SAA’s Miles of smiles a ‘game changer’

Voyager members will be able to spend their Miles for any available seat for travel on flights operated by SAA.

Voyager members will be able to spend their Miles for any available seat for travel on flights operated by SAA.

Published Dec 12, 2014

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Johannesburg - South African Airways acting chief executive Nico Bezuidenhout couldn’t have been expected to pull a rabbit out of the hat when he was brought in recently to try and pull the airline out of its financial nosedive.

But, he came close to doing just that with the announcement last week that the airline’s Voyager frequent flyer programme was undergoing a radical revamp.

Many were the SAA people at the launch who tossed out the phrase “game changer” to describe the new Voyager offering… and, no doubt, there are just as many cynical current (and former) SAA customers who would have snorted in derision.

Dodging the rhetoric and flashy marketing spin, though, and looking closer at SAA’s promises, it does seem they are charting new paths for both the airline and loyalty industries.

Some of the basic things which will happen from February 1, when the programme kicks in:

l The 2.5 million Voyager members worldwide will now earn miles for what they actually spend, rather than just the distance travelled. A major change also is that the amounts calculated will be inclusive of any fuel levies… a first.

The new transparent Voyager system promises that one Mile will be earned for every R1.60 spent on flights operated by SAA. These Miles will go towards Tier rewards.

SAA also promises it will no longer restrict Voyager members to a minimum or maximum amount of miles when travelling on flights operated by SAA.

l Voyager members will be able to spend their Miles for any available seat for travel on flights operated by SAA.

l The redemption of Miles will be applicable to the base fare and fuel levy of a member’s requested flight, something Voyager calls an SAA exclusive Dynamic Award. During the initial phase, SAA Voyager members will be able to use their Miles as full payment. During the course of 2015, part-payment of Miles and cash will be introduced and members will be informed when the technology supporting this feature is operational.

l The elimination of “seat complexities”.

l In a stand-out move for the loyalty programme business, SAA promises to reward loyalty by putting its money where its mouth is. Voyager members will be given at least 5 percent return on their SAA spend when requesting an SAA exclusive Dynamic Award for an SAA operating flight. Example: an SAA Voyager member has spent R5000 on an SAA operating flight, so a value of R250 in loyalty Miles as a currency will be available to spend towards an exclusive SAA Dynamic Award.

l Improved benefits for members based on their status in the programme, ensuring that loyalty over time is rewarded.

There is plenty more detail, but the headline promises are impressive and are a major part of Bezuidenhout and the Board’s attempt to bring back customers and improve the airline’s situation as part of the Long-Term Turnaround Strategy, referred to at Airways Park in Joburg as the LTTS.

Suretha Cruse, SAA Executive Customer Loyalty, said the Voyager revamp programme, known as Re5, was aimed at making it “Africa’s leading world-class loyalty programme”.

She was particularly proud of the five percent return on spend, which is much higher than any other programme.

Cruse said the changes had been made as part of the LTTS and designed after listening to both Voyager members and experts. A major focus going forward, she promised, would be on customer service: “Our objective is to provide excellent customer service.”

Launched during 1994, the programme has 55 partners, with 35 airline partnerships, including the Star Alliance global network which gives members access to more than 1300 destinations in more than 190 countries.

Cruse said Voyager had evolved from being a traditional frequent flyer programme through diversifying to include 20 non-airline partners in categories ranging from travel-related to lifestyle, retail, property and financial services.

She said the aims, though, were to become a purist loyalty programme and a stand-alone business within the SAA group.

“While earning and redeeming Miles will continue to be foremost about flying, we will as a priority be securing a solid footprint on the African continent and every effort will be made to present our valued members with more choices for their Miles.”

She added: “We want to be part of their lifestyle and to each and every one of them we say, we would like to be ‘Forever Part of Your Journey’.”

l SAA’s new Voyager website: www.re5.co.za

Saturday Star

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