VIDEO: How one airline is rethinking every element of customer loyalty

AirAsia wants to be more than just a low-cost airline.

This has been apparent for many years, whether it's the launch of the AirAsiaX no-frills long-haul services or the partnership with Expedia in the early-2010s to push into online travel agency-style services. 

Where the strategy to expand has focused on over recent years has been with the emergence of its loyalty program, now known as BIG Rewards.

In some respects, this is no ordinary airline loyalty program, with AirAsia attempting to position itself as a one-stop-shop for other products alongside its own fares and services.

Passengers earn points, then spend on numerous other products - some are travel-related, many are not.  

Some argue that such a strategy is only possible because of AirAsia's scale as a leading carrier in Asia Pacific - but the executive overseeing the BIGLife division believes such tactics are possible whatever a brand's size.

CEO Spencer Lee (who was AirAsia's commercial director for 12 years before taking on the loyalty brief) also argues that one of the biggest hurdles to overcome is not operational or how to forge partners but the culture and people aspects of rethinking what an airline could be.

PhocusWire spoke to Lee as part of the PhocusWire Pulse: Loyalty For The Long Haul event on March 23, 2021. 

The full interview is listed below:

* Other replays from the event are available here.