Last month Ryanair launched its new “Prime” subscription for frequent flyers. For €199 per year, customers receive fast-track security, reserved seating, priority boarding, and other benefits to enhance their flying experience with the airline.
This makes sense as a method of building customer loyalty amongst those who subscribe and is a tried-and-tested approach across the travel industry. Subscription memberships are booming across every sector, from streaming services to socks; however, airlines, in particular, see them as a stable and reliable revenue stream. For Ryanair, a low-cost carrier that famously unbundles everything from seat selection to cabin baggage, creating a package deal for its most loyal flyers feels like a no-brainer.
But here’s the thing: if airlines want customer loyalty, bundling basic comforts behind a paywall isn’t necessarily the answer. To build lasting loyalty, they will need to deliver long-term value.
Successful loyalty schemes today don’t just offer perks; they also provide valuable benefits. They offer services that fit into people’s everyday lives, not just their flight itineraries.
Loyalty is losing altitude
These days, almost every brand wants to offer some form of rewards programme, and airlines are no different.
However, customers are hitting a wall as programme fatigue begins to set in. On average, consumers globally are members of 10 loyalty programmes. Yet with dozens of schemes vying for attention, often offering near-identical discounts and promo deals, loyalty has started to lose its meaning.
Too many programmes focus on what the business wants rather than what the customer needs. A one-off discount on a flight booking or an early boarding lane may feel nice once or twice, but it’s not enough to build lasting brand affinity. People sign up, enjoy the perks, and then disembark.
So, how can airlines think beyond the plane seat and provide a valuable experience throughout the customer’s journey and beyond?
Real loyalty starts before takeoff
It’s worth remembering loyalty is emotional, not contractual. It’s about trust, ease and the sense that the brand understands you.
Think about how a brand like Apple or Spotify became an integral part of people’s daily lives. They consistently delivered value, made life simpler and met people’s needs they didn’t even know they had. If airlines want to win loyalty that lasts, they need to zoom out from the flight and focus on the traveller’s journey before and after as well.
Real value comes from removing friction and anxiety from the travel experience. That means intuitive mobile check-ins, seamless baggage handling, seats you don’t have to scramble to reserve and boarding systems that don’t induce stress. But these days, it also means meeting the customer’s digital connectivity needs as well.
What flyers really want
When airlines can anticipate needs before they even arise, and make travellers feel cared for at every touchpoint, loyalty becomes a natural byproduct. It’s not just about getting from point A to point B; it’s about how the entire experience makes people feel.
Access to reliable Wi-Fi, charging ports and secure browsing should feel like a given rather than a perk.
Airlines are responding to changing habits and needs by partnering with brands that align with how people live and work today. British Airways’ partnership with American Express is the gold standard of connecting everyday spending with meaningful travel rewards and vouchers. Delta Air Lines is another airline heavily focused on additional perks to attract and retain customers, with partnerships that cover the entire travel experience through the likes of Starbucks, Hertz, Shake Shack and ExpressVPN.
These ideas show passengers they’re seen as people, not just seat numbers. When loyalty programmes help customers beyond the moment of purchase, they stop being programmes – they become long-term partnerships.
Sticking the landing
Ultimately, loyalty programmes must extend beyond the point of transaction to foster long-term customer relationships. Airlines need to stop thinking like ticket sellers and start thinking about crafting journeys. What experience are you offering as a whole? What story are passengers telling about you after their flight?
Loyalty isn’t built in a checkout box; it’s earned every step of the journey. That means modernising travel so it fits with the way people live, work and move through the world. Airlines should focus on creating an ecosystem where every step of the journey feels effortless and personalised. Only then can they truly take their loyalty programmes sky high.
