Relaunch for BA small business scheme
Programme targets gradually recovering business travel sector
British Airways has relaunched its free loyalty scheme for small and medium-sized enterprises.
The relaunch of the On Business scheme follows research the airline carried out in 2010. To promote the relaunch, BA is offering free advertising for some companies that are part of the SME programme. The ads will appear in newspapers, at Ba.com/onbusiness and in emails from BA.
The scheme enables frequent travellers from SMEs to redeem points they earn towards flights, upgrades and accommodation.
BA is hoping the relaunch will boost its income from the business travel sector, which is slowly recovering from the effects of the recession. EasyJet and Virgin Atalantic are also looking to generate revenue from the sector.
Ian Romanis, BA’s head of loyalty, commented: “British Airways understands that the needs of small and medium sized businesses often differ from those of larger companies and that they sometimes struggle to gain the benefits that many big businesses are offered in their industry due to their size.”
Companies that have at least two employees registered for the programme can use On Business.
It works by giving points to individual employees every time they take a qualifying flight. The points are then pooled into one company account and the company decides how they are spent.
Points offer
After BA’s recent merger with Spanish carrier Iberia, members of its Executive Club and those of the Iberia Plus scheme can earn double points on selected routes this spring as part of a special offer.
The carriers are offering double points for members of both loyalty schemes on flights between London and Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga. Iberia Plus members can also earn double points on BA flights to Asia and the Middle East, while Executive Club members will get double points on Iberia flights to Central and South America.