Trillions of air miles going to waste, says study
Four out of 10 UK residents who collect air miles never cash them in while six out of 10 claim it takes too long to earn anything of value.
According to a new study by incremental revenue specialist Collinson Latitude, only 23% of Britons bother to collect airline loyalty points.
However, those that did said they were motivated by the potential for free flights and saving money.
70% of scheme members said that making rewards more accessible would encourage them to collect while 60% wanted to use their points for other travel services.
62% said that being able to use their points to purchase goods such as electrical items or travel accessories would act as an incentive. The ability to top up rewards with cash to buy goods was popular with 63% of those who collected points.
However, the company said at the moment an estimated 14 trillion air miles go unused.
Product director James Berry said: "This study doesn’t paint a particularly pretty picture of many airline loyalty programmes. While there is clearly desire among consumers to collect these points, the way in which the loyalty programmes are being managed is throwing up barriers.
"Rewards seem to be beyond reach or are simply not attractive enough. Consumers are also being frustrated when they attempt to redeem their rewards by a lack of availability of flights.
"On a positive note, consumers are throwing the airlines a lifeline by highlighting ways in which these programmes can be improved. What’s important is for airlines to listen to the messages coming from their customers and take action."
The study of 1,005 UK residents was conducted for Collinson Latitude by independent research company Aurora late last year.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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