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British Airways has announced sweeping changes to its passenger loyalty programme, sparking criticism from some customers who fear losing travel privileges.
The airline, which has come under fire for rising cancellations and delays since the Covid-19 pandemic, is changing its points system where passengers earn rewards such as free seat selection and access to the British Airways lounge.
Under the changes, points will be awarded based on the cost of flights or holiday package bookings rather than the class of travel and duration of flights.
Some industry figures say the move, which will be introduced from April, will impact leisure travellers, who could previously search for the best deals on flights to earn rewards.
“British Airways is effectively washing its hands of the leisure market,” said Rob Burgess, editor of frequent flyer site Head for Points.
“Realistically, it will now be impossible to earn gold for small business travelers, budget travelers, or self-funded leisure travelers.”
Travelers can achieve Bronze, Silver or Gold status in the airline's Tier Points programme. One point will be earned for every pound spent, excluding taxes.
Bronze will now be awarded with 3,500 points, Silver with 7,500 points and Gold with 20,000 points in the renamed offerings.
The move “will reward overall spending with the brand, rather than incentivizing people to make a lot of connections to gain artificial status,” said Gilbert Ott, of frequent flyer site God Save the Points.
Bachelor's He said the changes, part of a wider £7bn transformation programme, meant there were now “more ways than ever to earn level points”.
She added that aligning points earned with pounds spent would bring British Airways in line with “the model used by many other airline loyalty programs around the world”.
Colm Lacey, Commercial Director, British Airways, said: “The changes we have announced today underscore our continued investment in our loyalty program and our customers.”
Customers can also earn up to 2,500 points by spending on co-branded credit cards.
The tier points system is separate from the loyalty currency Avios which can be spent on flights and holidays.
