GLO FEATURED

GLO Weekly: Global Loyalty News – May 26, 2023 (Week 21)

All you need to know this week about loyalty & CX: GLO interview with Dr Nejib Ben-Khedher, Head of Emirates Skywards • GLO Interview with Antonio Ricciardi, SVP Head of Etisalat Smiles Programme • GLO Interview with Siegfried Nierhaus, VP Middle East, Deutsche Hospitality • Lufthansa • BA • Turkish Airlines • Emirates • Gulf Air • Qatar • Delta • American Airlines • Alaska Air • Air India • Virgin Australia • Vietjet • Malaysia AG • Radisson • Marriott • Hilton • IHG • MO • Payback, etc.

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Featured: 

GLO Video Interview at ATM 2023 with Dr Nejib Ben-Khedher, Head of Emirates Skywards on Innovation and Future Plans

Dr Nejib Ben-Khedher, Head of Emirates Skywards, on: Emirates’ Skywards milestones • Program’s miles ‘adjustments’ vs. ‘devaluations’ • Top 5 markets vs. rest of the world • ‘FFPs’ vs. ‘lifestyle programs’ • ‘Airline-retail ecosystem’ • Aspirational rewards • Skywards subscriptions and future plans • Personalization & customer marketing • Use of new technologies and big data • Sustainability • 3 personal questions.

GLO Video Interview at ATM 2023 with Antonio Ricciardi, SVP, Consumer Intelligence & Engagements and Head of Etisalat Smiles Programme

Antonio Ricciardi, SVP, Consumer Intelligence & Engagements and Head of Etisalat Smiles Programme, on: • Smiles Programme evolution • Future growth strategy: acquisitions and partnerships and building an ecosystem • Rewards Exchange: the points exchange powered by blockchain • Use of technologies & big data • Gamification • 3 personal questions.

GLO Video Interview at ATM 2023 with Siegfried Nierhaus, VP Middle East, Deutsche Hospitality Group

Siegfried Nierhaus, VP Middle East, Deutsche Hospitality Group, on • DH’s Middle Eastern presence and expansion • Where do you see Deutsche Hospitality in 3-5 years? What is your strategy for the Middle East? • change of ownership, launch of H Rewards and becoming a loyalty programme with 200m members overnight • future expansion plans for H Rewards • partnerships • the use of technologies & big data • How does H Rewards programme differentiate itself • On sustainability

Airlines & Alliances News:

Europe & UK:

Lufthansa Group reaches agreement on the acquisition of 41% stake in ITA Airways

Launch of “BER Traveller” – a new biometric service for Lufthansa Group HON Circle Members and Senators – facial recognition replaces boarding pass

Turkish Airlines Partners with Prestigious Brand Ferragamo for Business Class Passengers

Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four: Real Madrid is Crowned as the Winner

British Airways unveils 5 new Avios-only flights, including Easter Holiday Travel

British Airways partners with American Express Presents BST festival

British Airways begins brand-new uniform roll out starting with more than 5’000 colleagues working in operational ground teams

Ryanair reported a full-year PAT of €1.43bn due to strong FY traffic recovery, improving fares, industry leading cost base & advantageous fuel hedges.

MENA:

Emirates relaunches the Skywards Everyday app, enabling members to earn Miles faster with every tap

Penelope Cruz Revealed As The New Emirates (UAE) Brand Ambassador

All Emirates passengers can now access free Wi-Fi connectivity onboard through Emirates Skywards, even while inflight

Cheers with Chandon – Emirates offers an exclusive vintage sparkling wine in Premium Economy

Aromatic Altitudes – The Art of Tea with Emirates

Emirates and Lancashire Cricket support the next ‘High Flyers’ of the game

Qatar Airways and Air Seychelles Sign Codeshare Agreement

Gulf Air and Qatar Airways are Set For Qatar-Bahrain Flights Return

Saudi challenges Dubai to be the top destination of Middle East tourism: 1Q23 visitor numbers reach 7.8mn visitors

Discover Qatar Unveils the Ultra-Exclusive F1® Ultimate Fan Experience Package

North America & LATAM: 

Delta participates in SkyTeam’s Sustainable Flight Challenge, showcases sustainability strategy in action

American Airlines and JetBlue have been ordered to discontinue their so-called Northeast Alliance

Alaska Airlines (USA) announces changes to its Saver fares

ThePointsGuy releases 7th Annual USA-centric best airlines report

Asia: 

Air India revamps ‘Flying Returns’ loyalty programme

Vietjet expands international network, eyeing to become digital and consumption airline

Last few days of Malaysia Aviation Group mid-year sale

Virgin Australia eyes A$1bn IPO in mid-4Q23 according to Reuters

INPEX, Idemitsu to Supply ANA with Japan’s First Jet Fuel Achieving Supply Chain Carbon Neutrality

Hotels & Hospitality: 

Radisson launches ‘Skip to Rewards’ loyalty campaign

Hilton is launching New Extended-Stay Brand – Project H3, participating in Hilton Honors Loyalty program

Marriott Bonvoy signs pact with Japan’s top airlines – All Nippon Airways’ ANA Mileage Club and Japan Airlines’ JAL Mileage Bank

Marriott International Signs Industry-First Strategic Collaboration with Rappi, Inc. in Latin America

Marriott Bonvoy has joined forces with The DAKA Show on YES 933 radio station, aiming to create vibrant Malaysian local encounters within Singapore’s borders.

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts (Marriott) and Vilebrequin Reveal Limited-edition Capsule Collection

Mandarin Oriental Exclusive Homes announces strategic portfolio growth and expansion plans

Shangri-La Launches Global “Find Your Shangri-La” Campaign

1 Hotel Mayfair, The Sustainable Hospitality Brand’s UK Flagship, is now accepting reservations

Kimpton Hotels, part of IHG, Announces Drag Brunch Series Benefiting The Trevor Project for Pride Month

Best Western® Hotels & Resorts encourages summer travel with offers for Rewards Program Members

Retail, F&B, Transport, Fuel Retail & Sport:

Payback (Germany) announces new partnership with fashion strores SiNN

Casey’s Pizza & Food delivery (USA) renews Rewards app to enhance loyalty

Mall of America® has introduced a new membership program called MOA Insiders

7-Eleven, Inc.’s Operation Chill® Program Returns for the 28th Consecutive Year

The Professional Bowlers Association Launches the LBC Awards Program with Digital Features Powered by Avalanche

Banks & Payments: 

Nationwide Building Society (UK) launches loyalty scheme called Fairer Share Reward Scheme

Mastercard and Foloosi launch Click to Pay in UAE

Klarna, payment provider, announces $5mn+ contribution from internal carbon tax for game-changing climate impact solutions

Vantage Unveils Loyalty Programme to Make Trading More Rewarding for Clients

Loyalty, CX Technologies & Solutions:

GLO Loyalty Lab: Expedia integrates ChatGPT into its in-App travel planner, plans AI-driven solutions for travel advisors

Expedia Group shows B2B growth: announces new partnerships (Mastercard and Sofi), new tech features (Travel OS) and new Air Member deals for One Key Loyalty program

Amadeus Report: Amadeus Hospitality’s ecosystem approach to deliver personalized journeys in new era of travel

Amadeus’s Fredrik Odéen: Delivering Traveler Value: How contextualization will impact the travel experience

Globe Thrivers, the members-only travel community, is launching Unlock Protocol powered by NFT-based memberships

Genesys Customers Reach New Heights on Genesys Cloud CX to improve loyalty

Syrup.io Pioneers AI-Driven Email Marketing for Hyper-Personalization, Led by High Alpha Capital’s $3.3M Seed Round

Giift shakes up the Indian loyalty market through its new GiiftBuzz Solution

Blockchain & loyalty innovators combine to form Kigo, a digital asset company leading a new era of Open Loyalty™

Oracle Cloud Elevates the Customer Experience at Prada Group

Kapital DAO launches Voru, a powerful analytics & growth tool that enables organizations to automatically scale community & engagement.

Reports: 

Deloitte report: 2023 Deloitte summer travel survey

Amadeus Blog: Traveler Tribes 2033 – What mistakes can we avoid when researching the future of travel?

Skyscanner Report: Horizons – Destination & Booking Insights Q1 2023

SOCi report: ‘Ghosting’ Customers Online Costs Retailers a Staggering $2.4 Billion Annually and can be eliminated by AI use

AHLA & Oxford Economics Report: Economic Impact of the US Hotel Industry – US report

Crowell & Moring’s Report: Retail in the Metaverse and Beyond Insights for corporate counsel and retail executives

Growth Markets report: Global Reward-based Payment App Market Size to Reach $6.26 Bn by 2031

People & Appointments:

Delta names Michael Spanos as its new COO

QANTAS announces Board changes

Katina Athanasiou to head Sales at Celebrity Cruises