Loyalty rewards make up notable percentage of airlines' revenue

Key stat: American Airlines earned almost $1 billion in loyalty reward revenues in Q3 2024, which made up over 7.2% of its total operating revenue, according to public filings.

Beyond the chart:

• US consumers hit a record high of holding an average 17.9 loyalty program memberships in 2023, and actively participated in 50% of them, per Bond.
• 61% of consumers said the aspect of a personalized shopping experience that they value most is a loyalty program tailored to their shopping preferences, according to March 2024 data from Bizrate Insights.
• 61% of consumers said that participation in a brand's loyalty program would make them more likely to talk about the brand more often, per Merkle's “2024 Loyalty Barometer Report.”

Use this chart: Marketers can use this chart to benchmark loyalty rewards as percentage of total operating revenue, help to strategize pitches to airlines, and as a data point for how valuable these programs are for the travel industry.

Related EMARKETER reports:

• US Retail Loyalty Programs 2024 (EMARKETER subscription required)
• The Travel Media Network Explainer 2024 (EMARKETER subscription required)