapore to Hong Kong, the card holder would have to spend S$30,000 for a return ticket on economy class. While credit cards can be useful to top up that few thousand miles that you need for your next Business ticket, depending on credit card alone for a fee ticket, or even an upgrade could take ages.