FREQUENT FLIER PROGRAMS OF LOW COST AIRLINES THE WORLD AND TURKEY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Airlines often use Frequent Flyer Programs (FFPs) as one of marketing tools. Traditional airlines had started to use FFPs after airline deregulation against low cost carriers in order to get competitive advantage. The main purposes of the FFPs are to provide extra services to passenger who fly very often and maintain the loyalty of passengers creating the main income for the airlines. FFPs helps traditional airlines a lot to get advantages in competition to the low-cost carriers (LCCs). Although traditional airlines started to use FFPs at first, with the on-going update of system, even if it is against the nature of LCCs, FFPs has begun to be used for LCCs as well for last two decades. In this study, try to examine the LCCs use FFPs effectively and the differences between the FFPs used from the LCCs in the World and Turkey. In this context, the best LCCs in 2017 selected by Skytrax and Turkish LCCs FFPs examined as a case study. Search results indicate that only one LCC don’t have FFP and The World and Turkish LCCs has similar FFPs. Keywords: Frequent flyer programs, low cost carriers, tourism, airline