South Africa’s Airlink announced that it would launch its “Skybucks” frequent flyer program on March 1. The initiative will allow Airlink customers to earn and redeem flight rewards against future travel and other Airlink purchases.
This comes after numerous customer suggestions to be rewarded for their loyalty to Airlink, which left the Southern-African airline overwhelmed. Airlink CEO and Managing Director Rodger Foster explained in a statement;
“Since Airlink became a totally independent carrier in 2020, we have been inundated by customer requests and suggestions for a unique Airlink loyalty program. We have spent the past year researching, planning and developing our compelling new Skybucks program. It enables our loyal customers to earn a rand value percentage on every flight and to redeem Skybucks on their next flight as a form of payment to more than 45 destinations in 13 sub-Sahara African countries, including Madagascar and St Helena Island.”
Skybucks will be rolled out into tier categories and initially be used for full or partial payment of air tickets and upgrades, although this excludes statutory taxes and charges. Additional offerings and rewards will be added to the program later.
How Skybucks works
The frequent flyer program will include four membership tiers, with eligibility determined by the number of sectors or legs of a journey flown in 12 months. A regular return flight from Johannesburg’s OR Tambo to Durban’s King Shaka Airport comprises two sectors.
The Blue Tier is for customers who have flown less than 18 sectors, while the Red Tier is for those with 18 to 34 sectors. The Emerald Tier is for those with more than 35 sectors, and the final Black Tier is by invitation only. Each tier will earn rewards at a different rate, as the higher levels will earn more Skybucks for the same flight and fare.
Skybucks (Sb) will be valid for 18 months from the date of the last activity, but it will be possible to extend their validity before they expire. They are also transferrable between members, and families of up to eight members can combine their rewards. Sb100 is equivalent to 55 cents (R10), and upon registration, customers will receive Sb1,000 during March 2023.
Find out more about points and miles with our loyalty guides here.
Enrolling in the frequent flyer program
Customers who have already flown sufficient sectors with Airlink in the three months before becoming members will be eligible to move to a higher tier. This can be done by furnishing the Airlink booking reference, ticket number, flight number, and travel date. Passengers will also have to provide information on the departure and destination airports for the sectors previously flown.
If the system does not pick up a journey, members have 90 days from the flight date to claim their Skybucks retroactively. Tier membership is valid for one year, except for flyers who will automatically progress to the next tier once they have flown the required number of sectors within that time frame.
Over the last two years, Airlink customers have received impeccable on-time services, as the airline has been one of the world’s most punctual. The Skybucks program will enhance the passenger experience and loyalty. Mr. Foster said;
“Besides providing a great added value loyalty program for our customers, in doing so, we are also taking every measure to safeguard customer data privacy and are using servers situated in the European Union to manage the Skybucks membership information. As a result, data management and security will be compliant with both the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).”
Another Airlink venture to look out for
Airlink customers and rugby fans will be excited to hear about the new cup from the airline. Airlink is strengthening Namibia and South Africa’s rugby relationship with the launch of the Airlink Cup. On Saturday, March 4, Windhoek Draught Welwitschias will take the Currie Cup holder, the Airlink Pumas.
According to the Economist, Airlink CEO said in a statement;
“Airlink has close ties and strong connections with Namibia and Mpumalanga, which are key markets for our Southern African and long-haul international leisure and business traveler customers. Just as we are proud to play our part in providing the air travel connectivity that unlocks opportunities for economic growth, we view the Airlink Cup as another way to cement those ties through the shared passion for rugby.”
The match will kick off at the Hage Geingob Rugby Stadium in Windhoek at 16:00 CAT. The Airlink cup extends the Airline’s association with the sport, following an eight-year partnership with Mpumalanga’s Pumas, which saw the team take on the new name Airlink Pumas in January 2022.
Source: https://simpleflying.com/south-africas-airlink-has-launched-a-frequent-flyer-scheme/
