Loyalty Meets a Newly Conscious Traveler for Post-Pandemic Resets

Hotels, airlines and now destinations are embracing loyalty and reward programs in 2022, ready to capitalize on global pent-up demand. But consumers have different needs than before the pandemic. The most notable change is they’re going to want more freedom and flexibility when choosing rewards after being deprived of having the luxury of making choices for the best part of two years. But most notably, they're also emerging as more aware of the impact their travel has on the planet.

Skift's Travel Loyalty Summit, which took place as a virtual event on Thursday, saw a number of travel industry innovators share how they perceived the future of loyalty in a post-Covid world.

Greener travel habits were slowly taking hold before coronavirus arrived. But brands today should really be considering how to “bake” sustainability into their programs, argued Wouter Geerts, Skift’s senior research analyst, in the summit's kick-off presentation.

Was Delta Air Lines looking to incentivize sustainable travel? “We’re in the process of understanding what would make a meaningful impact,” said Prashant Sharma, vice president of loyalty who added Delta was the first airline to hire a chief sustainability officer. “We’re looking at how we can have the biggest impact.”

Besides air travel, he said passengers can donate air miles to organizations furthering sustainability. It was also proud of its partnership with American Express, which used recycled ocean plastic for it cards. "It demonstrates we’re making a difference, but there’s so much more to do,” Sharma told Skift Editor-at-Large Brian Sumers during the “Evolution of Airline Loyalty and Innovating to Engage Customers” session.

Meanwhile, Mark Nasr, s