AirAsia Group Berhad - Annual Report 2017

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ADJACENCY BUSINESSES
Red represents members who have flown
up to 13 one-way short-haul flights in
the preceding 12 months, while Gold
is for those who have flown up to 23
flights, Platinum up to 49 flights, and
finally Black, those who have flown 50 or
more times. For every RM10 spent, Red
members earn up to 20 BIG Points, Gold
up to 40, Platinum up to 70 and Black up
to 120. Long-haul and Fly-Thru flights
count as two one-way short-haul flights,
making it doubly rewarding to travel with
AirAsia X.
In terms of co-brand partnerships,
Bangkok Bank AirAsia Platinum
Mastercard spend surged 68%, with
28.5% more members linking their BIG
Member ID to the card to fully enjoy the
BIG Points earned from their card spend.
Indonesian cardmembers were the most
engaged, with 34.2% of them redeeming
their points for flights and other rewards.
To bring rewards to daily life, in December
AirAsia BIG Loyalty launched its eStore,
accessible exclusively on
Members can shop online from over 160
lifestyle and travel brands – earning 1 BIG
Point for every RM1, THB10 or IDR4,000
spent. This makes earning BIG Points even
faster than before as it takes only a few
transactions to accumulate sufficient BIG
Points to redeem flights.
Complementing these two major launches,
the membership experience was
enhanced with a revamp of
and the AirAsia BIG Loyalty app, as well
as strategic digital marketing efforts
– all complemented by an efficient
membership services team.
One of the best privileges of becoming a
BIG Member is the opportunity to redeem
flights at up to 90% discount every month
during the Final Call Sale and to enjoy
Think BIG Digital was established as
a joint venture between AirAsia, Tune
Group and Canada-based loyalty
management company Aimia Inc to
manage AirAsia BIG Loyalty. A key
differentiator of AirAsia BIG Loyalty
compared to other airline loyalty
programmes is its regional presence,
serving over 12 markets such as
Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, the
Philippines, India, Singapore, China,
Australia, Japan, South Korea, New
Zealand and Taiwan, to form a unique
and rewarding ecosystem of BIG Points
that can be earned and redeemed in any
country served by AirAsia.
The programme has grown steadily year
after year, with increased membership
and network of partners, as well as
number of points issued and redeemed.
In 2017, membership expanded to over
17 million, with 3.5 million members
from Malaysia, 1.9 million from
Thailand and 1.2 million from Indonesia
representing the largest nationalities.
China boasted the fastest-growing
membership base, with a 63% increase
in member acquisition, followed by India
at 46%, and South Korea at 45%. The
programme achieved a 36% and 38%
increase in number of points issued and
redeemed, respectively, contributing to
41% growth in profit after tax.
Furthering its goal to disrupt airline
loyalty, the world’s first Freedom
Flyer Programme was launched in
September to reward guests who fly
more with AirAsia with more BIG Points
per one-way flight, regardless of how
much they spend on fares. Guests are
assigned a membership status, with
everyone starting at Red then moving
up to Gold, Platinum and Black to enjoy
differentiated privileges.
24-hour lead to redeem Free Seats
before the public. This year, 275,637
seats were redeemed on AirAsia flights
through the Final Call Sale, while
102,947 seats were snapped up during
the Free Seats promo by BIG Members,
and 86,904 on AirAsia X flights.
To access these member-exclusive flight
deals, members need to download the
AirAsia BIG Loyalty app as all flight
promotions are available only on this
platform. In less than a year of its
launch, the app has been downloaded
826,117 times, with over 75% of
members using it actively. Members can
check their BIG Points balance, store
up to 10 credit card details for faster
flight redemption, redeem flights for a
maximum of 10 family members, earn
BIG Points from selected partners and
be notified of the latest deals anytime,
anywhere.
Going forward, there are plans to make
BIG Points a useful and ubiquitous
currency. Members with low BIG Points
balances will be able to purchase BIG
Points at the checkout. On ,
BIG Points will be made a form of
payment for the purchase of flights.
A points exchange platform and more
payment methods will be introduced for
faster and more convenient checkout.
In addition, the mobile app will be
enhanced with new features to make
it an even more powerful platform for
travel retailing. Members can also look
forward to more privileges and rewards
such as priority check-in, free wifi and
flight discounts. To top it all, using data
analytics, AirAsia BIG Loyalty will offer
a more personalised experience when
members come onboard.
THINK BIG DIGITAL SDN BHD
ONE OF THE BEST PRIVILEGES OF BECOMING A BIG MEMBER IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO REDEEM
FLIGHTS AT UP TO 90% DISCOUNT EVERY MONTH DURING THE FINAL CALL SALE AND TO ENJOY
24-HOUR LEAD TO REDEEM FREE SEATS BEFORE THE PUBLIC.
[ ] AirAsia Group Berhad BUSINESS REVIEW 148