UK. BAA’s customer loyalty programme WorldPoints, announced a new partnership this week with the recently re-launched “The AirMiles Travel Company”.
BAA WorldPoints enables members, who include the highest spending most frequent fliers, to collect points on almost all airport spending and redeem them for a range of rewards. They also receive regular communications updating them on the latest news and offers in airport shopping and travel.
AirMiles has re-launched as The AirMiles Travel Company, a full service travel company, available to everybody, offering the chance to fly with over 18 airlines and giving access to 20,000 hotels worldwide and over 50 of the UK’s top travel operators. And BAA’s WorldPoints is the first new partner to team up with The Airmiles Travel Company. As a result WorldPoints members can now redeem 250 WorldPoints for 30 AirMiles (50 on transactions before 1 January 2004).
WorldPoints can then be used in isolation or combined with cash to pay for holidays, flights and car hire, for example from just 100 miles plus £125 (US$206) per person, members can buy a return flight and three nights accommodation in a four-star hotel in Nice.
BAA retail director UK Airports Colin Hargrave commented: “Worldpoints allows us to offer quality rewards for our customers’ loyalty. We are always looking for ways to further develop the rewards and information service we can offer our members and are delighted to be able to provide a tangible travel related benefit through such a strong proposition as The AirMiles Travel Company.”
“At the launch of The AirMiles Travel Company we revealed plans to treble in size by 2005,” said Drew Thomson, managing director of the AirMiles Travel Company. “Over 120 million people pass through BAA’s seven UK airports annually and our partnership with them sets us well on the road to achieving this goal.”
Note: For Worldpoints members, each £1 (US$1.65) spent – and every £10 (US$16.50) of foreign exchange – earns one WorldPoint. In addition to this there is the opportunity to “˜boost’ their points total with extra points awarded from regular instore offers. Points can be redeemed against a wide range of rewards, which include products and airport services, as well as exclusive membership offers such as subscriptions to magazines, and discounted entry to airport lounges. Members also receive a complimentary copy of Emporium, a bi-annual luxury magazine providing information and inspiration for shopping at the airport.
WorldPoints are not awarded for expenditure on: post offices, staff shops, vending machines, tobacco, medicine, prescription items, gift vouchers, gaming machines, postage stamps or bureaux transactions not subject to commission.
