Flydubai launches loyalty programme

Flydubai aims to court more repeat business with its Open loyalty programme which provides one point for every $1 spent.

Passengers can earn points on fares (excluding taxes and fees) and “pre-purchased” extras such as checked baggage, and when ordering extra legroom seats, inflight meals and inflight entertainment.

The most frequent flyers will be eligible for a gold tier providing up to 10 times the number of points.

Gold members will also receive priority check-in at business class counters, priority baggage handling and access to the airline’s business class lounge in Dubai International Terminal 2.

To reach gold, flyers will need to reach “a certain number of tier points” over a year.

The airline said points can be redeemed for “flights, upgrades and optional extras for any trip, on any day, to any destination”.

Points can be claimed retrospectively for up to 90 days and used for a reward flight “in part or in full for anyone you like”. Rewards bookings can be made with points, cash or a combination of the two.

However, points cannot be earned for on-board purchases so passengers will need to pre-order optional extras, like food and inflight entertainment, at the time of booking.

Passengers can form a family or friends travel club by inviting up to seven other individual members to join them and they can combine 100 per cent of the points they’ve earned to put towards reward flights.

Flydubai has teamed up with Dubai Islamic Bank to offer an OPEN rewards credit card and said it would partner with hospitality, lifestyle and retail brands in the near future.

Airlines are increasingly looking to capture data to drive profit, while creating a broader range of personalised services. Air Arabia launched Airewards in March last year.