With the soaring cost of jet fuel, airline ticket prices have increased significantly, causing travelers to use their loyalty points to book flights and hotels. Aliera Iheanacho, who had been saving her United Airlines miles for a first-class trip, was forced to use over 60,000 miles for a one-way airfare to China.
Industry experts have observed that travelers are turning to loyalty programs to work around the high prices. Erin Francis-Cummings, president and CEO of Future Partners, a travel consumer and industry insights firm, said that loyalty programs are helping to sustain the travel industry during this time.
Loyalty Points Usage Increases
Searches for award travel have increased by 45% compared to the same period last year, but booking clicks have only increased by 27%. This is due to the fact that award travel used to follow a fixed value chart, but now the number of miles needed to fly a certain route can change based on demand.
Travelers are having to be flexible to get what they want, and if they find a good deal with points, it’s not a bad idea to use them now. As Chris Lopinto, CEO of seats.aero, said, ‘Points are like dollars under the mattress. They lose money to inflation.’ Regina Lee, a college sports fan, used her miles to book a trip to watch her alma mater’s softball team play in Arkansas.
Original reporting: KEYT (Ventura/Santa Barbara) — read the source article.
