Let's Talk Loyalty #638: United Airlines Industry-Leading Loyalty Program MileagePlus (Archive Episode)
Jan 28, 2025
Luc Bondar, COO and President of MileagePlus at United Airlines, shares valuable insights from the airline's extensive loyalty program, which boasts over 110 million members. He discusses the significance of evolving loyalty strategies, including the removal of expiry dates on points to build customer trust. Bondar highlights the transformative impact of strategic partnerships and revenue-based models, emphasizing how these innovations enhance customer engagement. He compares MileagePlus with other programs like Marriott Bonvoy and Amazon Prime, showcasing the allure of effective loyalty schemes.
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
Reframe Loyalty As A Business
- United found their loyalty business over-indexed on top 20% frequent flyers and under-engaged the broader member base.
- They reframed MileagePlus as a business to rebalance value across all members and partners.
Make Miles Evergreen With A Business Case
- Remove artificial barriers that frustrate members and cause disloyalty, like mileage expiry.
- Build a financial business case showing lifetime value uplift to convince finance and leadership.
Personal Loss Sparked Policy Change
- Luc Bondar shared a personal loss of miles after moving countries which influenced policy change.
- That experience, plus member research, pushed MileagePlus to eliminate expiry.