Emirates Skywards Is Adding 300,000 Members A Month

At the turn of the year, Emirates Skywards celebrated the surpassing of 30 million members. At WAF Lisbon last week, Simple Flying asked Nejib Ben-Khedher, Divisional Senior Vice President for Skywards, about how he feels about achieving such a landmark, only to find out that another 300,000 members have joined the program each month since.

No signs of stopping

As the official loyalty program of Emirates, Skywards caters to a global customer base of passengers flying via the airline’s hub in Dubai or on its offering of fifth freedom routes. Passengers can earn miles with the airline, its compatriot flydubai, and several other partners. The miles can then be spent on initiatives such as upgrades, flights, events, and a range of products across a plethora of industries.

With airlines swiftly moving out of recovery and into expansion following the dark days of the pandemic, Ben-Khedher explained that his airline is reaping the benefits of this busy period.

He told Simple Flying:

“We are adding 300,000 members a month and we are continuing to grow. Activity is booming from a commercial standpoint. We have more people flying on us and more people discovering the brand. We have more opportunities to enrol members at customer journey touchpoints. We are offering members, if they enrol at the time of flying with us, free WiFi. That helps us acquire some new members,

“This activity is definitely higher than what we had at pre-COVID levels. However, this is the new normal for us. There are a lot of people flying today. The flights are pretty full, with load factors north of 80%. The brand works wonders for us.”

Customer diversity

Even though the program is going from strength to strength, Ben-Khedher noted that his brand is keen to ensure that its premium base is well taken care of. He highlighted that Skywards doesn’t want to just scale up and forget about those who made it what it is today.

Skywards has an international base, with 90% of its members generally living outside the United Arab Emirates. However, while the program is growing in all pockets of the globe, there is particular growth in the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. Moreover, there is an influx of members residing in the UAE.

Looking ahead

There are significant growth prospects across the spectrum, especially when it comes to earning points throughout the industry.

Ben-Khedher shared:

“The opportunity is to work with partners to engage with these numbers. What we have done with Air Canada has helped in North America, and United helps us with our base in the US. We also introduced a cobrand in the US before the pandemic and now one in India.”

With approximately 230 aircraft in service, including around 90 Airbus A380s, it’s an exciting time for Emirates passengers to fly with the airline and earn points with Skywards. Nonetheless, there are also excellent opportunities to earn points on the ground. Stay tuned for the next installment of our interview with the program’s management to find out more.

What are your thoughts about Emirates Skywards? What do you make of the brand’s growth? Let us know what you think in the comment section.