How Airlines are Redefining Loyalty for the Modern Traveler with KM Malta Airlines

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We’re excited to kick off a new three-part Loyalty Series, where we explore how airlines, hotels, and loyalty status companies are rewriting the rules of traveler engagement. In this first episode, we begin with a refreshingly simple philosophy from KM Malta Airlines: make value clear, make status meaningful, and make the journey smoother. Oliver Piers Ross, Head of Loyalty & CRM, joins us to share how a small flag carrier built a transparent currency, introduced genuinely useful status tiers, and used smart partnerships to influence traveler behavior in all the right ways.

We break down Skybucks, pegged at one euro cent so members always know what they’re earning and spending. That clarity powers instant earn on takeoff and a seamless redemption slider in the booking flow so intuitive that redemptions began before the program even launched. Oliver also outlines the Traveler, Explorer, and Pioneer tiers, where milestone Skybucks can be used for seats, bags, or part-paid fares. We touch on the value of status recognition and how tools like status match, subscription boosts, and buybacks reduce friction while maintaining solid program economics.

We discuss why loyalty programs can be worth more than airlines, how redemption simplicity increases conversion, and where KM Malta is headed next with a Malta-wide marketplace, exchange partnerships, and tighter CRM personalization. It’s a practical playbook for travel brands rethinking loyalty with clear value, fewer hoops, better data, and benefits that actually get used. What perk would make you switch airlines today?

For more information about KM Malta Airlines, please visit https://kmmaltairlines.com/en. 

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Episode Transcript

SPEAKER_00 (00:05):
Good loyalty programs recognize that frequent
flyers are not the onlyindividuals that are interested
in a loyalty program.

SPEAKER_02 (00:17):
Hello everyone and welcome back to Travel Trends.
This is your host, DanChristian, and we're about to
begin a special three-partseries on one of the most
powerful forces in our industry,and that is loyalty.
It's a topic we have not coveredyet on Travel Trends, which is
amazing given that we're inseason six and this is now
episode 11.
So we're midway through seasonsix and we're finally covering

(00:39):
what is one of the mostimportant topics and partially a
background for me in the travelindustry.
And we're actually going to belooking at this from three
different angles.
We're going to start today withan airline, then next week we're
going to have a technologyprovider, and then finally a
hospitality group.
And the whole idea here is totry and give our global
listeners a 360 view of howmassive this area of travel is

(01:02):
and how it is evolving.
And as a spoiler, I just wanteveryone to let everyone know
that we are actually going to becovering this topic in even more
detail next season.
I'm currently in San Diego atthe Focus Right Conference.
We have an event spotlightepisode coming out from here
shortly.
We just released our AdventuresTravel and Trade Association
event spotlight episode.

(01:22):
And based on the interest inthis topic, I know we're going
to be covering a lot more aboutloyalty going into season seven.
And for this series, I'm reallypleased that we have partnered
with our friends over at LoyaltyStatus Co.
who are rewriting the playbookon status program management.
They're the global leaders instatus commercialization and the

(01:44):
team behind the award-winningstatus match platform.
In short, they help airlines,hotels, and even retailers turn
status into real value.
They attract high-valuecustomers, keeping members
engaged, and unlocking seriousrevenue.
To learn more, check outloyaltystatus.com.
Now, a bit more about them in amoment because we actually have

(02:04):
my friend Aaron Murray, who'sthe CMO of Loyalty Status Quo,
joining us on episode two.
But we're kicking things off intoday's episode with Aviation
and bringing in in a momentOliver Ross, who is the head of
loyalty and CRM at KM MaltaAirlines.
And he's going to walk throughthe loyalty landscape in the
airline world and also theunique value of a regional

(02:28):
program for a smaller carrier.
And then we'll have Erin Murray.
So she will be focusing on thetechnology space.
She is based in Toronto as well,and we've crossed paths at a
number of industry conferences.
And I've been so keen to bringher onto the Travel Trends
podcast.
And interestingly, Mark RossSmith, the CEO of Loyalty Status

(02:49):
Co., joined us for our FocusRight Europe Barcelona event
spotlight.
And I found it so fascinating tolearn about their business.
So I was really keen to partnerwith them for the series and
bring Erin into the discussion.
But the other aspect of theseries that I really wanted to
touch on is hospitality.
And I'm so pleased that to roundout the series, we're going to

(03:09):
be joined by the CEO of CitizenM, which is one of the hottest
boutique hotel collections, andwas recently bought into the
Marriott ecosystem.
And there's a fascinatingbackstory about their loyalty
program and now the integrationwith Marriott Bonvoy.
So that's going to round out ourthree-part series when I bring

(03:30):
in Leonard DeYoung, the CEO fromCitizen M.
So get ready for a reallyexciting series.
And don't forget, we do postclips and highlights from these
conversations on our socialchannels, Instagram, YouTube,
and LinkedIn.
And we also send out a monthlynewsletter as a roundup, which
you can register for atTraveltrendspodcast.com.
But let's get things started andbring in Oliver Ross and discuss

(03:52):
airlines.
Great to have you joining us,Oliver.
Hi Dan.

SPEAKER_00 (03:55):
Thanks very much for the um invitation.
It's great to be here.

SPEAKER_02 (03:58):
For sure.
I'm so keen to talk aboutloyalty and to talk about
airlines.
Obviously, that's the theme ofthis series and something that
we haven't touched on before atTravel Trends, and we're doing
both in season six.
So I'm thrilled to be able tohave this conversation with you
to learn more about the loyaltyspace as it relates to airlines.
But before we get into that,tell everyone where you're

(04:18):
based, a little bit about yourrole and how you got into uh the
airline and loyalty space.

SPEAKER_00 (04:24):
Sure.
Um so uh a bit about me.
I I live in the UK, um, I workin Malta, so I get to commute to
work by plane, which is prettycool for someone who is both an
Av Geek and a loyaltyafeccionado.
Um but uh I actually grew up inthe US, born in the UK, grew up
in the US, um, went to boardingschool in the UK, university in

(04:45):
the US and the UK, um, and uhtraveled a huge amount um
growing up.
So I um think that that kind ofreally shaped my interest and
and and where I wanted to focusmy career.
I knew I from a very young age Iwanted to work in the airline
industry, and loyalty was a veryquick second to that.
Um so the uh my my career in upuntil now, um I've done a

(05:11):
variety of things from revenuemanagement partnerships at
British Airways to uh loyaltypartnerships at IAG Loyalty or
Avios as it was.
I ran the loyalty program atFlybee and worked with Virgin
Atlantic on uh the move fromFlybee to Virgin Connect on the
rebrand.
Um still sadly they they wentbust during COVID.

(05:33):
Pivoted out of the industry fora couple of years, um, and then
managed to get back into loyaltyat Hilton, um, where I uh ran uh
director of loyalty EMEA for uma year and then focused on
co-brand um strategy for anotheryear before spending time at
Visa, um understanding thepayment network side of

(05:53):
co-brand, of which loyalty is sokey.
Co-brands are massive inloyalty.
And then I was tempted back intothe airline business um by uh
our CCO um who I worked withwhen he was CCO at Flybee.
Um and uh the rest is history,and now I'm at KM Multa
Airlines.

SPEAKER_02 (06:12):
Well, let's tell everyone about KM Multa
Airlines, because I think it'sinteresting, certainly, to get
your background because it'salways fascinating how people
come into the industry and takeup certain roles.
And my uh son, who is nowstudying to be a pilot, he's one
of those, you know, we traveledso much as a kid, and he's a
totally an av geek.
And I've spent many, many yearsgoing to airports for plane

(06:33):
spotting, which uh I nowthoroughly enjoy as well.
He takes pictures of planes, andas I'm having this conversation
with Oliver, you are surroundedby uh airplanes and pictures and
and models.
And I've I uh I every Christmas,every birthday, it was just
model plane.
So he is very much in yourworld, and I think it's it's
fascinating when people work inthe travel industry how you know

(06:54):
what verticals they work withintravel.
And and this is why I'm soexcited to do this series
because when we think aboutairlines, there's there's such a
huge passion and such anindustry unto itself.
So tell everyone a bit about KMMalta Airlines.
Help us understand the brand, abit of the background, and where
you guys stand today, because Iwant to get into the loyalty
program, but I think it would beworthwhile our listeners

(07:15):
understanding a bit more aboutthe airline.

SPEAKER_00 (07:17):
Yeah, sure.
Um and I I remember youmentioning on a previous episode
about your son and and his loveof travel.
And uh my my son is younger thanyours, um, also loves traveling,
um, but is equally getting intoloyalty.
So when he uh when we travel, umhe says, Well, what benefits do
I have?
And he's only seven, but heunderstands that that he's got

(07:39):
one world elite status and heknows that he's got certain
benefits.
My wife does too, and and mywife is actually in the airline
industry as well, but differentairlines.
Um but getting back to KMoltaAirlines, so um the airline
launched on March 31st of lastyear.
Uh the K Molta is the flagcarrier of the Maltese Islands.

(08:01):
Um they set up uh when theprevious flag carrier Air Malta
um closed, the very next day KMolta launched.
Brand new airline, brand newprocesses, startup airline, um
different call sign for the uhthe Yav geeks.
They might like to know that umour call sign um that the pilots
use is actually Sky Knight, um,which harks back to the Knights

(08:24):
of Malta, um very sort ofhistorical reference.
And KM is our two-letter code,which stands for Knights of
Malta.
Um I think that's really cool.
And that actually says a lotabout how the airline weaves
Maltese culture into theairline's corporate identity and
our customer experience as well.

(08:44):
Um so that's a little bit aboutthe airline based in Malta, um,
carry 1.8 million passengers ayear, um, fly to pretty much
every major European city thereor thereabouts, um, fleet of
nine aircraft, um, A320 NEOs.
Um, we've actually got theyoungest fleet in Europe at the

(09:05):
moment, I think is the correctstat.
Um we were recognized recentlyas having the quietest fleet
entering Heathrow uh or flyingto and from Heathrow.
Um won um an Apex four-star uhairline award recently.
Um and uh yeah the airline'sjust going from strength to
strength um and launched aloyalty program shortly after

(09:29):
the airline started last year.
It's been launched in phases.
Um so I joined in February anduh I have tripled the membership
base um of the loyalty programsince I joined.
Um really because there was aplan.
I've been executing on thatplan, we've refined things,
we've made things a bit betterfor our members, and we've got a

(09:50):
number of innovations coming outin the program that uh members
have asked for and that that weknew we needed to do.
And as a result, um yeah, theprogram itself is is growing and
and we're adding partnerships,we're adding new ways to earn
and burn.
Um, and uh it's a reallyinteresting place to be.

SPEAKER_02 (10:09):
Well, you've brought up two things.
So obviously the airline and theloyalty program, and I want to
get uh into the loyalty program.
I just one other thing I wantedto ask you on the airline
itself.
Uh for our fellow Av Geeks outthere, my son included, because
he would typically know exactlywhat nine types of aircraft you
have.
Um tell us about the fleetitself, because obviously you've
mentioned the number ofpassengers you take, but

(10:31):
obviously Airbus, Boeing, andthe exact models also relate to
the experience people are gonnahave, the routes that you carry
people on, and so forth.
So tell everyone what is the themakeup of that fleet.

SPEAKER_00 (10:43):
Yeah, of course.
So we have nine Airbus A320Neos.
Um they are in a two-classconfiguration.
We have a business class cabinum with a sort of typical Euro
business style layout, unlike inin the US where you have the the
sort of two two.
We have two two, but with ablock seat in the middle.
Um it means we we can uh we canreally respond to passenger

(11:08):
demand on a particular route.
We can move the curtain.
Um but where the business classproduct really comes to the fore
is in the service and thecatering on board, a little bit
of extra space, um, and then theground experience as well.
Um Having said that, so we'rewe're two cabin, uh two-cabin
aircraft, business and economy,and um I think our our economy

(11:30):
product is at least as good asany um other European flag
carrier.
And that's a really importantdistinction.
We are not a low-cost airline.
Um we are a flag carrier, um,small flag carrier, but we are a
flag carrier nonetheless, and weoffer a product to suit all
types of different customerslooking to travel to and from

(11:50):
Malta.

SPEAKER_02 (11:51):
Tell everyone what that means, a flag carrier,
because I'm always very keen tomake sure that all we bring our
listeners on the journey.
And many of our you kindlylistened to a number of episodes
of our podcast, which Iappreciate.
We've covered a lot of topics,and I want to make sure that
anyone that is not as familiarwith the airline space as we do
our loyalty series and airlines.
So tell everyone what being aflag carrier means, as as
contrasted with what you justmentioned is like you know,

(12:13):
low-cost or ultra-low-costairlines.

SPEAKER_00 (12:16):
So I I I think it it's really about um in in the
kind of older terminology wouldhave been a say a full service
carrier.
Um full service carriers tend tobe more network-based, so you'll
have long haul and short haul.
Um, but we are a full-serviceshort haul airline.
We offer two products ofservice, economy and business.

(12:38):
Um we although we competeagainst low-cost carriers, and
we do have products like aneconomy basic product, we also
have other products that verymuch play in the full service
carrier traditional um airlinespace.
And it's up to the customer tomake a choice as to whether they

(12:59):
want a bag included in theirfare, when they want a seat
included, what kind of cateringthey would like.
And even in business, do theywant lounge access, do they not
want lounge access, that kind ofthing?
Um so it's really about standingfor high quality air
transportation, good product,friendly cabin crew, um,
excellent onboard catering, um,reliable operation, um, and uh

(13:23):
that that's gonna be recognizedwith that that Apex Four Star
Award.

SPEAKER_02 (13:26):
That's great.
I appreciate giving that contextbecause when I speak on stage
about travel brands and talkabout operational excellence,
you really can't have a greatbrand experience or even a
loyalty program that people wantto keep coming back to if you
don't deliver on the guestexperience.
So it really starts with uh theproduct, obviously the service
that you've highlighted andmaking sure that people love the

(13:47):
experience that KMMulti-Airlines offers.
And then you can build a repeatand give them these frequent
flyer points, and and that's thepart I want to get into next.
So when you and then part of thereason I asked you about the uh
being a flag carrier, becauseyou mentioned about your son, so
like the obviously uhrecognizing what status means,
which my kids know what statusmeans when they travel with me,

(14:10):
because for a number of years Iwas super elite with Air Canada.
I will get there again for 2026,which I am thrilled about.
And so um I it's one of thosethings when you get status, it's
very hard to go back to theregular lines and not having
lounge access and all the otherperks that can come with extra
baggage or a dedicated phonenumber to be able to call if you

(14:32):
have uh to make changes.
So for me as a frequenttraveler, I am totally obsessed
with having status, maintainingmy status, uh earning points,
and you use the terms that aremusic to my ears about earn and
burn, uh, given my background atpoints.com and working in the
loyalty side of the business.
But let's give an overview ofkind of the big uh programs or

(14:54):
the dig the big providers.
So if you wouldn't mind, let'sjust talk about the landscape of
the airline industry and the bigfrequent flyer programs.
So, of course, you have StarAlliance, which is what Air
Canada is a part of, and youhave OneWorld.
Um tell us a little bit aboutthose two, if you wouldn't mind.
Just give us a bit of anoverview of the kind of the two

(15:16):
largest networks and some of thefrequent flyer programs, and
then we'll get into Oliver howthen that applies to a smaller
carrier, because oftentimessmaller carriers choose to be a
part of that network becausethey get the carryover effect.
Um so yeah, give us, if youwouldn't mind, tell us a little
bit about the landscape of theairlines, alliances, and these

(15:36):
frequent flyer programs.

SPEAKER_00 (15:38):
Sure.
Um so uh you've got OneWorldStar Alliance and Sky Team.
Um so OneWorld um was foundedover 25 years ago now um with uh
British Airways, AmericanAirlines, Cathy Pacific, um
Canadian Airlines was uh was afounding member.
Obviously, they were then uhtaken over by Air Canada.

(15:58):
Um but OneWorld um has carriersfrom all over the world.
Star Alliance does as well.
You in the US you've got United,you've got Air Canada and in
Canada, you've Lufthansa group,so all the Lufthansa carriers
are in in Star Alliance,Singapore Airlines um in uh in
in the Far East, um in Asia, um,and and a bunch of others.

(16:19):
I think Star Alliance has thethe most number of airlines that
that participate.
Um and then Sky Team is Delta,Air France, KLM, um Saudia, uh
and uh uh a couple of Asian uhcarriers like um Korean Air.
Um so each airline stillmaintains their own loyalty

(16:40):
program, but they collaboratethrough these marketing
alliances, which have a positivebenefit for customers because
they provide a slightly moreseamless experience.
But then within those alliancesyou often find that you'll have
joint ventures.
So for instance, when I was atBritish Airways, I worked very
closely with American Airlines,who are part of the um the

(17:02):
British areas, American IberiaThin Air and Um Airlingus joint
business, um, where you can umcollaborate a lot more closely
because you have somethingcalled antitrust immunity.
Um outside antitrust immunity,you're um really controlled in
terms of what you cancollaborate on, but marketing
and customer experience,absolutely you can collaborate.

(17:24):
Um, improving operational umperformance, connecting
passenger experience, that kindof thing.
Um and also, I mean, the key forme, and and what I think a lot
of travelers really benefit fromthese alliances, yes, there's
the operational piece of beingable to through check your bag
to your final destination, but alot of that you can have outside

(17:44):
of an alliance, um, just withwith code share partnerships or
interline partnerships.
But really, it's about thefrequent flyer benefits that you
can get when traveling on one ofthose partner airlines and the
simplicity and uniformity thatyou get that each program is
kind of pegged to anotherprogram or to all the programs
in each alliance.
So it's very clear that I'm aBritish OS Gold member,

(18:07):
therefore I get One WorldEmerald benefits, and I know
that my loyalty will berecognized when I fly Alaska
Airlines or when I fly Qantas orQatar.
Um and uh that provides a lot ofreassurance, but it also the the
alliances themselves umoftentimes can help uh the

(18:28):
individual airlines with whichloyalty program is going to
attract a particular customerbased on the types of travel
that customer does outside ofthe own uh their own programs,
programs, airlines network, Ishould say.
Um so for instance, I'm a aBritish Airways elite member.
I have family in the US, Itravel back and forth four to

(18:49):
five times a year.
I fly America and I fly Alaska.
If I go to Asia, I fly withQatar, I fly to fly with
ThinAir, I fly with Cathay.
Um and uh so customers get a lotof benefit from from those
schemes.
You mentioned uh that smallercarriers um sometimes
participate in alliances andsometimes choose not to.
And you're actually right.

(19:10):
So there are um smaller carrierslike uh Fiji Airways uh that are
part of One World.
You've got Aegean, um the Greekflag carrier, the uh de facto
flag carrier that's in StarAlliance.
Um you have instances whereother smaller carriers choose
not to become part of analliance.
There are a lot of costsassociated with alliance

(19:32):
membership.
Um you look at Airlingus, theyused to be in One World, they
left One World, and then whenIAG, who's the parent company of
British Airways Nigeria,purchased Airlingus, um, they
chose not to rejoin One World,but instead participate in that
joint business because of all ofthe additional complexities and
costs of uh of the Alliance.

(19:53):
As someone who loves alliances,I think that those costs are
absolutely worth it from anairline perspective, but it does
depend on a case-by-case basis.

SPEAKER_02 (20:00):
Aaron Powell That's really interesting, Oliver.
I appreciate you sharing all ofthat context.
I think that's really importantfor our listeners to understand
the overall landscape,especially as we talk about your
specific loyalty program andunderstand some of the nuances
between the different offeringsthat are out there.
And so when we think aboutloyalty programs and airlines,
one of the things I also wantedto highlight to our listeners

(20:21):
that I found astounding when theuh companies that were investing
in airlines and then alsospinning off their loyalty
programs, where the loyaltyprograms can often be worth more
than the airlines themselves,which seems so crazy at first,
but it just highlights the valueof a loyalty program.
And when companies can sellpoints or miles and they can

(20:42):
actually affect customerbehavior, I'm sure everyone
knows this in all the majormarkets, whether it's air miles
or whatever the program youbelong to, a lot of times
companies will do partnershipsand they'll give you double
points, and it really doesimpact consumer behavior.
And so when you control theability for people to earn and
burn, and burn is obviously theidea that people use their

(21:03):
points, and uh many of theseorganizations want to
successfully manage both becausethey actually don't want a huge
amount of liability on the bookswhen it comes to people storing
up their miles and points.
So they need to make sure thatpeople are using them, and there
has been a lot more regulation,as you well know, Oliver, in the
last several years to make surethat uh from gift certificates

(21:24):
to you know how you can usethem, that you that they don't
expire or sunset.
And so there's been a lot moreregulation around this to make
sure people can maintain it, andtherefore it increases the
liability.
Most of these organizations wantto make sure that you're using
your points, and that's why yousee it with credit cards.
So again, this is why I'm sofascinated with this space.
Let's talk about the the programyou created, especially given

(21:45):
it's so recent and youunderstand uh the space so well.
So tell us a bit about theloyalty program that you created
and give us uh kind of a anunderstanding of how it works.

SPEAKER_00 (21:55):
Um so I I can't take credit for creating the program.
Um, although I was a soundingboard um in a friendly capacity
prior to joining.
Um I only did join in inFebruary and the the program
launched prior to me joining.
Um but the the program itself,so our loyalty program is called
KM Rewards.
Now, most loyalty programshistorically in the airline

(22:17):
space have been frequent flyerprograms.
So they cater to the the theroad warrior or the plane
warrior, I don't know if that'seven a term, but you you get the
reference.
The the the frequent businesstraveler.
Um good loyalty programsrecognize that frequent flyers

(22:39):
are not the only individualsthat are interested in a a
loyalty program, or where um theloyalty programs can actually
influence choice and andbehavior and um actually can can
drive greater affinity to abrand, even for those passengers
that maybe travel once or twicea year.

(23:00):
Um so KM Rewards uh being uh anairline based in Malta in a um a
holiday destination with apopulation of only 500,000, um,
we have created a loyaltyprogram that very much caters to
both to business travelers andto um leisure travelers, holiday
makers, etc.

(23:21):
Um and they want very differentthings.
And uh you see that in inloyalty programs throughout the
world.
Some loyalty programs have gonea little bit too extreme.
They've chased the corporatetraveler, but they've done so in
a way that it's revenue-basedentirely, and it's all based on
the fare and the corporate dealthat a brand has with or a

(23:45):
business has with an airline,and you're effectively just
rewarding customers that arealready committed to traveling
with you.
And that that's not reallyrewarding loyalty.
Rewarding loyalty is about thosecustomers that absolutely have a
choice, and for the the brandthat runs a loyalty program to

(24:06):
give back to those customers asa thank you, but also to to
drive greater engagement um sothat they come back time and
time again.

SPEAKER_01 (24:15):
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SPEAKER_02 (26:36):
And now back to the show.
So when you're putting a programtogether, you are obviously
focusing on giving people uhsome type of incentive in terms
of like the points or miles sothey can earn, and then they
earn that within and the mileswas the easiest one for people
to understand, although a lot ofprograms now have been moving

(26:58):
towards dollars spent.
Uh Air Canada is a good exampleof that, which works for people
like me who do spend a lot onairline tickets.
But many of these road warriorsyou just described, or the
people that you know they travelfrequently, they travel for
distance, but they're alwaysthey're lower cost flights.
So there's always this kind ofchallenge of trying to uh reward
customers for distance versusspend.

(27:20):
So more companies are leaningmore into spend than just
distance, uh, which is aninteresting development.
Um but the the idea was to tryand incentivize people to travel
more frequently and go fartherdistances, because that
typically would have been a moreexpensive ticket.
So when you when the team wasputting this together, what was
the metric that you guys decidedto put in place?

(27:41):
And how did you kind of valuethat?
Because that's the other partthat I think that most people
are also trying to wrap theirhead around is that what is a
point or uh a mile worth withdifferent programs?
And it differs substantially asyou well know.
And people can look them up, butit you know it can be worth
anywhere from one cent to twocents or thirty cents.
It all really depends on theprogram.

(28:03):
And when you earn and burn, it'sa very simple formula um where
you know you earn uh at one centand you burn with two cents.
And so it makes sense for theprogram to be able to sell these
points to companies, and this iswhere the business model comes
in.
But yeah, tell us a little bitabout uh how you how you the the
team approached, I guess, thethe value and how you created

(28:26):
the structure.

SPEAKER_00 (28:28):
Sure.
Um so the the the program itselfum has a currency.
The the currency is calledSkybucks, um S K Y B U X, uh
play on the dollar.
Um we have taken the decision tohave a very transparent value
for that currency, which is isquite unique.
Um one skybucks is one eurocent, and a hundred skybucks is

(28:53):
uh one euro.
Um so really transparent, reallyeasy for customers to
understand.
And I think given our um leisurefocus in particular, um that
that really helps because theaverage customer doesn't want to
spend loads and loads of timetrying to understand the loyalty
program.
That's for the frequent flyersthat have the time and the
inclination to understand how togame the system and what the

(29:15):
benefits are and everythingelse.
For the the average customer,it's about the convenience
factor of okay, you knowsomething about me, so when I
come back to book again, um I'mgonna have a smoother booking
experience.
Or um I've actually collectedenough Skybucks, I can now make
a part payment using Skybuckswhen I'm booking my my flight on

(29:37):
the website.
Um so we we've taken that thatapproach to be really
transparent with the value.
Um, but that does not mean thatthat it we we can't offer
customers um the breadth of sortof opportunities for earn and
burn that that you see with moretraditional programs.
Um if anything, it actuallymakes it slightly easier because

(30:00):
You've got that clear value, soit's easier to go to um uh so
we're we're building a reallyinteresting concept and I'll use
this as a segue to talk aboutthat, um that we're calling the
the KM Rewards Marketplace.
Um it launches um in uh a fewmonths' time and it will
effectively cater to both localsthat live in Malta and visitors

(30:23):
to Malta, in as much as um youwill earn your Skybux with
flying with KM Malta and andpurchasing our products, etc.
But you will also be able toearn and burn um not only with
the airline, but also with avariety of businesses in a whole
number of different sectors fromrestaurants to bars to shops to

(30:44):
um ride sharing.
There's a whole variety ofcategories we're looking at um
when you're in Malta.
So and the idea being um becausewe're a startup airline, um we
have designed the program fromscratch and we've taken some of
the the hallmarks of of reallygood programs.

(31:05):
For instance, it was only two orthree years ago that Qatar
Airways um was the first majorairline to actually introduce
instant points issuance.
So you actually earn your pointsas soon as the plane is taken
off.
Um we do the same.
Most large airline programs arestill using batch file processes

(31:26):
for awarding points, and thatcan take anywhere from a day to
a week.
And if you're trying to thenclaim with a partner, sometimes
it gets lost, it can take awhile to come through.
Um we will see more and more ofthat.
But effectively the premise is avisitor comes to Malta, they've
earned Skybucks on theirpurchase with the airline, they
can then use those Skybucks toha to enjoy a coffee in the
coffee shop while they'rewaiting for their ground

(31:48):
transportation at the airport,and then they can earn Skybucks
when they're doing a toursomewhere in Malta, or when
they're buying a t-shirt, orthey're buying some souvenirs,
or if they're ordering takeout,or they're they're ordering a
drink at the bar.
Um and so we're creating thiswhole ecosystem.
And I think that's that'ssomething really interesting.
Um, but we are also looking atat the and engaged in um

(32:11):
conversations with the moretraditional partnerships as
well, which ultimately are allabout allowing a member to
choose how they receive benefitsfrom the program and how they
interact with the program,whether they fly with us once a
year or they fly with us everyweek.
Got it.

SPEAKER_02 (32:27):
Okay, so this is great.
You've got you've now uh giveneveryone a clear idea, and I
appreciate you mentioning thevaluation because that is so
important, and I actually haveuh um a great respect for the
way you've approached it,because it is confusing for a
customer often to understandwhen they should be using their
points and when they're beingtaken advantage of.
And it's one of the things I'veseen with loyalty programs, uh,

(32:50):
especially my time working inthe loyalty space where people
would look at what it would costthem to transition from one
program to another.
And this was one of those burnopportunities, and I was working
uh with a loyalty programprovider to give people the
opportunity to convert from oneprogram to another.
But the trade itself was not inthe best interest of the

(33:11):
organization.
So they would they would kind ofpenalize people so they would it
would be a huge amount of pointsthat you would cost you to
transition to another program.
And this is another one of thosecomplexities for people to
understand when they're uhbuying something with points,
what is the actual value, evenif it is upgrading their flight
or given the opportunity to useeven more points to pay for the
rest of the flight to cover taxfees, for example.

(33:34):
Um so I appreciate youdemystifying that for everyone.
The other part I'd like you tospeak to, please, Oliver, is on
the status side, because that tome is the primary driver of me
joining a loyalty program.
I love the points as well, butfor me, they're a major
secondary benefit that I alsoget to use all these points to
be able to fly my family placesor um to be able to purchase

(33:57):
things, but I primarily use mypoints to redeem for additional
air travel.
That's like and I've got so muchair travel, I'm continually
using my points uh when I haveuh accumulated enough again.
So I I definitely benefit fromthe points side of it.
But really for me, it's aboutthe status.
And I don't mean status in thewhat other people.
I was speaking to Mark RothSmith, who's the CEO of uh

(34:17):
Loyalty Coin Status Match.
He joined our podcast when I wasat the uh focus rate conference
in Europe.
And when I was saying to him,you know, uh humans are status
oriented, it's part of ourspecies.
So like there's there's a directconnection to the fact that
pretty much everything we do isstatus oriented, the cars we
buy, the watches we wear, theschools we send our kids to.
But for me, when it comes tostatus, it's not so much about

(34:38):
people seeing that I have thattag on my bag or I'm in the uh
elite line.
It's not, I I don't thinkpsychologically, it's not what I
think other people think of me,which um I know it can be a
driver of people's statusmotivations, but for me, it's
truly the benefit I get from it.
Like it is the seamless way Ican navigate through an airport.

(34:59):
It's the lounge access.
It's not being steam in thelounge, it's the fact that I can
relax in the lounge, take calls,get work done.
So tell us a little bit aboutthe status part of your program
and what some of the incentivesare.
And ultimately, too, Oliver,since you're you know an expert
in this space, how importantstatus is to a loyalty program.

SPEAKER_00 (35:18):
Um you mentioned Mark Ross Smith.
Um, I've known him for many,many years.
Um we uh bumped into each otherat a conference back in May and
within two months had launched astatus match partnership.
Uh they've got an amazing uhpiece of technology.

(35:39):
I've seen, I've worked forcompanies that do status matches
manually, and it's just a mess.
And there's so much fraud andit's really hard to keep track
of.
So what Mark has built, becausehe's run a loyalty program, he
gets it, the whole team theredoes.
Um I appreciate that they theysponsor this series, but I'm
saying this from the heartbecause I I've known them for a
while.

(35:59):
Um they do what they do bestbecause they've lived and
breathed it.
And uh so we we marked on ourpartnership because I saw an
opportunity to um change thepreference of certain uh
potential passengers that aremaybe flying their preferred
airline that have an alliancemembership um to and from Malta

(36:22):
whenever they're traveling forbusiness.
And I also saw an opportunity todrive a little bit more leisure
travel as well.
Um the reason being we have thebest scheduled to and from every
major European city to and fromMalta.
Therefore, um on on sort of keybusiness routes, and uh
therefore I wanted to removethat status barrier.

(36:43):
And so we we launched this thisstatus match.
Um now you're gonna have statusin a One World, a Sky Team, or a
Star Alliance member program aswell if you travel lots outside
of Europe.
But if you're travelingregularly to and from Malta, it
makes sense to fly with thenational airline.
And I've now removed thatbarrier of friction to making

(37:05):
the jump to do so.
Um in terms of the the tiersthemselves, um, so you join as a
member, um, quite quickly youcan progress to a traveler.
Um traveler comes with um acouple of additional benefits,
but it's really about um drivinga little bit more engagement.
Um you earn points at a slightlyquicker rate, um, you earn a

(37:26):
tier milestone bonus that thatis uh a direct um Skybux um
award.
So you can then use thoseSkybux, I think it's it's 10
euros equivalent.
You can then use them whichcovers the cost of of a seat or
or um can contribute towards abag, or you can use towards your
flight, or or even once themarketplace launches, you can

(37:48):
buy round of coffees.
Um and uh then you progress toExplorer once you you've hit um
a certain amount of spend, andthen our very top tier is is
pioneer.
Um and uh we find that ourpioneer members are um fiercely
loyal.
That there's uh um a small butbut very important group of of

(38:12):
pioneers.
The explorer base is much largerthan pioneers as as you would
expect, and and and and thefunnel kind of is like a a
triangle or pyramid, and andthat's the same in every loyalty
program.
The wants and needs of explorersand pioneers is very different
to that of base members.
Their travel expectations aredifferent, the reasons for
travel, their motivations aredifferent.
Um, and much like you said, it'sthose pioneers that are

(38:35):
traveling week in, week out,they're primarily traveling for
business, but they do stilloccasionally travel for leisure
or they travel with theirfamily, and they want to get
those benefits in bothinstances.
So we've developed a programthat does that.
Um, where we maybe aren't asgenerous as some of the larger
carriers, but we we have to bebecause we need to um make sure

(38:57):
that we have a sustainableprogram that we don't constantly
look to devalue, is that wedon't give away absolutely
everything to our statusmembers.
But what we have done is we'veintroduced these tier milestone
bonuses.
So when you cross a tier, youearn a milestone bonus.
That milestone bonus isSkybucks.
If you're a pioneer and you'vegone from member to pioneer in

(39:20):
that one year, you earn thebonus at each of those
thresholds.
And you can then choose to dowhat you want with those
Skybucks, whether it's to payfor a flight or whether it's
every time I fly, if my companywon't pay for me to select a
seat in advance, I'm gonna usethose Skybucks and I'm gonna pay
for a seat in advance because Ialways want to sit in 9A or
whatever it might be.

(39:40):
Um but we do provide things likepriority boarding with
guaranteed cabin baggage, uhpriority check-in, lounge
access, all the primary typicalthings that you would expect at
that very top tier level.
Explorers get a taste of that.
Um, and we we do just enough tokind of push people up each of
the tiers.
And there are a number ofbenefits that we're looking into

(40:03):
as the program matures um overuh the coming sort of six months
to a year.

SPEAKER_02 (40:09):
Yeah, it's interesting to hear those
different stages, and it'sexactly what I was you know uh
highlighting with my experiencewhere you know you get your uh
50k, 75, 100, and then you seethe benefits to achieving a
higher status, and then you aretotally freaked out at the idea
of losing your status.
And sometimes that happens byvirtue of like a job change, or
if you took time off, or youknow, the pandemic, a lot of

(40:30):
programs extended them for oneyear and then two years, and
then some people still foundthemselves uh not achieving
their previous status, so um,which is exactly the situation I
found uh myself in.
So uh since you mentioned statusmatch and marketing, yes, of
course, they kindly sponsoredthis series, which is
appreciated.
But one of the things I justwanted to uh to highlight is uh
how that works from your pointof view.

(40:52):
Like what was it about their uhproduct and solution that
appealed to you that you decidedto partner with them?
I'm just genuinely curiousbecause this is where I as I've
gotten to know uh more abouttheir company and their team, I
see huge potential for it.
But I don't uh help usunderstand why and what what
what was it that convinced youuh to partner with them?

SPEAKER_00 (41:14):
Um I think it's the technology.
Um it's the technology and theknow-how and knowing that you're
working with people that havebeen in your shoes.
And the the the platform itself,um there's a a data feed between
our program and and theirplatform.
It's white labeled, so it lookslike it it's our website and
it's just an extension thereof.
But uh by effectively chargingfor a status match instead of

(41:37):
just giving the status of matchaway for free, a that alone
provides a higher quality ofmember and makes sure that um
you reduce fraud.
But then they also do a numberof um fraud checks um to make
sure that we're getting thosegood quality members.
Um and we it also removes a lotof the manual headaches.

(41:59):
Um so it's previous companiesI've worked for that have done
status matches, they have beenvery manual.
There's been a form that youfill out or an email that you
send.
Um there's been a manualadjustment of the tier um on on
the backend side.
Um a huge percentage of thosestatus matches typically are

(42:20):
either people that are beingopportunistic that maybe don't
ever have any intention ofactually engaging in your
program, or they're um they'rethey're they're spam, um uh sort
of bots running in thebackground, just deciding to to
kind of hammer the database,etc.
Um or the people that wanting todo it for for one time to get

(42:42):
the benefits and then cash outand never interact with your
brand again.
So knowing that there's anamazing tech solution, that
they're charging, yes, we make alittle bit on that, but it
really just covers the benefitsif someone then travels once or
or twice um with us.
And then it's up to us to thenreally engage with that member

(43:03):
to make them want to preferenceKM Alta Airlines as the primary
airline of choice when travelingto and from the Maltese Islands.
Um but there are other productsthat that we're we're
introducing too.
So I imagine by the time thislaunches, um, this this podcast,
we will have launched, or bevery shortly about to launch a
status boost product, um, alsofacilitated by Loyalty Status

(43:25):
Co.
Um for all the reasons that Ipreviously mentioned, uh
primarily around the technologypiece.
That is around people realizingthat they see someone in that
priority boarding queue, or theysee someone with their
guaranteed cabin baggage, orthey see the lounge and think,
how can I get in there?
They're like, I want that.
I want those benefits.
Um, I want that dedicated phonenumber to be able to call and

(43:49):
speak to someone straight away.
Um we're gonna give them thatopportunity because for a small
fee, you'll be able to earndouble or triple status points
on all of your upcoming tripsfor a period of three months on
a subscription basis.
And then at the end of themembership year, say someone
hasn't been able to travel asmuch as they thought, or a
couple of business trips gotcancelled, um, but they can't

(44:12):
bear to lose their benefits.
Um much like I myself haveactually paid for uh preventing
points from expiring in thecurrency sense, we're
introducing the ability toeffectively buy back your status
that you were going to bedowngraded at the end of the
membership year.
So I'm I'm excited about thatbecause I think it gives the

(44:33):
customer choice.
Um, but it also means that weunderstand and we found a kind
of a way that satisfies both theairline and the customer, that
if you don't want to lose yourbenefits, we've got a solution
for that.

SPEAKER_01 (44:45):
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SPEAKER_02 (46:35):
And now back to the show.
There's uh so much to know aboutloyalty programs, and there's
clearly lots of um not onlypodcasts, but uh newsletters,
websites.
I mean, there's the point sky,there's like this is an industry
uh unto itself, and you know, weare uh I'm keen to I'm I'm keen
to explore it further for manyof our listeners.

(46:55):
But um one of the things that Iwanted to also ask you about is
given where we are, so you'veyou know talked about the the
skybox and the monetary value,you've talked about the status,
which I can I can't see as um Icouldn't see as as as more
important.
So it's interesting to get youruh take on your collaboration
with the team there and howyou're seeing that.

(47:16):
The one thing uh I would love tounderstand, the combination of
those things, how important isit to build repeat?
And what have you seen so far?
I realize you know you've hadthis program for just over a
year.
You've obviously you know you'rejust launching this uh status
match initiative, but just interms of frequent flyer loyalty
programs, what could you sharewith us that you've seen so far

(47:36):
as the the benefits fromimplementing a program?
How much has it increased uhrepeat bookings or you know,
taking customers that uh and youknow that concept of share of
wallet is like to get them tomake sure that every time
they're flying to Malta, they'rechoosing uh to fly with you.
So tell us what you've seen sofar.

SPEAKER_00 (47:55):
Sure.
Well, I think probably the bestway to illustrate that um is uh
last month we introduced theability to redeem your Skybux in
the booking flow.
Um so rather than have to go toa separate part on the website
and search for availability andall of that, we we've just
effectively added the ability touse your Skybux with a point

(48:18):
slider.
So you can choose how many youwant to use.
You can mix them with yourcredit card payment, we're
expand, uh you can purchaseancillaries, we're then rolling
that out into Manage My Bookingin the coming months as well, to
add on additional ancillariesand pay with your Skybux.
Um the reason I mention itthough, uh, and this is
something that really impressedboth both me and the wider team,

(48:41):
was before we had actuallyannounced the functionality, we
soft launched, we wanted to testit in a production environment,
um, sort of live environment.
I I booked some tickets, I I uhum then uh uh tried to use my
Skybux to redeem, etc.
Um, because you can test things,but there's nothing like doing

(49:01):
it in the real world.
Um and so I I got my hands dirtyand I did that.
And and uh what shocked methough was in the first 24 hours
after launch, before we'd eventold anyone that we'd added the
feature, customers were loggingin in the booking flow and they
were redeeming Skybux.

(49:21):
And on day one, we were alreadyreaching or bookings that had
Skybucks being used incombination in part or whole
with um with cash were making uparound about four percent of all
bookings that day.
And since then that's onlygrown.

(49:42):
Um and that just said so much tome that like as much as from a a
kind of traditionalist loyaltyperspective, a fixed value could
be seen as um uh less flexiblefrom a creative PL perspective,
actually, simplicity reallydrives customer behavior.

(50:03):
Um and we're we're we're now upinto um a significant um number
of bookings that have been madewith Skybux.
And that the trend justcontinues.
And I think when you look atlook at uh at other innovations
in the industry, you look atwhat Alaska Airlines has
announced recently um with uhtheir new Atmos program for

(50:26):
Alaska and and Hawaiian um withuh as a result of the merger um
or acquisition of Hawaiian byAlaska.
Um they are I believe the firstairline loyalty program to come
out and actually give customersthe choice to say, I fly based
on distance or I fly based onspend.
Because for different people,that means so much.

(50:50):
Um we haven't done that, butwhat we have done is on the
value side, we've said,actually, we want to give
customers that transparency.
Two different things, but bothsort of similar concepts.
It's about simplicity.
There's intricacy there too ifpeople want to find it, but for
the majority of customers, it'sabout I want to get some instant

(51:11):
benefits.
And I I think the other realbenefit that that we've seen, um
I was shocked to discover thatthe average booking time for a
member that is logged in in thebooking flow, whether or not
they paid with Skybux, but justhaving logged in, and because we
have captured all of theirinformation in the program, the

(51:32):
average booking time for thoselogged in members is 50 seconds
shorter to make a booking andconvert than for people that do
not log in.
So that by itself, the loyaltyprogram saves time.
And time is is so precious formost people.

SPEAKER_02 (51:48):
Yeah, time, especially when you're traveling
and time away from your familyor the need to get to a meeting.
So I mean this is where you knowhaving uh status uh uh has uh uh
saved you time in in a number ofdifferent ways.
But yeah, uh I appreciate yousharing this because uh I find
this really fascinating.
The the part I would also liketo I guess highlight is where do

(52:09):
you think this is going?
So you uh you know, it's still Iguess early days uh for the
program overall.
So I mean there's lots ofdifferent ways this will um
evolve and grow.
But you know, given where you'vegotten to and some of the plans
you have in place, what do yousee your loyalty program looking
like in the next couple ofyears?
Where do you think this isheaded?
Are you are you putting morethat of the focus then on um the

(52:32):
status side as uh or the skyboxor a combination of both?
Yeah, tell us a little bitwhat's what's ahead for the
program.

SPEAKER_00 (52:39):
Sure.
Um so it's about expanding howour members can earn and redeem
their skybox, uh, both with KMulta Airlines and with with our
partners.
Um I've mentioned themarketplace.
Uh we're looking at a number oftravel partnerships as well, um,
where customers would be able toearn and and potentially burn.

(53:00):
Um we're looking at exchangepartnership opportunities too,
um, given that a lot of ourcustomers are outside of Malta
and they might have um earned alot of points in in other
programs, um, whether it be intravel or outside of travel, uh,
we're looking at how we can umhelp them convert their points

(53:21):
from program A into KM RewardsSkybucks, and then they'll be
able to book their holiday toMalta using their Skybux.
Um but it's also about expandingthose benefits, uh making the
travel experience more seamless.
My other hat is um I look afterCRM at the airlines, it's

(53:42):
customer relationshipmanagement.
That's all about not only thoseloyalty members, but the
non-loyalty members and reallyimproving um communication with
them, knowing more about them,being more personalized with how
we talk to our customers.
And I think that as the programitself grows, um, and the more
customers we convert to members,and the more that we build the

(54:03):
program out with airlinepartners, travel partners,
non-travel partners, everyday umsort of earn and burn
opportunities, we're gonna nerdwe're gonna I mean we're gonna
learn more and more about ourcustomers, which ultimately
allows us to better communicateto them in the way that they
want to be communicated to,which ultimately means they will

(54:24):
be more loyal to us as theairline and as the lead in from
a loyalty program perspective.
Um there's a that there's a lotcoming up.
It's an exciting place to be.
Um we absolutely can scale fromfrom where we are.
Um and I think one of thebenefits of of working for a
smaller airline is that you getto get be involved in so many

(54:46):
different things and you caninfluence change so quickly.
Um that's not to say I haven'tenjoyed my time at in bigger
airlines and and at Hilton andVisa.
It's just different.
And I'm getting so muchexperience and exposure because
I'm building the strategy at thesame time as doing the testing
and answering member complaintsand working with the contact

(55:10):
center, our KMR Ward supportteam to figure out how to handle
certain situations.
And it it's uh yeah, just a areally interesting place to be
in my career.

SPEAKER_02 (55:20):
Aaron Powell It's one of the reasons I was really
keen to have you on the podcastand part of this series, is
because you are really in asweet spot as far as I'm
concerned when you look atloyalty programs, rather than
just talking to the largestplayers, which it's the
knowledge and insights are onlygoing to be beneficial when you
have that size and scale of anorganization.
What I thought you could share,and clearly you've done in our

(55:42):
conversation today, is to beable to help a lot of
organizations that may not havea loyalty program or are you
know much earlier in the journeyto share some of your
experience, which there's anumber of valuable takeaways I
can definitely point to from ourdiscussion.
And so I want to make sure thatwe leave everyone with one of
your biggest takeaways uh thatthey can apply from your

(56:05):
experience, you know,implementing this program,
optimizing this program, and thejourney ahead.
Uh what might be, Oliver, one ofthe one or two things that you
might suggest for those peoplelistening to this that are
trying to decide if they want toget on board with creating a
loyalty program or uh optimizingwhat they have if they're not
currently uh seeing the thebenefits?

SPEAKER_00 (56:27):
What would be a couple of suggestions you'd
share with them?
Um so firstly, make sure thatyou really understand who your
customers are, understand um oridentify who you want your
loyalty program to cater to.
Is it your entire customer base?
Is it a small subset of yourcustomer base?
Then make sure that you've donethe modeling on the profit and

(56:49):
loss side of things.
But but also taking into accountit's not always just about the
loyalty, profit, and lossaccount.
It's about the wider benefits ofthe loyalty program, um the
repeat business, the the thehigher opt-in to marketing that
you tend to see from loyaltymembers, the more likelihood
that it is that they'll bookdirect.
Some of those intangiblebenefits, and and some of which

(57:10):
you can add a value to becauseyour costs are potentially lower
with direct bookings, etc.
Um So it's about understandingyour customer base, really
making sure your customerproposition for the loyalty
program is relevant to thosecustomers.
And then think about those uhtechnology solutions and make

(57:30):
sure that they work for not onlythe systems that you have within
your own business, but also tobe able to potentially work with
integrators to unlock otherpartnerships or to be able to
adapt the loyalty programwithout having to take six
months to do X, Y, and Z in hardcoding in the back end.

(57:51):
Um and I think ultimately it'sabout making sure that everyone
in the business understands theimportance of the loyalty
program.
So whether it be your frontlinestaff that understand why they
need to welcome the elitemembers on board, um why uh
they're so important to thebusiness, why general members

(58:12):
are so important to thebusiness, and making sure that
the CFO and and and the whole ofthe CCO, that the whole C-suite
and all of your peers understandthe power of loyalty when it
relates to their specificbusiness function as well as the
business as a whole.
Because loyalty is so much morethan just rewarding customers.
It's a a key lever in the growthof a brand and in driving repeat

(58:39):
business and a major part ofyour marketing strategy.

SPEAKER_02 (58:43):
Thanks so much, Oliver.
I've so enjoyed our conversationtoday.
I think it's a terrific way tokick off this series, talk about
loyalty, talking about airlines.
I appreciate you highlightingsome of the ways you've been
working with Status Match aswell.
I find that business modelfascinating and I want to spend
more time exploring this space,but I this has been a terrific
start to these conversations.
I just want to close off bymaking sure that people can

(59:04):
reach out to you and connectwith you if they're looking to
learn more about loyaltyprograms and just stay in touch
with someone that's soknowledgeable in this space.
So, where where would yousuggest they do that?

SPEAKER_00 (59:14):
Sure.
So for me personally, umabsolutely connect on uh
LinkedIn.
Um Oliver Ross.
Um love to connect, love to talkto fellow Av Geeks, fellow um uh
people that are reallyinterested in um loyalty
programs, uh both in the UK,Europe, the US, and and beyond.

(59:35):
Um and uh in terms of theairline, KMAltaAirlines.com is
is our website.
Uh we have uh KM Malta Airlinesapp.
We also have a a loyalty app, umKM Rewards, um, that you can
find on uh on the app stores.
So um the last thing I'd I'djust like to say is A, Dan,
thanks ever so much for uminviting me on the podcast.

(59:56):
I've really enjoyed it.
Um enjoyed getting to know youas well.
And for anyone that has neverbeen to Malta and has never
tried KM Malta Airlines, youabsolutely have to come.
You have to visit Malta.
It's an amazing place.
I thoroughly enjoy spendingevery two weeks in Malta.
I go there on holiday with myfamily as well.
And I just can't say enough goodthings about the place, about

(01:00:20):
the culture, about the people,about the cuisine.
And you get to experience all ofthat when you fly on KM Malta
Airlines too.
And make sure you join therewards program, KM Rewards at
the same time.
Thanks, Dan.
I appreciate you uh having meon.

SPEAKER_02 (01:00:34):
That's awesome.
Thank you so much, Oliver.
I can't wait to get to Malta.
And now I know how I'm going toget there.
So thank you again very much forjoining us.
I look forward to keeping intouch.
Thanks so much for joining us onthe latest episode of Travel
Trends.
I hope you enjoyed this firstepisode on our loyalty series
with Oliver Ross.
I certainly thoroughly enjoyedthe conversation in part because
my son is so passionate aboutaviation.

(01:00:55):
He happens to share the samename as Oliver.
And my son is now studying to bea pilot, as you heard from our
conversation.
So it's really wonderful tospeak to someone that has this
much passion and interest forthe subject matter.
So thank you again, Oliver, forjoining us.
I look forward to keeping intouch.
And thanks as well for attendingmy session at WTM.
It was great to meet youafterwards.
And I look forward to seeing thecontinued success of this

(01:01:17):
program.
Now, next week, we're going tohave Erin Murray joining us from
Loyalty Status Co., who just sohappens to also be the sponsor
of this series.
But that's actually not thereason.
It's more coincidental because Iwas really keen to have Erin on
the Travel Trends podcast, andshe has such a deep expertise in
the loyalty space and obviouslyis doing amazing things with

(01:01:37):
loyalty status and the statusmatch in particular, which you
can learn more information aboutat loyaltystatus.com before our
interview next week.
And then we're going to roundout the series.
I'm thrilled that we're going tohave the CEO of Citizen M.
I've already recorded thisepisode with him live.
Leonard DeYoung is a fascinatingcase study in how to build a

(01:01:58):
successful boutique hotel chain,which has been acquired by
Marriott.
And they created their ownloyalty program that was
incredibly successful.
So you're going to hear theirjourney.
And now obviously they'reconnected to Marriott Bonvoy.
So he shares some really uniqueperspectives on where the
industry is headed.
So I'm really looking forward tosharing that conversation with
you as well to round out ourthree-part series on loyalty as

(01:02:23):
we prepare to bring that back asa theme and a topic again in
2026.
And just on that note, as we hitthe midway point of our season,
I would love to hear anysuggestions you have for our
team with the topics, the guestsyou want us to focus on in 2026.
So feel free to reach out to meanytime, Dan at Travel Trends

(01:02:43):
Podcast.
I'm always delighted to hearfrom you.
And I just want to make surethat everyone knows that you can
always send feedback to us andthe team.
I love hearing from many of ourlisteners about the impact that
our podcast has had on yourcareer, on your company.
So feel free to reach out.
It really inspires me and theteam and helps us shape the
future of both the content wewant to produce on our podcast

(01:03:05):
and also our events becausewe're going to be doing a lot
more events for 2026.
So thanks again for joining usand being a part of our extended
community.
And until next week, safetravels.