According to the On Point Loyalty 2023 Top 10 Most Valuable Airline Loyalty Programs report, SkyMiles, the frequent flyer program of Delta Air Lines, has been ranked as the world’s most valuable airline loyalty program.
SkyMiles has set a new record in the On Point Loyalty ranking with an estimated value exceeding USD 27 billion. American Airlines’ AAdvantage takes the second spot with a value of over USD 23 billion, followed closely by United Airlines’ MileagePlus at more than USD 22 billion.
During the COVID pandemic, loyalty programs, once the best-kept secret of the airline industry, became crucial for the survival of many airlines. These programs played a vital role in generating revenue and ensuring consistent earnings. Record-breaking financing structures were built around the profitability of airline loyalty programs.
Evert de Boer, the Managing Partner at On Point Loyalty, stated, “The financial support gained through these programs further reinforces our earlier hypotheses about their value. The valuations we published in early 2020 have been validated by various market transactions in recent years. Now that COVID is largely behind us, it is the right time to reassess the programs’ valuations.”
On Point Loyalty conducted research that analyzed public information from over 170 airlines worldwide. They also used proprietary insights to estimate the value of each airline’s loyalty program. The research incorporated over 50 variables related to the airline, loyalty program, and operating country into On Point Loyalty’s proprietary valuation algorithm.
The top 10 most valuable airline loyalty programs identified by the research are as follows:
Rank Program Key Airline(s) Valuation (USD million)
1- SkyMiles Delta Air Lines 27,923.
2- AAdvantage American Airlines 23,933.
3 -MileagePlus United Airlines 22,002.
4- Rapid Rewards Southwest Airlines 8,828.
5 -Miles & More Lufthansa, Austrian, Swiss, Brussels Airlines 7,971.
6 -IAG Avios programs British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus, Vueling 7,084.
7 – Flying Blue Air France, KLM, Kenya Airways, Tarom 6,923.
8- Aeroplan Air Canada 6,840.
9 – SKYPASS Korean Air 4,594.
10 – Cathay Cathay Pacific 4,552.
The complete list of the top 100 programs can be found on the On Point Loyalty website. For further details regarding the results, methodology, assumptions, and insights of the research, please visit www.onpointloyalty.com.