Over the past few years, many of the world’s largest airlines have made major changes to their loyalty programs. American Airlines, Air France–KLM, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, and United Airlines now offer rewards based on dollars spent rather than miles flown. While some high-mileage frequent flyers may quibble with the changes — saying they now get fewer benefits for the same amount of travel — the truth is that most airline loyalty programs were overdue for such major disruptions. “Travelers are less interested in the drumbeat of accumulating points and more in how they can use those points for unique experiences,” wrote Skift contributor Grant Martin earlier this year. “In short, they want faster gratification and deeper engagement from their loyalty programs.”
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