Airport lounges used to be inhabited by two kinds of travellers: business or first-class passengers, and passengers who spend half their lives in transit, living by departure boards, fuelled by airport flat whites.
But as travel patterns change, so too does the idea of loyalty. The most sought-after perks are no longer reserved for frequent flyers alone. Increasingly, airlines are rewarding travellers not only for the number of miles they fly, but for how they spend in their day-to-day lives.
How airlines reward loyalty
There are two primary ways airlines reward loyalty: miles and status.
Miles, sometimes called points, can be exchanged for flights or purchases with partner retailers. On Singapore Airlines’ KrisFlyer program, for example, a one-way business class ticket from Perth to Singapore costs about 42,500 miles, while a one-way economy flight from Melbourne or Sydney to various destinations across South-East Asia typically costs between 29,000 and 44,500 miles, depending on the route and availability.
Status, meanwhile, refers to your tier level within the program, and it unlocks the travel privileges that make transit that little bit easier. On KrisFlyer, Elite Silver offers priority check-in, priority boarding and extra baggage, while Elite Gold adds access to more than 1,000 Star Alliance lounges worldwide, regardless of whether you’re travelling in economy or business.
