Reinventing airline cargo loyalty with LoyaltyPlus Frequent Freighter

Share this...

Just like so many other sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive negative impact on civil aviation. In 2020, less than 50% of passenger seats were offered due to restrictions. The journey to recovery will be a long one. The saving grace for airlines has been the growth of cargo.

The numbers show that in 2021 a significant global restocking drive saw a 13.1% growth in Cargo Tonne Kilometres (CTKs). Yields were expected to remain elevated due to the slow return of hold capacity from the wide body passenger fleet. This has resulted in the forecast last year that cargo revenues would rise to $152 billion, representing one-third of the industry’s revenues. Putting this in perspective, cargo typically constituted 10% of the airline business before the pandemic.

It should therefore come as no surprise that the familiar concept of airlines rewarding agents or freight forwarders has gathered renewed momentum. What has been missing up to now was driving greater payloads through a niche engagement programme that would add value for both the airline and cargo agents. The recently launched LoyaltyPlus Frequent Freighter programme bridges this gap.

“We have had discussions with several airlines, cargo operators, and cargo specialist to understand how best to create a platform that truly rewards the cargo agents and freight forwarders. This has empowered us to upgrade our passenger loyalty programme to provide a practical solution for the cargo side of the airline business,” says Frik van der Westhuizen, Marketing Director at leading independent customer relationship management company LoyaltyPlus.

Frequent Freighter will see the incentivisation and engagement of agents and freight forwarders to carry high value cargo that will deliver greater revenue margins for the airline. Its intelligent customer segmentation features will drive greater cargo shipments where points collected by cargo agents can be used towards discounts on their next cargo deliveries.

“This cargo loyalty platform will enable the airline to manage the day-to-day accrual and redemption activities. Frequent Freighter integrates the customer relationship management functionality that allows the airline to communicate with their cargo agents and automatically send emails and SMSs when triggered by specified events,” adds Len Lubbe, CEO of LoyaltyPlus.

The platform comes with added customer engagement functionality. This includes Newsletters, Campaigns, Promotions, and Surveys. It supports a full suite of reports that provides airlines with all the information to make informed operational decisions. And because Frequent Freighter is cloud-based, it facilitates rapid implementation due to its rules-based and parameter-driven implementation methodology.

LoyaltyPlus also provides a set of commercial models that make it easy for a range of carriers to engage on a ‘pay-per-use’ principle. The Member Portal provides self-service account access that gives the loyalty programme members the ability to access real-time retro-credits. This frees up agents’ time for more valuable member interactions. Frequent Freighter is fully integrated with the LoyaltyPlus Frequent Flyer solution with discounts available should a carrier choose to implement both.

LoyaltyPlus is excited to take this discussion further with you, please contact us for a full platform demonstration or if you require more information.