I am in so deep with my regular airline, I sometimes think nothing would make me switch. There are decades embedded in my lifetime miles. Those miles represent memories: jobs, vacations and countless hours on planes. It means something — or it does to me. Not to the airlines.
United Airlines Holdings Inc. this month joined other major carriers in reducing the importance of frequent flying for its loyalty program. Status on United, Delta Air Lines Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. now only comes from how much you spend, not how much you fly. The changes are a reminder that loyalty, history and time spent together have less value today — not just for the airlines, but also in an increasing number of our economic interactions.
Obtaining the lowest tier Silver Status on United used to involve spending $5,000 on flights paired with 15 United flights. Or you could just spend $6,000. The highest tier, 1K, took $22,000 and 60 flights, or spending $28,000 (soon $32,000). Now the higher spend is all that’s needed.
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A domestic road warrior might rack up dozens of flights but only spend a few thousand dollars — they’ll be lucky to get silver status. Someone who books a single overseas business class ticket might get gold status, just because those seats can cost more than $10,000.
The annual ritual for all points nerds of a year-end milage run (flying to a place just for miles) to keep your status is no longer worth it. Now status seekers can make one big purchase on their credit card to meet the requirements. It’s another nod to our increasingly intangible economy where there’s less incentive to do the in-person things that connect us to each other, even if that’s waiting in security-screening lines.
When I started playing the points game, it was not just about the money (at least not explicitly). Airline loyalty programs considered how much you flew and how long the flights were, or how much time you spent on the planes. Loyalty back then was valuable to the airlines as several low-cost carriers had entered the market and aggregation sites enabled fee comparisons. Getting customers to commit to one airline was valuable. I learned to crave status, the reward for loyalty.
You still earn more airline miles by sticking with one airline and can use those for free flights. But it’s all about status for serious travelers. Status ensures the indignities of flying are a little less painful.
There was once the promise of upgrades, though airlines have become less generous with those over the years (unless you commit to the elaborate all-consuming game like I do). Still, you get to sit in the front of coach (saves time for a tight connection), board early (critical if you carry on) and have a special phone number if anything goes wrong. These little comforts make a big difference as flying gets worse, seats smaller and closer together, and delays more common.
