A SEAT at THE TABLE: Conversations with Today's Top Industry Leaders

What You Might Not Know About Airline Loyalty Programs

Mark Ross Smith · February 11, 2023

Entrepreneur · Leadershipin

Interview with Mark Ross Smith

Podcast: A SEAT at THE TABLE: Conversations with Today's Top Industry Leaders

February 11, 2023 · 34 min

For anyone who travels frequent flyer or loyalty programs as they are called play an outsized role in our airline choices. While most don’t want to admit it, the lure of a free flight or an upgrade is almost irresistible. While most of us are active participants in loyalty…

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What You Might Not Know About Airline Loyalty Programs

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A SEAT at THE TABLE: Conversations with Today's Top Industry Leaders

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Key topicsDelivering Increased Revenue through Loyalty ProgramsA study by the Hotel Loyalty Report found that hotels with loyalty programs had an average occupancy rate of 75%, while those without programs had an average occupancy rate of 68%. This suggests that loyalty programs can help hotels fill more rooms and generate more revenue. How Artificial Intelligence and Big Data are Disrupting Airline and Hotel Loyalty ProgrammesAI and big data are transforming the way loyalty programs are managed and operated. For example, the use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants is allowing companies to automate routine tasks, such as account management and rewards redemption, freeing up resources for more strategic initiatives. Additionally, the use of big data is allowing companies to track and analyze customer behavior in real-time, allowing them to make more informed decisions about their loyalty programs. (Source: Forbes, "How AI and Big Data are Revolutionizing Loyalty Programs") Disruptive Trends in Loyalty: Innovating to Drive Customer EngagementThe airline loyalty status is held by the most valuable global travelers, who represent 30-40% of airline revenue. Mark Ross-Smith and his company, Loyalty Data Co, have demonstrated their expertise in this area by delivering thousands of high-value travelers to Canada in 2021/2022 through their platform, Status Match.com, in conjunction with Destination Canada and Air Canada. View all topics →

About Mark Ross Smith

Award Winning Loyalty Data Thought Leader

25+ Major travel brands worked with100,000s Travellers helped by Loyalty Status Co2022 Loyalty Royalty 30 Under 40800,000+ members Australian social network co-founded & sold

Mark Ross-Smith is a global leader in the airline loyalty industry, with a passion for delivering value to both travellers and airlines. As the CEO and Co-Founder of Loyalty Data Co, Mark is shaking up the industry with his cutting-edge loyalty platform, StatusMatch.com. With over a decade of experience in the industry, Mark has a proven track record of success, having led the Malaysia Airlines Enrich Loyalty Program to consecutive years of financial growth. He was also the CEO of a leading high-tech start-up, where he harnessed the power of big data to drive incremental revenue for Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone.

Mark is a sought-after speaker and thought leader, known for his unique approach to loyalty innovation. He's been featured in major media outlets such as CNN, BBC, The Economist, and Financial Times, and has published numerous papers and articles on airline loyalty on his website, www.traveldatadaily.com. In 2022, Mark was also awarded Loyalty Magazine's prestigious "Loyalty Royalty" 30 Under 40 Award.

Mark's entrepreneurial journey has been nothing short of impressive. He co-founded and sold the largest Australian-owned social network, which had over 800,000 members and major global brands as customers. He's now focused on airline and loyalty data and has published over 50 thought-leadership articles on airline loyalty and big data monetization.

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About this episode

For anyone who travels frequent flyer or loyalty programs as they are called play an outsized role in our airline choices.

While most don’t want to admit it, the lure of a free flight or an upgrade is almost irresistible.

While most of us are active participants in loyalty programs, few of us really understand why they say are so beneficial - to the airlines.

What you you find out might surprise you as much it did me.

Today we are joined by Mark Ross-Smith, Founder of industry news site “Travel Data Daily”, and CEO of Status Match.

He has 20 years experience leading loyalty programs in telecoms and travel, most recently at Malaysian Airlines.

In this podcast Mark will be unpacking his insider knowledge about how these programs work including

- How loyalty programs are actually a revenue stream - and often profit centre - for airlines.

- New ways that airlines are using customer data find hidden revenue opportunities.

- How loyalty programs can work against a company - if they are not well executed.

USEFUL LINKS

Asianet Consultants: https://asianetconsultants.com

Connect with Mark Ross-Smith

https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrosssmith/

https://www.statusmatch.com

http://www.TravelDataDaily.com

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Guest: Mark Ross Smith