Airlink, Southern Africa’s premier airline, has announced the launch of its Skybucks frequent flyer program on March 1, 2023. The program will enable Airlink’s customers to earn rewards on their flights and redeem them for future travel and other Airlink purchases.
Airlink CEO and Managing Director, Rodger Foster, said that the airline has been inundated with requests for a loyalty program since becoming a completely independent carrier in 2020. He added that the company has spent the past year researching, planning, and developing the compelling new Skybucks program.
Skybucks will allow customers to earn a rand value percentage on every flight, and to redeem Skybucks as a form of payment to more than 45 destinations in 13 sub-Saharan African countries, including Madagascar and St Helena Island.
There will be four Skybucks membership tiers, with eligibility determined by the number of sectors or leg of a journey flown in 12 months. The Blue Tier is for customers who have flown less than 18 sectors, Red is for 18 to 34 sectors, Emerald is for more than 35 sectors, and Black tier membership is by invitation only. Each tier earns rewards at a different rate, with the higher tiers earning more Skybucks for the same flight at the same fare.
Skybucks can initially be used for full or partial payment of air tickets, excluding statutory taxes and charges, and upgrades. The program will offer additional rewards and offerings that will be announced as they are added.
Skybucks will be valid for 18 months from the last activity, but members can extend their validity before they expire. They are also transferable between members, and families of up to eight members can pool their Skybucks.
Customers who enroll in March 2023 will receive 1,000 Skybucks (Sb10 is worth R1). Eligible customers who have flown sufficient sectors with Airlink in the three months prior to becoming a member will be able to move to a higher tier.
Airlink is also ensuring the security of customer data by managing Skybucks membership information on servers situated in the European Union, which is compliant with both the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and South Africa’s Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).
The Skybucks program is expected to provide a great added value loyalty program for customers, while also safeguarding their data privacy.
