Podcast #87: Getting an Airline Status Match

The Best Programs to Earn Star Alliance Gold Status
Star Alliance Gold status comes with access to all Star Alliance lounges. Photo: Star Alliance.

Many Australian Frequent Flyer members would already know about the benefits of elite airline status. As a reward for your loyalty, you’ll receive special treatment and lots of extra benefits like lounge access, priority at the airport or better access to upgrades that make your travel experience just that much better.

If you have status with a particular airline, these perks are often so good that you won’t want to switch to another airline. As loyalty expert David Feldman said on episode 85 of the AFF on Air podcast four weeks ago, that’s indeed one of the main points of status from an airline’s perspective: to increase switching costs and lock in the loyalty of their frequent flyers.

Airlines of course know this, so they’ll sometimes offer a status match to frequent flyers of their competitor airlines to encourage them to make the switch. It can be a win-win – the flyer gets a fast-track to elite status benefits on another airline and the airline potentially poaches a valuable customer.

In Episode 87 of the AFF on Air podcast, Matt gets a behind-the-scenes look into the world of status matching with Mark Ross-Smith, the co-founder of StatusMatch.com. Mark is also the former head of loyalty at Malaysia Airlines Enrich, and can be found on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum as trippin_the_rift. In this discussion you’ll learn what kind of status matches work best for airlines, how you can get one, and lots more!

 

Listen now to AFF on AIR Episode 87: “Getting an Airline Status Match”

You can also view the episode notes.

 

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If you’d like to discuss this episode, ask Matt a question or suggest a topic for a future episode, feel free to post a comment on the AFF on Air Discussion thread.

 

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The editor of Australian Frequent Flyer, Matt's passion for travel has taken him to over 70 countries… with the help of frequent flyer points, of course!
Matt's favourite destinations (so far) are Germany, Brazil & Kazakhstan. His interests include economics, aviation & foreign languages, and he has a soft spot for good food and red wine.

You can connect with Matt by posting on the Australian Frequent Flyer community forum and tagging @AFF Editor.
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