Charting a course for renewed airline loyalty

Rising above the clouds

Our findings suggest that an undifferentiated one-size-fits-all approach to loyalty improvement will seldom be fully successful.

No two travel cohorts—and no two individual travelers—are identical in what matters to them in the air travel experience, airline loyalty programs, and the manner in which they prefer to engage and be engaged.

Consumer loyalty in the airline industry

Our research uncovered a number of findings that should give airlines pause:
• Airline loyalty programs fail to engage
• Loyalty programs matter more to some travelers than others
• Passengers plan and book in different ways
• Airlines need champions

Our research is based on an overall survey of over 2,500 respondents who took at least one flight over a twelve month period and two focus groups with business and leisure travelers. This research has given us deep insights into air travelers' behaviors, attitudes, and engagement preferences.