25 million members, and still soaring Skywards Emirates Skywards is celebrating the key milestone with discounts and surprises

Bangalore, 16^th September 2019 – Emirates Skywards, the award-winning loyalty programme for Emirates and flydubai, has touched a new high – 25 million members. Emirates Skywards is celebrating this key milestone with exciting offers and surprises for its members, starting 12^th September. This includes 25% discounts on upgrades and reward tickets on selected flights to and from Dubai, a network-wide special Cash+Miles rate on Emirates and flydubai flights, and a 25% discount on buying and gifting miles. Competitions and prizes at Emirates Terminal 3, starting 22 September, are all set to wow travellers.

In the last 18 months, Emirates Skywards has added five million members globally, which is a staggering average of 277,777 every month, 9,259 every day, and more than six members every minute. The UK continues to lead the Top 5 table with 3.2 million members, USA with 2.3 million, Australia 1.9 million, India 1.8 million and UAE 1.7 million. This may not come as much of a surprise to members, as Emirates Skywards has worked hard to expand its appeal across regions and demographics. The programme now has 157 partners spanning the globe, including 15 airline partners that fly to a combined 2,000 destinations, 12 financial cobrands and seven points exchange partners covering 31 countries. Emirates Skywards also partners with more than 100 hotel brands and two online aggregators, providing access to 30 million properties and rooms globally.

In the last three years, the programme has added 24 new partners with the number of earn transactions increasing by +50% and redemptions rising by +150%. Three new and expanded partnerships in the last two months – with Marriott Bonvoy, Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bicester Village Shopping – highlight the exponential growth and the broad appeal of the programme both globally and regionally.

Just in the last financial year 2018-19, members from 185 countries redeemed 1.2 billion Miles at Dubai Duty Free, and 6,431 members redeemed 77 million Miles for 10,344 tickets to premier sports and cultural events globally. Hundreds of thousands more enjoyed upgrades, used Cash + Miles to book flights on Emirates and flydubai, and got reward tickets.

Dr Nejib Ben Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President Skywards said: “This is a proud moment for Emirates Skywards. Three years ago, we undertook a transformational journey that involved deep introspection and research to understand what our loyal and aspiring customers truly value and want from us. Armed with these insights, a long-term strategy and the latest data and digital technology, we developed a number of industry firsts, partnered with local and global iconic brands, and created a rich, personalised experience for our members through mobile channels. We are now working on crossing the next big frontier, one that UAE residents and visitors can quickly get on board with through every day spends, so stay tuned.”

In a world inundated with loyalty programmes, Emirates Skywards stands apart with its pioneering spirit and industry firsts. The partnership with Dubai Mall made it the first airline loyalty programme where members can seamlessly earn Miles on every transaction and in all outlets of a shopping mall. Platinum members unlock new benefits, including Tier Miles rollover and complimentary upgrades, through gamified and personalised engagement. Targeted in-path offers enhance the booking experience for Skywards members while searching flights and fares online.

Emirates Skywards has also launched three apps in three years that make earning and burning Miles within easy grasp of a mobile device. The Skywards section, integrated within the Emirates App, has one of the most comprehensive loyalty programme features of any airline app. There are also two specialised apps: Emirates Skywards Go that features dining and leisure offers in 160 destinations, and Emirates Skywards Cabforce that is available in 890 cities globally to book private cars, taxis and minibuses. This year, Emirates Skywards has already won three industry trophies: Best Frequent Flyer Programme from Business Traveller Middle East, Excellence in Management from Global Flight, and Middle East’s Leading Airline Rewards Programme from World Travel Awards.

Emirates Skywards’ celebratory offers is available on emirates.com from 12 September 2019.