These frequent fliers are done with loyalty programs

Summary
Forgoing access to airport lounges and early boarding can be worth it for travelers who are tired of chasing points and want to save money on flights.More frequent fliers are declaring themselves airline free agents, fed up with ever-changing requirements to earn and maintain status.
Carriers across the country have changed their loyalty programs in recent years to reward big spenders rather than budget-conscious road warriors up in the air week after week.
These changes have upset travelers who once wore their airline loyalty as a badge of honor. Those backing away say the high cost of maintaining status isn’t rewarded with the same quality of customer service as before, and that rewards are harder to come by.
Forgoing access to airport lounges and early boarding can be worth it for travelers who are tired of chasing points and want to save money on flights.
Benjamin Carter, a veterinary chief medical officer who lives in Boca Raton, Fla., has earned Diamond Medallion status, the top tier of Delta’s SkyMiles loyalty program, for six years. He carries the Delta SkyMiles Reserve credit card that comes with a $650 annual fee.
Some travelers are choosing to lose perks such as dedicated check-in lanes to make a break from the airline-status cycle.
Having Diamond status means Carter gets global upgrade certificates, access to a VIP phone line and priority boarding, among other perks. He plans to give that all up after growing frustrated with Delta’s customer service and the higher cost of maintaining his status.
For a business trip to Houston, he’s considering Spirit’s Big Front Seat option. He plans to track his travels with other carriers in a spreadsheet, comparing prices and on-time statistics.
“If I’m able to find an airline that gives me more point-to-point service with less connections, that will be a huge factor in determining who I choose going forward," Carter says.
Shifting priorities
Industry veterans say customers are reacting to the changes airlines have made to frequent-flier programs in recent years.
Delta announced changes to its program in 2023 that focused rewards more heavily on the airline’s biggest spenders. That resulted in as many as 100,000 people with higher levels of SkyMiles status checking with competing airlines to see if they could receive the same level of status and switch allegiances, says Mark Ross-Smith, CEO of Loyalty Status Co., a company that creates technology for loyalty programs.
“While not all of those people would have actually flown on another carrier, the Delta changes were material enough that members felt they needed a backup option," Ross-Smith says.
A Delta spokeswoman said in an email that customers are engaging with the airline’s loyalty program at record levels, noting that when customers interact more with Delta, “the more satisfied they are with their experience." Delta doesn’t disclose how many members are in its loyalty program, but that number is in the millions.
Airlines including American and United have also embraced loyalty models in recent years that put greater emphasis on how much customers spend rather than how often they travel. Co-branded credit cards have risen in prominence within these programs. Paying with these cards for everyday purchases can earn someone status without ever boarding a flight.
United Airlines says that its frequent-flier program is growing at a record pace.
Many frequent travelers are opting to save money instead.
Chad Bordes holds Platinum Medallion status with Delta. His allegiance to the carrier stretches decades: His father was a Delta employee when he was growing up.
Bordes, who works in event management, finds it increasingly hard to justify the often higher cost of flying with a preferred carrier in the name of maintaining status. He has to pass on business-travel expenses to cost-conscious clients. This year, he opted to play the field when booking.
“It’s a breath of fresh air," says the 53-year-old resident of Eugene, Ore.
Generational backlash
Millennial and Gen Z travelers are becoming free agents when it comes to airlines, industry executives say. These younger customers are less likely to be enrolled in frequent-flier programs in the first place, let alone reach the upper echelons of those programs. The value of airline miles and points has decreased as travelers have accumulated huge war chests of rewards, making it harder to convert loyalty into free trips.
Travelers increasingly view air travel as simply a means to getting to their destination, rather than part of the experience itself, says Jeff Zotara, chief marketing officer at Arrivia, a travel technology company. So they’re shifting more of their travel budget away from flights.
General travel cards such as the Chase Sapphire, Capital One Venture and Amex Platinum cards have made eschewing airline status easier. The perks that come with these cards include airport lounge access and more options for converting rewards into flights or hotel stays.
Raina Szura, a 30-year-old in Chicago who works in investment services, plans to hold on to her United-branded credit card. But she’s less focused on earning status with the airline. Her card entitles her to a free checked bag and earlier boarding, which she says makes ditching her status in United’s MileagePlus program an easier pill to swallow. She says she will miss the occasional upgrades to seats with more legroom that her status has earned her.
“That’s something I’m probably going to have to pay for if it is a long flight," she says. United says its MileagePlus program is growing at a record pace.
For airlines, winning back these free agents might not be easy to do. “Airlines need to remember that their members are emotionally attached to their airline status," says Ross-Smith, the loyalty company executive. “Messing with that emotional relationship comes at a cost to the airline. That cost may not be felt immediately, but it does down the road."
—Sign up for the WSJ Travel newsletter for more tips and insights from the Journal’s travel team.
Write to Jacob Passy at jacob.passy@wsj.com