The As Have It: AOL, American Airlines merge loyalty programs.
America Online, Dulles, VA, and American Airlines, Dallas, have signed a three-year co-marketing deal the companies say will produce the “world’s largest online customer loyalty program.”
The pact unites the airlines’ American AAdvantage frequent-flier program with AOL Rewards, a loyalty incentive program first launched in 1996. The program will operate under an AOL AAdvantage banner and be managed jointly by the two companies. “We are essentially creating a whole new currency for the online generation,” boasts American Airlines chairman Don Carty.
Launching in spring, the program will allow members to earn frequent-flier miles by shopping both online and offline, enrolling in AOL services, and participating in surveys and polls. It will also allow them to “spend” their miles on travel, AOL memberships, and a variety of consumer products. American AAdvantage has more than 38 million members. About 1.5 million AOL members have earned points through the Rewards program in the last six months.
The program’s infrastructure will be provided by Netcentives, San Francisco, an e-market software and services developer.
